By Kenzie Smith, Arts and Entertainment Editor
Attending Gettysburg College presents students with many unique opportunities, and one of these opportunities is the Bullets Marching Band. Gettysburg College is the only school within the Centennial Conference to have a marching band, which provides an extra element of entertainment to home football games and gives students the opportunity to continue their marching band career from high school or engage in a new activity.
Being the only marching band in the Centennial Conference can have both advantages and disadvantages for the band members. Color guard member Marisa Conners ’26 expressed her thoughts on such.
“I miss being able to talk with other band members during third-quarter breaks,” Conners said. “However, I feel that the unique aspect of being the only marching band in our conference helps us focus on doing our best, rather than trying to top another group’s performance.”
Marching Band Director Steven Marx commented on how the band can be an advantage for the football team.
“We recognize that the band creates distractions for the opposing teams, and we try to make Shirk field a tough place to play football, especially when the opposition is in a no-huddle situation in front of the band. It will be rare to find us not playing during these moments of a game,” Marx said.
(Photo Courtesy of Wilyi Feliz)
On top of “stand-tunes,” the marching band also performs a half-time show, which takes a lot of work and effort to prepare for.
“During band camp, which meets the week before first-year orientation, I challenged the ensemble to see how much information they could absorb, and they met and exceeded expectations,” Marx said, “This group is further ahead of schedule than any group I’ve worked with in my time at Gettysburg.”
The marching band’s show for this year is “2000’s on Shuffle,” and it includes arrangements of Britney Spears’s “Toxic,” The Black Eyed Peas’ “Pump It,” Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love,” Adele’s “Hello” and Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.” Each year’s show is specifically curated by the members of the marching band.
“Show ideas are submitted each year by the marching band members, and student leadership votes,” Marx explained. “The entire process is led by the group, and this year’s show is especially exciting!”
Of this selection, color guard section leader Noelle Muni ’24 shared that her favorite song to perform is “Crazy in Love.”
“I really enjoy spinning rifle in ‘Crazy in Love.’ Getting to do something a little different during the show in regard to choreo-style or equipment is always fun,” Muni said.
Tenor sax player Aynsley Lane ’26 commented on the band’s enjoyment of the show’s entire discography.
“I think since we as a group also think the tunes are fun, we play them with more energy and excitement that hopefully translates to the crowd,” Lane said.
The Bullets Marching Band also performs at other events, such as the Gettysburg Halloween Parade, which is an exciting aspect for the members. Mellophone player Alex Michua-Brooks ’25 shared their excitement for being able to participate in the event.
“I’m really looking forward to this year’s Halloween parade! It’s lots of fun, and I miss marching in the parade block,” Michua-Brooks said. “The Halloween parade is also fun because we get to engage with the community!”
One of the bigger events the band is looking forward to is the Collegiate Marching Band Festival, which occurred Oct. 1 in Allentown.
“This event brings together student performers from universities and colleges across the northeast to perform in exhibition for a crowd of thousands of fans,” Marx explained.
The marching band is equipped as a team to overcome problems and challenges when they arise, and they have developed a motto for the team.
“We have a phrase in the group that ‘Band Equals Change,’” Marx said. “While everything in this activity is highly coordinated, few things go exactly as planned. When an issue arises in any aspect of the organization, the entire group is affected. As they work together to overcome challenges, it becomes clear that every member of the ensemble is motivated, creative, and collaborative.”
This article originally appeared on page 16 of the October 2023 edition of The Gettysburgian’s magazine.
