Every year, Homecoming arrives at Butler University, and students hear from coaches, players and attendees about what the game means to them. Even if they do not know it, though, everyone was also there for the biggest thing at any sporting event other than the game itself: the music.
There is a lot of work that goes into making a musical performance happen at a game. Members of the Butler University Marching Band and Color Guard (BUMB) and Butler Cheer arrive early on campus to prepare for the first showstopping pieces of the year.
Sofia Crisafulli, a sophomore kinesiology major and cheerleader, emphasized the importance of rigorous practice for the big game.
“We practice three times a week, so we [can] make sure that all of our stunts and our pyramids are all looking good,” Crisafulli said. “It’s really important that everyone’s watching us and we’re smiling and having a good time out there. Homecoming specifically [is] important because that’s when all of our alumni and past cheerleaders come back, so it’s really important that we’re looking sharp and clean so that they can see the legacy that they left behind [and] that we’re continuing.”
With flips, pyramids and shouts abound, the cheer team keeps Butler’s athletes going at every game. Though there are rarely customized performances per game, the usual routines have not yet failed to keep the audience entertained and the football team motivated.
Butler Cheer is always sure to be smiling for the crowd. Collegian file photo.
The movement does not stop there, though. Every year, BUMB and Color Guard work together to put on pre-game and halftime shows to astonished audiences. This year consists of three separate themed shows that BUMB and Color Guard will progress through: Disney villains, Britney Spears and Bruno Mars.
BUMB’s shows all have widely varying themes, all the way from Chappell Roan to Metallica. Some of these shows — like “Barbie” — even allow for wardrobe changes and additions. No matter if the show is based around an artist, a movie or an era, the emphasis is always on explosive fun for both the audience and BUMB.
Brooklyn Woodall, a sophomore criminology-psychology combined major, plays trumpet for BUMB and explained that the performers at the game are just as important as the game itself.
“Sometimes I only go to football games to watch the band,” Woodall said. “It just adds another element of culture, community and school spirit. It’s not only having spirit for the sport, but it’s having school spirit. We’re all a big spirit team and without band and without the dance team, without cheer and without the guard, you’re losing a lot of school spirit. We like to keep it loud and proud for everyone, and without us, I think it would be less spirited.”
Crisafulli explained that BUMB’s importance extends to the other performers as well.
“The marching band makes a big difference, especially at practice when we’re [usually] just [performing] with the speaker,” Crisafulli said. “When we do it out on the field with the marching band, it just makes it so much more energetic … We have certain cues from them, so certain songs that they play, our [routines] goes along with.”
Like the cheer team, Color Guard rehearses three times a week to perfect its part in the game. Returning students guide newcomers through the flag-flipping routines, and many even get a chance to choreograph their own.
For this and upcoming games, the theme is Disney villains, and the big number was a medley of various villainous songs, including “Be Prepared”, “Mother Knows Best” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls”.
This year’s Homecoming featured Butler’s dance team, who performed to “Mother Knows Best” while surrounded by BUMB. Though they may not have had Color Guard’s flags, they brought a new style of movement to the field that kept the audience going all the same.
Whether it is the game or a performance, the field is never devoid of action. Collegian file photo.
Ava Stevens, a senior biology and French double major and BUMB trumpet player, described BUMB’s environment as welcoming to all.
“That’s where my people are,” Stevens said. “Most of my friends are in the band. It’s a very welcoming place. Everyone’s super friendly, and we all have each other’s backs. It’s not hard to make friends in band.”
Through rigorous training and a friendly environment, Butler’s athletic bands, cheer team and other musical performers turn every game into a show like no other. They are the heart of school spirit, and no game would be complete without them.