Members of the Horned Frog Marching Band show their spirit during the Rose Bowl pep rally in California
Their eight-minute performance will include “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” and “Malaguena,” reprising their half-time Rose Bowl appearance.
In addition, the group was invited to play at the early morning “Mike and Mike in the Morning” radio show, broadcast live from Sundance Square today at 5 a.m. The program kicked off ESPN’s broadcast coverage of Super Bowl activities. Saturday, ESPN will host an all-day event downtown and the band will perform twice during that gig.
Next Sunday’s “star turn” in Arlington is added onto a jam-packed schedule for the band and its directors.* Late in December, their holiday break was cut short by a trip to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. They performed for alumni at the pep rally, and participated in “BandFest,”marched in the famously flowery Tournament of Roses Parade on the morning of Jan. 1 (broadcast on nine networks and to 200 countries) and played the national anthem before the kickoff of the football game. They were on the field again for the halftime show.
They had barely returned to the campus routine at the start of Spring Semester when they were marching through the streets of downtown Fort Worth for the Stock Show Parade on Jan. 14. Then, the very next day, the Horned Frog Band entertained the 6,000 football fans who attended the Rose Bowl Celebration in Daniel-Meyer Coliseum.
But that’s not all! When football season is over, the marching band doubles as the TCU Wind Symphony and Percussion Ensemble. They’ll hang up the spiffy new uniforms and don formal attire for a different kind of audience, performing in concert halls instead of stadiums and other outdoor venues. Their upcoming schedule:
Feb. 11 – Performance with the TCU Symphony Orchestra at the Texas Music Educators Association conference in San Antonio
Feb. 14 – Recording session for a CD to be released by Albany Records
Feb. 17 – 7 p.m. concert in Ed Landreth Auditorium, a preview of performances in the New York area Feb. 21-26
Feb. 22 – Wind Symphony and Percussion Orchestra performances at Eastern Christian High School in New Jersey
Feb. 23 – TCU Percussion Orchestra concert at Merkin Hall, New York City
Feb. 24 – TCU Wind Symphony Concert in Carnegie Hall, New York City
The remainder of the spring is filled with additional bookings: TCU Cellofest, April 2, Wind Symphony concert with the American Brass Quintet April 7, the brass section playing with the Dallas Wind Symphony at Morton H. Meyerson Hall in Dallas on April 20. "This is a unique moment in time for the TCU Band students," says Director of Bands Bobby Francis. "No doubt, they will be exhausted, but they will remember these events their entire life. They are proud to be representing TCU and the TCU School of Music in events with such high visibility."
*The roster of band staff includes: Brian Youngblood, assisted by Jeremy Strickland and Bobby Francis, percussion professor is Brian West, drumline instructor is Jeff Hodge, colorguard instructor is Curtis Green, graduate assistants with the drumline are Darrin Hicks, Richard Shaffer, Matt Moore and David Walker; graduate assistants for the band are Alyson Holly, Felix Torres and Mike Davis.
