Boot camp for the band

Shandellica Money crashed brass cymbals every 5 yards as she ran around the track at Houck Stadium in the heat of an August afternoon. Her fellow members of the Golden Eagles Marching Band shouted encouragement.

Welcome to marching band boot camp, a week of almost constant rehearsals from early morning to late at night.

Those who show up late for rehearsals have to run laps.

"We have to have discipline," band director Barry Bernhardt said.

Students, he said, quickly get the message they need to be on time.

Money -- who plays the baritone -- ended up having to run three laps, spaced out over several days.

But the St. Louis freshman took it all in stride, even finding humor in it. "It made me feel like the Incredible Hulk," she said during a break.

During a pause in an afternoon rehearsal on the field, some students dropped to the ground and did pushups. "If they mess up, they do five pushups," said Bernhardt as he sat in the stands surveying the students lined up in a marching band formation.

As director, Bernhardt plots out every move on the field with the assistance of a computer. As he sits in the south-side stands, he glances from time to time at a printout showing where band members should be standing on the field during a particular part of the performance.

"What I am seeing at this point are individual glitches," he tells the students, his voice amplified through a microphone. "Make sure you get a good first step every time," he instructs band members.

Bernhardt said it's important for students to practice the various routines. "What we are doing is teaching music and movement at the same time," he said.

The various moves are designed to complement the tune being played.

While many Southeast Missouri State University students were still sleeping in this week, enjoying their last days of summer break, band members were already hard at work. They rehearsed in groups and as a unit from about 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. with hour and a half breaks for lunch and dinner. Some practices occurred indoors. Many were outdoors on the band's practice field or at Houck Stadium.

In one week, they learned 25 pieces of music. New band members also learned to sing the school's alma mater, a longtime ritual in the marching band.

"It can get tiring, especially standing out in the sun all day," said Ashley Davis, a sophomore from St. Louis who plays clarinet. Temperatures hovered around 90 degrees most of the week with high humidity.

The worst part is getting up early, Davis said. "The best part is the end of the week when you see everything we've done, all the hard work finally pay off."

Michael Harrer, a junior from St. Peters, Mo., said band camp provides a way to "jump start" the group. "It is kind of in your face," said Harrer, who is starting his third year in the marching band. He plays alto saxophone.

While afternoon rehearsals can be hot on the field, freshman Jessica Vance said students can at least practice in shorts and T-shirts rather than sweat in the marching band uniforms.

On Tuesday afternoon, Vance, who plays alto saxophone, said she still has her homework to do when it comes to the alma mater. "I don't know the words yet," she said.

Marching band members will continue practicing during the fall semester. The band practices two hours three days a week, not counting a two-hour session on the football field on the mornings of home football games.

And the payoff?

Band members receive $150 for the semester, an hour of academic credit -- which they pay for like any other class -- and the opportunity to perform at today's "welcome" convocation for students, five home football games, the homecoming parade and a high school band festival.

It takes hours and hours of practice to perform a 10-minute pregame show and a 10-minute halftime show. On top of that, Bernhardt spends countless hours choreographing every show.

The pregame routine stays the same. But the halftime shows vary. It's never entirely the same from show to show, Bernhardt said.

When it comes to the marching band, know one is more at home on the field than Jonathan Bernhardt, the son of the band director. A sophomore, he plays a snare drum in the band. "I've been coming around since I was 5 years old," he said.

He started playing music at 4.

The Golden Eagles have had 100 or more members in past years. This year, the numbers are down. The band has about 70 members.

The director isn't sure why. Some schools pay marching band students as much as $800 to $1,000 for the fall semester band season, he said.

But Bernhardt said he isn't disappointed with the size of this year's band. "The quality of the band is going to be better this year than last year," he said.

While he's quick to point out mistakes during band practices, Bernhardt is clearly proud of his band students.

"They are great kids," he said. "They are some of the best students on campus."

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123