TUNING UP THE GOLDEN EAGLES; DIRECTOR BARRY BERHARDT DRILLS SOUTHEAST'S TOPFLIGHT MARCHING BAND

The drum line keeps the marching band in step.

Erin Fluegge is a freshman at Southeast from Jackson and the feature twirler for the band this year.

The Wednesday afternoon sun begins to sink as members of the Golden Eagles Marching Band listen again to instructions for an upcoming halftime show.

Director Barry Bernhardt sends the marching musicians back to their places to try it one more time.

The 1997 Golden Eagles have been training since a week before school started to keep up a tradition that spans four decades.

The Southeast Missouri State University marching band is celebrating 40 years of performance.

The anniversary will be commemorated during university Homecoming activities Oct. 10 and 11.

A reception for Golden Eagles alumni is planned Oct. 10 from 7 to 9 p.m.

On Oct. 11, the alumni band will perform a pre-game concert in front of Houck Field House from 1 to 1:30 p.m. and will join the 1997 Golden Eagles on the field. They will sing the Alma Mater on the field.

The alumni band will be led by the first Golden Eagle, Jim Rhodes of Jackson. He performed with the band in 1957.

A dance to cap off all-school homecoming activities is planned Saturday evening.

Bernhardt, who has directed the Golden Eagles for eight years, said the band is like one big family.

"We look out for each other. Someone cares about them," Bernhardt said.

In return, students become dedicated to the band and its traditions.

It takes dedication to be a Golden Eagle. Musicians rehearse six hours a week and earn one hour of credit.

The band performs at home football games, marches in parades and music festivals.

They memorize music and marching routines every week.

"Our audience never sees the exact same show twice," Bernhardt said.

The Golden Eagles and the Show Band, which performs at Southeast basketball games, are the most visible performing groups on campus.

"People equate the quality of our music program with the quality of these bands," Bernhardt said. He said the Golden Eagles measure up well.

The band has 120 members this year, short of glory days in the 1960s when the band had closer to 200 members, but Bernhardt said interest in the program is growing.

The university is recruiting musicians to perform with the band, and not just music majors.

The Golden Eagles provides a way to extend music performance past high school.

In addition, the band program is working to retain more students in the marching program.

"It's fun," Bernhardt said. "These students have a good time."

The Golden Eagles tradition dates back to 1957 and a music educator named Leroy Mason. Mason taught at the university, helped develop music education programs at high schools throughout the region and founded the Golden Eagles.

"He did things that were very, very innovative," Bernhardt said. For example, he developed a trademark moving marquee. Band members could spell out almost any message and march it across the field.

Mason's impact is still felt on campus, Bernhardt said. "There isn't a week that goes by when I don't hear his name mentioned. I just regret he isn't alive for this anniversary."

A scholarship in his name is in the works. Additional funding is needed before it can be fully endowed and then awarded.

And 40 years after the Golden Eagles first hit the field, student musicians keep alive traditions that date back to the beginning.

One of the best known is the requirement that every member of the band memorize the university's alma mater.

"We make freshmen sing it on the Thursday of band camp," Bernhardt said.

Golden Eagles alumni insisted that the band play and sing the alma mater on the field during Homecoming to help keep the tradition alive.