25 Dec 5th-Dec 11th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | “It is mind-blowing that this band is able to be a part of something as big as Macy’s,” Caldwell says. “It really isn’t this exact band that’s going to Macy’s, it’s next year’s band. But the only reason we’re going to Macy’s is because of the band from two years ago, so it takes a village to accom- plish something like that.” The work that goes into preparing for a weekly football game is intense. The 200-plus band members practice outside at the NAU Student-Athlete High Performance Center, which was finished in 2022, on the football team’s practice field three days a week, weather permitting. However, the work begins over the summer for the upcoming football and basketball season for Levine and his directors. “The design process for the staff starts … in May and June, we select music and figure out what we want to do and we know pretty much how many folks want to do this by about mid-July,” Levine said. Without the aid of student leaders, the Lumberjack Marching Band wouldn’t have the success it does. The drum majors, who essentially are Levine’s coaches on the field, make that possible. “We go up on these big podiums and we actually conduct the marching band,” drum major Samantha Fagan says. “Everyone on the field, about 200 people, are looking at us … most of the pizzazz and the amazing work is done by everyone on the field.” As for learning the routines and marches, the preparation requires dedica- tion and focus like any other sport. On top of that, training at altitude is difficult for most athletes at first, so marching has the same challenges in many ways. “It’s definitely a unique process and there’s not a lot I could compare it to,” Caldwell says. “It is very mental and very physical, just marching, moving around and making sure that you’re in unison with everybody around you, it’s unlike anything I’ve ever done and I think that’s what makes it so special.” The arts can breed competition. It’s human nature to want to compete with others. The LMB is different in many ways but a lack of unhealthy competition is certainly one of them. “I would say that the best thing about NAU and the LMB is how little competi- tion there is,” Caldwell says. “Everybody is so supportive of everyone else. … I think that’s one of the greatest things about this band.” Even at the high school level, things can be more competitive than they are at NAU within the LMB. One member of the band from Phoenix area explained the difference. At drumline captain Mia Rodriguez’s high school, “the culture was kind of different … we were competitive. (At NAU), we don’t compete so it’s a little more relaxed here, but I enjoyed it either way in high school.” That uniqueness stretches beyond just the band. At most universities, the athletes focus on athletics and the band focuses on the band. At NAU, that relationship is very different. “The band’s primary goal is to support what’s going on with our athletics program here at NAU,” Levine says. “We work together to make this a really cohesive experience for the two programs. So for example, during camp, we … taught the whole football team the fight song. The first thing that happens when we win at NAU, the football team comes up and most of them just run up into the stands to hang out with the band. We play the fight song and the alma mater and celebrate together.” The combination created by the two groups is special and intentional, Levine says. The two programs have a beneficial relationship and know it. That acknowl- edgment is rare. Perhaps the most impressive part of the LMB is the fact they are heavily funded by the students who choose to participate. “We’re fundraising every dime to make this happen,” Levine says about the band having larger opportunities. While the trip to New York is a year away, the LMB will do everything it can to make its dream a reality and march from Central Park and West 77th Street to Macy’s Herald Square on Thanksgiving. For now, 6,950 feet above sea level in the mountains of Flagstaff, Levine and his Lumberjacks will continue to hone their craft and prepare for their big moment. For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org. NAU Lumberjack band director Brent Levine gives commands to his group during a practice sessions in Flagstaff. (Tucker L. Sennett/Cronkite News) March On from p 24
