I've been reading The Key Play for a little over a year, but only just recently started an account. One thing that makes me feel so at home on this site (along with analysis from French et al.) is the number of current and former Marching Virginians and Highty Tighties.
With so many of us as part of this community, I thought I might reach out and see what we've got:
What year did/will you graduate?
What instrument did/do you play?
What was your favorite game or band experience?
Best quote from Dave McKee or Major McNeill?
As for me, I am a Marching Virginian alum from 2011. I'm a 'Net, and did one year of rank captain. Rank 9 is oh-so-fine! My favorite memory was playing at Ryan "Stack" Clark's high school in Augusta, Georgia. Best Dave quote: "Tubas, I'm not even going to ask..."
Comments
I'll be graduating in spring of '15, and I play snare drum in MV's drumline. My favorite Dave quote is from OT in the Marshall game this year, when Dave said "Man, I wish we could play Stick It In right now".
A downvote? Seriously?
Probably a fat-finger mistake.
My roommate is a member on the site. He likes to troll my posts from time to time. It was him, and I ain't even mad.
Graduated in 2013 (It feels so long ago).
Once a tone, always a tone.
Favorite game? Hm... playing in augusta was neat, that was my first performance as an MV. But I think the ACC championship against F$U was a lot of fun. Especially doing their chant back at them while all the fans headed for the exits in the 4th quarter.
Favorite Dave quote: anything about the tubas, really.
I'm from Charlotte, so I enjoyed that ACC championship game as well. The per diem was pretty good for such a short trip.
yeah, everything was great except the weather
Early-mid 00s
drum line
Sugar Bowl v. Auburn or Miami 03
Any time Dave verbalized what the drum line should sound like.
Graduating in May :(
Trumpet. I'm better than you
38-0 in Hooville was tasty
"If you want to make a sound like that, there's a band in Harrisonburg that will take you" or anything else disparaging JMU
38-0 was extra tasty because of how hyped up lolUVA was for the game.
I remember that quote fondly... Don't be a hero!
Not VT alumni but played the clarinet for 7 yrs while middle/high school. Our band director
was an MV so McKee came to many of our practices. If I could take it all back I would have tried out
for the MV's.
Class of '10
tone deaf..was not allowed to play recorder in elementary school because I couldn't grasp the concept of rhythm
Favorite game would have to be one of the last 2 home games to Miami
Spring '12
Trumpet
Miami 2011 (I can be seen on all the now famous video clips following "these fans are losing their minds", when they zoom into the band, I'm the lone trumpet at the top right of the band stands jumping wildly up and down thrusting said trumpet into the air.)
I usually ignored anything Dave said so I can't answer this, however, a certain Will Petersen did once say something about little boys on my travel bus that was quite memorable...
Say it!!!
Spring '12
Manager
Either Miami 09, Miami 11, or UVA 11. Except for the IT WAS A CATCH, Sugar Bowl trip was pretty awesome too
My favorite Dave quote ATM is more of an action, at the Sugar Bowl, when we were pestering for Erin Andrews to pay attention and wave at us, Dave goes up to her, taps her on her shoulder, then points at us. Good times.
Yeah but the view you had of her in the first place is her best side!!!!!
'15
Tooba
Nawlins
"I can get 21 piccolos out here to do what you're doing. We'll call it the Piccolo Polka."
I played the xylophone and recorder in my elementary school class of 1993, but now I just play the field.
I see what you did there!
(Fall of) 2015, half a super senior year!!!
Trumpet
2011 Miami
"If you touch my face again, I'll kill you".
2012
Trumpet
Favorite game was probably Miami '09 in the rain and favorite band experiences were performing at the high schools.
Don't really have a Dave quote, but he got really mad at me on Facebook once for bragging about per diem for nawlins...
A few years ago I was playing with the band at the ACC tourney (round ball). They hand out per diem each extra day you stay there, and a buddy of mine apparently got caught on TV shouting "MORE PER DIEM!!!" right after we won our first round game. By the time we got back on the bus, our assistant director who runs the pep band got a call/text from Dave to tell the guy not to shout that on national TV haha.
I remember that trip and I remember someone yelling that and the scolding that followed!...just can't remember who it was. Yeah, apparently its frowned upon to yell that on national television.
So many trumpet heroes around here. Just what we all needed
Fall 2014!
Trombone
Favorite Moment: Beating Rutgers. The only bowl win I've seen, and a personal vendetta (NJ blood).
My favorite quote comes not from Dave, but from Tony: "Bones, welcome to the jungle!"
Gosh I miss Tony
I was an MV for 3 years [not this semester...], and I'll be graduating this May. Super senior year!
Sigma Alpha Chi! (Saxes)
Favorite moment: The 09 Miami beat down in the rain. We got to store our saxes and just yell and scream like normal fans, except in the second row...
Favorite Dave quote: [when I got engaged] "Congratulations. I didn't think even you could screw that up..."
Does wind ensemble count? Dave came in and conducted a piece with us, but I can't remember anything hilarious he said.
EDIT: Apparently not. :(
Highty Tighty Class of 2014 and Brother of KKY
Trombone
Miami 2011 is way up there though 3OT Marshall this year looking back was pretty sweet.
For pure band experience going down to Savannah for St Pattys day cant really be beat, though NYC for it was nice.
No great Skiddley Bop quote though some of his attempts to get the percussion to grove have damn near killed me.
Don't be too sad that you're still not in the mv's.. currently practicing in 43 degrees with windchill... brrr
That happens every year. It's nothing new - it'll just get colder.
HT 94
Trumpet/Bugler
Freshman year beating LOUVA 38-13- Running on the field...Maurice Deshazo days....
I was there the first year of Maj McNeil...Please bring back Wally Easter....
Additional Note: Wally Easter marched with the HT Alumni band last year...Awesome!
Wish I could've been in the Marching Virginians. I played Trumpet 6th grade through sophomore year in college. I got to go try-out for state twice, "not to toot on my own horn" (get it?) I miss playing so much. I can only imagine how great it would've been to be able to play in Lane.
I could go in SO many directions with that...but no. I digress. In fact, I'm somewhat astonished and puzzled that this thread has already gone in those directions (ie american pie, band camp, etc)
HT 14
Trumpet/ Performance Officer (I run the band)
Favorite game was probably Miami or GT 2011. Josh Nesbitt throwing a pick and then getting his arm broken was hilarious to me.
Favorite Major McNeill quote was probably when he referred to all the people leaving band as "little bitches."
Favorite Dave McKee quote is when he stops friggin talking, rare as that is.
Favorite Dave quote: "rabble rabble rabble, SELL IT!! Rabble rabble."
Finished undergrad in 2012, but currently in grad school til 2015
Current MVPix (Piccolo for those not in the MVs)
I'm gonna cosign on 38-0 bro and the '09 Miami game since woodwinds didn't play in the rain, but I'll add the ACCCG in 2010 when we starting singing the alternate lyrics to the FSU war chant
All the times when he's told the 'nets to turn around and show the trumpets F# (i.e. give them the bird)
To which trumpets reply with a low D...(no pun intended)
I know from actuary tables that I'm middle-aged, but this thread makes me want to put a blanket over my legs and just give up. Okay, here we go:
Graduated: 1988 (I joined before the MVs were even 10 years old. For that matter, before many of you posters on this thread were 10 years old, maybe.)
Instrument: Bass Drum #4, 5 years.
Game experience: the "New" Peach Bowl, 1986 - 1st bowl game win in school history
McKee quote: don't have one. He's said too many things over too long a period of time.
Fun fact: I was in the MVs when Dave was a graduate intern, or groupie, or 'music slave' or whatever term was used (for legal reasons) before he was named Director. I go back a long way with him.
Fun fact, part 2: I was ALSO in the MVs when bowl games were an extra surprise, not a regular part of the December calendar.
It may pain you even more to know this: I'm an MV alumni, and I wasn't even born when you graduated.
Well, $#!+.
Does that pain me? Yes. Yes, it does.
It's okay; at my age, I'll forget this post before the day's over.
Just for poops and gigs, I was never in MV or HT...
I marched 8th grade through my senior year at Rustburg High School. Loved every minute of it. My instructor of 5 years moved on to a job teach english at Liberty University after I graduated, we were sort of his last ones per se. I graduated and took his job and instructed our drumline for 3 years. First year was rough but my last two years we one 7 out of 8 first place percussion and played pretty clean beats. Now I pretty much stick to drumset and play at two churches weekly. I love drums. I'd be in jail if it wasn't for them.
Any other drum set players?
I dabble on set occasionally, and play the occasional gig, but I don't play as often as I did in HS.
I was never in the MVs but a number of classmates that were in grades above me from my HS marching band (James River Regiment) were in the MVs (knew a bone and Trpt player). My fave memory was watching them perform in exhibition at one of the competitions we went to (my freshman yr of HS).
I played Trpt, btw all 4 yrs of hs.
MV's and HT's playing well together? What is the world coming to? Next thing you know, LOLuva will have a winning season...NAAHH!!