Author Archives: Julia Virtue

Band Names- Trojan Marching Band

The Trojan Marching Band (TMB), otherwise known as The Spirit of Troy and The Greatest Marching Band in the History of the Universe, is the marching band at the University of Southern California. The band plays for the university’s sports teams, especially involved in football games, promoting school spirit and acting as a source of entertainment. The TMB has a culture of its own, teeming with tradition. Being in the band myself, I gathered four of my friends to discuss these traditions. Mishan is a junior, Angie is a sophomore and AJ and Travis are freshman, all in the clarinet section.

 

When freshman enter into the band, each is given a band name by the older members. My informants likened the tradition to pledge names of fraternities and sororities. The tradition is an initiation ritual, showing that the freshman is being accepted into the wider group of the TMB. All sections give their freshman band names, unifying the TMB as a whole.

The names are given a few weeks into the marching season so older members have an opportunity to analyze the freshmen personalities and give them a fitting name. I asked my informants their names and why they think they received them.

 

Mishan’s band name is “punxsutawney phil.” Mishan is generally a quiet person, so as a freshman, whenever he said something the older members saw it as if he was “coming out of his hole.” Mishan is Sri lankan, and says that another association he makes with his name is that he’s brown.

Travis’ band name is “squakward tentacles.” Although he is not sure exactly there this name came from, he guessed it was because he was awkward. At this point in the interview, Mishan and Angie reminded him that he was an awkward dancer and that he flailed his limbs like tentacles. Travis added that he liked the television show Spongebob Squarepants, so his name has an association with Squidward, the clarinet playing, tentacle- possessing character of the show.

Angie’s band name is “once upon a time… in ecuador.” Angie explained that the summer before her freshman year she went on a trip to Ecuador. When she returned, her excitement about her trip mixed with her natural tendency to tell stories meant that she talked about Ecuador a lot. She recalls being teased a lot for her zealousness, and her band name was an extension of this.

AJ’s band name is “air bud.” His reasoning was “I guess I’m like a dog… kind of.”; a response which Travis deemed as exactly what a dog would have said.

 

There are various traditions associated with band names, including Laps (see entry) and Name Jokes. This tradition is performed when someone asks “Who are you?” The individual responds with their band name. Then they are asked “Why?” To be deemed an acceptable answer, the response must be offensive, sexual or really funny. I asked my informants to tell a name joke based on their name, but none of them were able to.

The fact that none of my informants were willing to think of a name joke during our interview is evident of the unique culture and atmosphere surrounding the TMB and that there is a specific time and place for the performance of this folklore

Laps- Trojan Marching Band

The Trojan Marching Band (TMB), otherwise known as The Spirit of Troy and The Greatest Marching Band in the History of the Universe, is the marching band at the University of Southern California. The band plays for the university’s sports teams, especially involved in football games, promoting school spirit and acting as a source of entertainment. The TMB has a culture of its own, teeming with tradition. Being in the band myself, I gathered four of my friends to discuss these traditions. Mishan is a junior, Angie is a sophomore and AJ and Travis are freshman, all in the clarinet section.

 

During rehearsal the band director, Dr. Bartner, speaks from the podium. Whenever he says a word or phrase that has some sort of association with an individual, they take a lap (in which the individual runs around the entire band). The association could be with a band name (see Band Names entry), a personality trait, a physical characteristic or some other association. For example, AJ’s band name is “air bud” and whenever Bartner says “lick” (as in a phrase of music) AJ takes a lap (as if it were a dog’s lick). Angie played water polo in high school, so anytime Barnter mentions our water polo team she takes a lap. My informants described this ritual as a way to publicly take pride in ones individuality. Laps are taken by the band in its entirety, therefore this tradition unifies the band.

Laps are also taken when mistakes are made. The mistakes might be playing something wrong in the music or not executing a drill correctly. These kinds of laps are a way of publicly taking responsibility for your performance during rehearsal. Public activities like these make band members less self conscious in performance. Angie pointed out, there is plenty of reason to be nervous when the band enters the Coliseum holding 90,000 people. But activities like these decrease the tension.


Like many other traditions in the TMB (see Cadence entry), I believe that laps are a productive distraction. By taking laps throughout rehearsal based on silly or fun associations, focus is taken away from any redundancy or potential annoyance during rehearsal. Searching for associations amidst Bartner’s words is also a way to ensure band members are in fact paying attention to instructions. By running laps for mistakes, all band members are held accountable for their performance, ultimately making a better band.

UCLA Anti-Fight Song- Trojan Marching Band

The Trojan Marching Band (TMB), otherwise known as The Spirit of Troy and The Greatest Marching Band in the History of the Universe, is the marching band at the University of Southern California. The band plays for the university’s sports teams, especially involved in football games, promoting school spirit and acting as a source of entertainment. The TMB has a culture of its own, teeming with tradition. Being in the band myself, I gathered four of my friends to discuss these traditions. Mishan is a junior, Angie is a sophomore and AJ and Travis are freshman, all in the clarinet section.

 

It is well known within the USC community that UCLA is the enemy. The rivalry between the two schools is one of the largest in collegiate football. The band supports this culture in many ways; one of which is their anti-fight song. These songs parody the rival school’s fight song, using the melody but changing the lyrics to be degrading. USC’s greatest rivals, including Stanford and Berkley, also have anti-fight songs. They are passed down to new members every year and are sung in the practices preceding the respective football games. Mishan, Angie, Travis and AJ sang the anti-fight song:

 

“High up in the hills of Westwood

Sprawled offensive to the eye

lies a Cal extension campus

known as Westwood High

HIGH HIGH HIGH

 

Home of all the bruin bear cubs

Ugly is its name

Its student body’s vile,

its football teams a pile

and its campus is a shame

 

U… G… L… Y

U.G.L.Y.”

 

The song incorporates potentially offensive and degrading things about the UCLA campus, academia, student population and football team. This gives the USC band and fans a sense of pride and superiority over their rivals.

Cadence- Trojan Marching Band

The Trojan Marching Band (TMB), otherwise known as The Spirit of Troy and The Greatest Marching Band in the History of the Universe, is the marching band at the University of Southern California. The band plays for the university’s sports teams, especially involved in football games, promoting school spirit and acting as a source of entertainment. The TMB has a culture of its own, teeming with tradition. Being in the band myself, I gathered four of my friends to discuss these traditions. Mishan is a junior, Angie is a sophomore and AJ and Travis are freshman, all in the clarinet section.

 

When the marching band moves from one location to another, the drum line plays a cadence. During the music the band yells and sings different things. These chants increase the spirit of the band.

Changes in cadence chants are an example of the multiplicity and variation of folklore. Angie pointed out that new chants are being created all the time based on recent and relevant occurrences.

Practically, the rhythm of the chants help the band stay in rank and in step with each other so it looks unified. It also takes the focus off of the long trek, three-quarters of a mile or more, the the Coliseum where football games are held.

When the band is in sync with each other, it makes it difficult for outsiders to penetrate the ranks. There is a phrase “no one gets through the band.” This is occasionally a safety issue, especially if the band is at an away game with the fans of other teams. Band members have gotten into fights or had their helmets stolen. But in a tight block the band is unified and impenetrable. In addition to safety concerns, this is also a source of pride. Yelling these phrases that outsiders aren’t familiar with separates the band from other teams fans. Instead of paying attention to heckling onlookers, the band is stands apart.

Quinceañera

Quinceañeras are celebrations in hispanic cultures when a girl becomes a woman at quince años, or fifteen years old. Marcea had a quinceañera of her own, in which I participated as a dama. She explained the traditions of of the quince and what it meant to her.

 

This tradition has gone back hundreds of years, and is this Hispanic equivalent of a Sweet 16 in American culture.

The participants of a quince have unique names and functions. The girl being celebrated is named the Quinceañera. Her court is a group of damas (girls) and chambelanes (boys). The court is usually made up of fourteen damas and fifteen chambelanes. Altogether there are fifteen couples, symbolizing her age. Marcea’s court had less couples, instead they had six. This is a group of the Quinceañera’s friends and family members, generally under the age of 20. Some members of the court can be very young, not even gone through puberty yet. Marcea said that the demographic for courts skews younger, partly because the Quinceañera’s closest friends and family are usually around her age. She made the parallel to bridesmaids and groomsmen, which are generally the same age as the bride and groom. In a quince, the court symbolizes youthfulness and the process of maturation. They help to present the Quinceañera to the world.

The Quinceañera’s godparents, aunts and uncles are called padriños and padriñas who act as donors and contribute to the celebration. Padrinos and padrinas are also present at Hispanic weddings. The donors are the individuals that will guide the Quinceañera in her adult life. It is not an official declaration of future involvement in the Quinceañera’s life; however, as it is usually the family who guides the girl, it is usually the family who act as padrino and padrina. Since hispanic families tend to be large, this can cover a large price of the celebration. Sometimes there is just one, sometimes there is a couple for every aspect of the celebration. Typically, a couple will sponsor one aspect of the quince. For example, one aunt and uncle will pay for the limousine, another for the cake, so on and so forth. There is a special dance for these couples during the celebration. Marcea herself didn’t have any padrinos or padrinas for her quince. She appreciates the advice her family gives her throughout her life, but there was no formal representation of this in her celebration.

There are traditionally two parts to each quince- a church ceremony which lasts about an hour and a party which can last of hours afterwards. As a large portion of the Hispanic population is involved with the Catholic Church, the religious ceremony is a large part of most quinces. Marcea did not have a church ceremony as part of her quince, because she hadn’t had her communion yet, so the priest would not bless her. However, Marcea was able to describe the process to me. Usually, parents, godparents and the court are part of the church ceremony. They give the Quinceañera her gifts- rosaries, a tiara and a bouquet that is left on the alter of the Virgin Mary to pay tribute. It is a time of thanksgiving for life and womanhood.

Usually court arrives to the party in a limousine, often sponsored by a padrino and padrina. There is generally a large room with a dance floor and a dj, giving the guests plenty of opportunity to dance, which Marcea says her family loves to do, as well as providing space for the traditional dances that will take place. In addition there is a slideshow featuring the Quinceañera playing in the background.

During the party, one of the traditions is the changing of the shoe. Marcea described this as “ a pretty popular tradition that people usually keep,” emphasizing its importance within the celebration. At the beginning of the night, the Quinceañera wears flats. Her dad changes her shoes from flats to heels, symbolizing her development from a little girl into a woman. Marcea prepared beforehand and marked with a marker the hole that her dad had to use to fasten the shoe, revealing the weight of the moment and her desire for nothing to go wrong. Afterwards, the father and daughter dance together. At this time, her father is supposed to recognize her as a mature woman. Marcea identified this time as one of the most emotional for the men of the family.

Then the father hands his daughter to her chambelane, a sign of his respect for her maturity. The dance proceeds, with the Quinceañera and her court. Marcea isn’t aware of any symbolism in the courts dances, besides entertainment and fun. Courts tend to take dance lessons for a year to a year and a half before the quince. Marcea and her court took dance lessons for about four months beforehand. There is a formal dance, which was the waltz for Marcea’s quince, and the baile sorpresa, which included cumbia, hip hop and the hustle. The songs we danced to were by Rihanna, Selena and Chris Brown. Usually the baile sorpresa is salsa or cumbia; however, Marcea’s quince had a mixture of diverse dances.

Although Marcea didn’t participate in this tradition, at some quinces the Quinceañera is given the responsibilities of a woman within the celebration itself. She is responsible for speeches, cake cutting and even service. While watching videos online to brainstorm for dress ideas, Marcea saw girls serving their padrinos.

The dress is usually white, symbolizing purity at the coming of age. Recently girls have been wearing pastel colored dresses. They are usually large ballgowns. There are never trains on these dresses, because the style is reserved for weddings.

 

 

The whole event is centered around the Quinceañera. It symbolizes the transition from a girl to a woman, with all the responsibilities it entails. There are many aspects of the event which I was not able to include, as it is a vast celebration. The tradition is documented in the award-winning film Quinceañera, which juxtaposes the purity and extravagance of the celebration with pregnancy, poverty and the trials of everyday life.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451176/