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Engineers fill Cal Band's brassy ranks
By Jessica M. Scully
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| Allison Ryan (in clear
glasses) marches with the band. Peg Skorpinski photo |
The College of Engineering is hardly the only place where Cal's
engineers make their mark. They contribute, in spades, to one
of Berkeley's most cherished institutions -- the raucous
and always stellar marching band. While engineering students make
up just 13 percent of Berkeley's total undergraduate population,
they populate the band in far higher percentages. Currently, 46
percent of the 200 high-steppers in the band are engineering students.
"Music is a fairly mathematical thing," says third-year
mechanical engineering student Allison Ryan, clarinetist. "It's
counting beats and dividing things up. You definitely have to
do some math in order to look at a measure and come up with the
rhythm."
Engineering students bring more than sheer numbers and musical
talent to the band. Ten years ago, an electrical engineering and
computer sciences major designed the unique computer program called
CalChart that allows students to map out and design the band's
complex, fluid choreography. Coming up with those patterns this
year lies with fourth-year civil engineering student Jonathan
Stan, a trombone player and the band's drum major. "We
noticed that the engineers were some of the show's best charters,"
says Stan, who also dabbles in filmmaking. Before they had the
luxury of a computerized choreography program, band members sharpened
their pencils and sketched out on paper each member's playing
field stepping pattern. "It took a disgusting amount of time,"
says Stan.
For engineering students -- who juggle some of the most demanding
schedules on campus -- time is a valued commodity to be carefully
parceled out, as band members search for creative ways to manage
10-20 hours per week for rehearsals. Ryan, who is a member of
a mechanical engineering honors society, works at Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory as an intern, and recently joined the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers, is up to the challenge. "My
idea of what I can fit into a semester might be a little different
from someone who's not in the band," she says.
"You have to commit to finding the time and making sure you
have the time to do both things," adds third-year electrical
engineering and computer sciences student Titia Wong, who plays
the mellophone, an instrument similar to a French horn. "Otherwise
you cut a little here and a little there and hope it works out."
Being part of the Cal Band, which since its inception in 1925
has been almost entirely student run, appears to be worth the
frenzied scheduling and occasional sleep deprivation. While the
group has lost some of its autonomy since coming under the umbrella
of the University's student musical activities department
a few years ago, the degree of student control is still remarkable.
Band members raise funds to maintain the $400,000 annual band
budget, plan and rehearse performances, set up road trips, book
hotel rooms, and make sure everyone is well fed on the road.
Beyond their unique independence, band members point to the camaraderie,
the incredible sound, and of course, the indomitable sporting
spirit that make the band such a draw. "It's just a
good, big group of friends that's always there," says
David Wagner, fourth-year manufacturing engineering student, alto
saxophone player, and former senior manager of the band. "The
'Go Bears' spirit stays with band members long after
they graduate. It puts a smile on my face when I play my instrument
and see people smiling in the stands who were in the class of
'50 or '60 and played in the band. And they can say
to the grandchild on their shoulders, 'Hey, that's the
Cal Band. You should be clapping.'"
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