(Photo courtesy of Peter Currier) “Michael Hood-Dowd and UMass Lowell Marching Band performing at Convocation.”
Benjamin Heffner
Connector Editor
The UMass Lowell Marching Band (UMLMB) has officially kicked off its new season with its marching show “These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things.”
Not a reference to the song popularized by Julie Andrews, the show consists of favorite selections performed by the UMLMB in the past, including “First Circle & Third Wind” by Pat Metheny Group, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, “I Was Brought to My Senses & Seven Days” by Sting, “Birdland” by Weather Report and “Celebration Suite & Malaguena” by Chick Correa.
Dan Lutz has been the band’s director for nearly 40 years, in addition to his roles as director of the Wind Ensemble and the Jazz Rock Big Band and Hockey Pep Band.
His love for marching band began as a child, when his father put him and his brother in a drum corp that he taught. He says, “Instead of [my father] dragging us to rehearsals when he didn’t have a babysitter, he finally just put horns in our hands. Now we were five and six years old playing with 13 and 14-year-old kids which was obviously over our heads, but sometimes playing with people that are a lot better than you is the best way to learn.”
Lutz also expressed his affinity for how inclusive marching band is saying “There’s a place for everyone and a place for them to gain respect.”
Alejandro Bonilla is the band’s head field conductor and says he loves the commitment amongst his fellow members. “We’re all here by choice and we all have a dedication that you don’t see in a lot of other ensembles, even ensembles that music majors participate in.”
Bonilla, a senior music studies major, adds that as an educator, it’s exciting to see the number of students interested in music. He says, “There are people who don’t do music full time but still figure out how to get involved.”
Assistant field conductor Tori McCoy, a sophomore applied biomedical sciences major, says “I think it’s a great idea to have a bunch of people together and do something that we love together.”
The UMLMB began preparing for their season before the school year started with a week-long band camp, in which students rehearsed daily from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., something Lutz described as being the “ultimate cram session.”
“My discussion with the band every year is ‘can you learn in a cram session?’ And the short answer is yes, however, you’ll only retain what you learned if it’s reinforced. So, we try to accomplish as much as physically possible while we have a captive audience, followed by constant reinforcement once the semester begins.”
Audiences were able to get their first glimpses of the band at Convocation and the Allston-Brighton Parade. Since UMass Lowell doesn’t have its own football team, a rite of passage for most collegiate marching bands, the band largely performs as an exhibition group at high school marching competitions across Massachusetts.
The UMLMB’s exhibition schedule will wind through Westford (Oct. 4), North Andover (Oct. 11), Salem NH (Oct. 11), Wakefield (Oct. 18), Norwood (Oct. 19), Quincy (Oct. 26), Ashburnham (Nov. 1), and Lawrence (Nov. 2), with additional stops at a celebration event at University Crossing (Oct. 16), a Veterans Day Ceremony (Nov. 11), and the Lowell City of Lights Parade (Nov. 29).
It’s also Lutz’s final season, who will retire at the end of the school year, a decision he said was very difficult for him to make.” I never really thought about retiring, but I’ve been incredibly lucky. It’s been a privilege to be the Director of Bands here at UMass Lowell.”
