Coming to Minnesota State Mankato as an unseasoned young band director was a risk, but I am really glad that I took it (truthfully I got lucky to be in the right place at the right time). Our University president, Dr. Richard Davenport, and a crew of folks in Mankato had a Big Idea to bring the band back together again and it has turned into a mantra for me over the past 7 years. In order for us to build a program from nothing to something we needed big ideas – from the purple shoes, to the eye popping coat, to our uniforms and show designs - everything WE have tried to do is calculated to show off the things we do differently in Mankato – to create a culture that is unique and centered around our three core values of Family, Pride, and Excellence.
I have been fortunate enough recently to speak a couple of times about the Big Ideas in the Maverick Machine and I wanted to write these thoughts down and share them with a larger audience than those who might listen to the podcast on KMSU. The Big Ideas campaign led to the return of the Maverick Machine and we have taken it from there –
1. The first Big Idea was to bring the band back – with 30 students we gladly went to the first football game (where it rained) and stuck by our Mavericks. Something we have done time and time again – no matter what. But we really arrived in 2014 when the football team made it to its first National Championship game in recent history (maybe it happened before?). We built from a foundation that was given to us by our incredibly successful athletic program – it really helps build something when they are so darn good! It’s good to have fun and it’s fun to be good – the TEAM we have is good and we have fun. That was the foundation.
2. The Wedding Show – the next ‘milestone’ in the return of the Machine was when we had two members help us design a show to feature their love for each other. These two marching band ‘love birds’ gave us an opportunity to do something very unique and set the bar of our show design VERY high. The level of attention we received was off the charts and really got the ball rolling and led us to look at how we design our shows. We’ve gone on to celebrate the birthday of our University, get WILD with some creative percussion, and next fall we hope to incorporate our Music Industry program with a lot of really cool technology in a video games show.
3. Saying yes to ‘other’ events – when you receive a phone call asking if you’d be interested in performing for a Wild playoff game you say yes (or at least I did). That is something that is different about this program in comparison to the other collegiate programs that I have worked with. We have a little more flexibility in our schedule to look at unique events – Super Bowl Live, NCAA Final Four at the Mall of America, etc – we’ve also been able to travel to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and a yet to be named destination that has given our students some incredible experiences that I will never forget. #RealWorldExperiences
4. Marching in a gym and on ice – again striving to find something different we have dabbled in the WGI Winds activity and may be looking to go down that road again (if the students want to do so). Competing was fun for some of the students that had that drive and we get our fair share that still want to compete – so we encourage and foster that competitive spirit. Even bigger than the gym floor was our opportunity to perform on ice here in Mankato. Lots of logistical pieces in play, but at the end of the day it has been a really ‘cool’ experience and we’ll do it again! Other college groups have done it, so why not the Maverick Machine?
5. Our CULTURE – this really isn’t a big idea because it happens across the country in marching programs everywhere. But it is still something that WE are incredibly proud of – we have built a culture that is a family. We are a team, from our athletes to my 6 year old son and everyone is a part of the #MavFam. We treat each other with respect and will never be too big for the feeling to go away – whether it is in an individual section or as a full program – Family comes first. We have developed a culture of family, pride, and excellence – but we also do everything that we can to be unique. We are Mavericks in every way that we can be!
Why did I write this post? Because I think we should all celebrate our successes a little more and I wanted to share what is happening in Mankato. Maybe this post is rambling – but it brings me back to Big Ideas. We all have great ideas, but what does it take to accomplish them? It takes WORK. In the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps I learned that ‘The End Crowns the Work – Finis Coronat Opus.’ Our program wouldn’t be where it is today without the work put in by so many students – thank you to them, my colleagues, the administration, and the community for your support. The students have put in hours and hours to support the Mavericks and develop a program that will continue to thrive. Thank you to my rock of a wife (who is easily the best guard designer I know) for being there through it all! #DreamTeam
Many ask what’s happening in Mankato or what’s the ‘Big Idea?’ Here it is, but it’s not just in the Maverick Machine there are Big Ideas in our Music Department (see our new Music Ed curriculum or our incredible Music Industry program – they are killing it) and across campus incredible things happening that you should really check out. Hopefully we can keep sharing our successes with each other – we all have Big Ideas and if you put in the work you can achieve your dream too! Keep your eye out for more Big Ideas coming from Mankato very soon. It’s great to be a MAVERICK! 😈
