"High-Step: A Story of the Michigan State Marching Band"

High Step was recently featured in the 2009 East Lansing Film Festival.
The Spartan Marching Band is a unique Band where they strive for perfection. From marching in front of 70,000 people, to upholding decades of traditions the marching resinates with excitement and passion for the sport of marching. This documentary follows a "game day" looking through eyes of four prominent members of the Michigan State Marching Band. From 6:00AM on a game day Saturday the band preforms the jaw-dropping march to the stadium, to the crowd pleasing pre-game show where the band spells STATE. The band strives to inspire Spartans everywhere and leads MSU to another victory. GO GREEN!
Produced By: Nick Constantine, Peter Corriveau, Carly Ludtke, and Andrew Vallentine.

[@bobmiller9556]

Great job to everyone who worked on this project! Well done. I am in the picture of the 1961 Percussion Section found at 0:39. I am the 4th from the right in the second row. For all of you modern percussionists, this was before the days of tuned bass drums and multi-toms -- they hadn't been invented yet. We had 7 snare drums (Joel Leach was section leader -- this was before Lutz got there), 3 tenor drums (snare drums without any snares), 2 bass drums and 2 cymbals.There were only 14 of us, so we had to play really loud! For those of you who know The Series, this was the year the 5/4 section was added. The percussion section has more than doubled in size since then.

[@SpartanMarchingBand]

Thanks for posting!

[@LOLworldofwarcrafLOL]

two of the best things with stuff like this I would say is playing the music in front of so many people, and the social bit within the band

[@numberThree0703]

This brought a tear to my eye. Thanks guys

[@bradagee1322]

***Said with pride: "I even made a baby cry once." Bahahaha 😂

[@Archace88]

i love the Alma Mater!!! my God!!! Beautiful!!!

[@Mulepick]

MSU. The first real love of my life.

[@derekschumaker7740]

Marching band is marching band and DCI is DCI. They should not be compared. Go MSU and GO Phantom Regiment!!!

[@ekdog91]

This is why the SMB is awesome.

[@KrakaTuba]

Awesome video, Andy! Good job!

[@DelmusicLover]

High-Step Marching Bands have been around for years... especially at HBCU's; many of which were the originators of this powerful marching style. MSU is good, but so are NSU Spartan Legion, FAMU, SU and many others.

[@marchmaster]

HBCU and B1G Bands are entirely different marching band cultures. Big ten band use high-steps such as "Chair step", "Bicycle", and "Delayed High" while HBCU Bands use "Ankle-Knee Highstep" and have more of a dance and funk to them. I believe the two cannot be compared anymore than College to DCI. However, the Spartan Marching Band is one of the best Big Ten bands and I hope will continue to in years forward.

[@poptartfaerie]

FANTASTIC video -- I miss you guys! The band needs more great press like this. p.s. Corner says Ham is one sexy beast.

[@jphuber1959]

Very fine video work - from a gentleman I am so pleased so have had at least some impact on during his school years!!! (even if he is a Spartan) :)

[@aj42986]

Great job guys!

[@SaxABrass]

Amazing!

[@Quickspank]

Great Video . . . Well Done.

[@mdmr2005]

Awesome!!!

[@j21589m]

GO GREEN!!

[@hanaTbird]

hopefully i'll be playing mellophone there next year!

[@campb450]

Go Rachel! Hope things are going well with you:)

[@Hornman64]

Great video! I played trumpet from 60-64, the Moffit years and have played in many Alumni games and events since it started in 71. I would agree the series was finalized around 66. Of course, the type of drums used makes a difference. My section was the still early in the video, led by the bass drum of the still active Jerry Spry lol. Glad the band has carried on tradition and made their own contribution. Now if someone could find our 60's films.........

[@eMthegymnast]

high stepp it man!

[@visualpurple123]

Great video! Very nice marching, lots of intense traditions. The coordination of those backbends is impressive, as is the flag work. And congrats to Rachel for achieving her position as 2nd woman DM! And yes, I do go to the University of Michigan. Go Blue!

[@wavolax]

they only high step for the series and pregame. other than that they do corps style marching.

[@ekdog91]

I did have a question regarding majors. Does Michigan State include Applied Music as one of the majors or Music Education?

[@TheDragonmaster18]

@ThePdiddles check out southern university and south carolina state university

[@SonicBoomC98]

@hlywood72 Well, of course if you're talking about band or anything else, everyone style for the most part comes from the first person or the first people or entity to do something. A lot of high school bands who try to mix traditional and corps style together could probably learn a lot from watching MSU

[@Autocycles]

I drove to East Lansing to watch the Homecoming parade the last three years on Friday night and was shocked to see the band in tee shirts and blue jeans. That evening on Flint Channel 12 news, they showed the band marching in uniform.....must have been file footage. Certainly not from that day, as I was there. The band sounded OK, but come on. The Michigan band would never be seen in public out of uniform.

[@wjohnmacfadden1727]

For those who wanted DCI left out of this since they have nothing to do with college marching bands.... amazingly enough they are staffed with DCI alumnus teaching a DCI style of performance.from Santa Clara Vanguard and Phantom Regiment - with a large group of DCI members in the band. just sayin'

[@wiscomptonfinest]

haha, you have color guard

[@Shamell2011]

So not true....there are high stepping bands who are a lot better but you all are good as well

[@Foxy1]

KKKKKK KKKKK PSI!!! Hi I would like to come up and hang out with the brothers and sisters of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma...I am in Detroit. I use to marching for Kentucky State University Mighty Marching Thorobreds!!! KKPSI Sring 2002

[@MicTheMailman]

OMG leave those goddamn DCI out of here they have nothing to do with college marching bands.

[@ReyDaRza]

Naw...this a "walking" band not a marching band😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@alanrussell4389]

I was proud to be a member of the SMB in 1967-68 and 1968-69, the former as one of the inaugural members of the flag corps. This video brings back some great memories from that time. I wrote about my experiences in my blog - ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2022/07/msu-marching-band.html

[@Foxy1]

KKKKKK KKKKK PSI!!! Hi I would like to come up and hang out with the brothers and sisters of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma...I am in Detroit. I use to marching for Kentucky State University Mighty Marching Thorobreds!!! KKPSI Sring 2002 AEA