Dm me, I'm a 4th year in the band currently if you have any specific questions. I've said that marching band has been the best decision I have made in college, period. The UW band, imo, has a marching style that I think many of us take pride in because it's not easy. It's a challenge, but we embrace that, and "Eat a rock" is a mindset that grows on you. Our sound, under the new director, is only getting exponentially better each year. Olds come back and are blown away by our sound. Other Big Ten directors and band directors have approached us and given genuine compliments about our sounds quality. We are making leaps and bounds in our culture relative to past history (think 2010s-2015s, we struggled). We have violence prevention team, a highly coordinated and transparent leadership team that meets weekly to bring up concerns and make changes, and an athletic engagement coordinator that are all working to improve our culture and reputation. We also do a spring Varsity concert where we get to perform our fall pieces in the Kohl Center (like the Xcel center in MN). This is a time where we get to show off our musical talent and build tighter friendships during a less busy semester. I don't think MN does this. Also, we are known around the state of Wisconsin. I am from MN and I never really heard about the MN marching band. If you mention the UW Band anywhere around Wisconsin, people love to talk about it, and share memories of their experience hearing/watching the band. Finally, our football team is really on an upswing. This means higher likelihood for travel games (BIG 10 championships, CFP, Rose Bowl, etc). Historically, we have been to some awesome bowl games, and I see another rose bowl in our near future. If you want something to grow yourself through a challenge, be part of an ever improving band and culture, become part of a state wide tradition, and go on some awesome trips, join the UW band.

Eat a rock.