The heavy construction around campus hasn’t only posed challenges for students trying to get to their classes — it’s put a hitch in the routine of the Marching Tar Heels.
Navy Field, the field the band used to practice, is under construction. That’s left the band without a true 100-yard field to practice their marching routines, which has forced band director Jeffrey Fuchs to come up with some creative solutions.
“We’ve reconsidered what we do and how we do it,” Fuchs said. “For instance, we changed our pregame routine. Knowing what we have field-wise, we re-worked the way pregame happens. It still has all the same components involved, but it’s just in a different way. When we’re on E-haus (Field) we can do from the beginning of pregame up through the national anthem. Then we have to shift the field ten yards, and we can do the national anthem through the end of pregame. We made those shifts intentional so that they weren’t quite as demanding on the kids because we can’t practice the way we used to.”
The band has used several different practice venues, including Ehringhaus Field and Eddie Smith Field House.
“The annoying part is the uncertainty,” junior drum line member Jacob Pascual said. “A lot of our training members also aren’t used to any of this happening. A lot of us are a little bit lost as to where to go, we’re often waiting to hear where we need to be. Usually in the past it’s been pretty consistent, but now it’s kind of up in the air every practice.”
Senior trumpet section leader Adelyn Luke said the new practice settings have also caused performance challenges.
“The indoor facility, which we have used in the past when it’s rainy but we’re going to have to use a bit more this year, is difficult because it’s really echo-y, so it’s hard to hear the drum line, which we have to listen back to when we’re looking for tempos,” Luke said. “But we just need to make sure we watch the drum majors more so it’s honestly good practice. The E-haus Field isn’t difficult musically but it’s a lot more difficult with marching because there’s so many lines on the field. It’s hard to know exactly where you’re going, which yard lines to pay attention to and which ones are for other sports.”
Fuchs said that he’s happy with the way the band has handled the new challenges, and that he’s excited for the future facilities.
“We’ve known it’s been coming, so we’ve had plenty of time to plan for it," he said. "The folks over in athletics have kept us at the forefront of their thought. They have taken care of us at every turn. We haven’t been out on our own to find a place, they’re constantly looking out for our needs. We’ve been talking about this for the better part of two years, so we knew it was coming and that we could plan for it. I’m happy with the way it’s going so far.”
