Thursday November 1, 2001

For members of the Pride of Arizona, it's the most important day of the year. It's not homecoming, and it's not band camp.

University of Arizona Band Day is an annual marching competition for high school bands, hosted by UA's Pride of Arizona marching band. Schools come from Tucson and other Arizona cities as well as from New Mexico to compete against each other for high ratings and awards.

Alan Mills, graduate teaching assistant for university bands, is the event coordinator for Saturday's Band Day.

Mills is responsible for the coordination of 43 high school bands, facilities management, awards, security and working with judges. Though he has many tasks, Mills does not run the show on his own.

"I couldn't do everything without the help of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma," Mills said. "They help run it - the efforts of so many people are on hand."

Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma are the band fraternity and sorority, respectively. Their purpose is to help support the university bands.

"It could never happen without them (Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma)," said Don Haskell, adjunct drama professor and the "voice" of the Pride of Arizona.

A former assistant dean of the College of Fine Arts from 1982 to 1987, Haskell has worked at promoting the college through the marching band. He has taken a larger role by becoming the announcer for the POA at home football games and other events.

Having to announce all day is a rigorous experience, compared to other events, Haskell said.

"It's a long day," Haskell said. "I've been through rain, wind and 100-degree temperatures. It's quite an adventure."

Each band is rated by a panel of judges who specialize in one area: percussion, auxiliary, marching technique or musicality. Bands can receive ratings of superior, excellent, good, fair or poor. There are two awards ceremonies that take place after the Pride of Arizona performances - one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

This year, the band is performing the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, featuring tunes such as "DŽjˆ vu," "Carry On," "Ohio," and "Judy Blue Eyes."

The drum major (student conductor) for the 2001 POA, Mike May, is excited about this Band Day performance, as it marks his first as a drum major.

"I always look forward to performing," May said. "And all those high school drum majors are watching - I'm looking forward to going after it, not just for them, but for the Pride."

Each show the Pride of Arizona does is written by Jay Rees, associate director of UA bands. In addition to writing the music, he makes sure there is a corresponding meaning associated with each part.

"This year's show is about the life cycle and centers on the idea that all creatures have four components: They are born, they grow, they have the ability to reproduce, and they die," Rees said.

He said the song "DŽjˆ vu" is representative of the life cycle, and the notion that "we have all been here before" encompasses the entire theme of the show. The marching drill corresponds to the music with many of the forms being circular - a visual representation of the life cycle.

UA Band Day runs all day with the first high school band performance at 7:43 a.m. and the final performance by the Pride of Arizona at 7 p.m. in Arizona Stadium. Admission is $6 for the general public, $4 for students, $2 for seniors, and children 8 and under and members of performing bands are free.