With the opening national anthem at Happy Valley stadium only days away, the band director corps at Penn State scurried yesterday to fill unexpected vacancies as a growing number of musicians gave notice of transfer to other universities.
Penn State band decimated by late transfers
by Ralph E. Shaffer
With the opening national anthem at Happy Valley stadium only days away, the band director corps at Penn State scurried yesterday to fill unexpected vacancies as a growing number of musicians gave notice of transfer to other universities.
The surprise departures were a direct result of NCAA sanctions on the football team, including a ban on bowl appearances for the next four years.
"These kids live for that annual trip to a bowl game. That won't happen again while they are at Penn State," said an anonymous assistant band director.
First chair instrumentalists in several sections, along with many unheralded players, failed to appear at the annual beer bust held prior to the opening of the fall band camp. From bassoons to xylophones, there were more musicians AWOL than present.
While some absences were attributed by the band's public relations officer to extraordinary weather conditions in other parts of the country, many of those absent were Pennsylvania residents.
Noticeable among the absentees was John Phillips, sousaphonist. A commanding figure at 6 feet 5 inches, 250 pounds, Phillips was sought by band directors throughout the country when he graduated from Stamford, Conn., high school two years ago. His special talent, the ability to quadruple tongue on the tuba, drew the attention of band directors everywhere.
Originally destined for Cal Poly, Pomona, it was only after signing a letter of commitment that Phillips discovered the school had no football team.
"The band director promised I could dot the i in the Cal Poli signature spellout. It was only later I learned they didn't play football and the name was spelled with a y."
Heavily recruited by Nittany Lion band alumni, Phillips agreed to come to State College only when band directors gave him a written statement that the band would spell out "Pennsylvania" at half time of each home game. They also assured him the state's name was spelled with an “i,” in addition to a “y.”
Reportedly, Phillips is headed to Berkeley rather than Ohio State. At Cal, his family says, they see a bright future for him in the band. The fact that the state name contains two eyes instead of one may have been the deciding factor.
Ominously, the defections are not yet over. The National Collegiate Band Directors Association (NCBDA), the authority in such matters, acted immediately after the football team was penalized by the NCAA. It announced that any bandsman who wished to transfer to another university could do so without penalty provided he left prior to the opening of band camp. Since the beer bust precedes the camp by several days - as long as the beer holds out - more transfers are inevitable.
The sousaphone section has been especially hard hit. In addition to Phillips, five others have departed, to dot eyes in far-flung places.
Left are four inexperienced freshmen and a "true sophomore" with little experience. None stand six feet and privately the tuba coach winces when he imagines any one of them prancing out to dot the i.
"Fortunately, we won't be on national TV this year. Or next year. Or..." He stopped in mid sentence.
Agents from California, USC, North Carolina State and several other bands were at State College yesterday, still making offers to "student musicians" and coaching them on how to justify their late entry into such major schools by claiming "special talent."
One trumpeter was urged to tell the admissions officer that he could play the "Minute Waltz" in forty seconds while doing flips on his skateboard.
"Our hope this year," said a source high in the band organization, "is with ‘walk-ons,’ kids who played in junior high bands but weren't interested in music in high school. A flock of scholarships, including many that would have gone to the football team, might lure some of them back to a band."
The beer was still flowing as our reporter left.
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Mr. Shaffer is professor emeritus of history at Cal Poli Pomo