Spirit of the Southland Marching Band

No. In fact, most of the band members are not music majors. Whether you’re studying Biology, Marketing, or Kinesiology, you belong here. We need your talent, regardless of what’s on your degree plan.

100%. We have students from every corner of campus. While Nursing or Finance might seem intimidating, remember that your heaviest clinicals and labs usually don’t hit until junior or senior year. Band actually provides a built-in “brain break” and a support system of upperclassmen who have already passed the classes you’re taking.

Believe it or not, college band often takes less time than high school.

• Rehearsals: Just twice a week for 2.5 hours in the evenings.
• Game Days: We only perform on Saturdays when there’s a home game.
• Travel: We hit the road for the Nicholls State game every other year (it’s a Thursday night rivalry—you don’t want to miss it).

Zero. Dollars. We cover your uniform, your travel, and your instruments (for specialty sections). You shouldn’t have to pay to play.

Yes! Every single member of the marching band receives:

• A $1,000 scholarship.
• A $300 meal plan scholarship (which translates to 30 meals at the Mane Dish and $100 Cub Cash for the food court).

The “Social Scholarship”: You’re joining the largest organization on campus. You’ll have 100+ instant friends before your first class even starts. You will literally never walk across campus without seeing a friendly face.

Brass & Woodwinds: No formal audition. We just need a recommendation from your high school director.

Percussion: You’ll do a placement audition so we can figure out which part of the drumline fits you best.

Color Guard: Yes, there is a guard audition—reach out for dates!

If you play percussion, sousaphone, baritone, or mellophone, we’ve got you covered. For smaller instruments, it’s helpful if you have your own, but we have a limited supply of loaners if you’re in a pinch. Plus, we provide free lockers in the Pottle Music Building so you don’t have to lug your gear back to your residence hall every night.

It’s our “pre-season” starting about a week and a half before classes. It’s Monday–Saturday, 8 am to 8 pm. It sounds like a lot, but we feed you, give you plenty of breaks, and it’s where all the best memories are made.

As a band member, you get to move into your residence hall the day before camp starts. That’s a full week before the rest of the student body. You get to skip the massive move-in traffic, find the best parking spots, and get settled while everyone else is still packing their cars at home.

No sweat. We march a traditional corps style, but we have students from show bands, corps backgrounds, and even some who didn’t march in high school at all. We’ll teach you the “Southeastern Way” from scratch.

Nope! We are a football season commitment only. Since the Lions are usually headed for the playoffs, we often play into November or December. Once the season ends, your schedule opens up—unless you love it so much you decide to join the Basketball Band (which is a total blast).