The Diamond Marching Band: Temple’s unsung heroes

The Temple football team made history this year beating Navy 34-10, claiming their first American Athletic Conference Championship title. The team had no shortcomings when it came to game-time performance. Temple won six games at home and another four on the road finishing the regular season with a 10-3 record. Part of the team’s success was due to their stout defense and exhilarating offensive capability, but another, more surprising part of their success was the unwavering support coming from the Diamond Marching Band.

The Temple University Diamond Marching Band, directed by Matthew Brunner, is a group consisting of student musicians and dancers. The band performs alongside the football team during games, seeking to excite the players and the spectators in the crowd.

The Diamond Marching Band performs at half-time during Temple home games. These moments display their ability to work as a group, combining music and dance into a grand presentation.

During one of their home games against USF, the band marched on the field and delivered a rendition of multiple Panic! at the Disco songs. The recording of their performance has since received over 500,000 views on YouTube and recognition from Panic! at the Disco themselves on Twitter.

(Click photo to view video)

The Tab had the opportunity to interview several freshmen members of the Diamond Marching Band about their personal experiences being a student member of the band. Gideon Park, Sam Jennings, Heidi Kraft, Nathan Ernst, Christopher McGillicuddy, Nick Ziolkowski, and Stefany Beard are proud Temple Marching Band members.

Some of the Freshman Marching band members (Photo: Jeremy Weber/TUDMB)

According to these students, the Diamond Marching Band members must attend a mandatory band camp prior to the start of classes at Temple. The camp runs for six days, August 22 to 28, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Then, during the football season, they rehearse multiple times each week. The group described that during some game days they would wake up as early as 5:00 a.m., gather at Presser Hall and sing their individual parts together before boarding a bus.

Although the process may seem strenuous, the group commented that “it was worth every second.”

Heidi Kraft, a Speech Pathology major said, “Marching band is great because as an incoming freshman it has made not only the transition easier, but it also put me right in the middle of fun school activities, such as football games, pep rallies, and helping me make friends.”

Morale is an important factor in football. The ability to persevere and remain determined no matter the situation creates a winning attitude. The Temple University Football program gave birth to the saying, “Leave No Doubt,” an iconic comment on mental fortitude and giving one’s all. The concept does not only relate to the players on the field, but also the band. They give their all to stimulate the crowd, fighting alongside the players to victory.

“Halftime allows us to revitalize the crowd. People are filled with fun again,” said Sam Jennings, a Music Performance major.

The group hopes to accomplish the same task with the Temple University Men’s Basketball Team in the Diamond Basketball Band.

A group of members during a home game at night (Photo: Jeremy Weber/TUDMB)

The marching band cooperates with the student section, primarily the Cherry Crusaders. If the team performs poorly, the band plays to the students to rile hope and unity. If the team scores, the band proudly plays the Temple Fight Song.

“The football team supports us, just as much as we support them,” said Gideon Park, a Public Health major.