Cadet Life
The members of the band are called BQs and, since the band's inception, are part of the Corps of Cadets. All BQs are assigned to one of four units: A-Battery, B-Battery, A-Company, or B-Company. The band is a major unit within the Corps, comparable in size to a Brigade or a Wing. Due to its status as a Senior Military College all cadets are required to take ROTC classes at least their first two years, though follow-on military service is not required.
The Aggie Band is unique among college bands; no other band eats and lives together as a military unit, even at the Service Academies and military colleges. Bandsmen wear their cadet uniforms to class, drill, meetings, and other functions on campus. As a requested component of football away games, they perform at more football games than any other band. As of 1993, the band performed at 125 of the last 131 football games, including a streak of 42 straight from 1981 to 1984. Demand is extremely high for the band and one person, upon finding out the Aggie Band would not be performing at the local football game versus A&M, returned and requested a refund for 40 tickets.
The Aggie Band performs a new show each week during the football season and does not generally repeat drills from week to week. During the fall semester, the Aggie Band practices one to three hours every weekday morning and on Saturdays every week with a football game. In addition, some components of the band also practice on Sunday afternoons and planning of the drills takes place throughout the fall semester. During weeks with complicated drills, extra practice and planning time is sometimes also done on weekday afternoons. All told, drills can take up to 40 hours per week on top of a full academic schedule and Corps/ROTC activities.
All seniors in the Corps of Cadets wear distinctive cavalry riding boots with their uniforms. These boots usually cost more than US$1,000 and are generally made at Victor's or Holick's, owned by the family of Joseph Holick, the first Band Director.
Read more about this topic: Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
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