|
As pictured from left to right: Michael Tarby (Band Captain), Shelby Houghton (BC), Natalie Wong (BC), Garrett Collins (Drum Major), Elizabeth Heller (DM), and Kyle Korb (DM)
Hello! My name is Mike, I'm 19 years old and I'm currently a sophomore Management Information Systems major in the School of Business. I've played Mellophone with the UCMB the past two seasons and I'm looking forward to more to come. Outside of band, I am a coordinator of UConn's Husky Ambassador Program, and I love to go rock climbing in the new rec center. I can't wait for the upcoming season, and I'm very excited to help guide the rising group of new members through Preseason 2020!
Hi there! I'm Shelby Houghton, a Band Captain and part of your DMC team for 2020. I'm a passionate Granite Stater, a Political Science/Human Rights double major, and cereal lover. Outside of band, I DJ on the radio for WHUS (Mondays from 4-5!), love to rock climb, and bake awesome cookies. Keep pushing this semester, you all are going to do great!
Hi! My name is Natalie Wong and I am one of the Band Captains for the 2020 marching season. I am going to be a senior music education major, and I play the piccolo. I can't wait to work with the band and put on a fantastic show!
Hey Team! My name is Garrett Collins, I'm a Dual Degree in Civil Engineering and English with an MSE Minor from Melrose, Massachusetts and I'll be one of the UCMB's Drum Majors for the 2020 season! In the summer I work as a kayaking counselor for Boating in Boston, and here on campus you can find me spinning records DJing for our college radio station WHUS, hanging out with friends, or throwing around a frisbee. I'm absolutely thrilled for this upcoming season, and I'm excited to help make this year the best one yet for the UCMB.
Hey there! My name is Kyle Korb and I am a returning Drum Major for the 2020 UCMB. I am originally from Watchung, NJ and next season I will be a fifth year Mathematics and Music Education major. My primary instrument is saxophone and I originally hail from the saxophone section, though I also marched for The Cadets in 2018 and 2019 on mellophone. I am also a Brother of Kappa Kappa Psi. Some of my other hobbies include golfing, skiing, and playing video games. I am excited to be returning as Drum Major for this upcoming season and look forward to what the 2020 UCMB has in store.
|
|
|
HuskyTHON
By: Sara Linton
Hello! My name is Sara Linton. I am a senior at UConn and this will be my fourth year dancing with the UCMB HuskyTHON team and my first as team captain! HuskyTHON is a year long fundraiser that raises money for Connecticut Children’s Hospital in Hartford. In February, the event culminates in an 18 hour dance marathon. Throughout the night, Miracle Children and their families will get on stage and share their stories about their time at Connecticut Children’s. Each team is assigned one of these children and our job is to spoil them rotten all night and make sure they have the time of their lives. For many of these children, this is one of the few times a year that they can just be kids.
This year, the UCMB team has 40 incredible members who have been working incredibly hard to #BrightenTomorrow For The Kids. At the time of writing this article, the team has completely surpassed the original goal of $6,000 raised and is $400 away from hitting the new goal of $9,500! As a whole, HuskyTHON raised an unprecedented $1.3 million in 2019 and everyone has been pushing themselves every day to raise more than last year in an effort to increase the grand total. This year, the money will be unrestricted which means that the hospital can use it for the greatest area of need at the time of the donation.
The UCMB team would like to extend many thanks to everyone who has supported our members so far. We wouldn’t be here without you! HuskyTHON 2020 will take place on February 22nd-23rd and if you would like to support the UCMB team, you can click the link below which will take you straight to our donor drive! Once again, thank you to everyone who has supported us this year and in the past. TUP!
https://events.dancemarathon.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.team&teamID=41766
Pictured Below: Miracle Child and some UCMB HuskyTHON members
|
|
|
An Update on the Huskies
By: Peter Howarth
As the men’s and women’s collegiate basketball regular season winds down, it’s as good a time as ever to check in on how UConn is doing in their respective conferences.
The men have had an up-and-down season, highlighted by wins over ranked Florida and rival Cincinnati but muddied with close losses against strong schools such as Villanova, Xavier and Wichita State. Hopes weren’t too high coming into the season however, with coach Dan Hurley only in his second season since coming over from Rhode Island. Overall it’s just been tough for the men to get any momentum going - the beginning of the season was clouded with freshman guard James Bouknight’s issues off the court, with a season-ending injury to junior forward Tyler Polley and a stretch where UConn lost six of seven games. With only a 5-7 record in the American, this poses to be another lost year for the Huskies, save for a miraculous run in the conference tournament.
Whereas expectations were scattered for the men entering the 2019-20 season, the women’s team entered the year deep in championship expectations as the squad led by senior guard Crystal Dangerfield sought to snap a streak of three consecutive losses in the Final Four. The past three years have seen the Huskies dominate a weak American conference before running into real competition in the NCAA tournament, managing to make it to the Final Four before running into powerhouses. This year’s schedule showed coach Geno Auriemma’s desire to have strong out of conference opponents, playing against elite teams such as Baylor, Oregon and South Carolina. So far it hasn’t worked out, with the Huskies losing all three games by an average of 17.3 points. Time will tell if this tough scheduling will pay off, with UConn unlikely to be a number one seed in the NCAA tournament. Then again, they were a no. 2 seed last year and still advanced to the Final Four. Only time will tell. Until then, go Huskies!
|
|
|
The UCMB Leadership Class
By: Drew Tienken
As the spring semester unfolds, we have not only started the pep band season, but also the marching band leadership class! Taught by Dr. Mills himself, over 50 UConn Marching Band members have been hard at work brainstorming ideas to make the band better. While doing so, students have learned transitive skills towards becoming exceptional leaders. It’s been a great way to connect with those who love the UCMB, yet at the same time develop on a personal level and become a confident leader. We hope to employ many of the ideas and solutions we come up with in the next season, and see our work come to fruition as we march in 2020. If you’re an undergraduate marching band member who’s free in the afternoon on Fridays, come stop by!
One of the topics leadership class has discussed is the dilemma between having physical or digital music. While having physical flip books enables consistency in games, they can be cumbersome to use and take a long time to flip through. Last season, members used their phones to find their music, and although easily accessible not everyone would have the service or be able to play and hold their phone at the same time. Leadership class took this problem and opened up a dialogue concerning possible solutions. A well-received idea suggested having a universal Google Drive where music is easily accessible from everyone and can be downloaded. For instruments that can’t hold a phone in one hand and play their instrument in the other, like clarinets, a possible solution could be a special type of lyre that can hold phones. This way all members can have easy access to music found on their phones! As of right now, the music drive has been distributed to everyone in pep band and is working well.
The most recent discussion leadership class has had concerns communication in the band. After talking about it in small groups, many issues were diagnosed and solutions began to be created. Many people reported that as a new member they felt confused about certain aspects of the UCMB. For instance, new members didn’t know what “Pre-C” meant, where W-Lot was, and many other things. Because the marching band has such a steep learning curve, it was proposed that during New Member weekend include a briefing to communicate important information to new members. This type of solution represents many presented in the leadership class. The class helps solve new issues and develop students into confident leaders.
|
|
|
USA vs UConn
By: Kazi Iqbal
Silence. Being the band, it’s not something that we’re used to. But silence took center stage at the XL Center last Monday as we honored Kobe Bryant and his 13 year old daughter Gianna, both of whom were members of the UConn family.
Family was a recurring theme at the game as we welcomed back five former Huskies, namely Katie Lou Samuelson, Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, and Tina Charles, as well as the 2009 and 2010 championship teams.
The band cheered on familiar faces on both sides in the hotly contested match. The atmosphere in the student section was electric, with the famous Lou chant ringing out in the stands, as the Huskies tied Team USA with 31 points at halftime. The band contributed to the atmosphere with classics like “Big Things Poppin’”.
In the end, Team USA was able to break through late in the game, but even in defeat, there were smiles all around as the final buzzer rang. The highlight of the game (for me at least) was getting to high-five Katie Lou Samuelson, although Mr. Brown was hoping for an autograph as he yelled out “can someone sign Kazi?” Overall, it was a great experience. We were happy to see our alumni again and they were happy to see us!
Pictured Below: A UConn and USA group photo (photo from UConn Athletics)
|
|
|
|
|
Alumni News
Are you an alumnus? Has something exciting happened concerning you or other alumni? If so, the Newsletter wants to hear about it! Contact ucmb.news@gmail.com with your news and get it published in future newsletters!
|
|
|
|
