Florida A&M University’s Marching 100 is taking advantage of its 135-person increase this semester by performing at some big named events.
The band was at the Miami Dolphins’ opening game Sept. 7. They performed the Dolphins theme song and rapper Plies’ song, “Please Excuse My Hands”.
The Marching 100 has performed for other NFL teams such as the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Because of its reputation, the band was offered a chance to perform for the Dolphins’ season opener.
“We were called by the Dolphins’ entertainment director last June to perform for the team,” said Band Director, Julian White. “That enhanced our reputation as a highly qualified entertaining band.”
The highlight of the show was The Marching 100 spelling out Miami and forming a dolphin. The band practiced formations through computerized drills, White explained.
“I was proud of the group. This is their second performance and for them to perform as well as they did, I was ecstatic,” White said.
While the band was not paid for their performance, they received a scholarship donation.
According to White, the band’s membership is the largest it’s ever been. This year, they have 420 members compared to the 285 last year.
“I want to give credit to Dr. James Ammons. I think his support helped,” White said.
Maxwell Stuarg,19, a computer engineer student and member of The Marching 100 was impressed by the performance as well.
“I think it was a good performance,” Stuarg said.
The sophomore student from Miami also enjoyed performing the show because of the excitement of meeting the team.
“We saw the players and everything,” Stuarg said.
The upcoming events for The Marching 100 are the Honda Battle of the Bands in Atlanta, Ga., the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and the Classic Battle of the Bands in Los Angeles, Calif.