It’s hard to imagine game days at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium would have the same electric atmosphere without the lifeblood of Texas spirit that is the Longhorn Band, also known as the Showband of the Southwest. Through intense preparation and dedication, the Showband ignites school pride, solidifying it as one of the engines that drives Texas’ athletic spirit.
From the opening notes of “Texas Fight” to their synchronized halftime performances, the Longhorn Band not only helps get the crowd roaring but also strives to motivate the players on the field, especially when the team is playing defense.
“We also play some loud songs whenever the other team is on their third or fourth down and the ball is about to have to get turned over,” Hailey Hickerson, piccolo section leader and junior, said. “Which I feel like that’s a big part of just making our team feel more motivated to kind of keep trying, keep pushing, and get the ball back.”
The Showband of the Southwest does more than rally fans and motivate players — it represents Texas pride. Their iconic uniforms offer a distinctive Western look. With their distinctive Western and iconic look, the band’s fringe-lined jackets, cowboy hats and burnt orange accents distinguish them from other collegiate marching bands by honoring the state’s heritage.
“Everybody (band members) loves shaking the fringe on uniforms,” Jackson Frazier, trombone section leader and senior, said I think it’s the coolest uniform in college margin, for sure.”
However, all of the passion and energy the band brings to game days is not without an overwhelming amount of passion and preparation. The performances fans see at the stadium require a significant amount of effort, including mental and physical memorization of routines and songs, on top of being a student, for not every band member is studying music for their degree.
“(The preparation is) a lot more mental because you have to memorize all your music, you have to memorize all the spots in the field on top of being a student,” Longhorn Band drum major and senior Jaiden Walker said.
Additionally, the synchronized halftime routines the audience sees extend beyond practice, but also through a strong sense of camaraderie and shared energy. Many band members find it necessary to not only hype up the fans around them but motivate each other to perform well.
“It’s not going to be hype on game day if you’re only there to hype up the fans,” Brooke Schroeder, mellophone section leader and senior, said. “You’ve got to hype up the (bandmates) around you, too. When you’re there with all your friends, you feed off their energy and push each other along. We’re in it together.”
For the members of the Longhorn Band, this connection is more than teamwork but is a shared sense of community, with members making friends and memories that last a lifetime which fuels their energy every weekend.
