For nearly a hundred years, Western Michigan University’s Bronco Marching Band has been a fixture on fall Saturdays in Kalamazoo. This year, though, there is a notable difference. The size of the band has swelled to 330 members, making it the largest in the Mid-American conference.
When Western’s band strolled into Michigan State’s Spartan Stadium in early September, it was business as usual - except for its size. A program that’s hovered around 290 members in years past now rivals several Big Ten schools, including Michigan State and the University of Wisconsin. David Montgomery is the director of the Bronco Marching Band. He says it’s exciting to work with such a large group.
“I think the kids appreciate it, they get that they're a part of something special on the university’s campus. We’re certainly the biggest band in our conference, in the Mid-American Conference. I think we’re on par with the size and the quality of the best bands in the country. You know the kids work hard and they take a lot of pride in what we do.”
Montgomery has been the director of Western’s Band since 2004. When he arrived, it had about 250 members. Since then it’s grown. While Montgomery says building a bigger band wasn’t a priority, recruiting new students wasn’t hard. Montgomery says his focus has been on pushing the program to the next level.
“I mean if you try to take care of people, you treat them like individuals who are worth a lot...and value friendships, value time together rather than just kind of a person on the field who has no other life than the time they have with you...If you can look at them as they’re a whole person, and trained staff members who can do that too, then that culture begins to spread and people are attracted by that.”
Montgomery says the Bronco Marching Band has a culture of “family.” He says its members look out for, and love, each other. Future spouses have met through their time in the Bronco Marching Band. Tuba player Jacob Downs agrees that it’s like a second family.
“My family, we’re from Comstock so it’s not like they’re far, but like I definitely don’t go home every weekend. But every weekend I have the marching band with me, I can hang out with them at any moment." Bronco feature twirler Jennifer Whipple says the marching band provides her an escape.
“School does get hard and life does get hard but performing is an outlet to that stress. So, searching for a place to relieve that stress on the field is definitely one of the main reasons I think a lot of people do it.
There’s no one reason behind the recent growth of Western’s Marching Band. Montgomery says it’s a combination of its process, how well it performs, and word of mouth about the program. He says the culture of family was on full display homecoming weekend, when heavy rains flooded Waldo Stadium and Kanley track, postponing the game.
“Watch our kids with their uniforms on run out and just help...what can I do, how can I help. Okay, somebody needs something, let’s all get behind this car and push it up a hill to get it dried out. That’s just the kind of people that we have and the program that we have.”
With their victory over Kent State, the Broncos got their sixth win of the season. That makes Western eligible to play in a post-season bowl game. If they do, Western’s Marching Band will go too. Bowl game selections will be announced December 3rd.
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