{"id":202354,"date":"2023-08-23T07:35:45","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T11:35:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=202354"},"modified":"2023-08-25T13:05:46","modified_gmt":"2023-08-25T17:05:46","slug":"uconn-marching-band-welcomes-back-one-of-its-own-as-new-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2023\/08\/uconn-marching-band-welcomes-back-one-of-its-own-as-new-director\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Marching Band Welcomes Back One of Its Own as New Director"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Fourteen years ago, a piece of the <a href=\"https:\/\/band.uconn.edu\/\">UConn Marching Band<\/a> got left behind in South Bend, Indiana.<\/p>\n<p>Justin McManus \u201911 (SFA, ED), \u201913 MM was still in his undergrad in 2009, working as a student manager for the UCMB after having marched in the tuba section the previous two. He was getting ready to take the lead as drum major in 2010 while gaining experience with band logistics and equipment management.<\/p>\n<p>Alongside UConn football players, marching band members traveled that November to the University of Notre Dame for a game that earned the Huskies a 33-30 victory over the Fighting Irish. One of McManus\u2019 tasks was to maintain the band\u2019s water jugs, the equipment management part of his job.<\/p>\n<p>Only, in the excitement of that hard-fought win, McManus left one behind.<\/p>\n<p>Four years on and now with a graduate degree, McManus moved west in 2013 for his first professional job: assistant director of university bands at Notre Dame.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I started, the operations manager came up to me, handed me the jug, and said, \u2018You left this here.\u2019 That\u2019s when I knew the job was meant to be,\u201d he says of his start at Notre Dame. \u201cI was meant to come back four years later and get the water jug that I\u2019d left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"grey-sidebar floating-sidebar col-xs-12 col-sm-4\">\n  <br \/>\n<strong><em>A full schedule of <a href=\"https:\/\/band.uconn.edu\/events\/\">UCMB 2023 performances can be found on its website<\/a>.<\/em> <\/strong><br \/>\n<\/aside>\n<p>He says he came full circle that day \u2013 but in 2013 he\u2019d really come only 180 degrees.<\/p>\n<p>Full circle happened this spring when <a href=\"https:\/\/band.uconn.edu\/person\/justin-mcmanus\/\">McManus returned to Storrs to head the UCMB<\/a>, a position held by McManus\u2019 mentor and longtime marching band director David Mills until his retirement last year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow do you carry on a legacy from somebody who\u2019s done so much,\u201d McManus says of his respect for Mills. \u201cThis first year, I\u2019m going to do a lot of listening and watching. David did amazing things here and I want to see what\u2019s working and what\u2019s taking the program to new heights.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McManus, who ended up spending nine years at Notre Dame, says this year\u2019s UCMB show, \u201cLife Animated,\u201d is more than just a representation of new life in the UCMB leadership team. It\u2019s also emblematic of life becoming busier and more animated in the wake of pandemic idleness.<\/p>\n<p>The last several years have been challenging for bands in general as membership numbers dipped during social distancing and time apart. Lately, the focus for most, no matter the sort &#8211; concert, orchestra, community, or marching &#8211; has shifted to rebuilding and retaining.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time in years, the UCMB membership roster now tops 300, McManus says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis year, we\u2019re sending the message that we\u2019re back after COVID and breathing life continually into the program,\u201d he says. \u201cThis idea of breath and breathing is so integral to music. As musicians, we spend so much time thinking about breath and life. Our show aims to animate our spirits and souls through music.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With themes from the \u201cPower Rangers\u201d and \u201cCowboy Bebop,\u201d the show also includes Stevie Wonder\u2019s \u201cLiving for the City,\u201d Elton John\u2019s \u201cRocket Man,\u201d and Bill Chase\u2019s \u201cGet It On.\u201d As usual, the band will perfect a full exhibition show and borrow parts to pair with other tunes to form unique halftime shows for <a href=\"https:\/\/uconnhuskies.com\/sports\/football\/schedule\/2023\">each football game<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe kind of mix and match our shows so students can keep the music and movements in their memory but also have variety in what they\u2019re playing. It also gives our fans some variety in what they\u2019re hearing,\u201d McManus says, noting the Military Appreciation Day show on Sept. 23 will look different than the one on Sept. 16 for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo?fbid=760958399372053&amp;set=pcb.760958422705384\">Band Day<\/a>, for instance.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_203149\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-203149\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-203149 size-large img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a119-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Justin McManus '11 (SFA, ED) '13 MM, director of athletic bands, speaks to the UConn Marching Band during a practice at the Music Building on Aug. 21, 2023. \" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a119-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a119-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a119-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a119-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a119-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a119-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a119-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a119-997x665.jpg 997w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/683;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-203149\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Justin McManus &#8217;11 (SFA, ED) &#8217;13 MM, director of athletic bands, speaks to the UConn Marching Band during a practice at the Music Building on Aug. 21, 2023. (Peter Morenus\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2022\/11\/ucmb-leaders-work-with-high-school-marching-bands-to-look-great-sound-great\/\">Expanded engagement with student fans and the broader community<\/a> is one thing McManus says he hopes to develop this year. He\u2019d like students outside the band to help create some new cheers and would like to get the UCMB into more Connecticut communities, if not across state lines.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAthletic bands and marching bands nationally are known for their ability to be ambassadors for a university. They\u2019re physically usually the biggest group on campus in terms of student groups and clubs,\u201d he says. \u201cFor many people in the community, one simple interaction with a band member might be the first or only time they interact with someone from the institution. Let\u2019s take that, let\u2019s build on that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also says he wants to expand on existing relationships with alumni and become more involved in alumni events, improve the band practice field to better align with institutional peers, and urge individual members to look inward at how they treat, work with, and befriend each other.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMarching band provides, in both the literal and metaphorical senses, the opportunity to be seen and heard, especially for students who might not feel that in other parts of their life. To come to band practice or to football or basketball games, to put the uniform on, and to be contributing to this bigger thing and be seen by others and by your peers is something very powerful,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Finding a Home at UConn<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>McManus grew up in Torrington, where he started learning music in public schools first on the recorder, then clarinet, and later bassoon. In high school, he rose the ranks and served as drum major of The Pride of Torrington marching band under the direction of Wayne Splettstoeszer who, he says, \u201csparked my passion for music teaching and demonstrated the importance of leading with integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He says he was drawn to music because it gave him a place to express himself. A self-described introvert, he didn\u2019t know what he wanted to do in life. Maybe law school. Maybe culinary school. Maybe music school.<\/p>\n<p>The elementary, middle, and high school teachers who helped build his foundation prepared him well for whatever would come next, he says, expressing a \u201cdeep appreciation\u201d for all they do for all students.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce I stepped foot on UConn\u2019s campus, though, I realized this was home,\u201d he says. \u201cJust the warmth that I saw from the staff and the professors, but also how bonded we were as students, it immediately felt like it was a place where I belonged.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It also was a place he stayed: five years for two bachelor\u2019s degrees in music and music education, then two more years for a master\u2019s in music performance. In late 2012, as the last semester of his master\u2019s program closed in, McManus says he applied for the Notre Dame job on a lark and getting it was a shock.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere were several times when Notre Dame and UConn met for women\u2019s basketball while I was there,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was fun to work with the Notre Dame students and some students I had at UConn. I remember going to some dinners and they\u2019d joke, \u2018No, he\u2019s on our side. No, he\u2019s on our side.\u2019 The greatest aspect of these tournaments and games was watching students passionately cheer and play for their teams. Band students experience their institutions in very special and unique ways.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2017, McManus started chipping away at a doctorate at Boston University, which he finished in 2022. His describes his dissertation as looking at \u201chow students from diverse gender and sexual backgrounds navigate musical spaces, especially marching band, which can be seen as a really regimented militaristic thing. But it also can be a welcoming and open space for folks who are at different stages of identity development.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then came the pandemic, personal reflection, and a call from family to come back to the East Coast.<\/p>\n<p>McManus left higher education and music for a year to work in Washington, D.C., and indulge his interest in politics and law. He meant to begin a new life there but started thinking about what could be when he returned to Connecticut in fall 2022 as a UCMB alum to celebrate Mills\u2019 retirement.<\/p>\n<p>Having experience in the UCMB as member, student manager, drum major, drill instructor, and pep band director throughout his undergrad and graduate years, gave him special insight into its inner workings. Being from Connecticut made him a native who understands the sometimes-striking differences of a small state.<\/p>\n<p>Notre Dame offered him a place at the helm of the oldest continuously operating college band in the United States \u2013 one that earned the Sudler Trophy, the highest marching band honor, in 2011-12.<\/p>\n<p>McManus says he saw opportunity at UConn and with The Pride of Connecticut band and applied for the director of athletic bands position. The prospect of joining the <a href=\"https:\/\/music.uconn.edu\/\">music department<\/a> faculty in the <a href=\"https:\/\/sfa.uconn.edu\/\">School of Fine Arts<\/a> as assistant director of wind bands and assistant professor of music, alongside both new and seasoned instructors, also was exciting.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2018Assume best intent in everyone\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>All the lessons learned from that previous experience come with him, he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe biggest thing is remembering that while collectively we may produce a piece of music, at the end of the day we are a group of people. There\u2019s something unique about marching band as a place where you come as a person and contribute to something that\u2019s larger than yourself,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_203150\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-203150\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-203150 size-large img-responsive lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a406-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Justin McManus '11 (SFA, ED) '13 MM, director of athletic bands, speaks with sousaphone players during a UConn Marching Band practice at the Music Building on Aug. 21, 2023.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a406-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a406-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a406-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a406-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a406-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a406-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a406-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/UCMB_230821a406-998x665.jpg 998w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/683;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-203150\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Justin McManus &#8217;11 (SFA, ED) &#8217;13 MM, director of athletic bands, speaks with sousaphone players during a UConn Marching Band practice at the Music Building on Aug. 21, 2023. (Peter Morenus\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When he was drum major, McManus says he tried to do something as simple as remember people\u2019s names. So, instead of calling out from the podium, \u201cA62, you\u2019re out of step,\u201d he\u2019d talk directly to the person, using their first name.<\/p>\n<p>Personal connection is a big thing, especially in a big organization, he says. It\u2019s equally important to remember the UCMB comprises 300-plus individual members.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey each have a story,\u201d McManus says. \u201cThey have joys and triumphs and tragedies and struggles. That\u2019s the most important thing I learned as drum major. They\u2019re not just members of the band. They\u2019re roommates, club leaders, orientation leaders. They\u2019re in different rec sports and activities. They\u2019re studying hard in the classroom. They\u2019re getting top grades and honors and going into amazing careers whether in music or not.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI also learned that everyone, at the end of the day, is really trying to do the right thing, even if their path to the right thing looks different than yours,\u201d he continues. \u201cTo assume best intent in everyone is important, whether at a staff level or student level. When you put that many motivated, smart, ambitious people in a room, there are going to be different opinions on which is the right path. But if we assume best intent of someone else, they\u2019ll assume best intent from me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For McManus it all comes down to respect, patience, and resilience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWorking to build something great takes a lot of hard work,\u201d he says, adding of marching band, \u201cit\u2019s a long game, this idea of putting in work and not seeing results right away, having the fortitude to put in the work incrementally and see the result in two or three months.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He refers to its members as athletes who must take care of their bodies off the field to do their best on the field. In all kinds of weather. Surrounded by teammates. Each one moving this way or that while recalling the next note to play.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s little wonder a water jug stamped with \u201cUConn Marching Band\u201d is so important \u2013 and still at Notre Dame where he left it for a second time, this one purposefully.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn a base level, regardless of institution, among band students and music students there\u2019s this common thread of kinship and social connection, of building something great together. That connects people regardless of where they are. Whether you\u2019re at Hawaii, Michigan, Florida State, Texas, or Connecticut, there\u2019s certain threads that all band students and all music students share,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Justin McManus has come full circle, from marching band member to marching band director <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":203148,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,1711,2197,1855,156,1914,2235,2234],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2368],"class_list":["post-202354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-arts-culture","category-litchfield-county","category-neag","category-profile","category-sfa","category-today-homepage","category-university-life"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-08 11:31:09","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202354"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":203290,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202354\/revisions\/203290"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/203148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202354"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=202354"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=202354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}