Before the Ohio State Marching Band took the field at the Ohio State-Michigan game to end the regular season, a few senior members offered their reflections on their time with the OSUMB.

Cymbal player Megan Snide, flugelhorn player Greg Hickey and trombone player Steffani Ronfeldt each shared their thoughts and emotions as they looked ahead to their final performance in The ’Shoe.

Megan Snide

What are the emotions running through your head as you’re preparing for your last home performance?

I think each moment is certainly bittersweet — I feel sad, happy and numb all at once. It’s certainly saddening to think that having done marching band since my freshman year in high school, this may be one of the last times I will be out on a field marching with my friends. But I am happy knowing that I’ve gotten to be part of an amazing organization, and I get to leave my mark one last time. It’s reassuring knowing I get to pass the torch to the amazing first years in my section so they can create their own path for future cymbal players. Of course I’m a little numb because it just doesn’t feel like this is the end. After the years and hours of “take it back, do it again,” it doesn’t feel like there is only one more time to “do it again.”

Looking back on your years with the OSUMB, is there one particular memory that sticks out in your mind?

I will never forget the day I made it into the TBDBITL family. I didn’t know I wanted to go to Ohio State until April of my senior year. My dad convinced me to try out for the band since I loved it so much in high school, even though I didn’t play an instrument in the band. I struggled learning mellophone for a month of Summer Sessions before giving in and deciding to go to a friend who got me to try cymbals instead. I practiced and practiced for a month and a half trying to catch up and then surpass the other nine cymbal players who had been trying for years to make it. Then in the end we stood in that hot, nervous wreck of a band room waiting for our names to be read one by one. Hearing my name read aloud and being chosen as one of two new cymbal players — I was and always will feel honored. I can say now that every bruise, blister and tear that summer was completely worth the memories I’ve gotten to make these past four years.

What advice would you give someone who is considering coming to Ohio State and trying out for the OSUMB?

Do it. Even if you think you aren’t ready or don’t know if it will be exactly what you want it to be, I promise it will be worth it in the end. The family you will have, the music you get to play, the places you’ll get to go — it’s all worth every moment of work you will have to put in. I will say it is not easy in the slightest. As the saying goes, “the best things in life aren’t free,” but I would certainly say this is one of the best things I have been a part of — and may ever get to be a part of. Give it a shot. You’ve got nothing to lose — only to gain.

Greg Hickey

What are the emotions running through your head as you're preparing for your last home performance?

If I had to pick two emotions in particular, I would go with satisfaction and excitement for future members of the band. It's been a crazy four-year ride in the band for me, with many extraordinary experiences and performances. We performed at a national championship, we performed at Wembley Stadium in London, and I've had the amazing opportunity to perform for the 100,000-plus fans most Saturdays in the fall in Columbus. And even though I won't be in the band next year, I get excited knowing that someone else will have the opportunity to march down that ramp for the first time now that I'm done. The elation of having 100,000-plus fans cheering for you for the first time ever can't be understated.

What makes this performance so significant?

To me, every performance in this band is significant, since there's always that chance that someone in the crowd hasn't heard our band before or might doubt us. My goal has always been to show people why we are called The Best Damn Band in the Land and make each performance the best it can be. The only reason this performance in particular is more significant, for me anyway, is because we're playing That School Up North in the most hyped rivalry game in a decade. Being from the Columbus area and growing up as Buckeye fan, I couldn't be more excited.

What's been the most rewarding aspect of being in TBDBITL?

For me, it has to be teaching others and the community outreach that the OSUMB does. There are so many teaching opportunities offered by our band: the high school summer clinic, Summer Sessions, instrument show-and-tells and more. It's also incredibly rewarding to get out and see the effect our music has on the community. We have hosted BuckeyeThon families at rehearsal, as well as Nellie's Champions for Kids. The kids are an inspiration to us as much as we are to them, and they always have a lot of fun with us playing games, learning about instruments, and getting to march in Script Ohio. 

What advice would you give someone who is considering coming to Ohio State and trying out for the OSUMB?

There is no other organization or experience like The Ohio State University Marching Band. What we do it impressive, but many might not realize how accessible it is to be a member. If you're looking to try out for this organization, my strongest recommendation would be to attend the band’s Summer Sessions. Potential members receive the absolute best advice and instruction from student leaders and band staff at these sessions. If you're from out of state, contact the OSUMB staff and have them put you in contact with a Summer Session student leader. The band does its absolute best to help all those trying out for the band and give them the best opportunity to succeed.

Steffani Ronfeldt
Music education major

What are the emotions running through your head as you’re preparing for your last home performance?

It will be a day full of lasts — last Skull Session, last game-day lunch, last time in the band stands with Q-Row, last chance to go around the stands and play with Bone Cheers, and last postgame. I am excited, but a little sad that it is over.  

What’s been the most rewarding aspect of being in TBDBITL?

I think the most rewarding aspect of being in TBDBITL is the friendships. You become friends with many of the people in the band and you get to travel the country with them.   

Looking back on your years with the OSUMB, is there one particular memory that sticks out in your mind?

Going to London and performing in Wembley Stadium. It was the first time I have been out of the country, and I got to meet some distant relatives who live in London.     

Is there one person or people you’d like to thank for supporting you throughout your time with the OSUMB?

I would like to thank my family for all their support. Family in this case is both my immediate family and my Q-Row family. During marching band season, I see Q-Row more than I see my parents. Your row takes care of you and they make you feel better when you are upset or frustrated. I am going to miss seeing them almost every day.  

What advice would you give someone who is considering coming to Ohio State and trying out for the OSUMB?

Go to Summer Sessions, work hard and ask for help. The veteran members of the band will help you if you ask them to. Being in the band can be frustrating, as it is a large time commitment, but it is one of the most exciting things you can do. Nothing really can compare to the energy of Ohio Stadium on game day.