Marching bands are often viewed as the heartbeat and illuminators of a game’s atmosphere, and the Marching Miners are no exception. This fall semester marks the beginning of the football season, and with it, the rigorous training of these students, whose musicianship is a testament to their vital role in showcasing the university’s talent and school spirit.

This season’s pre-game and halftime performances by the band, which is composed of brass, percussion and woodwind sections, the dance team and the UTEP Diamonds Colorguard, will be the result of a nearly year-long creative plan along with personal sacrifices.

Director of Athletic Bands and Associate Director of Bands, Brandon Houghtalen, D.M.A, did not waste any time preparing music for this semester’s shows and began as early as last fall.

“Some of our arrangements take months to complete, so we have to work on them a lot,” Houghtalen said. “There’s never a moment where I’m not working, and our staff isn’t working to plan ahead.”

Over 200 members that make up the band work at a nonstop pace. They already know the music for their third show having performed their first.

Unlike typical high school marching bands, which learn a show in August and September, and perform it for the remainder of the semester, the Marching Miners will perform around eight different shows this fall. Shows that listeners can expect to feature a variety of musical arrangements, with Houghtalen’s goal for everyone in the stands to connect with the music.

“My job is to be thinking about what music is popular right now, what’s going to be popular with parents, what’s going to be popular with grandparents, and what’s going to be appropriate for little kids,” Houghtalen said. “If you don’t recognize what we’re playing, wait five minutes because you’ll hear something that you like.”

Constant rehearsing plays a crucial role in fulfilling such a task. Members must exhibit solid discipline, as the performances they do are especially notable for their musical proficiency, synchronization and marching technique.

Time commitment is a major membership requirement, and meeting it entails personal sacrifices. Balancing their time between band and academic obligations, adjusting to the fatigue brought on by intense routines and extreme weather, and finding time to socialize are some of the challenges that, while not impossible to manage, remain for the Marching Miners.

Also, over half of them have jobs outside of college, according to Houghtalen.

“In addition to being full-time students and being in a band, the average number of hours that our students that work is 23.8,” Houghtalen said. “So, every week the members of the Marching Miners work 2,789 hours besides classes and marching rehearsal.”

Before the first day of classes, the band attended a two-week pre-season camp in August. It consisted of foot drills at the Sun Bowl Stadium and learning music in the Fox Fine Arts Center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Since the start of the school year, they have continued to rehearse every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. This does not include the individual practices that each student conducts in their spare time.  

The Marching Miners are constantly learning, refining and perfecting their skills. The process gets more intense as each performance date approaches.

In the week before a game, band member Ian Primero, devotes approximately 20 hours to rehearsing. As a trumpet player, he must also constantly take care of his facial muscles, as they retain a lot of stress and tension from his embouchure.

“If you don’t warm down, you are setting yourself up for failure,” Primero said.

Despite admitting that practices and game shows can be very draining, Primero maintains that all of his efforts have been worthwhile. For him, there’s nothing better than doing what you love and doing it right.

There’s pressure and high expectations, but not a shortage of dedication. Houghtalen, who is actively involved behind the scenes, is perfectly aware of the amount of effort that goes into making their shows a reality.

“They [Marching Miners] are the hardest-working students I’ve ever had the privilege to teach, and I respect their work incredibly,” Houghtalen said.

Be sure to look for the Marching Miners, UTEP’s largest and almost century-old music ensemble, at games and other public events to see their display of dedication to musical excellence.

Brisa Silva is a contributor and may be reached at bmsilva[email protected]