Football season is in full swing on the Plains, but the preparation for game days began long before fans made their way into Jordan-Hare stadium.
The marching band, after rehearsing for the past couple of months, made their first appearance at Auburn's first home game of the season on Sept. 2.
Parker Mercier, Auburn University’s head drum major, walked through what the morning of a home football game looks like for him.
“We have a two-hour rehearsal in the morning, and typically it's around 7 a.m.,” Parker said. “There's typically an hour to break where we can eat food, change into the uniform and then report to Tiger Walk and play at the Tiger Walk, then we do the Four Corners Pep Rally.”
The Tiger Walk takes place in front of Jordan-Hare Stadium and consists of the football team getting off the bus and walking into the stadium with several members of the band participating in a pep band.
Following the Tiger Walk is the Four Corners Pep Rally. This part of the Auburn tradition involves the band marching down from Donahue and Heisman drives to the corner right beside the stadium. During this pep rally, many fans get to watch the band perform up close before heading into the stadium.
Mercier explained the drum major starts at the center of the square and leads the band with a mace routine. This routine builds up to the moment the drum major blows their whistle and the band is funneled out of the tunnel into the stadium.
Mercier said the first thing he does is stand out on the field while the band hype video is playing.
"It's like a minute and 15 seconds of me just standing there looking at the field. I'm the only person on the field just looking out into the stadium," Mercier said. "I'm overwhelmed with this feeling of satisfaction and joy. I just can't stop thanking God for the opportunity to be standing there."
Although being part of AUMB is rewarding, being involved in such a disciplined organization requires work and dedication.
“We hold ourselves to such a high standard that it's almost expected of everybody to have to maintain that discipline…" Mercier said. "When people want to maintain a high standard, it makes them want to follow the rules and be excited about the culture."
Kyla Hampson, junior drum major at Auburn, also emphasized establishing an exciting environment while preserving discipline.
“I just focus on keeping a positive attitude," Hampson said. "It's easy for things to get hard if it's hot and sweaty outside, especially during the heat advisories going on. It's really important to keep that positive environment and make people feel like they're improving, like they are really putting in the work that will pay off on game day. That really helps to bring people's spirits up.”
The band members start off with pre-season camp which takes place during the first two weeks of August. They practice on the field from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with breaks in between to grab a bite to eat. Now that the fall semester has started, rehearsals take place Tuesday through Friday and are over an hour and a half. Each section also meets up for an hour during the week to sharpen their musical skills.
Mercier said as a drum major, his biggest priority is to be a role model for the students in the band.
“And so that means, like for AUMB student leadership, that means going to class, getting good grades, because that's what it means to be a good student," Mercier said. "We work incredibly hard, but it's very encouraging to see how much support we get from other organizations on campus including Coach Freeze and athletic[s] director John Cohen."
Hampson said in a game setting, the band keeps the fans alive, playing the fight song once it gets quiet.
“Even when the football team is also [hyping up the fans], people still come for the band. The best way to say it is we help to keep the Auburn spirit at [the] most crucial moments," Hampson said.
The 380 members of Auburn's marching band will continue to represent the University and support Auburn's football team in their appearances throughout the season.
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