The NIU Huskie Marching Band has been a part of university tradition for more than 100 years, and the group’s achievements have not gone unnoticed on campus.

The band, which consists of 165 musicians, dancers and color guard members, must learn about 220 bars, or about 20 pages of music, for each routine.

“They are a group of extremely hard workers,” said color guard instructor Lori Valenzuela. “They do a great job considering how much work is thrown at them.”

Moreover, the Huskie Marching Band commits many hours to learning drills, which are the formations the band creates on the field.

“The time commitment is 16 hours a week,” said Keith Lichthardt, senior drum major and marketing major.

The hard work does not end after practices.

“It’s exhausting. We wake early, get out late and have long days, but it’s still rewarding,” said Natalie Scharf, freshman band member and musical education major.

Students say the work is difficult, yet rewarding.

“We do all that and on top of it, we are wearing 100 percent wool uniforms,” said Mike Isaacs, drum line leader and senior physical education major. “People have fainted before.”

The marching band finally gets to shine on game days.

“Every game, it’s amazing walking onto the field after they introduce the band,” Isaacs said.

The members of the Huskie Marching Band have pride and love for what they do, Isaacs said.

“We respect and love the game and the university,” Issacs said.

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