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Life in the West Point Band

~ A chronicle of daily life in the Army's oldest band

Life in the West Point Band

Tag Archives: USMA

What happens at West Point’s 100th Night Show?

12 Monday Feb 2018

Posted by Briana Lehman in 100th Night Show, Concert Band

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100th night, Army, army band, army music, band, concert band, United States Military Academy, USMA, West Point, West Point Band

We’ve not much longer here to stay,
For in a month or two,
We’ll bid farewell to ‘Kaydet Grey,’
And don the ‘Army Blue’
-L.W. Becklaw, ‘Army Blue’

Every February in West Point, a certain electrifying phrase pulses through the heart of every Firstie (fourth-year): 100th Night.

100 nights to graduation. 100 nights to adulthood. 100 nights to freedom.

But what does the West Point Band have to do with that?

Let’s step back in time…

Before Facebook, before TV, even before radio, there were “entertainments.” Jokes, dances, poetry, and storytelling pulled together into a show designed to dazzle any pre-electronics audience.

And in the 1800s, West Point’s appetite for such spectacles was just as strong as anywhere else. From the earliest days of the Academy’s history, touring groups would travel to the post to perform amateur theater shows and musicals, providing students a welcome break from the rigors of cadet life.

But after the troupes had left town, what was a bored cadet in need of excitement to do?

Why, make his own of course!

West Point's 100th Night Show logo

Starting in the mid-1800s, cadets took the important matters of mood-lightening and merriment into their own hands and began crafting entertainments aimed specifically at a West Point audience.

The West Point Dialectic Society began putting on their own evenings of skits and dramatic readings, which quickly evolved into elaborate, fully-staged shows based on quirky West Point-isms that left their fellow cadets roaring with laughter.

Cadet originals with names like “Toodles” and “Nineteenth Century Brevities” titillated students and faculty alike for years. As time wore on, the entertaining evenings gradually coalesced into one annual night of West Point-centric satire that persists to this day — the 100th Night Show.

Though its content has always been 99% inside jokes understood only by the Corps of Cadets, West Point’s 100th Night Show quickly gained traction in the outside world, drawing crowds from around the area.

It was kind of a Big Deal.

So much so that in the 1940s and ’50s, Academy Award-winning lyricist Sammy Cahn took time off from writing for a guy you might have heard of — I think his name was Frank Sinatra? — to travel to West Point and help craft the next big 100th Night hit.

100th Night at West Point

You read it here folks, West Point’s 100th Night is bigger than Sinatra!

But wait, you say, certainly a musical production of this magnitude must have a fine pit orchestra to accompany it!

That’s where the West Point Band comes in.

We at the West Point Band have always been lucky enough to be honored guests at the 100th Night Show.

Each year requires a uniquely perfect soundtrack to tell the saga of that particular class’s journey from Plebes (first-years) to Firsties. West Point Band saxophonist Master Sgt. Mike Reifenberg composes all the original music for the 100th Night Show, crafting just the right melodies to tell the tales of the cadets’ bravery, adventures, and, of course, the occasional mishap during their four years at the Academy.

The band spends the week of the 100th Night Show — this week!— rehearsing with cadets, putting the finishing touches on the musical numbers.

This year’s show debuts on Thursday and we can’t wait for it!

 

Master Sgt. Reifenberg in the 100th Night Show pit
Master Sgt. Reifenberg in the 100th Night Show pit
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Franz at the helm
Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Franz at the helm

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Songs of West Point – On, Brave Old Army Team

14 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by NY Musician in Uncategorized

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Army, army band, army football, band, Cadet, Football, marching band, Music, on brave old army team, United States Military Academy, USMA, West Point, West Point Band, West Point songs

On, Brave Old Army Team, or as we here at the West Point Band lovingly call it, “OBOAT,” is one of the songs that is nearest and dearest to the Corps of Cadets here at West Point, but it didn’t exactly have an auspicious beginning. Though it’s now the academy’s official fight song and a rallying cry sung out by thousands of impassioned Army fans at every football game, in truth, the composer of OBOAT wasn’t originally too keen on writing it.

Here’s the story:

1944-army-cheerleaders

The 1944-1945 West Point cheerleaders

The year was 1910. The place, West Point. A dashing young lieutenant by the name of Philip Egner had just begun a promising career as music teacher and band commander at the United States Military Academy. When approached by an even younger, even more dashing cadet cheerleader with lyrics for a new cheer, Lt. Egner was initially… unimpressed.

egner-feeling-army-meh-new

But one day, as he was walking back to his home quarters after a hard day’s work, inspiration struck! Music for the cadet’s lyrics had sprung into his head. Worried he’d forget the melody by the time he got home, Lt. Egner hurriedly jotted down the notes on his stiffly-starched shirt sleeve. Thank goodness for a nice assertive laundering!

egner-happy-with-oboat-lyrics-and-music-notes

Learn these lyrics and you can sing along at the next Army football game!

Not too long after the composition of OBOAT, the Army team rose to football dominance, losing fewer than 10 games total between 1944 and 1950 and winning three consecutive national championships. The success of the team caught the attention of the entire nation, and the strains of Lt. Egner’s composition could be heard all across the country. Even jazz legend Glenn Miller paid tribute to OBOAT by recording a big band version of the song. During this heyday of Army football, On, Brave Old Army Team was deservingly granted a place among the most beloved college fight songs of all time.

1944 Army football team national champions.png

The national championship-winning 1944 Army football team

Today, though the Black Knights may not have quite the same record they held in the ’40s, cadets and Army fans alike still use OBOAT to cheer their team on to victory. OBOAT is played many times throughout each and every Army football game — at the start of the game, after an Army touchdown, during the band’s pre-game marching show, and whenever the spirit of the moment takes over and calls the Corps to song.

crazy-football-fanz

Now, that’s the fearless Army way!

Make sure to catch the West Point Band performing On, Brave Old Army Team this Saturday, October 15, as the Army team takes on Lafayette College! We’ll be performing our signature rendition of OBOAT at the pre-game football review (9:00 a.m. on The Plain at West Point) and throughout the big game (12:00 p.m. at West Point’s Michie Stadium). Join us and help cheer the Army team “on to the fray!”

If you liked learning a bit about OBOAT, stay tuned for a whole series of videos and blogs in the upcoming months about the songs of West Point!

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Driven to Serve: Performing at the New York International Auto Show

02 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by beavererinm in Uncategorized

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america, Army, army band, band, Hellcats, Jeremy Gaynor, military band, military music, Music, New York City, New York International Auto Show, service, United States Military Academy, USMA, USMA Class of 1955, veterans, West Point, West Point Band, West Point Cadet, Wounded Warriors

 

july 4 jeep

It started simple: perform at the opening ceremonies for the New York International Auto Show, and quickly exceeded our expectations—not only are we performing the opening, but we’ll be hosting our own booth for the entire week! We’ve been busy preparing for this promising event, and we have lots in store.

The New York International Auto Show is the largest of its kind in North America with over a million people in live attendance each year, and is also one of the most comprehensively covered media events in the world, boasting 2.6 billion total media impressions for last year’s show. Of course we would want to be a part of one of the world’s greatest public shows, but what does an auto show have to do with military and community service? As it turns out, a lot.

The opening ceremonies will take place on Saturday, April 4 at 8:30 a.m. at the Javits Center in New York City. As a part of this ceremony, Toyota will donate a RAV4 as part of its Wounded Warriors program to Staff Sergeant Alfredo de los Santos, an Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient who survived an RPG attack on his humvee in Iraq two years ago. To officially open the show, the West Point Band, along with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, will lead a parade of vehicles, including the RAV4, through the Crystal Palace. Our own Staff Sergeant Jeremy Gaynor, who recently appeared on NBC’s The Voice, will be featured singing the National Anthem, and will then be available in our exhibit area to meet the public.

Master Sergeants MaryKay Messenger and Brian Broelmann will also perform at the opening and awards ceremonies for the National Automotive Technology Competition, a high school age competition with teams from 31 countries that culminates at the NYIAS.

We have lots to offer during the week as well. Our booth, located at northern concourse 2 near the main entrance, will be open throughout the duration of the show. If you’re around you will definitely want to check out Tune Up @ 2, a series of performances right at our booth each day at 2:00 p.m., featuring everything from bluegrass to rock, brass and string groups, and more.

chopper

And since this is an auto show after all, the USMA Class of 1955 Orange County Chopper will be on display in our area for the entire ten days, with Paul Senior himself stopping by on Saturday the 11th for an interview.

The New York International Auto Show has everything the auto industry has to offer, and then some. We look forward to seeing you there!

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May It Be Said, Well Done

23 Monday Mar 2015

Posted by Sam in Marching Band

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Alma Mater, Army, Army Athletics, army band, Basketball, marching band, Music, NIT Tournament, United States Military Academy, USMA, West Point, West Point Band, West Point Cadet, Women's Basketball

Chief Bettencourt leads the band during the Star Spangled Banner prior to the game.

Chief Bettencourt leads the band during the Star Spangled Banner prior to the game.

On Thursday, March 19, the band headed down to St. John’s University in Queens to cheer on the Army Women’s Basketball team in the first round of the WNIT tournament. The band does not often play for basketball games, but for the second year in a row, the mighty Army Women’s team has qualified for a major tournament while the rest of the cadets are on spring break. That means that the cadet band is not around to perform for the game, so we take it upon ourselves to support our fellow Soldiers.

Sgt. Major Jones charges out of the rehearsal room to cheer Army on.

Sgt. Major Jones charges out of the rehearsal room to cheer Army on.

The game was a close matchup, with Army remaining within a few points of the St. John’s Red Storm the entire game. You can read a complete game wrap-up here. While the outcome of the game was a disappointing loss for all of the Army fans in attendance, (which there seemed to be more of than St. John’s fans, even though it was a home game for the Red Storm) it is what happened after the game that truly moved me.

Traditionally, after every Army sporting event we perform for, we play the Alma Mater, win or lose. I’m not sure if the women’s team was not used to it, or just wanted to get back to the locker room, but they left the court before we had a chance to play for them. Chief Bettencourt took the entire band down into the tunnel outside of the locker room to play the Alma Mater for the team.

We all stood, drawn up in a long line against one wall, while the team filed out of the locker room and stood at attention against the opposite wall, along with their coaches and other team personnel. They looked downcast, as if they had just lost an important, close, hard-fought game. For a time, it looked as if they would all rather be alone than stand facing us while we played for them. But, bringing dignity, hope, and esprit de corps to all situations is what military bands do best.

Chief Bettencourt leads the band in the West Point Alma Mater.

Chief Bettencourt leads the band in the West Point Alma Mater.

As we started the first tones of the music, immediately I could see the expressions on the player’s faces begin to change. At first a few sang, then a few more, finally all sang in full voice. You could see each cadet remembering that this game, win or lose, is only preparation for the true test they all will face one day after graduation from West Point. Cadets are part of something much larger than a basketball game, and we were able to bring a sense of perspective to the team, enabling them to look down the long gray line, and see what they were a part of.

The band performs the Alma Mater for the Women's Basketball Team after their loss to St. John's.

The band performs the Alma Mater for the Women’s Basketball Team after their loss to St. John’s.

Words by Sgt. 1st Class Sam Kaestner
Images by Sgt. 1st Class Eric Garcia

41.392050 -73.971249

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