Talkin’ Tartan

Instrument: Oboe

Major: Foreign Language

What is your favorite Highland Marching Band Memory?

My favorite Highland Marching Band memory is marching on the Atlanta Braves baseball field in 1966. This was a particularly special performance as this was the first season when the Milwaukee Braves relocated from Wisconsin to Atlanta.

How did the Highland Marching Band impact your MC experience?

I was not into team sports, so being in the Highland Marching Band was a valuable alternative for me and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

What advice would you share with members of the Tartanband?

I encourage Tartanband members to stay cool, enjoy every moment of your MC and Tartanband experiences, and let your talents soar.

How did you spend your career?

I was a foreign language major focusing on the French and German languages. Maryville College prepared me for a successful career at Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and retired from TVA as a librarian.

On Friday, September 20, the MC Tartanband traveled out of state with the MC Football team for the first time in roughly 45 years. On Friday night, the band loaded onto the bus and began their journey towards Southern Virginia. After stopping at the Bristol Marketplace Virginia for a delicious dinner, the band arrived at the hotel later that night. The next morning, when the band woke up, it was breakfast and off to support our Fighting Scots!

Upon arriving at Southern Virginia University, we were met by the opposing school band with whom we shared some delicious pizza and some highly competitive games of ping-pong. When it was time to warm up our instruments we bid them all “goodbye, and good luck” and went our separate ways. Despite the immense heat and blazing sun, we were not deterred from cheering on our Scots! Aside from an injury on the field that required medical assistance, the day was exciting! When the game ended with the MC Scots winning 54-6, the band packed up and started towards the bus. We were then stopped by the MC Scots football team who was cheering us on, which, of course, led to an impromptu performance of the MC Fight Song that included both the band and the football players! While we know that it was the players on the field that led us to victory, we like to believe that the band played some sort of role in the game as well!

While we went to cheer on our Fighting Scots, we also decided to have some fun outside of the football game before packing up and returning home to our beautiful College Hill. After a brief amount of time eating a fantastic Cracker Barrel dinner and getting ourselves cleaned up, we loaded back onto the bus and ventured down the road to the Jefferson Center in Roanoke, Virginia where we had the time of our lives celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by learning to dance the Rumba, and finishing the night off with a concert from local band, JSTOP Latin Soul! I think it’s safe to say that after seeing us all on the dance floor, some of us are born dancers, and others of us (myself included) have more than one extra left foot. Regardless of our dancing abilities, we all had an incredible time, and know that it would not have been possible without your help and support! We would like to thank Alumni for all of your support in helping us get to where we are today.

Stephanie Holt ’26, Tartanband Captain
Bradford Scholar
Isaac Anderson Scholar
Instrumentalist Intern
SAA President

   

Instrument: Bells

Major: Education

What is your favorite Highland Marching Band Memory?

I recall an exciting adventure during my freshman year getting measured for our new kilted unforms and how anxiously we waited for them to be made and shipped from Scotland. Finally, the day arrived for the delivery of the kilts, jackets, and hats. We all gathered around anxious for the unveiling, and we were not disappointed!

Getting the kilt on correctly was one thing, but then we had to learn to perform in them. One does not march in a kilt, one walks with a swing move so the kilt moves in a swaying motion not showing the shorts underneath. This took a lot of practice since most of us were fast band marchers.

How did the Highland Marching Band impact your MC experience?

The Highland Marching Band was an important part of my Maryville College experience and my MC memories. The members ranged from freshman to senior and yet we felt knit-together. We worked hard and respected the role each person “played.” Thinking about those years and the enjoyment the Band added to my time as a MC student, I am filled with many good memories

What advice would you share with members of the Tartanband?

HAVE FUN!  Music and fun are the cures for the hardships, disappointments, concerns, etc. that  often plague college life. Work with your fellow bandmates as an effective team to improve your music skills, and make your band a pillar of perfection, and a source of awe from your listeners.

How did you spend your career?

I graduated from Maryville College with a degree in education which was in great demand as the post-war babies entered school age. I thoroughly enjoyed my career teaching pre-school children.

Instrument: Snare Drum (Percussion)

Major: Biology

What is your favorite Highland Marching Band Memory?

It was the October, 1964 Maryville Homecoming, and I was a new, unsettled Freshman. I had joined the college band and was busy with my fellow Freshmen constructing our class float. On Homecoming day, the band, all the class floats, our cheerleaders and other college participants marched down the main street of Maryville to the cheers of the town’s bystanders. I realized then that I was part of a group, nay a team, that was capable of making people feel good, and in return, I felt good. This musical endeavor manifested itself in the band’s ability to enhance the school spirit at Maryville College in all aspects of college life. The college band may no longer march down the main street of the town, but its musical essence will always have a positive effect on everyone that hears it.

In my Sophomore year I was invited to join the Porkeys, an 8 member, mischievous, pep band that played at pep rallies, sporting events and any other opportunity that we determined deserved our musical talents. Porky and the Simple 7 as we were called (all of us claimed to be Porky) were notorious for conducting Porky Pranks around campus; like taking the silverware from the dining hall and dumping it in the college swimming pool, or removing the clapper from the bell in the Anderson tower and hiding it for a week. The students loved us, and the administration tolerated us because we helped to promote school spirit.

How did the Highland Marching Band impact your MC experience?

I don’t think I would have survived the rigors of college life without music and the band. The band was fun, and challenging in some respects, and I felt good working in a team, to make others feel good through our music. This gave me a purpose and direction at Maryville College beyond just getting a degree.

What advice would you share with members of the Tartanband?

HAVE FUN!  Music and fun are the cures for the hardships, disappointments, concerns, etc. that  often plague college life. Work with your fellow bandmates as an effective team to improve your music skills, and make your band a pillar of perfection, and a source of awe from your listeners.

How did you spend your career?

I was inspired by Dr. Randolph Shields, Chair of the Biology Department, to pursue a career in ecology and the environment, but shortly after I graduated from Maryville College, I was drafted into the US Army. After being honorably discharged after my tour of duty, I began studies, part time, towards a Masters Degree in Biology, via the G.I. Bill, at Rutgers University. I received my M.S. Degree in 1976. While I was at Rutgers, I applied for work, and was accepted by  the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 3 Philadelphia. I worked 33 years at the EPA and at one point was an Associate Director for Solid and Hazardous Waste.