When I Found Out I Was Accepted to The MMB…
“I was having dinner at Tomokun with some friends after a trip to the Art Fair. Eva (another MMB Horn) and I were anxiously checking our emails throughout dinner and as soon as we found out we turned to each other and were like "Did you get in?" "I got it" "Me too!" "We got in!!". What ensued next was a lot of very excited texts to our family and friends and a very celebratory mood for the rest of dinner. I also had to text my future roommate, Lily (also an MMB Horn) to have a very similar "We got in!!" moment. It was the highlight of that weekend and I was so excited every time a student leader sent me a "Welcome to the MMB" message in the following days. It was one of the most energetic welcomes I have ever gotten for any organization and it really emphasized the passion and energy we all have for the MMB.”
— Katherine Ellis
“I was at a small park, babysitting my younger siblings when I got my acceptance email. I remember chilling under a tree as my 7-year-old sister played on the swing, and my 4-year-old brother and 2-year-old sister played on the slides. I checked my phone and BAM! I legitimately jumped around and screamed. It was so thrilling knowing my hard work paid off, and I'll have the honor to be a part of Band 126!”
— Shakurah Muqit
“I was babysitting, and had just finished having my makeup done by the kids (it looked...interesting, to say the least), when I got the e-mail. I jumped off the couch and excitedly told the kids the news. The oldest ran to grab her phone so we could call her dad, who happened to be my high school band teacher and tell him.”
— Stephanie Westrick
“I remember submitting my audition thinking, “There’s no way I’m going to get a spot but I might as well give it a go for fun!” When I opened my acceptance email and watched the video attachment welcoming all of the new members, I was overwhelmed with immense joy and excitement! I remember making so many phone calls that day to tell my loved ones who had supported my musicianship throughout the years that I was going to have the opportunity to join the best college marching band in the nation!'“
— Madison Downey
“The day I was accepted into the MMB was a wild one. I remember hearing about the acceptance emails coming out and my soon-to-be freshman roommate at the time sharing her acceptance on almost every platform, I was so so proud of her. After realizing the emails must have been sent out I rushed to check mine, but alas, nothing was there. I asked some of the friends I had made at the flag workshop if they had received anything yet, but still no. Naturally, I began to worry, I even contemplated emailing our instructor Joan, but somehow I found the patience to just wait. After spending the day preparing for my grad party, I checked my email, and right as I was about to exit the app, there it was: Michigan Marching Band Flag Acceptance, and from there I knew that I could do anything I set my heart to.”
— Laken Pointer
“It was a day after I got back from a 2-month trip to Europe. I was worried about my audition so I drove an hour to my best friend's house for some moral support. We submitted my audition video together, then the next day we were on the way to the farmers market and I got the email on the drive there!”
— Lexi Chartrand
“I was in a bank, and I checked my email while waiting (I had been checking every 2 minutes all day). I literally jumped in the air and started excitedly telling the complete strangers around me that I got in. It was a joy and excitement that I don't think I've felt before.”
— Joshua Hindy
”I left my phone at home for the entire day to keep myself from obsessively checking my email, and when I got home that night, I saw the notification. I was so excited and relieved, and I immediately texted my band friends and teachers from high school. Everyone was so excited for me, and everyone I have told since has freaked out. All of my neighbors who went to U of M have talked my ear off about how cool the band is, and their excitement has only made me more excited!”
— Rachel Williamson
“When I got my MMB acceptance email, I was at a lake house with family and friends. Now mind you, this lake house was located smack in the middle of rural Ohio. Every single person there was an Ohio State fan. However, I did not care; I let the news fly, and each Buckeye there begrudgingly congratulated me. It felt good!”
— Morgan Hudy
“I was in my bedroom at home and had been repeatedly checking my email since I knew the results were coming out that day. It happened to pop up during a refresh and I saw the "Congratulations!" in the subject line and started crying and immediately watched the video they sent with the email. I then ran into my sister's room next door to tell her about it and we got really excited then she surprised me by giving me an MMB shirt that she got for me! I knew I was going to do marching band wherever I went to college because it was easily my most meaningful commitment in high school. From learning how to march as a freshman in high school to becoming a section leader and then drum major of my high school marching ensemble, I grew so much as a person and knew I'd only continue to grow in a thriving, wonderful program that promotes excellence, hard work, and community. I've loved every second of being in the band and can't wait for the next season!!”
— Sarah Horst
“It's incredible how vividly I remember the moment I was accepted into the MMB! On the afternoon of July 16th, 2021, I was hopping into the driver's seat of the car to run an errand, and talking to my dad in the garage. Just before I was about to roll up the window and head out, my phone buzzed. I checked the screen, and it was the second I saw the listed sender ("University of Michigan Marching Band") that I knew this was the moment of truth. I stopped my dad from walking back into the house and nervously opened the email. One glorious sentence from Dr. Pasquale later, and those nerves turned into euphoria. I immediately turned off the engine, and we sprinted into the house to find my mom. Dare I say it, the three of us may have had an even bigger rush of excitement than the moment I was accepted into the University itself...it was all a lifelong dream come true, but visualizing a future of performing in front of 100,000 of my closest friends in THAT uniform– the one that had captivated me attending games for as long as I could remember? It was the most surreal and exciting manifestation of that dream.”
— Joey Goodsir III
“Looking back, receiving my acceptance email felt incredibly surreal. I attended a different university for my first two years of school, but I never felt fully content with where I was. I frequently watched the MMB practice in the evenings after my classes. However, in junior year, I finally transferred to U-M Dearborn and applied to the MMB. I don't recall where exactly I was when I read the acceptance email, but I vividly remember feeling relieved yet excited to start my first season. Taking those first steps onto the turf of Elbel for practice was exhilarating. But taking those first steps onto the field of The Big House while listening to the crowd roar, I finally felt like I was home.”
— Audrey Schuster
“About three years ago I was about four hours into my double shift at Starbucks. I was making an iced latte when I felt a buzz on my wrist from my watch. It was an MMB email. I was so anxious; I had no idea how to feel about my audition and I didn't know if I was going to make it or not. Being from Florida, all I knew about Michigan before my junior year of high school was that the MMB was one of the best (if not the best) college marching bands and that the quality of the academics were close to that of an Ivy. I knew that being accepted into the band would be the second best day of my life (the first, being accepted into Michigan) so I was so nervous to open the email, but when I did, I dropped everything (including the iced latte) and clicked the notification to find that I was accepted. When I tell you I ran, I mean I RAN to the back and immediately called my mom and screamed "OMG I GOT IN" so loud that pretty much all of my coworkers heard me. This genuinely was one of the most memorable moments in my lifetime and since then I've created about 100 more with the MMB.”
— Lenny Johnson
“It’s easy to lose track of days when you’re doing drum corps. I was on the bus on a random day in July somewhere in the south going to a laundromat. Our bus pulls into the parking lot, and I get a notification from my Gmail. I was pleasantly surprised to be welcomed into Band 126. That was the best laundry block I had all season.”
— Clayton Retter
“I was on a trip with all of my closest friends getting lunch up near Traverse City, and I checked my email while we were waiting for our food to arrive and all I saw was the heading of “congratulations” and I was elated! I had been waiting for days, anxiously wondering if I had gotten in, and that email proved to me that I am enough as a musician. It made me feel proud to be a part of the University of Michigan.”
— Amanda Scott
“When I was accepted into the MMB, I was actually on campus for my freshman orientation! I was sitting in one of the libraries with my parents, honestly feeling not that great. I was feeling overwhelmed and nervous about the transition to college. Sitting there with my parents, I opened my email and saw my acceptance letter! My mood instantly improved and I yelled to my parents, "I got into the marching band!" They hugged me and told me how proud they were. It was such a moment of relief because I have been passionate about music for so long, and after the great time that I had doing marching band in high school, I was very excited to be able to continue my marching band journey in college. The MMB is such a wonderful, prestigious, and all-around amazing band, and I feel so lucky to be able to be a part of it.”
— Faith Whitted
“I was at work. I had just picked up a water sample from a house and I was sitting in the work van with my supervisor and I checked my phone and saw that I had got in. My older sister was in the band and she loved it. I like high school band, so I thought 'why not?' I was so relieved and I told my supervisor and he was very excited for me; he went to every single person in city hall and told them about it.”
— Eathan Klar
“My dad and I were driving home from the Upper Peninsula after visiting my sister. We had just gotten out of the Seney Stretch and finally hit an area where there was cell service. At one point, I just remember looking at my phone and seeing an email from the Michigan Marching Band with audition results and I saw the words "Congratulations!" and I just said "hey Dad…." I remember debating the decision for the next five or so hours of the drive. I finally decided I had to do it. I really wanted to be a part of the outstanding music program at UM, and I would forever regret it if I didn't say yes.”
— Andrea Elsholz
