NORFOLK, Va. - From performing for Missy Elliott...to marching in the nationally-televised Rose Parade in California...to being voted the best HBCU band in the country, Norfolk State University’s Spartan Legion marching band is coming off a banner year in its five-decade history.
Saturday's home football game against Virginia State marks the Legion's return to its home field with more members and more attention than ever.
It comes after a rigorous, three-week "Band Camp" on the Norfolk State campus. News 3 recently attended one of the rehearsals.
“They have to learn marching, they have to learn music, they have to learn [where they move on the field]," said Yohance Goodrich II, Head Drum Major a.k.a. "Mr. Spartan."
Drum majors are the top student leaders in the band; helping run rehearsals at a makeshift football field painted onto the grounds near Hamm Fine Arts Building. By the time News 3 arrived, the yard lines were worn away and, after a rainy morning, students were marching through mud.
“It’s very tiring, but you gotta get through it. It’s what I signed up for," said Ajarius King-Turner, a freshman trumpet player from Chesapeake.
His classmate from Western Branch High School, Daniel People, also joined.
“I’ve been looking at them for years. Their hard work, (their) dedication. Seeing them go to Charlotte, Atlanta. Seeing them go to the Rose Bowl," said People.
WATCH: Norfolk State Spartan Legion band practices ahead of first home game!
The 2022-23 season also included competing in the invitation-only All-Star Battle of the Bands in Atlanta, featuring the top bands from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
“It was a life-changing year," said Norfolk State Director of Bands, William Beathea, who's nearing a decade leading the Spartan Legion. “The exposure we got for the school, for Norfolk, the state of Virginia. It was phenomenal. Our enrollment has gone up here. [The band] had maybe 215 (members) in the Rose Parade. We’re at 240 now.”
The August Band Camp is about making sure all members not only learn marching and music, but exceed the standards set in previous years.
Beathea says a typical camp day starts at 7 a.m. and may run until 10 or 11 p.m. The schedule includes everything from rehearsing music inside the Hamm building to learning the Legion's high step marching style on the field outside.
The band's first performance was the National Battle of the Bands competition in Houston on August 26. Music and band formations for the show must be memorized before then.
“I want to develop discipline, time management, work ethic, creativity, teamwork," said Beathea. “We have one of the best band programs in the country."
A strong claim from the man in charge, but Beathea says that's what happens when you push the envelope in marching and musicality. These performance qualities, he insists, are best experienced live.
The first audience to see this year's Spartan Legion was made up of friends and family members inside NSU's Echols Hall, just days before the Houston trip. There, some band members received scholarships from alumni and other organizations. The whole ensemble got the opportunity to play for a crowd.
“Our performances exhibit great enthusiasm and energy and we are really, really good at directly relating to the crowd," he said.
Maybe some of it has to do with the people making up the Spartan Legion's members. Beathea says most are not music majors.
They're students looking for a different college experience. One that can be intense, but rest assured, the fun is never too far behind.
“I think that’s important. To laugh and enjoy this," said Beathea. “Last year was very, very stressful. We had a huge year. This year, we’re sort of going back to our roots, making sure our discipline is high. Our fundamentals are good and then we’ll see from our excellence what it yields.”
