Recap: Mayo Bowl

This blog was written by Sarah Bell and Evan Bainer, Marching with the Virginians blog staff.

The MVs had such an incredible start to the New Year by getting to perform at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl! Although there are some MVs that aren’t really fond of mayonnaise, we all had a wonderful time getting to support the Hokies, meeting members of the Pride of Minnesota marching band, and spending time together on our trip.  

Our adventure began on January 2nd, as we hopped on the buses and travelled down to North Carolina. After arriving in Charlotte, select members of the band and headed over to the common area outside of Truist for a “Battle of the Bands” with the University of Minnesota’s marching band! Each band played special tunes, along with each fight song for the schools. No need to worry, it was a very friendly competition, and both Minnesota and Tech fans had such a blast kicking off the cold, mayo-filled weekend.

(Photo: Bob White)

The next morning, the MVs were up bright and early to catch the buses on the way to rehearsal at the UNC Charlotte stadium! We want to give a HUGE shout out to Dr. Hunter Kopcynski, director of UNC Charlotte’s Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band, for allowing us the opportunity to rehearse on their field! Dr. Polly introduced us to him during our rehearsal, and told us that he was a proud MV alum. We practiced our music, ran through our drill, and worked out the logistics until we felt confident for that afternoon’s performance in front of Hokie and Minnesota fans!  

After rehearsal, the MVs grabbed an early dinner of everyone’s favorite Chick-Fil-A sandwiches, and then we were off to start getting dressed! We then hopped on the buses and made our way to the Bank of America stadium in downtown Charlotte. Before the game, we had enough time to get a drink of water, get up to walk around, and do anything that we needed to do prior to kickoff. Some of us got to meet members of Minnesota’s band, and we all shared our traditions, favorite stand tunes, and how much we all love being a part of the marching band.

(Photo: Bob White)

During our pregame performance, we were able to play various Hokie favorites such as Tech Triumph, VPI Victory March, and our arrangement of the classic tune Shenandoah.

The scoring started in the first quarter when Virginia Tech quarterback Collin Schlee ran in for a three-yard touchdown to put the Hokies up 7-0. The Golden Gophers would then score three touchdowns in the second quarter, and Virginia Tech kicker John Love would kick a 60-yard field goal right before the half, making the score 21-10 in favor of Minnesota.

We had the privilege of getting to play during halftime as well, and during our performance we showcased our Aranjuez show, along with our Metallica show. These were both crowd favorites along with MV alumni favorites, so we considered our performance to be fitting for the bowl game.  

After the halftime performance, the band headed back to its seats to support the Hokies for the second half of the game, even though the only scoring for the half was a fourth-quarter field goal from Minnesota, making the final score 24-10.

Although the Hokies lost to the University of Minnesota, the MVs had such a wonderful time getting to stay in Charlotte, spend time together, and perform in such a beautiful stadium. Our regular season is now over, but the MV Blog isn’t going anywhere! Stay tuned for more posts about the MVs and what we’re up to in a couple weeks.

Go Hokies! 

Mackenzie Knox: Keeping the Music Alive

Graduation does not have to be the end of your career as a musician. Many alumni have found ways to stay involved with music after their time with the MVs has come to an end.

Some find a new band within the community they settle into after they graduate, like Jenna O’Brien. Jenna (Clarinet, ‘18) moved to Philadelphia during the pandemic and was seeking a way to build community and a creative outlet outside of work. After a quick Google search, she found the Philadelphia Freedom Band, an organization that comes together to perform throughout the greater Philadelphia area and provide visible, active support to the LGBTQ+ community, and decided to join as a clarinet player. Her choice to join was solidified at her first rehearsal when she ran into fellow MV Alumna Sophie Tenaglia-Neil (Mellophone ‘15, maiden name: Sophie Tenaglia).

To Jenna, “band has been the space where I feel the most accepted and comfortable being myself.” This band is no different as she has found another band family here. The community she has cultivated here is so deep that she has even played marching band tunes at a fellow bandmate’s surprise birthday party. If you are seeking a community like Jenna did, she highly recommends researching community bands in your area. If you live around Philadelphia and want to join the Philadelphia Freedom Band, you can join the email list and get more information here. If you are outside the Philly area, they have sibling bands in many major cities that you can seek out!

Philadelphia Freedom Band’s holiday performance in Manayunk with MV Alumna Jenna O’Brien (Clarinet, ’18, 3rd from the left wearing the green knitted hat) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (Tone, ’05, 4th from the right wearing the rust-colored hat)

Other alumni create their next music opportunity by forming their own bands, including MV Alumna Duncan Elston. Duncan (Tone, ’19) is a bone and keys player in an 8-piece Funk Rock band based out of Richmond called The Monumentals. The band features 4 other MV Alumni: Joe McDermott (Snare, ‘17) on Drums, Cammy Cohen (Trumpet, ‘18) on vocals and trumpet, Matt Jones (Alto, ‘18) on sax, Anne Kelly Newman (Pic, ‘19) on vocals and flute.

The band started in some form when Cammy, Joe and Anne Kelly were still students at Tech in 2016. Once they had settled into Richmond post-graduation, the band continued to evolve into the funk rock group it is today, picking up additional members, Duncan and Matt, along the way.

Each member comes into this group with their own reasons to keeping the music alive in their lives. As a music educator, it is important to Duncan to connect with making music and playing since that is where his love of music originated. Bringing that love and appreciation of music to his students is cultivated that much more by participating in many musical opportunities outside the classroom. He also participates in several community bands in the area, the Richmond Pops Band and Commonwealth Winds. For members who are not music educators, like Cammy, it felt like a sharp transition to no longer have music in their lives after graduation. To help bring that back in her life as she navigated the beginning of her career, Cammy enjoyed having things like jam sessions and rehearsals on the calendar to keep music in her life, especially as the band was continuing to evolve.

Cammy advises that “it takes a while after graduation to figure out what fits well you’re your new lifestyle and satisfies your need for music” so take some time to figure out what you like/need to stay in touch with your musical side. She continues that “something like starting your own group will take time, especially in a big transition like college to career” so be patient with yourself and others as you figure out what works in this new life stage you are in.

You can catch The Monumentals playing around local breweries in Richmond, VA as well as some of the music venues in the area. Most recently, the group had their first solo show at The Canal Club in downtown Richmond which was an incredible experience to play such an iconic local venue. You can follow the band on Instagram @themonumentalsrva.

Duncan Elston ‘19, Matt Jones ‘18, Joe McDermott ‘17, Anne Kelly Newman ‘19, Cammy Cohen ‘18. The Monumentals performing at The Canal Club

So, whether it is a local community band, a group you form on your own or simply hosting jam sessions with friends, there are plenty of ways to stay involved with music once you enter the “real world” after graduation.

Mackenzie Knox - Alumni Blogger