Profile: CIS Students in the Oregon Marching Band
Strike up the band! CIS majors play an array of instruments in the Oregon Marching Band – drumline, sousaphone, trombone, trumpets and the large stationary instruments of the Front Ensemble.
Casey Huggins, a CIS and Japanese double major in the Oregon Marching Band's Front Ensemble sees similarities between the band and computer science: "Going through the precise details of getting the band to march and play in a unified [manner] takes a great deal of concentration and patience, traits necessary to get through making difficult [computer] programs."
The coordinated teamwork that allows intricately coordinated maneuvers while wearing distinctive, colorful uniforms is a hallmark not only of Oregon's nationally ranked football team, but also of the Oregon Marching Band (OMB)'s talented musicians.
Eleven of the band's 240 members identify themselves as CIS majors. At least two are double majors – Casey Huggins and Kevin Beick, a CIS/Math major in the Honors College. Like CIS, OMB requires a significant time commitment, starting with 90 hours during two weeks of summer band camp and rehearsals three times per week during the school year.
Considering joining the band? Start with a visit to omb.uoregon.edu. Considering majoring in CIS? Start with a visit to http://www.cs.uoregon.edu/Education.
Photo Credit: Jack Liu