Ohio State Marching Band enters the stadium prior to the game against Michigan at Michigan Stadium Nov. 30. Ohio State won 56-27. Credit: Amal Saeed | Former Photo Editor

And now, the pride of the Buckeyes, the Ohio State Marching Band…is marching in a new direction with the loss of the 2020 football season. 

As skull sessions and halftime shows became victims of the cancelation, the 239-member marching band is taking a new approach to the fall with virtual shows, distanced formations and new rehearsal precautions to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. 

“Quite honestly, a lot of what we do in the marching band is so based around football, but we’re going to find ways to continue what we do,” Christopher Hoch, director of the marching band, said. 

The band also finds itself under new leadership with Brayden Deemer, a third-year in air transportation, taking over the baton as drum major. 

Deemer said that he felt the Big Ten’s decision to cancel the season was expected but that he’s glad that the band will be able to continue their operations with three currently planned virtual shows. 

In these virtual shows, Hoch said that the band will widen their formations to remain socially distanced throughout the performance. The band typically uses two-step spacing, which leaves about three-to-four feet of space between members. However, they will turn to four-step spacing this fall to be at least 6 feet apart from one another. 

“The spacing, basically, will be twice as big as what you’re used to seeing,” Hoch said. 

In the event of a spring season, a band spokesperson said that it would likely perform its virtual show routines live at Ohio Stadium. 

Hoch said that members will be required to wear masks while they are playing as well as instrument masks which cover the holes on their respective instruments. 

These protocols will also be seen in practices, along with reduced rehearsal sizes. With the reduced sizes, Hoch said that the band will only get around three-to-four hours of rehearsal a week — with just around two of those coming on the field and the rest virtually — compared to the typical 10 hours seen in previous years. 

However, Hoch said the new group restrictions allow for an increased focus on each individual member. 

“The silver lining here is that it gives us a chance to see our students up close and personal,” Hoch said. “[We] get to see what they can do and hear what they can do on a more individual basis.”  

With the band getting significantly less rehearsal time, Hoch said that it will be an added challenge for everyone — new or returning to the band. 

Hoch said that the band will not fully be together in the early stages of the semester, but they will look into getting permission from the school for full practices once they have a better idea of practice and class operations. 

In addition to having less time on the field during the school year, the band was also unable to meet in person for their summer training sessions, which typically run from mid-June until tryouts in mid-August. However, Deemer said the band still completed the sessions virtually through Google Classroom. 

“We recorded videos and posted them on Mondays and then our students could record videos of themselves, submit them back and we could get them feedback,” Deemer said. 

Hoch also pointed to the fact that the season’s cancelation allows for the members to have more time to get the music, marches and fundamentals down. 

With this heightened focus on individual work and fundamentals, what Deemer described as a “younger band” will have more opportunities to develop in the fall. 

Deemer said the thing he’s most excited for this fall is being able to work and develop with the young band. 

“There are a lot more new members this year than there were in past years,” Deemer said. “I’m really looking forward to working with them all.” 

However, the possible early closure of campus looms over the band. Since the band also operates as a class, Deemer said that the band will adapt and continue to focus heavily on the music aspect rather than marching. 

Even though the marching band won’t be performing in Ohio Stadium this fall, Deemer said that he’s proud of the strides the band has made to this point. 

“They’re all fantastic kids,” Deemer said. “They’ve all worked really hard and I’m inspired to be in this position.” 

Hoch recognized the difficulties of having complete motivation to put in the work with no upcoming games, but pointed to the resilience he had seen in previous bands to help carry this one through these challenging times. 

“We’re going to count on the staff and students being encouraging to each other,” Hoch said. “Quite honestly, this band family has endured many challenges over the years and this is another one and we’ve always pulled together. I see no reason, knowing our students as I do, I see no reason that we can’t do that again this year.”