Instrumental Ensembles
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Thundering Herd Marching Band - Eric Colgrove, director
The Thundering Herd Marching Band provides halftime entertainment for home football crowds and performs in parades and exhibitions. The Thundering Herd is open to all University students regardless of major. Upon completing a required audition in the spring or summer, qualified students are accepted into the group and will be sent a variety of material in the summer, including music and necessary information regarding requirements for band camp and the upcoming marching season. The Thundering Herd rehearses every three times per week as well as the morning of each home game day. Membership in the marching band is a prerequisite for participation in the Bison Pep Band.
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Wind Ensemble - Eric Colgrove, director
The Wind Ensemble is chosen through rigorous auditions held each year. The 55-member ensemble offers a premiere musical experience for the advanced musician. The Wind Ensemble tours periodically in Arkansas and neighboring states and has performed on multiple occasions as a featured ensemble at the state music convention. Repertoire includes standard works for band, new works for concert band and wind ensemble and solo literature. Wind and percussion personnel for the orchestra are chosen from the ensemble, as well as personnel for the percussion ensemble, woodwind ensemble, sax quartet, brass choir, trombone quartet and various specialty ensembles. Limited participation scholarships are available for membership in the Wind Ensemble.
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Orchestra - Eric Colgrove, director
The University/Community Orchestra utilizes university musicians, local professionals and advanced students in the Searcy Community School of Music.
Repertoire includes works for string orchestra and full orchestra from all historical periods, and standard solo concertos and sonatas for orchestral instruments. An extended rehearsal meets Monday evenings and then a following rehearsal meets on Wednesday afternoons.
Auditions are held during the first week of classes each fall and spring. Limited scholarships are available for string players.
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Jazz Band - Andrew Cook, director
Jazz Band fall activities include campus and local performances. Spring activities also include occasional trips to nearby cities and performances at Spring Sing, our annual university musical extravaganza.
The band plays a wide variety of styles, including blues, swing, bop, Latin and fusion. Improvisation is taught as part of the jazz curriculum and each student is given the opportunity to improvise in rehearsal and performance and to write arrangements and hear them performed. The band rehearses twice each week on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
Audition materials and sign-up sheets are posted during the first week of the fall semester. Auditions in the spring semester occur only if there is a specific need. All University students, regardless of major, are encouraged to audition.
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Basketball Pep Band
The Bison Pep Band is an ensemble consisting of brass, wind and percussion players that perform at men's and women's conference basketball games on campus. Members of the organization are chosen from experienced members of the Thundering Herd Marching Band during the late fall. Scholarships are awarded to members.
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String Quartet - Alicia Walls, director
The string quartet is open to qualified members of the orchestra who audition on violin, viola or cello. Members of the quartet receive scholarships. In addition to performing on campus, the quartet sometimes plays for festive, social and civic events.
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Percussion Ensemble - Keith Hammer, director
The percussion ensemble is open to qualified percussionists through an audition. The repertoire includes a variety of works, ranging from the mallet ensembles of Claire Omar Musser to the minimalist works of Steve Reich. The ensemble performs a concert each semester.
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