By Aaron Johnson (@voz_aaron1)- Spear Reporter
Craig McKenzie conducting at a football game | Photo courtesy of Joseph Khalifa, marching band photographer
It is hard to imagine a Spartan football game without the blaring horns and the heavy thumping of drums.
Craig McKenzie oversees the marching band. McKenzie, the director of athletic bands and assistant director of bands, understands the importance of providing a soundscape to get the crowd pumped.
“The football games are the pinnacle event for us,” McKenzie said.
David Vickerman, the director of bands, has worked very closely with McKenzie and spoke very highly of what the Spartan Marching Band brings to gameday.
“It brings energy and excitement,” Vickerman said. “The marching band is the lifeblood of any big sporting event.”
Reactions from the crowd are some of McKenzie’s favorite parts of a Spartan football game.
“[I like when] people in the stands chant along with us as we’re doing the school songs,” McKenzie said. “Or when we play the halftime show and we might convince someone to sit back down and watch the band instead of getting in line for a hot dog.”
When he was in middle school, McKenzie attended the Arrowbear Music Camp, located in the San Bernardino Mountains. The camp was extremely influential to McKenzie’s musical career.
“It’s one of those places that taught me that music is just a vehicle by which we learn to create and interact with other people,” McKenzie said. “We all learn how to be better human beings and we do it through this thing called music.”
McKenzie has a very diverse musical background. He learned to play piano, saxophone and various brass instruments. On top of that, he also taught high school students jazz and mariachi.
“When you’re a teacher you kind of have to [learn different genres],” McKenzie said. “A lot of the skills I had from teaching marching band bled over into teaching jazz band and a lot of the skills from jazz band transferred over to mariachi.”
Music education area coordinator Diana Hollinger has known McKenzie for around 25 years dating back to when he was her drum major when she was teaching high school band.
“He was talented and hard-working then, [he was] a leader who worked to lead from within the group,” Hollinger said. “This has not changed.”
With the marching band being such an integral part of gameday, a lot of preparation and oversight goes into making sure things run smoothly.
“We have to teach everybody how to march the same way with the same style,” McKenzie said. “We have to teach everybody the formations on the field. We also have to make sure they can play the music and march at the same time.”
While the pregame show stays the same for every game, the marching band makes sure to perform a unique halftime show each time. McKenzie likes to incorporate different styles of music into the halftime show to appeal to SJSU’s wide-ranging fan base.
In past halftime shows, the Spartan Marching Band has played the music of Lil Nas X, Pitbull, Metallica and songs from Disney movie soundtracks.
Sophomore assistant drum major Keira Lieb, a member of the Spartan Marching Band, has thoroughly enjoyed her time working with McKenzie.
“He really creates an open environment in which I am able to comfortably make mistakes and grow as a person and musician,” Lieb said.
Lieb’s favorite part about the marching band is the connection between her and her fellow band members.
“Everyone learns and grows from each other,” Lieb said. “It’s a super supportive environment and we’ve created a family.”
Not only can the marching band add atmosphere to a game it can also fire up the student-athletes themselves. Beyond Football coordinator Tobruk Blaine said San Jose State student-athletes appreciate what the band provides.
“The marching band is crucial to the gameday environment, not only at football games but beyond,” said Blaine. “Coaches across all sports desire the presence of the band.”
The marching band perform as the football team runs out | Photo courtesy of Joseph Khalifa, marching band photographer
The marching band going beyond the gameday environment was exemplified in their first performance after the death of SJSU football player Camdan McWright last October.
Before the game the SJSU football team gathered at the midfield logo forming the number six, McWright’s jersey number.
Then, following SJSU’s comeback win over Nevada, the marching band played “Lean On Me” by Bill Withers. The football team then locked arms and sang along, a beautiful tribute to honor a fallen Spartan.
“We don’t do a lot together but we’re in the same place cheering them on a lot,” said McKenzie. “So to be able to connect that way was really cool.”
McKenzie has many other responsibilities as he is the director and principal conductor of the Golden Gate Park Band and the San Francisco Brass Band. But he always remembers to prioritize San Jose State.
Whether it is playing the San Jose State fight song or hearing the trumpets blare after a big play, the marching band is a key part of what makes the collegiate sporting atmosphere unique and adds a layer of intensity to every game.