23
October
2020
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12:30 PM
America/New_York

TBDBITL to launch innovative gameday experience

Marching band embraces the challenge of new season

On with the show. The Ohio State University Marching Band will kick off gameday this weekend with an inventive approach to their pre-game and halftime performances.

With the return of Big Ten football and conference-wide COVID-19 safety protocols, marching bands will not perform at football games this fall. TBDBITL, however, will continue to entertain Buckeye fans with innovative field shows over the course of the season.

“Obviously, we’re upset that we cannot perform for our team and our fans in person this season, but I pledge that we will continue to be a vital part of the Ohio State community,” said Christopher Hoch, director of marching and athletic bands. “We will continue to support our athletes in any way we can in the future.”

This weekend, the band presents “Hindsight is 2020,” a performance that looks back on some Ohio State classic shows from the last century. This performance was filmed Oct. 9, 2020 in Ohio Stadium, and edited over the next week. The show will be available on the marching band’s YouTube channel at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

The marching band has instituted numerous safety protocols for the 2020 season. All band members wore special musician masks with slits for their mouths, and all brass players had bell covers on their instruments to help prevent the spread of aerosols.

The formations on the field were also designed so band members would always be standing at least six feet apart. Only members of the band, band staff, an audio engineer and announcer were allowed in the stadium during filming.

The band, with 225 instrument-playing members this season, has been rehearsing in groups of 50 or fewer nearly all fall semester. The band meets as a full ensemble once per week.

Throughout the season, fans can visit the marching band’s website for the latest updates, and be sure to follow the marching band on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for its latest videos.

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