Aaron Copeland

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

I like traditions at football game as it ties together the generations of fan but I was just listening to Fanfare for the Common Man by Copeland and that would make a very good kickoff song. At least the final few bars with the rolling drums coming on just as the kicker begins to run to the ball.

I like what we have but as I was listening I was seeing App football in my mind's eye.

[Yosef84]

I like traditions at football game as it ties together the generations of fan but I was just listening to Fanfare for the Common Man by Copeland and that would make a very good kickoff song. At least the final few bars with the rolling drums coming on just as the kicker begins to run to the ball.

I like what we have but as I was listening I was seeing App football in my mind's eye.

I like that one too but our current fanfare (Bugler's Dream) has local ties, having been composed by Sir Leo Arnaud. He lived in Hampton, NC (Yadkin County) in his latter years. He married a local woman.

[SayYesToTheRock]

On a semi-related note:

I love our band's rendition of the Tennessee Waltz — but I wish they would play it immediately after each game. Typically by the time they play it, nearly all the fans have left the stadium.

Take a listen here — beautiful song — but also notice how empty KBS is!

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

I like traditions at football game as it ties together the generations of fan but I was just listening to Fanfare for the Common Man by Copeland and that would make a very good kickoff song. At least the final few bars with the rolling drums coming on just as the kicker begins to run to the ball.

I like what we have but as I was listening I was seeing App football in my mind's eye.

I like that one too but our current fanfare (Bugler's Dream) has local ties, having been composed by Sir Leo Arnaud. He lived in Hampton, NC (Yadkin County) in his latter years. He married a local woman.

I am glad I posted what I did as I was not aware of the Bugler's Dream connection. So I got to learn something. Doing something with Appalachian Spring also works for me but for the name more than the music itself. I am not sure what part of that 28 min piece would be good football crowd music. I would need to listen to it again.

[Yosef84]

I like traditions at football game as it ties together the generations of fan but I was just listening to Fanfare for the Common Man by Copeland and that would make a very good kickoff song. At least the final few bars with the rolling drums coming on just as the kicker begins to run to the ball.

I like what we have but as I was listening I was seeing App football in my mind's eye.

I like that one too but our current fanfare (Bugler's Dream) has local ties, having been composed by Sir Leo Arnaud. He lived in Hampton, NC (Yadkin County) in his latter years. He married a local woman.

I am glad I posted what I did as I was not aware of the Bugler's Dream connection. So I got to learn something. Doing something with Appalachian Spring also works for me but for the name more than the music itself. I am not sure what part of that 28 min piece would be good football crowd music. I would need to listen to it again.

I had the privileged of meeting Sir Leo a couple of times in my younger years. He had befriended a very talented young pianist who happened to accompany my church's youth choir. Because of that connection, he wound up playing his cello at the church a couple of times. He was a fascinating guy to talk with as he had studied music under Ravel prior to coming to the USA. We also had a gentleman in the church named George Hildt who had played piano with the Jimmy Dorsey band years ago. The two of them became very close friends.

[BlueCreekAppFan]

I like traditions at football game as it ties together the generations of fan but I was just listening to Fanfare for the Common Man by Copeland and that would make a very good kickoff song. At least the final few bars with the rolling drums coming on just as the kicker begins to run to the ball.

I like what we have but as I was listening I was seeing App football in my mind's eye.

I like that one too but our current fanfare (Bugler's Dream) has local ties, having been composed by Sir Leo Arnaud. He lived in Hampton, NC (Yadkin County) in his latter years. He married a local woman.

I am glad I posted what I did as I was not aware of the Bugler's Dream connection. So I got to learn something. Doing something with Appalachian Spring also works for me but for the name more than the music itself. I am not sure what part of that 28 min piece would be good football crowd music. I would need to listen to it again.

The pre game uses the ending melody of Appalachian Spring (I think it is based on an old hymn). Sorry I dont know the musical terms.

[appstate77]

It is based on the Quaker hymn Simple Gifts.......something I learned in hymnody class at App:)

[Blackshirt68]

What is the tie-in to “You Can Call Me Al”, save a lot of middle aged men having a crisis of life?

[Blackshirt68]

Also, what is the tie-in with the Tennessee Waltz. Someone must have failed geography.

[BTK2000]

I like traditions at football game as it ties together the generations of fan but I was just listening to Fanfare for the Common Man by Copeland and that would make a very good kickoff song. At least the final few bars with the rolling drums coming on just as the kicker begins to run to the ball.

I like what we have but as I was listening I was seeing App football in my mind's eye.

That is a fun piece and I have always wanted to play it. I looked at trying it when I was the brass captain of the BOD and came to the conclusion, It’s actually not an easy piece to play. I probably would have had the range to play it on a mellophone back in the day, I doubt I could have played the same section with good tone quality on a trumpet. I’m sure we had the ability to do it there also just wasn’t a place to add it in in august. If it counts as a consolation prize we do still use Parts of Coplands Appalachian spring in the pregame show. I’ve heard some good things about the new director through the grapevine and I think we will some some good things out of the BOD in the future.


Another fun one I really wanted to try but never got around to finish editing the arrangement once the season started. At about 1:26 it gets real and the music software the school has told me the trumpet 1 and mellophone parts were out of the range not possible to play. Jokes on the software phantom regiment nails it.

[ASU3432Mi]

I may be wrong, but Tennessee Waltz goes back to FCS days when the Championship game was in Chattanooga. I've heard the UT band play it also. Our version is much better.

[AppDawg]

My wife & I had Appalachian Spring played during our wedding.

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

Aaron had a rather large FBI file for those that wonder about those sorts of things.

[AppinVA]

I may be wrong, but Tennessee Waltz goes back to FCS days when the Championship game was in Chattanooga. I've heard the UT band play it also. Our version is much better.

Much further back than that. It dates back to at least the 80s.

[AppKing21]

What is the tie-in to “You Can Call Me Al”, save a lot of middle aged men having a crisis of life?

Dr. Jay Jackson is the reason we play that. He was the director who first suggested playing it.

[proasu89]

I may be wrong, but Tennessee Waltz goes back to FCS days when the Championship game was in Chattanooga. I've heard the UT band play it also. Our version is much better.

Much further back than that. It dates back to at least the 80s.

Been listening to the BOD play it since 1985 and I still get chills when all the horns come in.

[phaymore]

I marched three years with the Band of Distinction and was told that we played the Tennessee Waltz because of Mrs. Broyhill. The School of Music was the "Broyhill School of Music" from the early 80's until 2000 or so when it became the Hayes School of Music. Apparently, Mrs. Broyhill enjoyed the song. I don't know how much truth there is to this, but it's what I've always heard.

[NewApp]

On a semi-related note:

I love our band's rendition of the Tennessee Waltz — but I wish they would play it immediately after each game. Typically by the time they play it, nearly all the fans have left the stadium.

Take a listen here — beautiful song — but also notice how empty KBS is!

I agree, SayYesToTheRock. I usually stay to hear it, but as you say, most of the crowd has left the stadium by the time they play it.

[GregPercussion]

I may be wrong, but Tennessee Waltz goes back to FCS days when the Championship game was in Chattanooga. I've heard the UT band play it also. Our version is much better.

Much further back than that. It dates back to at least the 80s.

Joe Phelps came to App in 1971 and taught trumpet as was the Director of the Marching Band. He coined the term "North Carolina's Band of Distinction" and started playing "The Waltz" for Mrs. Broyhill I've heard but mainly Mrs. Mariam Cannon Hayes (whom the school would later be named after in 2001 after she left a very large sum of money and property to the music school after her death).
Both traditions have lived on for years to come. Phelps died in 2018 and band members from the 70s - present came to play the waltz at his celebration of life in Boone. There are some traditions that will outlive us all and have deep meaning to many.

As is "simple gifts" and the music of Copeland as it relates to the history of the university.

[AppSt94]

My wife & I had Appalachian Spring played during our wedding.

Us too.