High school marching band definitely was amazing, the practices started before the sun even arose and continued through the morning. Friday night football games were the place where the football team lost but the crowd enjoyed themselves despite the fact. The band was full of spirit and dance and eager to put on a show for the crowd. In the two years at Austin College it was marching band that Lorenzo missed the most since high school; the marching onto the field, the standing at attention at your first position looking at the crowd on their feet and listening to the cheers because you were doing something fun. After his two year absence from marching band, Lorenzo returned to UTEP knowing full well that if he was going to attend a university, he’d better register for the band. It was the smart thing to do.

Was the UTEP band enjoyable? Yes. Was it as great an experience as marching back in high school? Not really, but being a mascot and a band member in the same year at the same game is certainly tough to top. The UTEP Marching Miners allowed Lorenzo one last chance to enjoy the experience he had enjoyed for four years in high school. Though his friends from then had since scattered every which way to different schools, playing a saxophone named Sophie was and continued to be fun. Yes, the saxophone’s name is Sophie.

The highlight of marching in El Paso at UTEP had to be having a brother attend the school that is considered your rival–New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The UTEP/NMSU rivalry is one for the ages and two brothers, Lorenzo and Rick, each in band programs at their school definitely provided some great fun. All of the rivalry though was taken in jest and the guys definitely loved played their parts to a tee. The Miner/Aggie duo of a saxophone and trumpet brought much fun to Lorenzo’s third year in college but first year at UTEP. Though transferring over would mean Lorenzo would have to take courses instead of band in subsequent years, he made his first and final year in a college marching band an experience to never forget.

Visit the UTEP Marching Band web site:
http://academics.utep.edu/marchingminers