Dominick Caronna ('85) didn't begin thinking about joining the Tiger Band until the Spring Concert of his senior year when Band Director Arthur Hardy introduced Dominick as that year's Drum Major and added, "One of these days we hope to see Dominick in front of the Tiger Band."

I knew I was probably going to LSU. So I began to realize that being in the Tiger Band was a pretty special thing. To me, it was an extension of my high school band experience, which was great.

• Dominick auditioned on flute in front of the woodwind faculty, who awarded him a music scholarship.
• As a Music major, he was not required to be in the marching band, but the band directors like to have as many Music majors as possible since they continue to advance on their instruments. So he didn't have to audition separately for the marching band. Dominick's classmate Edmond Russo ('85) also made the band as a piccolo player.
• Dominick had never attended a game in Tiger Stadium. So the first time he heard the famous Pregame Salute was in Band Camp in August 1985.
• Band members were paid for their participation - $640 at that time - and earned one credit each year.
• The band went to a bowl game each of Dominick's three years: Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, and the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. He also recalls regular season road trips to Ole Miss, Tulane, and Florida as well as playing at a Saints-Rams game in the Superdome.

• He had gone to LSU football games and admired the Tiger Band from his early years.
• When he progressed as a drummer under the tutelage of Marty Hurley, Chris began thinking about joining the LSU band by his junior year of high school.

Mr. Hurley pointed me in the right direction, training me to play for whatever university I chose. Thanks to him, I had a lot of offers, including one from LSU. They offered me a couple of scholarships, one of which was for marching band.

I auditioned for Frank Wickes [the Marching Band Director] hoping to make the snare line.

• Since the band has relatively few snare drums for its size, making the snare line as a freshman is rare, but Chris did it.
• To illustrate Marty Hurley's impact on percussion teaching in this area, seven of the ten snare drummers that year were taught directly or indirectly by Marty. David Horos ('83), as the snare line captain, started the cadence for the pregame salute. In addition to the Brother Martin grads, there were students from other high schools who had taken private lessons from Marty as well as drummers taught by Marty's former pupils. The LSU percussionists were playing Marty's compositions even then.
• LSU paid tribute to Marty's legacy by sending a drum line to his Memorial Service last October. They performed one of his compositions as a unit and joined the massed drum line that played his Cadence #9/Troop 77.
• Although he had heard the pregame salute from the stands, Chris recalls the impact of playing it in band camp. After marching with a 100-piece band at Brother Martin, he was awed by the amount of power generated by three times that many musicians.

When you go out for the first game, it's more the experience with the crowd. Everybody yelling. I was definitely excited.

Chris Bailey '86

• He had played piano and guitar but didn't join a band until the 8th grade at Brother Martin where he learned clarinet.
• He didn't really think about college until his senior year when applications. Like Dominick, Nico had never attended a game in Tiger Stadium, but he did watch the band march down the hill to the Stadium one game day.

I went to LSU because of the band and because it was not far from home and TOPS.

• Although he didn't plan to major in Music, Nico tried out for the Marching Band, playing a solo piece and doing a sight reading.
• Passing that test gained him an invitation to Band Camp, where the new members learn the marching styles for several days before the veterans join them.
• He didn't learn until the end of the camp that he had made the cut as one of the 325 members.
• A survey his sophomore year revealed that 80% of the Marching Band were not Music majors.
• The marching band stipend was recently raised to $1,000, which is posted to each student's tuition account.
• Prior to his junior year, Nico decided to learn mellophone. It is a tribute to his musical skill that he made the band in 2011 on that instrument.
• Thanks to Nico for starting the process of compiling a list of Martin grads who have played in the Tiger Band.

Crusaders in the 2012 Tiger Band:

1. Kevin Branley '12 (trombone - 1 year member)
2. Nico Camero '07 (mellophone - 5 years)
3. Andrew Foundas '11 (trumpet - 2 years)
4. James Gegenheimer '11 (mellophone - 2 years)
5. Gavin Labourdette '10 (trumpet - 3 years)
6. Fuller Lyon '95 (graduate assistant - 3 years)
7. Eric Steele '08 (tuba - 5 years)
8. Brett Storms '12 (trombone - 1 year)
9. Robert Wallace '09 (trumpet, section leader - 4 years)

Here's a question for alumni: Who was the first St. Aloysius grad to play in the Tiger Band? We'd like to hear from all grads, Aloysius, Cor Jesu, and Martin, who performed in the Golden Band from Tiger Land (even before it had that name).