The following story was first published in the Diamond M Club Newsletter, June 2015.
Origin Of “Proclamation”
Among the many lasting Mustang Band traditions is a drum cadence that was written in the summer of 1972. “Proclamation” was composed by band member Randy Dodgen ’73 and, over 40 years later, it remains a part of pre-game today, helping get the band from the sidelines onto the field. Even if you don’t know it’s title, if you’ve ever seen the Mustang Band play at a football game over the last few decades, you’ve heard “Proclamation.”
“I had the privilege of leading Squad 7 for three years while I pursued a B.B.A. and M.B.A. at SMU,” Dodgen says. “Bill Lively, who was Coach’s assistant director then, wanted something new for the squad’s entrance to the field, something that would make more of a ‘proclamation’ and could continue from there to immediately lead the band onto the field.”
We talked to Randy to find out more about the cadence’s origins.
So are you the one who came up with the name?
I really don’t remember. Let’s credit him [Bill Lively] with the first use of the word “Proclamation” that I just added to the manuscript. It was a very ‘Lively-esque’ word.
What was the drum line like back then?
At that prehistoric time, Squad 7 was comprised of 5 snares, 1 tenor drum, 1 pair of cymbals and 1 bass drum. Those were the days before the large drum and bugle corps lines had begun their impact on marching bands down here, so we didn’t march a multiple tenor/multi-cymbal/multi-bass drumline which could have added even more color to the cadence.
How did you write “Proclamation”?
It started in my head and moved to a piece of manuscript paper. I didn’t really know whether we had something that would work until we began to rehearse it with all components before Hell Week. I wanted a fast flowing/cascading cadence that would allow each of the elements in the drumline an opportunity to be showcased and also was a change up of the way we had done the band’s entry cadence in the past.
After working on it alone all summer, when you presented it to the other drummers, was there any revising or was what you wrote the finished product?
It was pretty much a finished product.
What was the band’s response the first time they heard it?
I don’t remember their responses. I was just focused on playing it!
Prior to “Proclamation,” how did the band get onto the field?
We used to enter from the sidelines along with the band for probably 1969 and 1970. Later, we entered from under the goal post with a silent march, first sticks from left shoulder to right hip to get into our 1st position. Then [drum major] Randy West ’70, ’74, ’77 would whistle everyone to attention, and the band would enter to our cadence.
What about the hand flashes and “hey” vocals from the band?
The band did the hand flashes in our era as well. It always looked sharp.
Do you have anything else to add?
The import of “Proclamation” was not in my writing it; it was in its being written in hopes of furthering the Mustang Band and its on-field performances. I’m nobody special. Notes on a piece of manuscript paper are of no value unless they are infused by the spirit and interpretation of them by a group of men sharing the camaraderie of the love of the music and of the spirit of the Mustang Band. Make that the “Proclamation”: This about them, not about me.
I wish nothing but the best for the current drumline and band as they grow under and Don and Tommy’s leadership and bask in each other’s friendships as they have the privilege of playing the old and new standards of Mustang jazz. Hubba!
Good job, Randy!
Extras
>View video of the SMU Alumni Band, Squad 7, performing “Proclamation”
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