Findlay alum a leader in OSU Band

Findlay High School 2020 graduate and trumpet player Jordan Bechtol is a fourth-year member of the Ohio State University Marching Band. Bechtol is squad leader of the 14-member A-Row, the first part B-flat trumpets and E-flat cornets. Bechtol is first trumpet. But Bechtol does not dwell on his individual musical prowess. "We are in the context of the Ohio State University Marching Band. Once you're in the band, you're not trying to compare yourself to other folks and trying to be the greatest trumpet player. We're all trying to keep a good sound," he said. "And really everyone in the band is fantastic at what they do, playing their instrument. You have to be good to get into the band, right. It's a level of excellence and performance excellence that the band is looking for because there's a big standard to uphold." Even though he had been in the Marching Band the past three years, Bechtol had to try out again last summer like everyone else. Everyone who wants to be in the Marching Band must first try out — every year. It is, after all, the "Best Damned Band in the Land." The nickname was coined by former Head Coach Woody Hayes at a pep rally in the national championship season of 1968. The OSU Marching Band lives up to that standard with a thrilling halftime show that is unique every week. "You're always learning and memorizing something new," Bechtol said. "That's half the battle." Exacting and demanding The marching band excels at performing complex, challenging music which the original composers did not intend for it, like a Latin jazz show, a "Top Gun" show and classical music. In the classical music arrangement, the band played the finales of Candide Overture, the Hallelujah chorus, Mendelssohn's Wedding March and — it was, after all, halftime last year against that team up north — the 1812 Overture. "I thought that was really spectacular," Bechtol said of the arrangement, "Finis a la Buckeye", which can be viewed on YouTube. "Adapting classical music to marching band is not something you might think of, but it's really unique when we get to do it. And it's just super cool that we pull something off like that." The Latin jazz music "was written for a group of folks like a combo band or a big band, sitting down in an auditorium," Bechtol said. "So when you adapt it to marching band, it's challenging to move around and march well to that." The pregame Script Ohio musical drill, iconic and fun for the audience, is serious, exacting, demanding business for the 190-plus people marching in sync. It's not just a matter of following the band member in front of you, Bechtol said. "The expectation there is that each one of us, you know, there are specific spots to step off. We need to get there in time. There are specific times to put your horn down and up, especially when you're talking about those crossovers. We call them script counts, Script Ohio counts. Really just knowing what you're doing there is challenging," he said. "It is tough because if the person in front of you (erred), you have to be able to catch any mistakes that anyone else might have made and fix them. You have to be confident in your marching ability. "It takes time, it takes intentionality to make it look good," he said. That's true even for recurring performances. Cardio workouts "When you think about our pregame, we do the ramp entrance. If you watch the video, we keep those lines pretty darn straight the whole time," Bechtol said. "That's not easy to do when you've got a ton of people marching onto the field. It's not easy to make lines straight and make diagonals look good. We do that a lot and we do it consistently." Playing music while marching and moving a horn down and up and making other movements is physically demanding. "We march super fast and playing some of the music that we play, is tough," he said. "Even though we are a marching band, they don't really hold back on the difficulty of any of what we're playing." It's tough for the cardiovascular system to keep up with the rest of the body's movements around the field. "Then you add playing to it, you've got to be able to breathe right and breathe well," Bechtol said. To be ready, he starts running and doing cardio workouts in March or April, as soon as it is bearable to run outside, he said. "It's what you have to do to keep in shape," Bechtol said. "Really working your legs, making sure they are strong so you can keep going because we walk for a long time." His running regimen continues through spring and summer and into fall. Classes, exams, too Throughout June and July and early August, sessions are held for candidates to learn marching band basics. Tryouts are held in mid-August. After the band is selected for that season, marching band members are put through three practices a day for a week before school starts. When classes start, the band typically practices from about 4:10-6:15 p.m. each day, or about 10 hours per week. In addition, band members put in time outside of practice, memorizing music and drill, Bechtol said. When he is not doing all of those things, Bechtol still has classes, homework and exams. He is a senior studying aerospace engineering. He also is an undergraduate assistant. He's busy, but he likes it that way. "To be in a band with the tradition and performance excellence that the Ohio State University Marching Band has is such a blessing," Bechtol said. "I've always loved to play music. Playing, especially in such a good, dedicated and talented group, is the experience of a lifetime." Marching band members have a special camaraderie. "They have been such a family to me the whole time here. It's completely a second family," he said.