The Ball State University Marching Band, color guard and Cardettes Dance Team prepare to perform in front of an audience of 60,272 fans Sunday.
"We always perform at all home football games, but this is usually in front of only an average of 15,000 people," Andy Schultz, senior drum major and president of the marching band, said.
The three groups will be performing at the Colts game for the second year in a row in Indianapolis.
Ball State's marching band, the Pride of Mid-America, has been participating in Colts events for several years, Joseph Scagnoli, associate director for the School of Music, said.
Just a few years ago, the marching band participated in a pre-season football game at the RCA Dome in which the band got its name out, Schultz said.
"Performing not only promotes the marching band but the entire school of music," Schultz said.
Last year, the coordinator for the Colt's stadium entertainment called Ball State and asked the marching band, color guard and Cardettes to perform for a halftime show at the Colts versus Packers game. The coordinator called back this year and Ball State decided to once again participate for the Colts versus Browns game, Scagnoli said.
"I think over the years the Indianapolis Colts have come to Ball State for us to perform for special games and events," Scagnoli said. "I say special because they don't call many bands to do that. If a high school band or some other organization wants to perform, they usually call the Colts in request. The Colts know Ball State will play at a certain quality level that will sound good and also look good."
The three groups will be performing during halftime. The Cardettes Dance Team is the official dance squad for the marching band and performs alongside the band at all home games. The color guard also performs at all home games and travels with the marching band. The marching band will get six minutes of playing time on the field.
"The marching band is the largest student organization for the fall semester with 210 members at Ball State, and performing during halftime at a Colts game is a great opportunity to get our name out there," Chris Paulson, senior and head drum major, said.
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