SUMMER EDITION
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Tuesday, Juno 12, 1984
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 83 NO.HS0-
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Band hopefuls march
to beat of different summer
By George Davis
For most UNL students summer is a time to relax.
Although some will take a part-time job or take a
class or two, the pace is slow.
But more than 150 freshman band hopefuls are
marching to the beat of a different summer a
fast-paced summer full of hard work and competi
tion. Musical auditions for the 1984-85 Cornhuskers
Marching Band are underway and will continue
until the end of June. UNL students interested in
trying out must have a 2.0 grade point average,
according to Rose Johnson, administrative secretary
for the band office. A total of 350 students will be
invited to the band camp beginning August 18th
where the final selections will be made. Among the
1 50 freshmen trying to gain membership in the band
are Sharon Frohning and Richard Johnson.
Frohning, who plays the clarinet and will be a food
science and technology major in the fall, said she
was nervous about the audition but said her exper
ience in the Lincoln East band was helpf uL Frohning
said she has attended many UNL football games and
was impressed by the enthusiasm and performances
of the band.
Richard Johnson, also a freshman from Lincoln
East High School, plays trombone. Johnson said he
has played the trombone for eight years and was
never quite as nervous as he was before the audition.
Once he got started though, he felt more confident.
He also cited his knowledge of the UNL campus and
experience in playing before only one person as
factors which helped to relieve some of the pressure.
Both Johnson and Frohning hope to be invited to
the UNL band camp in August.
William Ballenger is conducting the musical audi
tions this summer and will be in charge of the
marching band next fall. During the auditions for
new band members he said he looks for good
technique, good sound, proper range, and the ability
to read new music. He said that most of the new
students auditioning probably would be invited
back to the band camp to join the returning band
members for the final selections of the 1984-85
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The Cornliusker Msrchiisg Band at Memorial Stadium.
Photo courtesy of UNL Band
marching band.
The UNL marching band was founded in 1 879 and
is 10 years older than the Cornhusker football team.
Originally the ROTC band, they first played in
parades and for troop drills.
Today the UNL marching band has more than 270
members and is considered one of the finest bands
in the nation. The band was one of the first to play as
halftime entertainment at football games and pre
pares a new show for each appearance. This takes a
great deal of work.
With all of the hard work, competition and long
practice hours every morning, why would anyone
want to be in the band?
"I never thought of it as work," three-year band
member Jerlene Finley said. "It was too much fun to
be work."
Finley played the piccolo in the band arid traveled
to the Orange Bowl three times as a band member.
She said the friendship, satisfaction, and camaraderie
were, among the things she will always remember
about her experience with the band. She also said
the experienced a great feeling of satisfaction playing
before 76,000 cheering fans. '
rloMd-painted shoes artwork to walk around in
By Donna Slsson ;
Most art just hangs on the wall collecting dust.
But Mufich Designs' shoes is artwork people can
walk around in.
Mufich Designs is a Kansas-based company that
produces original hand-painted sneakers by con
tracting artists. Currently, at least 200 artists paint
for Mufich, according to Bebe Jones, marketing
representative for Mufich Designs.
The idea started about a year ago when artist
Rosanne Mufich-Smith, from Kansas City, Kan.,
painted a pair of shoes for her daughter, Jones said.
Mufich-Smith's daughter came home from school
with the ne ws that everybody liked the shoes, which
encouraged Smith to send samples to New York City
and other places, Jones said.
The samples were so well-received, she said, that a
group of investors bought out the artist and her
name, Mufich. After that, they advertised for artists
and set up the company as a cottage industry, Jones
said.
Artists pick up a few cases of shoes and take them
home to paint. According to production orders, the
artists are assigned specific designs to paint, Jones
said. However, because each artist paints differ
ently, each shoe is original, she said.
Jones said she started working with Mufich Designs
in March to help with marketing, advertising and
public relations. The shoes already have been adver
tised in the May issue of Seventeen Magazine and is
scheduled to be advertised in the June and August
issues, she said.
The shoes also will receive exposure on national
television, June 20, when CBS airs the American
Junior Miss finals competition, Jones said. The
competition includes a fitness routine during which
the girls will be wearing the Mufich "California Rain
bow" design.
The company keeps 25 active designs which
include a piano keyboard design, a desert shoe, a
design with strawberries and one with sailboats,
Jones said.
Designs are submitted by the artists and then
chosen according to criteria set forth by the produc
tion department, Jones said. Jones said Mufich
sneakers are painted with a secret permanent
water-base paint. Nothing stops people from paint
ing their own shoes, she said, but when they do, they
usu ally just ruin a good pair of shoes. Like Colonel
Sanders has a secret recipe for chicken, Mufich has
a secret to making the paint permanent without
cracking, she said.
The company is hoping to expand to produce
hand-painted men's shoes, children's shoes and
other styles of women's shoes, she said. Many male
musicians write that they want apair with the piano
keyboard design and, Jones said, once they have
men's shoes, they would like to get Dudley Moore's
shoe size and send him a shoe with the piano key
board. , Continued oa P&3 3
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