The chair step is a type of high step used by

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ...

s. This step is named because of the resemblance of the

leg A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element c ...

in action to a leg's position when sitting in a

chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vari ...

. It is primarily used by bands that brand themselves as traditional-style bands. Nearly all bands in the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conferen ...

use this style. It is also common in

Midwestern The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

high school marching bands, most of which are heavily influenced by Big Ten bands. The chair step is very visual and emphasizes leg movement with a slight pause in each step, during which the thigh of the action leg may raise to as high as parallel to the ground, with the lower part of the leg and foot remaining perpendicular to the ground. As with the ankle knee step, the toe is the last part of the foot to leave the ground and the first to reconnect. One element of chair step highlighted by many bands is a horn flip or swagger that is executed during the march.

Variances

Some bands, such as the

University of Minnesota Marching Band The University of Minnesota Marching Band (also known as UMMB, Minnesota Marching Band, and The Pride of Minnesota) is the marching band of the University of Minnesota and the flagship university band for the state of Minnesota. The Pride of Minne ...

, will bend the leg at the knee at a 90-degree angle during the game, and a 45-degree angle during parades. Others, such as the

Purdue All-American Marching Band The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band (or AAMB) is the marching band of Purdue University and the main source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue Boilermakers football games. The AAMB is also the official band of the Indianapolis 500 race, hav ...

will use a combination of the two. The University of Wisconsin Marching Band uses a unique version where the leg is brought up extremely quickly and pauses at the height of the step. This is known as "stop at the top."

University Bands that use the chair step

* Bowling Green State University Marching Band (Bowling Green State University) *

(Purdue University) *

Penn State Blue Band The Pennsylvania State University Marching Blue Band, known generally as the Blue Band, is the marching band of Pennsylvania State University. Founded in 1899, it is the largest recognized student organization at the University Park campus o ...

(Pennsylvania State University) *

Marching Illini The Marching Illini (MI) is the marching band of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The Marching Illini is an organization which annually includes approximately 400 students enrolled in the University of Illinois. Part of the College of ...

(University of Illinois) *

Indiana University Marching Hundred The Marching Hundred (or Hundred) is the marching band of Indiana University. The Marching Hundred is the product of tradition dating back to the organization of the first band at Indiana in 1896, which was founded to provide recreation for inter ...

(Indiana University) * The Pride of Minnesota (University of Minnesota) *

The Ohio State University Marching Band The Ohio State University Marching Band (OSUMB) is a university marching band named for and a part of the Ohio State University. The band, popularly nicknamed The Best Damn Band in the Land (TBDBITL), performs at football games and other events d ...

(Ohio State University) *

Michigan State University Spartan Marching Band The Spartan Marching Band (SMB) is the marching band of Michigan State University. The band has over 300 members and is the second oldest in the Big Ten Conference, with its founding in 1870. Notable music educator Leonard Falcone directed the ba ...

(Michigan State University) * Michigan Marching Band (University of Michigan) * Northwestern Wildcat Marching Band (Northwestern University) * Iowa State University Cyclone Football "Varsity" Marching Band (Iowa State University) * Hawkeye Marching Band (University of Iowa) * University of Nebraska Cornhusker Marching Band (University of Nebraska) *

Band of the Fighting Irish The Band of the Fighting Irish is the marching band of the University of Notre Dame. Over 300 members of the band represent nearly every field of study, and include students from across the United States as well as from overseas. The Band of the F ...

(The University of Notre Dame) * Marching Chiefs (Florida State University) *

University of California Marching Band The University of California Marching Band, usually shortened to Cal Band, is the marching band for the University of California, Berkeley. While it is administered under the auspices of the university, the Cal Band is student-run and represents C ...

(University of California, Berkeley) * University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band (University of Southern California) *

University of Washington Husky Marching Band The University of Washington Husky Marching Band (Husky Band, or HMB) is the marching band of the University of Washington. A 240-member ensemble, HMB is one of the few bands outside the Big Ten Conference to use the traditional chair step style ...

(University of Washington) * California Aggie Marching Band-uh (University of California, Davis) * University of Pittsburgh Varsity Marching Band (University of Pittsburgh) * The Pride of Ohio (University of Akron) *

Kansas State University Marching Band The Kansas State University Marching Band, also known as "The Pride of Wildcat Land" or just The Pride, is a 400+ piece marching band consisting of woodwinds, brass, percussion, color guard, dancers, and twirlers. It is the official band of Kansa ...

(Kansas State University) * Ohio University Marching 110 (Ohio University) * CMU Marching Band (Central Michigan University) * Goin' Band from Raiderland (Texas Tech University) * Southern Methodist University Mustang Band (Southern Methodist University)

References

{{marching-band-stub Marching bands Military marching

Variances

University Bands that use the chair step

See also

References