More Than Music is a senior thesis in graphic design. For this project, current members and alumni of the fourteen Big Ten Conference marching bands were asked, “What is one memory from your time in college band that you will never forget?” The marching band is an important community for many young musicians as they transition from high school, through college, and into the real world; as such, the goal of the project was to highlight a side of the collegiate marching band experience that audience members don’t often get to see—the camaraderie, support, hard work, laughter, and pride that exist among band members.

This 136-page book contains more than 50 stories from across the conference, spanning years from the 1980s to 2019. It is organized into nine chapters, based on common themes among the stories: Making the Band, First Game Day, Band Family, Support System, Big Ten Bond, Traditions, Team Spirit, Shows to Remember, and World Stage. Rather than organize the stories by school, the intent is to show that band members share a common bond no matter which school they attend nor when they attended school.

There are endnotes included, to explain terms and ideas that may be unfamiliar to people who don’t have a connection to the marching band community or to a particular band.

The design was intended to be nostalgic and reminiscent of a scrapbook or yearbook. The color palette utilizes some of the most common school colors from the Big Ten Conference, and photos of marching band uniforms, instruments, and other band memorabilia items are used throughout. Many of the story submissions also had an accompanying photo, so those are included as well.