Date posted: 11-18-03

Editors: You are encouraged to use this story in your publication. Please credit the author and DeKalb News Service as shown. And, please send two tearsheets to: Jim Killam, Department of Communication, Watson Hall, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115.

1,500 words

The man behind the band

By Jackie Burke
DeKalb News Service

The year is 2001. The concert hall in the NIU Music Building is full of action. People have come from many cities to file one by one into this small auditorium. They all have gathered for one reason: to watch the marching band perform its annual concert.

This night's concert should be the same as every concert, but it's not. This year, the ringleader of this circus is missing.

However, the show must go on. As the marching band members perform all the songs they performed at past football games that season in their red-and-black polyester marching band uniforms, the people in the audience bob their heads and tap their feet. Every one seems to be having a good time.

Between songs, the voice of Margarite Ortega, assistant director, can be heard making comments and announcements of what the band will play next.

Halfway through the program comes the moment when a member of the audience gets to become the guest conductor. The guest conductor usually is chosen based on the most enthusiastic person in the crowd.

But this year is different.

Drum major Brian Bosler walks through the crowd holding his hand over the heads of possible candidates. There is a lady in blue in the balcony, screaming and jumping up and down. Normally, she is the perfect candidate, but Bosler doesn't even glance at her. He continues to walk until he arrives behind his victim. The marching band members strain their necks and squint, trying to make out the face that has been chosen from the dark audience. Laughter makes its way though the band.

Sitting beneath Bosler's white-gloved hovering hand is Dr. Lawrence Stoffel.

Stoffel, director of Huskie Bands, was on leave in 2001 while teaching at Eastern Illinois University. As he makes his way to the top of the ladder, the audience cheers. Obviously they are happy to see the friendly face back in its rightful position.

"I remember crying," said drumline member Kari Kleckauskas. "I don't know if I was happy or sad, but I just got very emotional to see Stoffel back up on that ladder."

After situating himself, Stoffel raises his arms; and begins to count off the Huskie Fight Song. "1… 2… 1-2-3-4!"

Silence.

After looking around for a moment, obviously confused, Stoffel's head drops. He flashes Ortega a quick smile and slowly turns to the audience. Laughing, he says, "I fell for my own trick!"

He explains to the audience that every previous year, he's instructed the band to be completely silent the first time a guest conductor tries to begin the Huskie Fight Song. This year, the band pulled the trick on him.

The Man

Stoffel, or "Stoff," as many students call him, has been the director and mastermind behind the NIU marching band since 1996.

Known to his students as one of NIU's most personable professors, he goes out of his way to make his students feel welcome upon entering to college, and finds the little things about a person to relate them to himself.

The people around Stoffel probably are in a better position to describe the way he operates. For that reason, the comments within this story come not from him, but from his students and the people who work closest to him.

Trumpet player Vicki Hays remembers her first encounter with Stoffel. It was her freshman year during the first day of band camp. She remembers walking down the halls of the music building. The halls were full of people and so loud that she could barely hear herself think. That day there were people running everywhere in a big state of confusion. No one knew where to go for auditions, or what time everything started. The confusion only added to her lost feeling. She walked into Room 155, where the marching band rehearses, and Stoffel was just inside the huge, wooden double doors greeting everyone.

"He observed that I had a permanent bottom retainer, and he did too, the exact same kind," Hays said. "Ever since then, he makes it a point, every time that I see him, to point out that we have that something in common that not many other people have."

At every rehearsal, students are hit with a burst of energy. That energy is Stoffel. He's perched above them on La Chateau (the band's scaffold) in a Huskie Bands hooded sweatshirt. Looking down at them, he grins thinking of the memories he and these new faces will have together. This is a man who could not be more proud to be in his position.

Each year begins the same, with band camp. This is Stoffel's place to shine. The week consists of hard work, sore muscles and his motivating speeches.

Ben Lewis, a Huskie Band member, remembers: "Every year he talks to us about the collegiate lifestyle, where universities started hundreds of years ago, and how our band has contributed to that for the last century. He talks about all the different kinds of colleges with and without marching bands. He also talks about how lucky our university is to have us. He always ends these talks with 'Huskie Marching Band, you truly make Northern Illinois University an even greater university.' Normally, this wouldn't even be that big of a deal, but the way he says it, the tone of his voice... it makes you proud to be in the band. It makes you believe in yourself, because you know he does."

Stoffel shows the students just how valuable they are. He knows when to have fun with his them, and when to be serious so things can get done.

As a director, when it is time for class he means business. To him, rehearsal should be focused and serious. Not only does he need to act that way, but the students do as well. If something isn't right, it's rehearsed again, and again and again.

"There are good days, and there are bad days," Kleckauskas said. "I can imagine it being really frustrating for him when something doesn't work out as planned."

When rehearsal is over, it's playtime. After Thursday night rehearsal on Oct. 30, Stoffel was found picking a mock fight with band clerk, Connie Cwudzinski, a student staff member.
She was innocently walking by and minding her own business when he charged her. Ran straight at her and they continued to "fight" until one was almost on the ground. The "fight" ended with them both laughing as they walked away.

Justin Tureson, another drumline member, remembers his freshman year.

"I remember going to party on the first night of band camp when Stoffel showed up and had a few beers with us. I knew I was in college then. How cool is that? How many professors are cool enough to have a beer with you?"

Stoffel strongly believes in the band being entertainment. For each home game, a new show is designed and learned.

Other than the obvious halftime performance, the band can be found performing many other times during a game day. The day begins with a morning rehearsal. Then it's on to Huskie Preview in Central Park, 90 minutes before kickoff. Next, the band parades through the tailgating sections to get in the faces of fans. Stoffel believes this helps people get into the spirit before the game begins. The pregame show is performed on the field before kickoff where the band plays all the traditional school songs. Then halftime is performed, and after the game comes the postgame concert.

His students and co-workers believe Stoffel would fight for the band if he had to. In September, an article ran in the Northern Star suggesting that the band be moved from the east side bleachers to the north end zone to make more room for the students. Upon reading this, Stoffel assured the band that it would never happen. In his opinion, the suggestion of moving the band to make room for students was absurd. This was his reasoning: the band is made up of students. Not only are they students, but they are the most dedicated fans NIU's football team has.

"I think he'd be very adamant about (not) moving the band into the north end zone," drumline instructor James Voss-Grumish said. He also joked that Stoffel would probably fight for the band until he was within an inch of losing his job.

Stoffel is not only a band director, but also a friend. Students find it easy to approach him and appreciate that he is so personable. Many marching band students who are going into education strive and hope to be as looked up to and appreciated as Stoffel.

One of those is Patrick "Al" VerHalen, president of NIU's chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, an honorary fraternity for college band members.

"Stoffel has always been the kind of person I've wanted to be, VerHalen said. "Fair, just and down to earth."

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