The Marching Illini, along with their new director, have a lot up their blue and orange sleeves for this year’s Homecoming week.

“We’ve got a number of activities we’re going to be playing for,” said Barry Houser, assistant director of bands and director of the Marching Illini.

Along with the pep rally and parade on Friday, and of course, the Homecoming football game on Saturday, the band will play at tailgates and the University president’s house during the celebrations, as well as in the dining halls during dinner on Monday.

According to Houser, this year’s halftime show will be karaoke-themed.

“Basically, what we’re doing is we’re taking the standard tunes that you hear at a karaoke bar,” he explained. “American Pie, Piano Man, Hey Jude, Sweet Caroline, things like that. We put those all together in a medley form, and we’ll be playing all of those things in Memorial Stadium on Saturday.”

The band will be putting in a lot of hours in order to prepare for these performances, just as they do for each home game. Rehearsals occur every day of the week, including twice on Tuesdays to learn the music as well as the drill, or physical formation the band does during the show. They also practice Saturday morning before the big performance.

One exciting part of the Homecoming game for the Marching Illini will be the extensiveness of the halftime show. Unlike normal football games, the entire band will be participating in the show, which will amount to about 350 participants.

“For Homecoming, everyone in the band is marching halftime, plus the alums,” said Holly Leyden, freshman in FAA and trumpet player in the Marching Illini. “The alums come and they go on the field and they march with us.”

Along with being a part of the halftime show, alumni of the Marching Illini are invited to participate in the Homecoming parade and in the stands during the football game.

This will be Houser’s first Homecoming as the director of the Marching Illini. As an Illinois alum, he said he understands that homecoming is a big deal on campus, and that there are traditions and expectations that go with it. However, he is also looking to innovate some aspects of the band and keep things fresh.

“Being new to the position, there’s a number of people that try to persuade you one way or the other, and want you to do things a certain way,” Houser said. “We want to pay tribute to those traditions, but we also want to create new ones.”

Along with adding new music to the band’s repertoire and ensuring that there is a variety in the songs they play, Houser said that one way he plans to innovate is by ensuring that the marching band stays close with Block I.

“With Block I being right there, that’s a very important part, in my eyes,” Houser said. “I want to make sure we keep them really integrated into what we do. I never want it to be, well, the Marching Illini does their own thing and Block I does their own thing. I really think there can be a powerful chance for an intimidating atmosphere on game day if we’re all in this together.”