Students in the Mississippi State University Famous Maroon Band come from a variety of different backgrounds and are involved in numerous activities around campus in addition to band. But over the years, we haven’t had too many varsity athletes participate because the time commitment to be a scholarship athlete on campus often means there’s little time for anything else.
Meet Curt Carman
Curt is a sophomore Aerospace Engineering major from Iuka and a member of our alto saxophone section. He is also a member of the MSU Track and Field team.
Curt comes from a highly musical family and joined the band in 6th grade. In addition to playing saxophone, he learned how to play in Tishomingo County High School Band’s front ensemble before serving 2 years as their drum major. He started on the cross-country team in 8th grade, and although that was his first official “team,” he had run a couple of 5Ks with his dad before.
He was able to participate in both band and track throughout high school. Fortunately, he’s been able to do the same here at State.
“I would never try to tell someone it isn’t challenging at times. It is, but I love pushing myself and getting to do the activities I love at such a high level.”
Are there any similarities between band and track? Yes, there are.
“The attention to detail required is probably the most notable. With band, we could play a piece of music a couple of times and have it 90% of the way there. We spend a ton of time working on the last 10%, where most people couldn’t tell a difference. The same is true for running. I go to great lengths at this point to take off fractions of a second.”
“Being in the FMB is surreal. The one thing that strikes me more than anything is that it is such a GREAT sound. We always play music that is exciting and challenging, but I try to take any time I can to just be a listener. It is a highly emotional experience, and being surrounded by my best friends makes it even better.”
We’re proud of Curt’s work both on our field and on Mississippi State’s track. Hail State.
Curt’s proud parents are Shane and Carly Carman of Iuka.