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The Marching Illini (MI) Sousaphones is the lowest brass section of the Marching Illini. The section is integral to the band because the supporting bass line provided by the players helps to reinforce the dark tone the Marching Illini is famous for. The section consists of 17-20 members annually, but marches 16 for every show. The members bring many different ideas of how a band should run, greatly contributing to the creation of new traditions, but always respect long-standing traditions and uphold them to their best.

History
Very good friends with Director of Bands Albert Austin Harding, John Philip Sousa was a large benefactor of the University of Illinois (UIUC) music program. After having the sousaphone designed for the Marine Band, it was natural that as Marching Illini became the first band to march and play at the same time, they also were the first band to use sousaphones on the field. As such, the sousaphone is an Illinois tradition.

R2
R2 is named for the two consecutive ripples down the sousaphone line it consist of. It signifies the beginning of the Pregame Show (the show before the game); it consists of two ripples down the sousaphone line before the band is called to attention. R2 was created by Matthew Ouska, a current member, and involves a primary rotation facing the sousaphone perpendicular to the body, then a flip of the sousaphone over the body, into playing position. The inception of R2 as the beginning of the pregame show was 2002, after its debut at the Illini Marching Festival the same year.

270 Degree Minstral Turns
The 270 Degree Minstral Turn is a variation of the Minstrel Turn described by Director Emeritus of the Marching Illini Gary E. Smith in his book, "The System." The original idea of the minstrel is that a block of marchers flips the squad by way of 90 degree turns. However, the minstral turn is a 270 degree turn employed by the sousaphones alone during the run-on drum cadence at the beginning of pregame. Much in the same fashion as the minstrel, the minstral turn changes the facing and orientation of the squad performing it.

West Hall Features
For many years the sousaphone section has cut away from the main band during pre-pregame warmups to play section features(short recognizable tunes scored for several sousaphone parts) in the West Hall of | Memorial Stadium. Many times after playing for several program vendors, the section will split into smaller groups and play in the bathrooms, then rejoin for one final program vendor.

Tag
At the end of every rehearsal, after the director dismisses the band, the drumline plays a short rhythm followed by a short ending tag played by the sousaphones. The tag has no official name, but is passed down from older members to newer ones each year. Much as pregame doesn't start until the ripple, a rehearsal isn't truly finished until the sousaphone tag.

Performances
The MI Sousaphones play at all functions performed by the full Marching Illini, including all home football games, bowl games, an indoor concert at | Assembly Hall, and the Illini Marching Festival. The sousaphones were last featured with the piccolo section at the Assembly Hall concert in 2007, playing a re-scored version of "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better" with snippets of "Stars and Stripes Forever" and "Hey Baby". The piece was scored by Everett James and featured many quirky role reversals (switching section solis), suiting the Ass. Hall concert environment perfectly.

Organization
Per Marching Illini standards, the sousaphone section employs a squad system for learning and marching drill. The section consists of four squads, with 4-5 members each. Each squad has a squad leader, a member responsible for making sure that the members of their squad are learning the drill correctly. There are also two marching section leaders and one music section leader. The marching section leaders are in charge of ensuring good marching and section-wide uniformity, while the music section leader is responsible for reinforcing good musical techniques and teaching more difficult pieces.

Auditions
High school seniors planning to attend UI, transfer students, and current UIUC students are allowed to audition for the Marching Illini. Students must be accepted into the University before setting up an audition time. Since audition results are announced in early May, students must complete their audition by mid-April. Auditions continue through the summer for open positions only.