Department of Music Celebrates Graduates with Virtual “Pomp and Circumstance” Performance

Each year as graduates walk across the stage, Idaho State University musicians play the traditional “Pomp and Circumstance” march. This year, 43 music students, faculty and community members joined together to carry on the tradition from home.

When graduation celebrations transitioned online, Director of Jazz Studies Jonathan Armstrong rallied the Department of Music. He created a new arrangement of “Pomp and Circumstance,” assigned 42 parts to volunteers and edited submitted videos into finished audio.

“I felt badly for the class of 2020 to not have a formal celebration to honor the work they had done to earn their degree,” Armstrong said. “It occurred to me the song ‘Pomp and Circumstance,’ which is the traditional graduation march that is performed at practically every ceremony, could be a stand in for the grandeur that this historic class would be missing out on.”

Armstrong sent a call to the music department, inviting musicians to contribute to the project. He was “overjoyed” to receive 42 confirmations from members and friends of the department.

"It ... allowed for us music faculty to realize how powerful online collaborations can be."

He then composed an arrangement specifically for the volunteer remote orchestra, comprised of those 42 volunteers and himself. He sent out each musician’s individual parts, along with a backing audio track for them to listen to as they filmed themselves playing their part.

Armstrong combined the 43 separate videos into one master audio track. Madison Shumway, director of marketing and recruiting for the College of Arts and Letters, then edited the audio and 43 video clips into the final video.

“It really came out great,” Armstrong said. “I loved seeing all of my colleagues, students and friends performing again.”

The video debuted on May 8, the day ISU graduates were originally slated to walk across the stage. “Pomp and Circumstance” garnered almost 10,000 views across ISU’s YouTube, Facebook and Instagram accounts, and was also highlighted in local media.

Viewers reacted positively to the video, expressing congratulations for the Class of 2020. Armstrong has since received several notes of gratitude from individuals who appreciated the heartfelt performance of all the musicians.

“I'm thrilled that it brought some celebration, joy and comfort to the class of 2020, and our greater community,” he said. “It also allowed for us music faculty to realize how powerful online collaborations can be and has sparked our creativity to pursue more projects like this in the future, especially if concerts are inadvisable for public health reasons next semester and beyond.”