A television series known for its theme song and long run on the air is making its way back to the small screen, but this time there is a connection to Eastern Michigan University.
The “Hawaii Five-O” television series aired for more than a decade, from 1960-80, and it is being brought back with a new cast, but the same familiar, distinctive theme song.
That’s where EMU comes in.
EMU’s marching band was selected to perform the theme song for an ad of the show, along with members from the Detroit Fire Department and musician Ty Stone.
WWJ, a local CBS affiliate, filmed members of the band playing the theme song July 13 near the pond area at EMU. Dr. Amy Knopps, director of the marching band, said the opportunity came as a bit of a surprise.
“We literally received a call from Walter Kraft’s office about four days prior to the event,” Knopps said. “We had to work very quickly to assemble an ensemble, retrieve music, issue instruments and uniforms, plus rehearse. It was a very busy two-day event.”
About 25 members of the band were able to perform, but because of the short notice, the ensemble didn’t have much time to practice, according to Chad Mielens, a participant in the commercial and 2010 EMU drum major.
“…It was a very last minute situation,” Mielens said. “We did not find out about this opportunity until a few days before we had to record. So we put together one rehearsal the day before and a short rehearsal before the actual recording. Everyone had to basically memorize the tune overnight.”
Auditions were not held for the ensemble used to perform, so the band had to rely on other means to gather musicians.
“Since it was a special request when school was not in session, we relied on current and recent alumni members of the EMU marching band to assist us with this project,” Knopps said.
“We began by asking our section leaders to participate, then we filled out the sections with some of the older veteran members,” Mielens said. Performing for the ad was not just an opportunity for the marching band, but also other departments.
“This is a great opportunity for us to represent not only EMU Bands, but the Department of Music and Dance and EMU in general,” Knopps said. “It was an honor to be asked to participate and I’m really happy our efforts made it into the commercial.”
Mielens said the experience is one he won’t forget anytime soon.“It was an exciting experience,” he said. “I’ve never participated in an event like that and I really enjoyed it. It was neat to see how the recording process works. It was also very cool to work with a lot of great and talented people.”
He said the best part was being able to make music with his close friends and having the opportunity to get the university national recognition. Mielens said he plans on checking the show out when it airs.
Jacob Nurse, an instrumental music education major and second 2010 drum major, also participated in the ad. Nurse said he had a great time, but he also gained something from it.
“Helping organize this, I learned a great deal about time management and how to work efficiently in a time crunch,” Nurse said. “Also, a better flexibility with people and schedules is something that I feel I can take away from this event.”
The show debuts Sept. 20 on CBS TV.
