By Clare Roth
This year marks the 11-year anniversary of Maryland joining the Big Ten, and with it, the tradition of the marching band’s Fifth Quarter performance.
The Mighty Sound of Maryland’s post-game performance is a more relaxed non-marching final performance that showcases songs like “Maryland Victory,” “Alma Mater,” and a mixture of halftime tunes, according to the Director of Athletic Bands, Andrea Brown.
Brown says that the Fifth Quarter tradition began after former band director, Richmond Sparks, toured the Big Ten schools to learn about their marching band traditions. She remembers Sparks visiting the University of Michigan while she was an assistant director, to watch what went into their performances.
“He came to our rehearsal, he came to a game as well. So he saw several bands do something like this on his tour. The previous director at the time … saw that tradition and Maryland went into the Big Ten the following year. That was part of the process … that was started that fall of 2015,” Brown said.
The Fifth Quarter set is not only a great way to end the game, but it also serves a logistical purpose for the marching band, dance team and twirlers, Brown said. The traffic surrounding the stadium can be dangerous to performers, so the performance allows the band to wait out the traffic safely, according to Brown.
The final performance of the night is a favorite for band members as it primarily focuses on the music they play. While during halftime the band marches and plays at the same time, the Fifth Quarter performance is done standing still, senior math education major and MSOM Drum Major Don Wengerd said.
“I love Fifth Quarter. It’s always a fun time because you are at the end of the game. It’s a little more fun, a little bit more casual … it was always a time where I get to play really loud, because now we’re done,” Wengerd said.
During halftime, the Drum Majors follow the lead of the band directors but during the Fifth Quarter performance, they are in charge of tempo and rhythm. Senior math major and MSOM Drum Major, Connor Heft, loves the freedom the performance gives to the Drum Majors as they can add more flourishes and cues to their conducting.
Despite advertising on social media and the announcement during halftime, many people are still not aware of the performance, Brown said. Students tend to leave early from games, leaving a crowd of band friends and family to watch the performance, Wengerd said.
“It ends up becoming a performance for them. These are people that love the band so much they are willing to stay after the football game. It makes it a little bit more special,” Heft said.
Students who stay for the performance enjoy it, like freshman aerospace engineering major Gabrielle Evans, who stayed to watch after hearing about it from a friend.
“It was just really an amazing experience because the band, they’re just super rich and their tone quality is just so incredibly insane that they just have so much power when they play. It was incredibly fun,” Evans said.
Brown says that the Terps’ recent record will help increase the crowd for the Fifth Quarter performance, but that the marching band will cheer on the team no matter what.
“We will play the Fifth Quarter performance no matter how many people end up staying … We are there to cheer them on and support them and to help them keep their spirits up no matter whether they’re winning or they’re fighting from behind,” Brown said.
Both the Drum Majors and Brown said that they encourage people to stay for the performance.
“You get to hear a wonderful performance, see a wonderful performance…you get to enjoy our Maryland pride a little while longer. So come and stay with us all the way to the Fifth Quarter. We’d love to see you,” Brown said.
Featured Image: The Maryland Dance Team and Mighty Sound of Maryland marching band on the field for the Fifth Quarter performance after a football game on Oct. 4, 2025. Photo by Christian Lee