MR: How long have you been at this position (as band director)?

MP: This is my sixth year.

MR: What kind of education did you receive and where?

MP: I have an undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University and I have a master’s degree from the University of Colorado and I am still in progress for a doctorate from the University of Colorado.

MR: What made you decide to go into music?

MP: The flip answer is that it’s the only thing anybody would pay me to do. But it’s something I loved in high school, and I found out that I was good at it, there was a market for me and I just kept going at it.

MR: What is your favorite genre of music?

MP: There probably is none. Especially with this group. I mean, we play all genres, like today we’re going to play Latin. Later in the season we’re going to play Motown. We’re going to do some music from movies. We try to play all genres, and the fact that I like all genres is really good for this group, because that way we don’t get stuck in any one style. We don’t just play Sousa marches.

MR: Can we expect anything new and exciting from the band this season?

MP: Hopefully exciting. I don’t know if anything will be new, hopefully just better. I mean, the pregame we did is the pregame that’s been done at Iowa State for years; it’s tradition, so that’s definitely not new. Everything we do on the field at halftime will be new, stuff that’s never been done before.

MR: What do you think about the current program compared to the past years that you’ve been here at Iowa State?

MP: This would be the best group we’ve had. Will be. We’re like the football team. Like Dan [McCarney] said about a week ago, the football team wasn’t ready to play yet. But they would be. Well, a week ago we weren’t ready to play, and hopefully every week we get better and better, so that by the end of the season this will be the best band we’ve had since I’ve been here.

MR: Do you have any plans after Iowa State? Is this a stopping point, or is this something you want to stay with?

MP: Well, if something opened up that was interesting to me, I’d look at it, but it would have to be really good. I have such a great gig here that I would be silly to leave if something outstanding wasn’t out there for me. This is just a great gig.

MR: If you were given $1 million to spend on the program, how would you spend it?

MP: Well I don’t know if that’s enough. I want a dome over the practice field, especially after Thursday and Friday. We practice out between the Howe engineering building and the Design center from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

MR: What do you do when it’s raining?

MP: What I tell the students at the beginning of the year is that if it’s raining so hard that if they stuck their arm out the window it would beat it off, that they should plan to go outside. That way they’re always prepared. Our rule is that, obviously, if there’s danger, if there’s lightning, then we’re inside. If it’s just raining, we’ll stay out. Rain never hurt anybody. And I’m out there too.

MR: How time-consuming is your job?

MP: It’s all-consuming in the fall. It’s why I don’t have my doctorate finished. I finished all the coursework five years ago, and I don’t have it yet because this is all-consuming. But that’s fine, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

MR: How do you balance your job with your family?

MP: It’s very hard. I mean, we had practice this morning, then I had an Alumni Band Board meeting after that. Between the practice and the board meeting, I went home. Then after the board meeting before our call for tonight I went back home, and I have a nine-year-old and a five-year-old. That’s probably the thing I hate most about this job, I have to be away from my family more than I would like.

MR: Are your children involved in music?

MP: No, not yet. And that’s fine. My oldest son is in the fourth grade, and last week they heard about orchestra, and he had no interest at all. He plays soccer, baseball and football, so I just want him to learn to play basketball so he can be like Mike.

I mean, they both love to listen to CDs, like `N Sync and Backstreet Boys, and that kind of stuff, but as far as playing it, they just haven’t developed an interest in it yet, and it’s OK if they never do.

MR: How do you feel about popular music today?

MP: I like music with a tune, so I’m not a big fan of rap music because it has no tune. So, if there’s pop music with a good tune, I’m probably going to like it.

MR: Do you have marching band groupies?

MR: For the most part, if someone’s that interested in the band they’re in it. We have a couple of band managers who don’t come to rehearsals, they just come on Saturdays and help us with equipment and those kinds of things. We lose a lot of buttons during the day, so one of our band member’s sisters, who is a student at Iowa State, comes and sews buttons on for us during the game. She gets a free pass to the game for that. There aren’t a lot of groupies so to speak, and if there are, they’re in the band.

MR: Any final words?

MP: Just that we always make sure that they’re the ones, they [the band members] do all the work. It’s like the football team. You know, Dan [McCarney] is a great coach, but he’s not out there taking the hits. I think I’m a pretty good band director, but I’m not out there playing a single instrument. What they do is what the people see.