'My sound is the FAMU sound': Lindsey Sarjeant's 'golden pen' animates Marching 100

When Florida A&M University’s Chief Band Arranger Lindsey Sarjeant — often called “the man with the golden pen” — attended FAMU over 50 years ago, he wanted to be a pre-med major.

But the Jacksonville native would find himself on the fourth floor of the FAMU music building’s practice rooms every day, and his true passion has led to arranging music that the "incomparable" Marching 100 brings to life during every performance.

“I knew that I was blessed with a talent and the gift of hearing,” said Sarjeant, a 1972 FAMU alumnus, professor of music and chairman of FAMU’s Department of Music.

Sarjeant, who has two sons, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild, is also a nationally known pianist and jazz musician who played the trumpet as a Marching 100 band member at the university.

When Sarjeant changed his major to music education — a move FAMU Marching 100’s founder and former band director William P. Foster convinced him to make after hearing his arrangements for the first time — he says it was one of the best decisions he made in his life.

The Marching 100’s performances in genres such as hip hop, R&B, pop and classical music are put together from the masterful pen of Sarjeant and are known to set the standard for many collegiate bands across the nation.

“All bands have musicians, and all bands have the same instrumentation, but those bands don’t have the arrangements of Lindsey Sarjeant,” he said. “They don’t have my sound, and my sound is the FAMU sound.”

As a college student in his 20s, Sarjeant wrote music for North Carolina Central University's marching band and several high school bands.

After graduating from FAMU, Sarjeant spent a year writing music for Stanton College Preparatory School’s band in Jacksonville, Florida, before Foster asked him to return to FAMU as director of Jazz Studies in 1973.

Two years later, he began his role as chief band arranger for the Marching 100, and he also earned his master’s degree in music theory from Florida State University in 1977.

From arranging music for the Marching 100’s iconic performance with Prince in 2007’s Super Bowl XLI halftime show and Louis Vuitton Men's Fashion Show performance in Paris to being the sole arranger for nearly 10 bands combined during the annual Honda Battle of the Bands event in Atlanta, Georgia for 17 years, Sarjeant is known to be the architect of many performances.

Related news: FAMU professor reflects on collaboration with Prince

FAMU's homecoming week began Oct. 22 and is set to end Saturday, where the university will play against Prairie View A&M University at 4 p.m. on the Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium.

FAMU Director of Bands Shelby Chipman says Sarjeant will be recognized during pre-game activities Saturday for his 50-year contribution to the Marching 100, along with Beverly Barber — a retired director of FAMU’s Orchesis Contemporary Dance Theatre — and Julian White — the band’s former director.

“He’s able to capture the best out of these great student musicians, and none of it would have been possible without his outstanding arranging and pedagogical background,” said Chipman, a 1987 FAMU grad who was a band member under Sarjeant’s professorship during his early years as chief band arranger.

“We’re never going to perform anything that Mr. Sarjeant has not reviewed to ensure the FAMU band’s sound is consistent,” he added.

A look at how Sarjeant arranges the band’s music

When Sarjeant hears a song on the radio, he listens to it and learns the tune by playing it on his Yamaha MX 88 keyboard.

He then writes his arrangements, using a computer program, for each of the 13 instruments that make up FAMU’s band — from the high-pitched piccolo to the low-pitched tuba. Before using the program, he would write all his arrangements by hand.

Sarjeant says it takes him several days to make arrangements for an entire halftime show, which usually lasts about 10 minutes.

He recently wrote an arrangement to the song “Snooze” by SZA — which the band executed in a two to three-minute performance — and it took him six hours from start to finish.

While finding a balance between songs familiar to both old school and new school audiences can be difficult, Sarjeant says his biggest challenge is maintaining the integrity of the pieces he writes to ensure the audience recognizes the music.

“It’s a lot of editing, deleting and adding stuff in,” Sarjeant said. “It’s a very tedious process that requires complete creativity on my part.”

Launching careers and inspiring generations

FAMU alumnus, trumpeter and current FSU jazz Professor Scotty Barnhart says Sarjeant is a major part of his accomplishments as a musician, calling him a “gem.”

“He’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever come across on the planet, and I’ve met a lot of talented people in this world.” Barnhart said.

FAMU Music Business Professor Darryl Tookes — a professional musician who has worked with icons including Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin and Earth, Wind, and Fire — says it was Sarjeant’s support that gave him the push he needed to have a successful career.

“Lindsey B. Sarjeant’s arrangements for the Marching 100 are the template of the greatest music that we will ever experience in the marching band setting for the rest of our lives and the lives of our great-great-grandchildren,” Tookes said.

During the university’s homecoming football game Saturday, the Marching 100’s halftime show performance will have a “Tribute to Hip Hop” theme with song selections by artists including Run-D.M.C. following the special pre-game recognitions.

“I’m very grateful and privileged to be the chief arranger for Florida A&M,” Sarjeant said. “That’s the mark I’m leaving here. If I were to retire or pass away, I know that the Lindsey Sarjeant legacy will always live on here.”

Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Band Arranger Lindsey Sarjeant writes the Marching 100 soundtrack