Michigan Marching Band Information

The Michigan Marching Band (also known as the University of Michigan Marching Band or simply MMB) is the official marching band of the University of Michigan. The band performs at all Michigan Wolverines football home games, select away games, and numerous concerts, pep rallies, and parades. As a student musical ensemble, the MMB evolved from the original Michigan Band of twenty-two players in 1896 to todays band of over 400 members.

Though there is evidence of one or more bands formed at the University of Michigan between 1844 and 1859, that evidence is scant and no direct tie has been demonstrated to provide a clear and continuous link between those early groups and the Michigan Marching Band of today.

On November 13, 1896, twenty-two musicians from all across the University of Michigans Ann Arbor campus responded to an invitation by Harry dePont and attended a meeting in Harris Hall with the intent of organizing a band for the university. At this meeting, Ray P. Warren was elected as the groups first conductor. In a bid to secure an adequate rehearsal venue from the university for the newly formed band, dePont volunteered the band to provide the music for the Law Schools upcoming observance of Washingtons Birthday. This was considered to be one of the most important events of the school year. Delivering on dePonts promise, the bands first public performance was on-stage in University Hall at that celebration on February 22, 1897. University president James Burrill Angell was satisfied with the bands performance and granted dePonts request for rehearsal space in Room A of University Hall. By 1898, the band was being referred to as the "University of Michigan Band" and had become an integral part of the Michigan tradition by playing at the football games.

In these early years, the university provided no financial support for the band. The ensemble disbanded in early 1903 amid a series of leadership changes, but reunited that fall before performing in its first "snow bowl" at the game against the University of Chicago on Thanksgiving Day. The following year, on October 18, 1904, the band reintroduced the playing of The Victors at Michigan football games. Eugene J. Fischer became the bands conductor with the start of the 1906 season.

After Michigan moved out of the Western Football Conference during the 1911 season, J. Fred Lawton and Earl Vincent Moore composed the fight song "Varsity," which became an immediate hit. Fischer made the song a standard part of the bands football game performances. George Olsen became the marching bands first drum major in 1914 and inadvertently started the "Goal Post Toss" tradition during the game against Syracuse University. During this time, the band was also changing its performance style to incorporate military drill techniques. Thanks to Fischers prolonged efforts to secure university funding for the band, Wilfred Wilson was hired by the university in 1915 as the ensembles new conductor.

The Nu Chapter of the band fraternity, Kappa Kappa Psi, was established to promote and serve the University bands in 1925. Around this time, the university purchased Morris Hall and allocated it as the bands permanent "home." By 1926, membership in the band had grown to nearly 100 musicians prior to Fischers departure. Nicholas Falcone was appointed as his successor in 1927. That same year, construction of Michigan Stadium was completed and dedicated. The band became an adjunct part of the University in 1929.

During the Michigan-Ohio State football game in 1932, the MMB performed the first "script Ohio." That field formation was subsequently embellished by the Ohio State University Marching Band, which continues to perform it today. The band performed at the Century of Progress exhibition in Chicago in October 1933. Falcone was on medical leave in 1934, and Bernard Hirsch served as acting conductor. Falcone resigned in 1935 after a long struggle with hearing loss, and William D. Revelli, director of the award-winning Hobart, Indiana, high school band, was hired as his successor. In 1936, the term, "Marching Band" came into use referring to the portion of the band that played at football games. This group had previously been known as the "Varsity Band" or the "Fighting Band." Upon his appointment, Revelli required all male wind instrument majors at the university to participate in the Marching Band. To raise funds for a new band facility, Revelli oversaw an all-campus talent show known as "Varsity Night." This annual event would later evolve into the Band-O-Rama concert series.

Revelli formally aligned the band with the School of Music in 1940. By this time, the band had been named as "All-American Band" by national sportswriters for two consecutive years. The band was able to continue performing during the years of World War II despite frequent personnel substitutions resulting from military service activations and thanks to the bands integration with the ROTC program at the university. By the end of the war, the bands home had been relocated to Harris Hall in 1946 and membership in the band stood at 131 men in 1947. During that season, the band first appeared on television in the game against Michigan State on September 27. That was followed by the bands first appearance at the Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 1948 where a new, high-step style was introduced after seeing it used by the Ohio State University Marching Band in November. The Lambda Chapter of the band sorority, Tau Beta Sigma was established in 1948. In 1949, Revelli and his assistant director, Jack K. Lee, organized and hosted the first University of Michigan Band Day. This event featured twenty-nine high school bands invited from throughout the state of Michigan marching in combination with the MMB in Michigan Stadium, a tradition that continued for decades to come. Assistant Director Jack Lee created the bands entry from the Michigan Stadium tunnel at 220 steps per minute, which is still incorporated in the pregame show. Lee also created the first dance routines for college marching bands, and this tradition continues to the present day. The band replaced french horns with alto horns in 1948.

The band performed at the Michigan-Army game in Yankee Stadium on October 14, 1950, winning rave reviews for its performance. Life Magazine featured the bands New York City performance in its October 30, 1950, edition that included the classic Alfred Eisenstadt photograph of children marching behind drum major Dick Smith. During Homecoming Weekend in November 1950, sixty-five former Michigan bandsmen attended a reunion which resulted in the formation of the University of Michigan Band Alumni Association. MMB classics "M Fanfare," "Temptation" and "Hawaiian War Chant," all arranged by Jerry Bilik, were introduced later that year. In 1953, the Alumni Band began to join the regular band playing and marching at the Homecoming pre-game and halftime shows. George R. Cavender returned to the University of Michigan in 1952 as Assistant Director of Bands. The band was featured on a color broadcast of the "Today Show" with host Dave Garroway in October 1955. The band performed in the 1951 Rose Bowl.

Several music albums recorded by the Symphony Band, but credited to "University of Michigan Band," starting in 1961 documented the continued, functional specialization of the various ensembles comprising the Michigan Bands at that time. The Varsity Band played at basketball games and campus affairs. The Symphony Band performed in more traditional concert settings. The Marching Band performed at football games. The band received new uniforms, percussion equipment, and fiberglass sousaphones in 1962. The annual Band-O-Rama concert was first held in November 1964. The concert serves as a showcase for several University bands and plays to a capacity crowd in Hill Auditorium. The band first performed the "Floating Block M" formation in 1969 that is still used during the pregame performance. The band performed its acclaimed "Peace Show" at the nationally televised Michigan-Ohio State football game in 1969. The band performed in the 1965 Rose Bowl.

In 1970, Carl Grapentine became the "Voice of the Michigan Bands" and is now also the "Voice of Michigan Stadium." The performance block had grown to 210 members. Dr. Revelli retired from the band in the summer of 1971, succeeded by Cavender. Women were allowed to join the marching band starting in 1972. The MMB performed as part of the halftime show at 1973s Super Bowl VII. A new facility, named Revelli Hall, was built to house the marching band. The MMBs practice field formally known as Wines Field was renamed Elbel Field. The band unveiled new uniforms during the 1975 season, and acquired new brass sousaphones for the 1978 season. With the growing success of the football team under coach Bo Schembechler, Band Day was discontinued. Cavender retired in 1978 and was succeeded that year by Glenn Richter. The MMB performed at the 1970, 1972, 1977, and 1978 Rose Bowl games, as well as at the 1976 Orange Bowl game.

Eric Becher succeeded Richter as the MMBs conductor in 1980. Membership in the band continued to grow. The band appeared on the television special, A Bob Hope Celebration on October 22, 1981. In 1982, the MMB performed in Super Bowl XVI and was selected as the inaugural winner of the Sudler Trophy, receiving the award during halftime of the 1983 Rose Bowl game. The MMB also performed at the final game of the 1984 World Series in Tiger Stadium and survived a mob attack in the riot that followed. In 1989, Jerry Luckhardt became the MMBs conductor. The MMB performed at the 1981,1983,1987, and 1989 Rose Bowl games. The band also performed at the 1981 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, the 1984 Sugar Bowl, the 1986 Fiesta Bowl, and the 1988 Hall of Fame Bowl.

Dr. Gary Lewis became Director of the MMB in 1990. MMB Halftime shows during this time regularly featured the 225 members of its "performance block." The Elbel Club was founded by alumnus Donald Shepherd in 1990 with the goal of providing ongoing financial assistance to the band. On November 20, 1992, the MMB appeared as musical guests on the ABC television variety show, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. The band received new uniforms in 1994. Jeff Grogan directed the band for the 1995 season. Dr. Kevin Sedatole was appointed as Director of the MMB in 1996, with Grogan remaining as Assistant Director. Dr. James Tapia was appointed as Director of the MMB in 1999. The MMB performed at the Rose Bowl in 1990, 1992, 1993, and 1998. The band also performed at the 1991 Gator Bowl, the 1994 Hall of Fame Bowl, the 1994 Holiday Bowl, the 1995 Alamo Bowl, the 1997 Outback Bowl, the 1999 Citrus Bowl, and the 2000 Orange Bowl.

In 2001, long-time Director of Bands Dr. H. Robert Reynolds retired and was succeeded in that position by Dr. Michael Haithcock. Jamie L. Nix was hired as the 13th Director of the MMB that same year. Also in 2001, the MMB elected Karen England as its first female Drum Major. On January 2, 2007, having performed at the Rose Bowl the previous day, The Michigan Marching Band attended the reception of President Gerald Fords body in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The MMB honored President Fords funeral procession with somber performances of "The Yellow and Blue" and "The Victors." Dr. Scott Boerma succeeded Nix as director of the band that same year. The MMB performed at the 2004, 2005, and 2007 Rose Bowl games. The band also performed at the 2001 Citrus Bowl, the 2002 Citrus Bowl, he 2003 Outback Bowl, the 2005 Alamo Bowl, and the 2008 Capital One Bowl.

In 2013, Dr. John Pasquale became Director of the MMB. He replaced Dr. Scott Boerma, who announced his resignation as director following the 2013 Outback Bowl to take the position of Director of Bands at his alma mater, Western Michigan University. Dr. Andrea Brown was hired as the bands Associate Director, becoming the first female Associate Director at the University of Michigan. The MMB performed at the 2011 Gator Bowl, the 2012 Sugar Bowl, the 2013 Outback Bowl, the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, the 2016 Citrus Bowl, the 2016 Orange Bowl, the 2018 Outback Bowl, and the 2018 Peach Bowl.

The Performance Block is the subset of the MMB that performs pre-game and halftime. An additional subset is called "halftime only" which adds to the performance block for halftime. The halftime block usually consists of an additional 6 piccolos, 6 alto saxophones, 12 horns, 3 bass drums, 4 snare drums, 4 tenor drums, 6 cymbals, and 6 to 12 sousaphones (depending on the drill requirements).

The rank leaders along with the MMB staff decide which members in block are to be challenged for their position in block. This method lessens tension in the band as a member does not need to challenge an individual member of the performance block for their position. There are no minimum or maximum requirements for challenges, and some members may not be challenged every week.

Challenges are typically held after rehearsal on Fridays for the following game. Challenges consist of a halftime marching audition while playing a musical excerpt from the weekly show, followed by performing a portion of the pre-game show. Results are posted the following Monday.

Students who do not make the performance block, called reserves, spend the week rehearsing marching fundamentals on an adjacent practice field while the performance block learns the show to prepare for the game. The reserves are no less a part of the MMB, as they still march to and from the stadium, perform in the stands during football games, and are often involved with the halftime shows.

Every summer during the two weeks before the first home game, the MMB holds its "Band Week." New members, rank leaders, drumline, and flags arrive first to rehearse marching styles and traditional music. New members learn marching fundamentals from the Drum Major and Rank Leaders. The returning members join a few days later and the music audition is held to determine the players chairs. After the returning members have been through a couple days of marching rehearsal, "First Look" is held. During First Look the entire band performs glide step and a pre-game portion which are both observed and scored by the staff. These performances are given in groups of 8. After the initial performance block is set, it devotes the remainder of Band Week to rehearsing the performance of pre-game and halftime for the first home game of the season. The reserves spend the remainder of Band Week practicing for the next challenge.