Cavalier Marching Band
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The Cavalier Marching Band (CMB) is a marching band at the University of Virginia. The band's director, William Pease, is the first full-time marching band director in the history of the University of Virginia. A newcomer among the ranks of collegiate marching bands, the Cavalier Marching Band was formed in 2004 after a funding gift in 2003 by University of Virginia benefactor Carl Smith. The portion of the gift specifically earmarked to endow a new marching band was $1.5 million, and an additional $22 million was included towards a new performing arts center.
In the years leading up to the formation of the Cavalier Marching Band, the University of Virginia had grown to be the largest university in Division I without a marching band.[citation needed] With some elements of the university's administration, alumni, and students desiring the removal of the Virginia Pep Band for many years, followed by the banning of that band from all future Continental Tire Bowls, the Athletics Department received emails and phone calls, some of which called for the end of the pep band and the establishment of a university marching band. The Director of the Pep Band Adam Lorentson said at the time that cost is the key reason the University did not have a traditional marching band[1] and was proven right when Carl Smith's multi-million dollar donation made the new U.Va. marching band a reality.
One of William Pease's first moves as band director was to invite members of the Pep Band to join the Cavalier Marching Band. Three Pep Band members joined the new band, but others declined. In further recruitment efforts, Pease went on to offer positions in the band to musicians at Piedmont Virginia Community College. The Cavalier Marching Band had 170 pieces at the beginning of its first year. Over 90% of members were UVa students; nearly 100% were from the greater Charlottesville community.
Pease was given university songbooks from 1907 upon his arrival, and at the 2004 debut featured such songs as "The Orange and the Blue" and "The Virginia Yell Song" that had not been heard at Virginia athletics events in almost a century.[citation needed]
The Cavalier Marching Band began with 170 total pieces.[2] In its third year (2006-07) it had 176 student members and more participants from the surrounding community and in its fourth year (2007-2008), it reached 232 members. The band performs new halftime shows at every home football game, and travels to three or four road games per season. The band was featured in the halftime show at the 2005 Music City Bowl, in Nashville, Tennessee and was declared champion of the event's "Battle of the Bands," defeating the historic 300-piece Minnesota Golden Gopher Band. Most recently, the CMB performed at the 2008 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville and in Universal Studios in Florida.
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[edit] Previous Band Organizations at U.Va.
The earliest appearance of a music group performing for sports events was when a marching band appeared in 1941 at a home football game. The marching band performed until 1964 when its membership waned and its performances at football ceased.
Though no band performed at athletic events during the period of 1964 to 1974, the Virginia Pep Band claims that the marching band remained a club until it became the Virginia Pep Band, an entirely student run band organized toward a different type of musical performance (a scramble band), in the mid-1970s. The Pep Band was the official band of U.Va. athletics for the period between 1974 and 2003, with the exception of about one month during 1993.
The first faculty-governed band at UVa athletic events, known as the UVa Sports Band, was started by UVa's athletic department in 1993 as an alternative to the Pep Band. Much smaller than the Pep Band itself, the 24-piece band played for only a few home football games before disbanding.
[edit] Accomplishments Since Foundation
The Fall 2007 Football season marked the fourth full season for the University of Virginia Cavalier Marching Band. Early in the season the UVA Drumline was chosen by Yamaha Corporation of North America to represent them in an advertisement campaign that was aimed at high school students to promote Yamaha musical products. Interest in the Cavalier Drumline was initiated when a representative of the Yamaha Corporation paid a visit to a spring rehearsal. The representative noticed and commented on the drumline's professional attitude and was compelled to have them added to the national advertisement campaign.[3] In addition to being chosen for the ad-campaign, the University Drumline shares the honor with bands such as Ohio State University, Indiana University, and the University of Kentucky-all schools with notable marching band programs.
In lieu of the violence at Virginia Tech (UVa's rival college), the Cavalier Marching Band joined forces with the Marching Virginians of Virginia Tech to host their first annual joint concert. The aim of hosting this concert was to raise money for scholarship funds at both schools. Half of all proceeds went to the CMB's scholarship fund while half were given to a memorial fund to honor one of the Marching Virginians who passed during the violence. It is the first time in both school's history that the two bands performed together.[4]
After being absent for one year from the college bowl game scene, the University of Virginia traveled to Jacksonville, FL to take on the Texas Tech Raiders.[5]
