All of us involved with the KU Band are excited about the upcoming year, and we certainly have enjoyed the attention that fielding the university’s largest band in several years is attracting. When I arrived at KU one year ago, the Marching Jayhawks numbered 177 members and was the smallest marching band in the Big 12 Conference. As of Monday morning, however, we have exactly 250 members on the field; and, while we have aspirations to grow even further in the coming years, a 250-piece band and over 40 percent growth in one year is certainly respectable and something we can all be proud of.

Our dramatic growth can be attributed to a number of factors. As I stated to the reporter I spoke to on Friday, good football sure doesn’t hurt. In addition, however, the band staff and I have been working very hard to recruit new students into the band and we spent a great deal of time last year in high school band rooms across the country. We have also been assisted greatly by an infusion of new scholarship money from the community that has allowed us to place more students on marching band scholarships than ever before. From massive gifts of $40,000 or more to smaller contributions of $25 to $50, the Jayhawk Nation has come out in support of our students, and it is truly making a difference!

That said, something that many do not realize is that the university administration and athletics department do indeed support the marching band financially and that they have continued to increase that support over the last several years. We receive an annual budget from the university administration and athletics, and in 2006 our total budget was virtually doubled. Moreover, in May of this year Chancellor Hemenway gave the band additional funds to buy new instruments in anticipation of a dramatic increase in membership. So, while I cannot speak to the past, I can state that we are currently receiving substantial financial support from both the university and athletics.

It is true that band members have to pay fees to be in the band. We provide members of the marching band with uniforms that cost in excess of $600 each, and we also provide most members of the band matching instruments. These items require maintenance, repair and cleaning, and it is entirely the norm for students participating in a Division I marching band to pay fees to cover those costs.

It is also true that marching band is a university course and that students who wish to count the class toward graduation must pay the one credit hour tuition. However, unlike many other classes, students in marching band also have the ability to enroll for no credit, and having that as an option for our students helps us recruit and retain band members.

This week, our 250 band members are hard at work preparing to pour out of the tunnels for the first time in just less than two weeks. In fact, thanks to coach Mangino and the athletic department, on Monday morning the band had the opportunity to practice on one of the new football practice fields on the hill. As we get ready for the upcoming season, we are all enormously thankful for the support that we receive from the community, the university administration and athletics. As we say in the band, “It’s a great day to be a Jayhawk!”