University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands

CollegeMarchingBandInfoBox
bandname=University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands
logo=
school=University of Cincinnati
location=Cincinnati, Ohio
conference=Big East Conference
founded=1920
director=Dr. Terren L. Frenz
members=175
uniform=Red Coat with Black and Gold Sash, Black undershirt, Black Gloves, Black Pants, Black Socks, Black Shoes, and Black shako sporting a Black and Gold Plume.The University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands (also known as TUCBIDG) consists of three major bands: Marching Band, Pep Band, and Concert Band, and many smaller bands that support and represent the University of Cincinnati.

Instrumentation

The Marching Band and Concert Band usually consists of these numbers. The Pep Bands for Men's Basketball is divided into halves and the Women's Basketball games are divided into fourths.

The Flute–Piccolo section consists of 15 to 18 members.

The Clarinet section consists of 18 to 20 members.

The Saxophone section consists of 26 to 28 members.

The Trumpet section consists of around 25 members.

The Horn/Mellophone section consists of 10 to 12 members.

The Baritone section consists of 8 members.

The Trombone section consists of 12 to 14 members.

The Tuba section consists of 14 members.

The Percussion section consists of 7-10 Snares, 4-5 Tenor Drums, 5-7 varying size Bass Drums, 5 member Cymbal line, and 6 Front Ensemble.

The Color Guard consists of 25 members.

At any one time there may be 3 to 4 Feature Twirlers

There are traditionally anywhere from 2 to 5 Drum Majors.

Performance style

The band uses a Glide step when performing. The marching snare section uses Traditional Grip while playing.

Organization

The band has two assistant directors to Dr. Frenz (The Band Director), Mr David Martin (since 1999) and Mr. Nick Angelis(since 2005). The Band Announcer is Mr. Randy Smith (since 2002). There is also a band council which consists of members of the band.

History

In the Fall of 1920, Mr. Ralph A. Van Wye, a student in the college of Engineering, had just returned to the University of Cincinnati after a tour of duty in the US Army during World War I. He was fresh from two years experience as an Army Bandsmen. At the time, ROTC was compulsory for all male students at the University of Cincinnati. Since Mr. Van Wye had just completed two years of Army service, he was not looking forward to becoming a member of ROTC on campus. He went to the commanding officer of the ROTC with his discharge papers and requested that his ROTC requirement be waived. However, when the Commandant saw that he was an Army Bandsmen, he told Mr. Van Wye that he was just the man they needed. They wanted to organize an ROTC band, but had no one available to serve as bandmaster. So instead of being excused from ROTC, Mr. Van Wye found himself as bandmaster to the first University of Cincinnati ROTC band. That fall Mr. Ralph A. Van Wye held his first rehearsal in one of the laboratories in the College of Engineering. At the first rehearsal, the UC Band had eight members. As Mr. Van Wye often said, "The only letter we could form was the letter I". Mr. Van Wye continued as band director until his graduation in the Spring of 1923.

September 1923 found Sergeant Victor Norling transferred from Ft. Thomas, Kentucky to the ROTC detachment at the University of Cincinnati as the second band director. He remained in this position until 1929. Throughout these first nine years, the UC Band was an ROTC Band, administered by the ROTC unit. In addition to performing at all ROTC functions, it also presented half-time shows at UC Football games. At the Nippert Stadium Dedication Day game between Oberlin College and UC on November 8, 1924, the band made its first appearance in uniforms. In 1925, the bandsmen initiated the idea of the coed band sponsor, and the same year elected Julia E. Sale their first band sponsor. Also during Sgt. Norling's tenure as a director, the UC Band began making trips with the team to some of the away football games and their form of transportation consisted of an open flatbed truck.

In 1929, Colonel R. A. Anderegg, the Assistant Dean of the College of Engineering, was appointed faculty adviser to the band. In the fall of 1929, Mr. Merril B. Van Pelt assumed the position of Director of the University of Cincinnati Band. At this point, the band changed from an ROTC Band to a student activity for all male students on campus. Up to this point, all membership had been from the College of Engineering. Mr. Van Pelt immediately embarked upon an expansion campaign. Among his many innovations was the development of the "Varsity Vanities", a musical review sponsored by the UC Band in which students from all colleges and groups participated.

During the 1930s, the UC Band gained a national reputation at football games. Mr. Van Pelt and the UC Band were one of the first to use animated formations and dance steps in football shows. The band also traveled extensively during these years.

When the rise of World War II put an end to football games after the fall season of 1942, the band stopped marching but it did not stop playing. Combined concerts with the College Conservatory of Music Symphonic Band were held, the band played for all formal military formations and War Band Rallies.

Throughout the first twenty-three years of its existence, the membership of the band was only men. However, in the fall of 1944 there were only two bandsmen left on campus from previous years. At this time, women were accepted for membership in the UC Band on a temporary basis. For the remainder of World War II, membership in the band was predominately female. In 1945, for the first time in three years, the Red and Black Band appeared at the football field, women and all. With the return of many veterans in the fall of 1946, the UC Band had one of its most trying years to date. Many of the returning men felt that the band should revert to its all male status. The women in the band, plus a significant number of "enlightened" men won out, and the band officially became coed. The 1946-47 school year was highlighted by a trip to the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, as the UC Football Team made its first appearance in a major bowl game. In the Spring of 1947, Mr. Van Pelt submitted his resignation in order to devote full time to his responsibilities as Supervisor of Instrumental Music in the Cincinnati Public Schools.

The search for a new director brought Mr. Clarence E. Mills as the fourth Director and first full time director of the UC Band. Mr. Mills had recently been released from the Army where he had served as an Army bandmaster during World War II. He served as Director from 1947 to 1949, completely reorganizing the band into the precise, intricate Marching Bearcat Band, two pep bands and an intramural band. Varsity Vanities continued, and the Band Clinic proved successful for area high school bands. it was during this period that the concert band began its development. in 1949, Mr. Mills left the University of Cincinnati in order to return to the Army as Special Services Officer.

Mr. Robert Hamilton served as director of the band from 1949 until the Spring of 1954, when he left to take a position in California. Mr. Hamilton introduced the "story-telling maneuver", adding a new dimension to half-time entertainment.

In the Spring of 1954, Dr. Roy Robert Hornyak became the sixth director of the University of Cincinnati Band. That Fall, he initiated the famed CHARGE down the stadium steps , and in 1955 he established the Bearkittens Drill Team. Due to the increased scope of the activities of the band, 1955 also saw the name of the organization changed to the plural: The University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands.

The UC Band's first Band Camp convened in the fall of 1958. Later that same year, the band was spotlighted on national television as they performed at Chicago's Wrigley Field for a Chicago Bears game. In 1959, the Bearcat Varsity Band joined the Concert Band and the Marching Band as one of the three basic units within the band organization. In 1964, a Stage Band program was initiated and quickly grew under the leadership of Mr. John Defoor, a former arranger for the UC Bands. In 1968, the Brass Band was discontinued and absorbed by the College Conservatory of Music (CCM) Symphonic Band. Incorporation of the College Conservatory of Music and the University Band programs was done around this time. Due to increasing demands upon his time from other CCM obligations, Dr. Hornyak completed his tenure as director of the UC Bands in the Spring of 1970.

In September 1970, Dr. Robert Wojciak became the seventh director of the University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands. The prestige of the band became known far and wide as the band had many national appearances and Cincinnati Reds and Bengals games.

In 1972, Mr. Harry McTerry took over as director of the UC Bearcat Bands and improved the driving marching and playing style that had become the trademark of the UC Marching Band. Appearances included the 1972 National League Championship Series and World Series.

In 1973, Prof. Woodrow Hodges became the ninth director of the UC Bands. During his tenure, the band traveled far and wide and was received with much acclaim with trips to Philadelphia, Disney World, Athens Georgia, and Louisville. Everywhere the band was met with tremendous enthusiasm and received great prais for its outstanding performances. The UC Marching Band also played for the 1975 National League Championship Games and 1975 and 1976 World Series for the Cincinnati Reds and Monday Night Football for the Cincinnati Bengals. During Mr. Hodges tenure, more emphasis was placed on the basketball Varsity Band. Under the leadership of "Woody", the UC Bearcat Bands was well known for its high-stepping marching style, original music arrangements, and powerful sound. After four action packed years, Mr. Hodges left to take a position in Wisconsin.

The Fall of 1977 saw the arrival of the tenth University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands Director, Prof. Glenn Richter, former assistant director of the University of Texas Longhorn Band. Mr. Richter introduced the "Show band" techniques of the southern marching bands and initiated the UC Band Flag Corps, adding a new color and dimension to the band's performances. After two years with the UC Band, Mr. Richter headed farther North to accept a position as Director of the University of Michigan Marching Band.

Dr. Terence G. Milligan, former director of the Northwest Missouri State University Bands, became the eleventh Director of Bands at UC in 1979. During "Doc's" time, the band went through a style change to the glide step that is currently used. In the Fall of 1981, Dr. Milligan introduced the Rifle Line to complete the Bearcat Guard. Dr. Milligan also reintroduced a tradition that had been lost throughout the years, the exciting tradition of the charge down the stadium steps during pre-game. In the Winter of 1986, students in the band organized the "Varsity Clown Band", which entertained the crowds at basketball games throughout the season. Although popular with the crowd, the Clown Band was disbanded after only two years of performance. In 1987, Mr. Eugene Corporon took the position as Director of Wind Studies at CCM. His new position at UC included responsibility for the Bearcat Bands, and so in the fall of 1988, he instituted "Campus Band". This new band was designed as a year round concert band open to all students, faculty, and employees at the University of Cincinnati. Due to changes in the athletic department and the introduction of a new University Dance Team, the Bearkittens were disbanded in the Fall of 1989.

In 1993, the Bearcat Bands were dropped from the funding mechanism of CCM and for a brief period the band found itself completely independent of any University sponsorship. The actual existence of the band was in doubt once again. Mr. Matthew McInturf, a CCM graduate student, was hired as the interim director of the UC Bearcat Bands. In the Spring of that year, the band was officially transferred from CCM to the Athletic Department. The band also went to an off campus location for band camp, the first time since it was moved on campus by Dr. Milligan. The students were excited about the change in leadership and the off campus camp which resulted in a much improved marching band for the 1993 season.

In the Fall of 1994, the beginning of the marching season brought Dr. Terren Lee Frenz, Sr. to the University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands as the current, and thirteenth, Director. Under the baton of Dr. Frenz, several changes have helped the UC Band evolve into a much more effective unit. The leadership of the band was transferred from the students of band council, who had been running the band in recent years, to Dr. Frenz. Also, a Jazz Band was introduced, and the Bearcat Bands gained a new Assistant Director, Mr. David Martin in 1999. The 1990s were a time of great improvement in the image of the UC Band. New uniforms, provided by the Athletic Department, gave the band a much needed face-lift. These new threads, with a contemporary style, debuted at the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho in 1997. This trip marked the first bowl trip for the Bearcats since the Sun Bowl in 1956. In 1998, twenty new sousaphones were purchased, in addition to the replacement of several other much-needed instruments. 1999 marked the first appearance of the UC Band at a professional football game in recent history when the Bengals celebrated their last game in Riverfront Stadium. Also in 1999, the Bearcat Bands became the "University of Cincinnati Department of Bands", its own independent Department under the Office of Student Life.

In the Spring of 2000, the band was finally presented with a new, "temporary" facility in Armory Fieldhouse. This marked the first real "home" for the Bearcat Bands in almost 25 years. and replaced its previous lodgings in the basement of Laurence Hall. This temporary home will give way to a new, permanent facility by 2003, as part of the major Master Reworking Plan of the University of Cincinnati. From 1999 to 2007, the University of Cincinnati Bearcat Marching Band performed at half-time for one Bengals game every year. They also made an appearance with the Bearcat Football Team at the Motor City Bowl in Pontiac, Michigan in 2000 and 2001 and the New Orleans Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2002. During the 2003-2004 scholastic year, the Band experienced increased media exposure through local newspapers, editorials, and fan response. In the Spring of 2004, with much success, the band instituted its "Bearcat Band Member for a Day" program bringing in 25 student participants from area high schools and 60 the following year. In the Winter of 2004, the band made an appearance with the Bearcat Football Team at the Plains Capital Fort Worth Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas. in the Spring of 2005, the band was once again presented with a place to call their own, this one fully equipped and theirs alone. The Rockwern Band Center was first used on March 29, 2005 for the first practice of the Spring Quarter and was officially dedicated on May 26, 2005. In August of 2005, the University hired an additional Assistant Band Director, Mr. Nick Angelis, bringing the staff to 3 full time Directors. Dr. Frenz has been diligently working for years to provide every member in the University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands with a scholarship of $1000. In the Winter of 2006, the Rockwern Scholarship Foundation finally had enough money to award a substantial amount of scholarships to every returning member of the band. This marked the first big step in the right direction to reaching Dr. Frenz's goal. In January 2007, the band to travel to Ontario Canada with the UC Football Team for the International Bowl and December 2007 to the PapaJohn's.com Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. [http://www.ucband.uc.edu/band/history.php Band History]

Auditions

Auditions are held for placement only. Anyone who wants to join is allowed to join.

Traditions

#The Band allows no one to cut through the band while in formation.
#The Drum Majors conduct inspection of the uniforms before performing at football games.
#Each band member gives good-luck taps on other band members' chest.
#The Charge Down the Stadium Steps takes place during the Pre-Game performance. The Band stands at the top of Nippert Stadium and runs down the steps onto the field.
#The Sitting Hat Ripple which takes place after the band has entered the stands. The Drum Majors then give another signal for the hat ripple. The person at the appointed end of each row takes off their hat and everyone follows in order. This forms a sort of race between the rows.
#The Band never uses sheet music on the field.
#The Band plays the fight song and Alma Mater after each game.
#Hats are turned backwards after a win.
#After the first score of the basketball game, the band throws confetti into the air.
#After performances, the band dismissal, which consists of a vocal and physical cadence, is performed.

ongs Played By The UC Marching and Pep Bands

*"Army Fanfare"
*"Cheer Cincinnati"
*"Red and Black"
*"Give A Cheer"
*"UC Alma Mater"
*"Carry On Wayward Son"
*"Dr. Who" (A Combination of the fanfare of "Cheer Cincinnati" and the "Hey Song")
*"The Final Countdown"
*"Hey! Baby"
*"You Can Call Me Al"

Performances

*All Cincinnati Bearcats home football and basketball games
*1947 Sun Bowl
*1956 Sun Bowl
*1958 Chicago Bears game
*1970-Present Cincinnati Reds and Cincinnati Bengals games
*1972 National League Championship Series
*1972 World Series
*1975 National League Championship Series
*1975 World Series
*1976 World Series
*1997 Humanitarian Bowl
*2000-2001 Motor City Bowl
*2002 New Orleans Bowl
*2004 Fort Worth Bowl
*2007 International Bowl
*2007 PapaJohns.com Bowl
*Various events in the Cincinnati area

References

External links

* [http://www.ucband.uc.edu/band University of Cincinnati Bearcat Band Website]