Texas Tech University Goin' Band from Raiderland

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Goin' Band from Raiderland
School Texas Tech University
Location Lubbock, Texas
Conference Big 12
Founded 1923
Director Christopher M. Anderson
Members 450[1]
Uniform Matador style
The Matador band at the Texas Tech-Loyola Parade in 1934
The Matador band at the Texas Tech-Loyola Parade in 1934

The Goin' Band from Raiderland is the 450-member marching band of Texas Tech University.

Contents

[edit] History

The Goin' Band from Raiderland, originally known as The Matador Band, is as old as Texas Tech itself. Under the direction of W. Waghorne, it performed at the opening football game in October 1925, fielding between 21 and 25 members.[2][3][4]

In 1926, Harry Lemaire was appointed director of the marching band. Following his service in the British Army, Lemaire had been bandmaster under Theodore Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War and was a friend and colleague of John Philip Sousa. Under his leadership, the band earned its name when it became the first college band to travel to an away game. Also during Lemaire's tenure, the band became the first one to have its half-time show broadcast over the radio.[3]

American humorist Will Rogers once aided in financing a trip to Fort Worth, Texas, so the band could perform at a game against Texas Christian University. He also helped purchase new uniforms.[5] In remembrance of the generosity, a statue of Will Rogers was erected on Texas Tech's campus.

In 1934, Dewey O. "Prof" Wiley became director and expanded the band from sixty members to more than two hundred over the next few years.

In 1938 Texas Tech became the first university in Texas to house a chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi.[6] Kappa Kappa Psi's "sister" organization, Tau Beta Sigma, originated at Texas Tech in 1937. However, due to legal complications, the sorority could not apply for a national charter. The Alpha chapter of Tau Beta Sigma was given to the band club at Oklahoma A&M University (now Oklahoma State University), with Texas Tech accepting the Beta chapter.[7][8]

Dean Killion came to the Goin' Band in 1959. As his predecessor had done, Killion generated another expansion, this time doubling the ranks to over four hundred members.

To ensure that an individual listener would hear the same quality performance no matter where they sat in the stadium, Killion arranged shows so that equal instrumentation was always on both sides of the 50-yard line, and that the band played more or less equally to both halves of the stadium.

In 1981, Keith Bearden became the first Texas Tech alumnus to become director of the Goin' Band. He continued the style and traditions of previous directors as well as leading the band to the prestigious Sudler Trophy in 1999. Bearden also opened new venues for the Goin' Band, such as when the band traveled to Ireland in 1998 to take part in Saint Patrick's Day parades in both Dublin and Limerick.

The Goin' Band also recently received another honor when one of its members, Armen Williams, became the first homecoming king representing the Goin' Band and Kappa Kappa Psi in the fall of 2004.[9]

[edit] The Goin' Band Today

Texas Tech's Goin' Band from Raiderland on the field at a football game vs. Baylor in 2006
Texas Tech's Goin' Band from Raiderland on the field at a football game vs. Baylor in 2006

Christopher M. Anderson, Associate Professor at Texas Tech University, is the current director of the Goin' Band. He succeeded director Keith Bearden in 2003 upon the latter's retirement.

In keeping with the campus' Spanish architecture, the uniforms of the Goin' Band are styled after the trajes of matadors, complete with cape and a flat-brimmed "gaucho" hat.

The Goin' Band's repertoire of performance music varies widely, ranging from traditional marches to jazz pieces to the works of Elton John and Carlos Santana.

The Goin' Band makes use of both traditional-style marching (formations moving goal-line to goal-line) and corps-style (formations while playing to the sidelines) in its performances. The Goin' Band also incorporates some of the tactics of scramble bands.

Like most other schools' bands, the Goin' Band is open to all Texas Tech students, regardless of major or course of study. In fact, a significant portion of the band's membership is not connected to the School of Music in any way. For this reason, the Goin' Band implements a fast but efficient method of learning new performances that often does not require practices outside of normal class time ("Marching Band" is an actual course at Texas Tech). This allows a wide variety of students to participate without putting extra strain on their other obligations. Four, and sometimes five different shows are performed by the Goin' Band over the course of a season. It is not unusual for the band to learn a new show in five days, have it ready for performance on Saturday, then start again with a new drill the following Monday.

[edit] Traditional music of Texas Tech University

A band member plays a sousaphone.
A band member plays a sousaphone.

[edit] Directors

  • 1925-1926: W. Waghorn (Chairman of the Department of Music; the position of Director did not yet exist)
  • 1926-1934: Harry Lemaire
  • 1934-1959: D. O. "Prof" Wiley
  • 1959-1981: Dean Killion
  • 1981-2003: Keith Bearden
  • 2003-present: Christopher M. Anderson

[edit] References

Texas Tech's Goin' Band from Raiderland Drum Majors Phil Flynn and Drew Wyrick
Texas Tech's Goin' Band from Raiderland Drum Majors Phil Flynn and Drew Wyrick
  1. ^ Goin' Band From Raiderland » Texas Tech University's Award-Winning Marching Band
  2. ^ The Southwest Collection's Texas Tech in Retrospect
  3. ^ a b Goin' Band From Raiderland » History
  4. ^ The Southwest Collection's Texas Tech in Retrospect
  5. ^ RedRaiders.com
  6. ^ Kappa Kappa Psi - National Honorary Band Fraternity
  7. ^ TAU BETA SIGMA - National Honorary Band Sorority
  8. ^ Alpha History
  9. ^ Postgame Notes :: Texas Tech Postgame Notes

[edit] External links

Preceded by
UMass		 Sudler Trophy Recipient
1999		 Succeeded by
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