page_title: Michigan Marching Band
section_title: 1930 - 1949
hierarchical_section_title: Michigan Marching Band / History / 1930 - 1949
caption_attribution_description: English: University of Michigan Band marching in Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Halftime show in 1949. Photo by John J Namenye.
context_page_description: The Michigan Marching Band 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 today's band of over 400 members.
context_section_description: 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 band's integration with the ROTC program at the university. By the end of the war, the band's 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 band's 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 band's 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.
caption: 1949 Michigan Band performing a halftime show in Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor MI.
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