Texas Tech University Goin ' Band from Raiderland The Goin ' Band from Raiderland is the 450 - member marching band of Texas Tech University . 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 . In 1926 , Harry Lemaire ( 1862 - 1963 ) 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 . American humorist Will Rogers once aided in financing a trip to Fort Worth , Texas , so the band could perform at a game against the TCU Horned Frogs , becoming the first band to travel to an away game . He also helped purchase new uniforms . In 1934 , Dewey O . " Prof " Wiley ( 1898 - 1980 ) 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 . 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 . Dean Killion ( 1926 - 1997 ) 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 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 . Dr . Keith Dye and Duane Hill have served as Interim Co - Directors of the Goin ' Band from Raiderland while Director Christopher M . Anderson was on temporary leave . He was expected to return for the 2011 - 12 season but has since resigned his position and has accepted the position of Director of Bands at Arkansas Tech University . The Goin ' Band Today . In keeping with the campus ' Spanish Renaissance architecture , the uniforms of the Goin ' Band are styled after the " trajes " of matador s , complete with cape and a flat - brimmed " gaucho " hat . The traditional style of these uniforms has been in place for nearly twenty years . The Goin ' Band , through many generous private gifts , along with the help of the University and the Goin ' Band Association , received brand new uniforms in the fall of 2008 . 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 band s . 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 are not music majors . Practically every single department and course of study available at Texas tech University is represented in the Goin ' Band ' s membership . 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 from scratch in only five days , and have it ready for performance on Saturday , then start again with a new drill the following Monday .