University of California Marching Band The University of California Marching Band , usually shortened to Cal Band , is the marching band for the University of California , Berkeley . While the Cal Band is student - run , it is administered under the auspices of the university and represents Cal at sporting events and social gatherings . The name of the band is " The University of California Band " by the constitution , but is typically called " The University of California Marching Band " or " The Cal Band " . When the band marches out of Memorial Stadium ' s North Tunnel for football pre - games , it is referred to as " The Pacesetter of College Marching Bands , the Pride of California " . Unlike most other collegiate marching bands , the Cal Band is not under the University ' s Department of Music but rather the Department of Student Musical Activities , with other student - led organizations such as the University of California Jazz Ensembles and University of California Choral Ensembles . The Band is entirely student - run , save for one University - paid employee , its Director . Five students , each heading a specific point of leadership within the band , are elected by their peers and serve for terms of one calendar year . The five student leaders and the Director form the Executive Committee . The Senior Manager is elected by the previous Executive Committee . All the other student Executive Committee positions are elected by a majority vote of the Band membership . Presently , the Band has 240 members in the Fall of 2012 ( no color guard or auxiliary ) and is under the direction of Robert Calonico , himself an alumnus of the University and the Band , serving as its Student Director in 1976 . History . The Cal Band has its roots in the University Cadet Band established in 1891 . In 1923 , the Band was sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of California ( ASUC ) and its student leadership structure was formalized two years later . In the early years ( prior to 1971 ) , various faculty from the Music department were appointed director of the band through an arrangement with the ASUC . After the 1950 Rose Bowl against Ohio State University , the Cal Band decided to adopt its present high - stepping style after they discovered their performance looked lackluster in comparison to Ohio State ' s marching band . The Straw Hat Band , a subset of the Cal Band , was also established that same year . After Professor Cushing ( director from 1934 to 1950 ) resigned , the Music Department was asked to provide the ASUC with a new Director for the Band . Coincidentally , James Berdahl ( Student Director in 1938 ) was returning to Berkeley to work on his doctoral studies in music . The Music Department Chairman , Albert Elkus , convinced Berdahl to serve as acting Director of the Cal Band until the department could find a permanent replacement for Professor Cushing . Berdahl became permanent Director of the Cal Band at the end of the 1951 season , and remained in that position until 1971 . During Berdahl ' s tenure , the band began using the traditional chair step marching style . It is one of only three bands in the Pac - 12 ( the others being the Spirit of Troy and the University of Washington Husky Marching Band ) , and one of the few outside the Big Ten Conference , to use this physically demanding style . In the fall of 1968 , Dr . David W . Tucker ( Ph . D , Cal , 1969 ) was hired as arranger and composer . He was appointed Associate Director in 1969 . His responsibilities with the Cal Band included rehearsing , auditioning prospective new members , and directing on the football field opposite director James Berdahl . For the 1971 season , during Berdahl ’ s sabbatical year in Japan , Tucker was named Acting Director . At the end of the 1971 season , Tucker left the Cal Band to accept the newly created position of Director of the University of California Jazz Ensembles , after having been the volunteer director since 1969 . During the 1971 season , substantial podium time was taken by Assistant Director Robert O . Briggs . He was appointed acting director in 1972 , and was made director in 1973 . In the 1970s , the Band ' s leadership structure was reorganized , a new band constitution written , and sponsorship moved from ASUC to the University . In the Spring Quarter of 1973 , the all - male band voted to admit women , in the face of Title IX sanctions against the University , which was now the Band ' s primary funding source . There were fewer than 10 dissenting votes , against more than 100 votes in favor of admitting women . In the Fall 1973 marching season , 23 woman marched , together with 120 men . Although they rehearsed , marched and performed with the Band beginning in 1973 , women were not entirely accepted by the Band ' s " inner fellowship " until through attrition the dissenting all - male band veterans had rotated out of the Band . More recently , the Band ' s membership has consisted of an even split of men and women , thus successfully broadening and improving the performance repertory possible for the Band ' s live performances . In 1993 , the Cal Band History Committee published a comprehensive history of the Cal Band . While this volume is now out of print , the text of the History Book can be found online at Cal Band History Book Director Emeritus Robert O . Briggs died in 2008 , leaving a legacy of musicianship spanning two generations of musicians . Performances . The Cal Band has been seen and heard at a variety of performance venues . In the recent past , the Cal Band has appeared at the San Francisco Symphony ' s " Black and White Ball , " performed for such names as George Shultz ( former U . S . Secretary of State ) , Peter Haas and family ( UC Berkeley benefactors and the owners of Levi Strauss & Co . ) , and George Lucas . In addition , the Cal Band has been seen on " The Ed Sullivan Show , " the nationally syndicated game show " Wheel of Fortune , " Santa Rosa TV 50 ' s morning program , KTVU Channel 2 ' s " Mornings on Two , " KRON Channel 4 ' s newscasts , " Bay Area Backroads , " and sportscaster Vernon Glen ' s " Mr . Involvement . " The Cal Band sound has been heard on dozens of Bay Area radio stations , such as WiLD 94 . 9 and KMEL 106 . 1 , Live 105 , and K101 , and rounds out its exposure on the pages of numerous Bay Area newspapers . In 2010 , the band also led the San Francisco Giants victory parade in downtown San Francisco . Wintertime activities include playing at various on campus sporting events and trips to play at various ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe region . Before 2002 , in the spring , the Band performed a traditional " " Spring Show " " in UC Berkeley ' s Zellerbach Auditorium , combining the marching and playing talents of the band with other , hidden talents usually reserved for off the football field . Spring Show was discontinued in 2002 after financial burdens to the band resulting from funding cuts to the University of California system . In 2009 , the Spring Show was brought back , to be discontinued again after the spring of 2011 . In a different sort of performance , the Cal Band was asked to help with the Nobel Lecture by George Smoot in 2006 by recreating " The Big Bang . " Football Performances . During weeks of home football games the Cal Band gives several performances . On Fridays before a game , the Cal Band plays at the noon rallies on Sproul Plaza . On game days the Cal Band gives a concert on Sproul Plaza an hour and a half before kickoff . Following this performance , the Band marches in formation to California Memorial Stadium , leading a procession of Cal alumni and fans . During home football games the band gives a pre - game show , a half time show , and typically a musical performance after the game as the crowd leaves . During the game , the band is seated to the left of the primary student section , and plays stand songs , as well as fight songs throughout the game . A " break off " band performs in the front of each major section during the third quarter . In the Bleacher Report ' s power ranking of the top 25 college marching band pregames shows and traditions , the Cal Band was named 9th ( of 25 ) as having a show that " beckons [ the ] former glory days , full of school songs and traditional formations " and is " a stand - alone classic " . Instrumentation . The Cal Band uses a fairly standard military band instrumentation with glockenspiel s , piccolo s , clarinet s , alto saxophone s , tenor saxophone s , trumpet s , mellophone s , trombone s , baritones , sousaphone s , snare drum s , tenor drums , bass drum s , and cymbals . California Alumni Band . The California Alumni Band , usually shorted to Cal Alumni Band , is a marching band consisting of former Cal Band members . The Cal Alumni Band is run by the non - profit Cal Band Alumni Association and is a subset of the Cal Alumni Association , an organization that handles alumni affairs of the University of California , Berkeley . The Cal Alumni Band performs at various events such as : San Francisco AIDS Walk , Alumni Band Day , the Fourth of July Parade in Sausalito , California , Cal Basketball Games , and many other performances in the San Francisco Bay Area and across California .