Yale Precision Marching Band
Encyclopedia
The Yale Precision Marching Band (affectionately known as the YPMB, or more simply The Band, for short) is the official marching band
of Yale University
. It is a scatter band (what some peers might call a "scramble band
"), as distinct from university marching bands that emphasize precise movements and geometric field formations. Band members refer to themselves as "The Members Of", which is derived from their introduction at Yale events.
The band performs at most Yale football, basketball, and hockey events, and travels with Yale athletic teams across the country. It makes regular appearances in New York's Village Halloween Parade
. It has been featured on Good Morning America
and in many newspapers.
The repertoire of the YPMB is constantly evolving, driven by student arrangers and pop music trends. Besides standard types of band instrument
s, the YPMB includes violins, bagpipes, accordions, keyboards, keytars, musical saws, and air guitar
s, and in 1988, was the first scatter band to incorporate electric guitars
.
The YPMB's "Squids" section creates large cardboard props for halftime shows. The Squids evolved from the "Appoges" of the 1980s and 1990s, who handled props but also carried their own "instruments" (frisbees, stuffed giraffes, lounge chairs). The Squids have also been known to handle more visually stunning aspects of the halftime show, such as flaming sousaphones, blank-loaded firearms, and other non-traditional marching band additions. The appearance at certain games of smoke- and flame-producing pyrotechnics has also been linked to the YPMB Squids, but this has never been successfully confirmed via official channels. Squid alumni have gone on to join The Flaming Lotus Girls, The Cacophony Society
, professional pyrotechnic companies, and other groups.
YPMB uniforms consist of white pants and dark blue blazers with the University emblem for football games; signature t-shirts for basketball and volleyball games; and hockey jerseys for hockey, lacrosse, and most other sports.
. An Unterprop was used for the first time in 2001.
On October 27, 1973 in a rare political statement, the YPMB reacted to Richard Nixon's "Saturday Night Massacre" (wherein he ordered the firing of the special prosecutor assigned to investigate Watergate) by forming a major "H" on the field and playing "10,000 Men of Harvard". The band paid tribute Harvard Graduate Elliot Richardson who resigned rather than carry out the order to fire Harvard Law professor Archibald Cox. The order was carried out by Yale Law professor Robert Bork.
In September 1977, at the conclusion of the halftime show at the Yale-Brown game, the YPMB formed a giant diaper on the field. The members of the YPMB dropped their pants en masse to reveal that all members were wearing diapers. (The band marched "Down the Field" with their pants around their ankles.) The announcer stated that the YPMB was the "Most Pampered Band in the Country" as they marched off. This became known as one of its more infamous stunts; the band parodied that stunt at the Princeton game in 1983, where the band dropped its pants en masse again, this time to reveal that all members were wearing sweat pants underneath their white uniform pants.
In October 1985, six YPMB members were suspended after dropping their pants at halftime during the Yale-Holy Cross game (New York Times, October 20, 1985, 11CN p. 17). Only one week earlier, the band was forbidden by West Point officials from performing its halftime show during the Army-Yale game for the script's insinuation that certain government officials were communists. The following season, in the Yale-Army game at New Haven, the YPMB took the unusual step of marching in straight lines for several minutes before breaking into its usual scatter formations. (NYT 10/7/86, B4) Before the band left the field, members removed their blue blazers on the field, spelling out "USA."
In 1992, before the combined playing of the "Star-Spangled Banner", the Harvard marching band attempted to "X-out" the Yale Precision Marching Band while the Yale band stood in its traditional Y formation; however, the Yale band caught wind of this plan and, as the Harvard band marched onto the field, shifted its formation into a large H, thus making Harvard X itself out.
In 1992, the Yale-Fordham halftime featured the marriage of two former band members, Drum Major James Lockman '89 and Props Goddess Rori Myers '92. ("At Yale, Wedding Band Takes On a New Meaning", New York Times, October 10, 1992.) During the ceremony, the band formed a three-tiered wedding cake; at each corner of the cake, serving as a candle, was a sousaphone
that was on fire.
In 1993, the Yale-Harvard halftime show included the "assassination" of the Energizer Bunny
(a bass drum player) -- the band formed a forty-yard bow and arrow, and "shot" the arrow at the Bunny. After they missed, the drum major took out a shotgun and blew the Bunny away. He was carried off by band members dressed as dining hall workers.
After the September 11 attacks in 2001, the YPMB became a source of minor controversy for performing a halftime show parodying the history of jingoism
in American media and culture, including patriotic bowdlerization, and addressing the possibility of conscription
. A strong negative reaction from a several audience members, including boos (especially when "War
" was spelled on the field) and angry letters to administrators and newspapers, led the band to limit the often aggressive political content of its shows through at least the 2002 season. Negative reactions were heightened by the fact the show took place on Yale Parents' Weekend.
The Band's repertoire includes hundreds of songs arranged by the YPMB Junta, the Band's own syndicate of arranger-transcribers. These dedicated and talented folks manage to add more than 30 pieces to the Band music library every year. The YPMB runs the gamut of genres, from Hip Hop to Techno, Pop to R&B, and, of course, plenty of straight Rock.
team, the YPMB created and sold Men of the Band calendars. They were an instant hit.
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. It is a scatter band (what some peers might call a "scramble band
Scramble band
A scramble band - also known as a scatter band - is a particular type of field-performing marching band with distinct characteristics that set it apart from other common forms of marching bands; most notably, scramble bands do not normally march...
"), as distinct from university marching bands that emphasize precise movements and geometric field formations. Band members refer to themselves as "The Members Of", which is derived from their introduction at Yale events.
About The Band
Aside from Director Thomas C. Duffy and Business Manager Stephanie Hubbard, the band is largely student-run. The Drum Major conducts the band during rehearsals and at games. The Manager works closely with the Drum Major to organize performances and events on-and-off campus, and ensure the well-being of the group. The Script Writer guides a script team that writes each week's show. The Student Arranger (STUD) heads the Musicological Junta, the student team that arranges music for the shows. Ten section leaders assist the Drum Major and Manager, lead sectionals, etc.The band performs at most Yale football, basketball, and hockey events, and travels with Yale athletic teams across the country. It makes regular appearances in New York's Village Halloween Parade
New York's Village Halloween Parade
New York's Village Halloween Parade is an annual holiday parade and street pageant presented the night of every Halloween in New York City’s Greenwich Village...
. It has been featured on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
and in many newspapers.
The repertoire of the YPMB is constantly evolving, driven by student arrangers and pop music trends. Besides standard types of band instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s, the YPMB includes violins, bagpipes, accordions, keyboards, keytars, musical saws, and air guitar
Air guitar
Playing air guitar is a form of dance and movement in which the performer pretends to play rock or heavy metal-style electric guitar, including riffs, solos, etc. Playing an air guitar usually consists of exaggerated strumming and picking motions and is often coupled with loud singing or lip-synching...
s, and in 1988, was the first scatter band to incorporate electric guitars
Electric Guitars
Electric Guitars were formed early in 1980 by Neil Davenport and Richard Hall who were both studying English at Bristol University. The band soon increased to a five-man line-up, with Andy Saunders , Matt Salt and Dick Truscott , they also later added two backing singers: Sara and Wendy...
.
The YPMB's "Squids" section creates large cardboard props for halftime shows. The Squids evolved from the "Appoges" of the 1980s and 1990s, who handled props but also carried their own "instruments" (frisbees, stuffed giraffes, lounge chairs). The Squids have also been known to handle more visually stunning aspects of the halftime show, such as flaming sousaphones, blank-loaded firearms, and other non-traditional marching band additions. The appearance at certain games of smoke- and flame-producing pyrotechnics has also been linked to the YPMB Squids, but this has never been successfully confirmed via official channels. Squid alumni have gone on to join The Flaming Lotus Girls, The Cacophony Society
Cacophony Society
The Cacophony Society is “a randomly gathered network of free spirits united in the pursuit of experiences beyond the pale of mainstream society.” It was started in 1986 by surviving members of the now defunct Suicide Club of San Francisco....
, professional pyrotechnic companies, and other groups.
YPMB uniforms consist of white pants and dark blue blazers with the University emblem for football games; signature t-shirts for basketball and volleyball games; and hockey jerseys for hockey, lacrosse, and most other sports.
The Game
For the annual Harvard-Yale game - The Game - the YPMB puts on its largest halftime show of the year, featuring enormous three-dimensional props. Known as "Überprops", these typically serve as a means of destroying John HarvardJohn Harvard (clergyman)
John Harvard was an English minister in America whose deathbed bequest to the Massachusetts Bay Colony's fledgling New College was so gratefully received that the school was renamed Harvard College in his honor.-Biography:Harvard was born and raised in Southwark, England, the fourth of nine...
. An Unterprop was used for the first time in 2001.
Überprops
- 2011: "Eustace," an 13 feet (4 m) tall bulldog Patronus who repelled the dementors of John Harvoldemort.
- 2010: "Dmitri," a sparkling blue toruk (the species of dragon from the movie Avatar), which the reigning squiddeities rode onto the field.
- 2009: "Shield of Yaleonidas," a mosaic of 64 shields that, when held up together, formed a giant Yale crest, and then flipped to read "Yale Will Win"
- 2008: "Berlin Wall", a large model of the Berlin Wall covered in graffiti against Harvard (the content of this graffiti caused the band's director to suspend the band from upcoming performances and appearances)
- 2007: "Bessie," a stegosaurus-like creature with a moving head and jaw and a moustache in the likeness of the one worn by Yale College's Dean.
- 2006: "Peggy," a giant pegasus with a 40 feet (12.2 m) wingspan.
- 2005: "WWI Tank," with a turret, treads, and 15-foot-long PVC pipe gun that shot out smoke as it destroyed the Harvard observation balloon
- 2004: "Alain," a giant blue dodecapus with 70 feet (21.3 m) tentacles
- 2003: "The Spider," a 30-foot-long, 20-foot-tall spider with independently moving legs and bloody mandibles, accompanied onto the field by a roughly 300-square-yard web
- 2002: "The Snake," a snake that was 105 feet (32 m) long and 10 feet (3 m) wide
- 2001: "Peaches," an enormous fire-breathing blue dragon
- 2000: "The Booty Hunter," a two-story pirate ship with simulated cannon fire
- 1999: "The Train," a 40 feet (12.2 m) train with several boxcars
- 1998: "The Tank," a tank with gun turret
- 1997: "Nessie," the Loch Ness monsterLoch Ness MonsterThe Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next....
- 1996: "The Shark"
- 1995: "The Gallows", a hangman-style noose erected to tear the tab off of a large soda can
- 1994: "The Volcano", a 12 feet (3.7 m) smoke-belching volcano into which a Harvard student was sacrificed (the student was spit out by the volcano)
- 1989: "The Drum", a drum twice the diameter of the Harvard drum, out of which the Yale Bulldog Mascot jumped after the drum exploded
- 1988: "The Guillotine", a giant guillotine that spanned half the width of the field
Unterprops
- 2011: Three red-colored Harvard Dementors, come to suck the fun, hot breakfast, and attractive people from Yale as such things are rare in Cambridge.
- 2010: Cantabot 2.0 and cardboard vuvuzelas
- 2009: A battering ram with the head of John Harvard at its forefront.
- 2008: A phallic missile
- 2007: Three pterodactyls in the service of Harvard.
- 2006: A hydra that sprouted two heads when one was cut off.
- 2005: A Helium-filled observation balloon (the first ever flying ünterprop), Yale biplanes (Allies) and Harvard triplanes (German).
- 2004: The "HSS Compensation," a 30 feet (9.1 m) long ship operated by John Harvard and commandeered by "Alain."
- 2001: The Harvard Castle, attacked by "Peaches" the dragon.
Notable stunts
In the early 1970s the YPMB could not afford to go to one game at Brown. The band's announcer and the drum major went alone. The drum major marched out by himself as the announcer gravely stated , "For the first time anywhere, the Yale University Invisible Marching band forms ... THE FACE OF GOD!!"On October 27, 1973 in a rare political statement, the YPMB reacted to Richard Nixon's "Saturday Night Massacre" (wherein he ordered the firing of the special prosecutor assigned to investigate Watergate) by forming a major "H" on the field and playing "10,000 Men of Harvard". The band paid tribute Harvard Graduate Elliot Richardson who resigned rather than carry out the order to fire Harvard Law professor Archibald Cox. The order was carried out by Yale Law professor Robert Bork.
In September 1977, at the conclusion of the halftime show at the Yale-Brown game, the YPMB formed a giant diaper on the field. The members of the YPMB dropped their pants en masse to reveal that all members were wearing diapers. (The band marched "Down the Field" with their pants around their ankles.) The announcer stated that the YPMB was the "Most Pampered Band in the Country" as they marched off. This became known as one of its more infamous stunts; the band parodied that stunt at the Princeton game in 1983, where the band dropped its pants en masse again, this time to reveal that all members were wearing sweat pants underneath their white uniform pants.
In October 1985, six YPMB members were suspended after dropping their pants at halftime during the Yale-Holy Cross game (New York Times, October 20, 1985, 11CN p. 17). Only one week earlier, the band was forbidden by West Point officials from performing its halftime show during the Army-Yale game for the script's insinuation that certain government officials were communists. The following season, in the Yale-Army game at New Haven, the YPMB took the unusual step of marching in straight lines for several minutes before breaking into its usual scatter formations. (NYT 10/7/86, B4) Before the band left the field, members removed their blue blazers on the field, spelling out "USA."
In 1992, before the combined playing of the "Star-Spangled Banner", the Harvard marching band attempted to "X-out" the Yale Precision Marching Band while the Yale band stood in its traditional Y formation; however, the Yale band caught wind of this plan and, as the Harvard band marched onto the field, shifted its formation into a large H, thus making Harvard X itself out.
In 1992, the Yale-Fordham halftime featured the marriage of two former band members, Drum Major James Lockman '89 and Props Goddess Rori Myers '92. ("At Yale, Wedding Band Takes On a New Meaning", New York Times, October 10, 1992.) During the ceremony, the band formed a three-tiered wedding cake; at each corner of the cake, serving as a candle, was a sousaphone
Sousaphone
The sousaphone is a type of tuba that is widely employed in marching bands. Designed so that it fits around the body of the musician and is supported by the left shoulder, the sousaphone may be readily played while being carried...
that was on fire.
In 1993, the Yale-Harvard halftime show included the "assassination" of the Energizer Bunny
Energizer Bunny
The Energizer Bunny is the marketing icon and mascot of Energizer batteries in North America. It is a pink toy rabbit wearing sunglasses and blue and white striped sandals that beats a bass drum bearing the Energizer logo. It is a parody of the preexistent Duracell Bunny, still seen in Europe and...
(a bass drum player) -- the band formed a forty-yard bow and arrow, and "shot" the arrow at the Bunny. After they missed, the drum major took out a shotgun and blew the Bunny away. He was carried off by band members dressed as dining hall workers.
After the September 11 attacks in 2001, the YPMB became a source of minor controversy for performing a halftime show parodying the history of jingoism
Jingoism
Jingoism is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as extreme patriotism in the form of aggressive foreign policy. In practice, it is a country's advocation of the use of threats or actual force against other countries in order to safeguard what it perceives as its national interests...
in American media and culture, including patriotic bowdlerization, and addressing the possibility of conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
. A strong negative reaction from a several audience members, including boos (especially when "War
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
" was spelled on the field) and angry letters to administrators and newspapers, led the band to limit the often aggressive political content of its shows through at least the 2002 season. Negative reactions were heightened by the fact the show took place on Yale Parents' Weekend.
Drum Majors
YPMB Drum Majors are the political, social, and spiritual leaders of the band. They are usually elected by committee in January, and serve their sentence through the subsequent football season. Most Drum Majors are elected in their Junior Year, passing the torch to the next generation before they graduate.- 2011: Kate Carter (SM '12)
- 2010: Elliot Eaton (JE '11)
- 2009: Kate Kraft (SM '10)
- 2008: Rosa Li (CC '09)
- 2007: Dave DeAngelis (TD '08)
- 2006: Ben Jorns (BR '07)
- 2005: Douglas London (MC '06)
- 2004: Karl Gunderson (DC '05)
- 2003: Mark Lee (ES '04)
- 2002: Jeremiah Quinlan (MC '03)
- 2001: Joshua McNeil (MC '02)
- 2000: Betsy Golden (ES '01)
- 1999: Michael Stafford (PC '00)
- 1998: Al St. Germain (BK '99)
- 1997: Mehul Patel ('98)
- 1996: Rob Shiau ('97)
- 1995: Andrew Ryder ('96)
- 1994: Matt Comeau ('95)
- 1993: Mark Gamm ('94)
- 1992: Seth Kosto ('93)
- 1991: Seth Weinreb ('92)
- 1990: Peter Arvantely ('91)
- 1989: Sam "Elkman" Evans ('90)
- 1988: Jim Lockman ('89)
- 1987: Mike Berman ('88)
- 1986: Dante Centuori ('87)
- 1985: Dante Centuori ('87)
- 1984: Todd McHenry ('85)
- 1983: Andrew Polinski ('84)
- 1982: David Polinski ('83)
- 1981: David Polinski ('83)
- 1980: Jennifer Roberts ('81)
- 1979: Paul Schechner ('80)
- 1978: Paul Schechner ('80)
- 1977: Joseph Sachs ('78)
- 1976: Alec Murphy ('77)
- 1975: Alec Murphy ('77)
- 1974: David Perlman ('75)
- 1973: David Perlman ('75)
- 1972: Larry Tucker ('73)
- 1971: Larry Tucker ('73)
Repertoire
- Bulldog, Eli Yale words and music by Cole Porter class of 1913
- Boola, BoolaBoola Boola-History of the song:The song in its present form was composed in 1900 and is generally attributed to Allan M. Hirsh, Yale Class of 1901, who in a 1930 letter claimed to have written it in collaboration with his classmates F. M. Van Wicklen, Albert Marckwald, and James L. Boyce in the fall of 1900...
- Bingo, That's the Lingo words and music by Cole Porter class of 1913
- Down the Field
The Band's repertoire includes hundreds of songs arranged by the YPMB Junta, the Band's own syndicate of arranger-transcribers. These dedicated and talented folks manage to add more than 30 pieces to the Band music library every year. The YPMB runs the gamut of genres, from Hip Hop to Techno, Pop to R&B, and, of course, plenty of straight Rock.
Miscellaneous
In order to raise donations for Yale's 2007, 2008, and 2009 Relay for LifeRelay For Life
Relay For Life is the main volunteer-driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. Originating in the United States, the Relay For Life event has spread to 21 countries. Relay events are held in local communities, campus universities, military bases, and in cyberspace...
team, the YPMB created and sold Men of the Band calendars. They were an instant hit.