First Chair of America - National Yearbook (Greenwood, MS)

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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN BANDS DR. WILLIAM D. REVELLI, Conductor The University of Michigan Symphony Band takes the spotlight at the close of the football season and is known throughout thc nation as one of the outstanding organi- zations of its kind. The late Dr. Edwin Franko Goldman was quoted as saying, The University of Michigan Symphony Band stands without peer among college bands. The Symphony Band is the major concert unit of the' bands at Michigan, performing through Michigan and other areas of the nation. It has twice appeared before the College Band Directors' National Association. Appearances have been made in major musical centers in such auditoriums as Carnegie Hall in New York City, Philadelphia Academy of Music, Boston Symphony Hall, Shrine Auditorium in Detroit, and Bushnell Audi- torium in Hartford, Connecticut. I Critics have yielded high acclaim to the Michigan Symphony Band. Here are some of the comments: The Unizferyity of Michigan Symphony Band, under the leaderrhip of IVilliam D. Revelli, laft night gaueta concert in Carnegie Hall. The Uniuerrity of Michigan Band is without quertion one of the finer! in the country, if not the entire world. NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE, Saturday, April 9, 1955. Long conridered the hert undergraduate murical organization of ity hind in the country, it: fThe Uniuerrity of Michigan Symphony Bandj Symphony Hall concert last night proved why. BOSTON POST, Boston, Massachusetts, April 6, 1955 ll7e have heard quite a numher of proferrional handr, hut- in our memory we find none that equalled what we heard lart night. It Kric., the Unirerrity of Michigan Symphony Bandj har the richness of the Barton Symphony, along with it.r power and rurgef it har the tonal heauzier of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the rhythmic flexibility of the New York Philharmonic, when Mitropoulo: i.r conducting. SPRINGFIELD UNION, Springfield, Massachusetts, April 5, 1955. IV ith impeccable muricianrhip and artirtry far heyond it: age level, the University of Michigan Symphony Band played to a capacity audience. COURIER EXPRESS, Buffalo, New York, April 1, 1955. Last night thi: 106 member aggregation Kric., the Unioerrity of Michigan Symphony Bandj came to Burhnell and performed in a collective manner that would put to shame many a trained praferrional group. HARTFORD TIMES, Hartford, Connecticut, April 8, 1955

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EAST ISLIR NEW YORK, HIGH SCHOOL BAND SECTIONS l ' J ,fi -.1 , 1 . V ,Q . 1. ml lie' l liil I g--I . .w. w DRUM MAJ RS MAJORETTES RIFLE SECTION O Bette Riedel, Captain Kathleen Vahjen, Co-Captain OFFICERS FRONT ROW: ARTHUR ACCARDO, Presidentg LANCE CHIMENTI, Vice Presidentg W I L L I A M WEBSTER, Treasurer. BACK ROW: H A R R Y HLAVAC, Business Managerg WARD TUCKER and PETER PASCHKE, Assis- tant Business Managers. .2222 ' B' is A 1 .---i F n V s .Q 5 fu, -. .-. ' c 'P OFFICERS FRONT ROW: BETTE RIEDEL, Drum Majorg KATHLEEN VAHJEN, Assist- ant Drum Majorg MARYKATE MAD- DOCK, Publicity. BACK ROW: RICH- ARD CORDANI, Rifle Sergeant and WARD TUCKER, Assistant Rifle Ser- geant. 3' lf an 'Q Sea S.: if xiii: AEN. l J ,ar 1 s N

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1957 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MARCHING BAND DR. WILLIAM D. REVELLI, Cofzductor- GEORGE CAVENDER, Asrixlrmt Cozzrlzzcfor GURDON CHAMP PATTON, Drum Major For the first eight weeks of the fall semester, the Univer- sity of Michigan Marching Band takes the spotlight., The 1957 version of the Michigan Marching Band was one of the largest in the history of Bands at the University of Michigan. It was composed of 143 playing members, four twirlers, one drum major, a color guard of four members, and ten guidon-pennant bearers carry pennants in the various Big Ten colors. Tradition has established the policy of an all-male marching band and this has been true ever since its inception in 1859. With men from 26 states in its membership, it truly can be called the All-American Band. A typical season finds this organization marching over 28,000 man-miles, or over once around the world in the preparation of its shows. This group will expend some 26,048,936,960 foot pounds of energy in the preparation of its shows during the course of a season, and if all the music it is to use in its eight-week season were to be stacked in one pile, it would tower some fifteen feet into the air. Because of its leadership, its showmanship, and its superior perform- ances, the Band was chosen as the subject of a film-short which was made by RKO Pathe Pictures. This was the film entitled, Here Comes The Band, a short which received international release. The Band has also twice been chosen as the subject of a feature article in LIFE Magazine, and has appeared on nrunerous national tele- vision programs. All musical arrangements used on the field are specially scored for the particular show and formation. The march- ing band members drill from 4:15 to 5:45 Mondays through Fridays in preparation for each show. The posi- tion of drill-master does not exist, for Dr. Revelli and his assistant, Mr. George Cavender, work hand in hand in all the myriad details concerned with presenting per- formances. Flutes, piccolos, oboes, bassoons, contra-bas- soons, alto clarinets, bass clarinets, baritone saxophones, bass saxophones, and French horns are not used on the field. Alto horns, trombones, cornets, trumpets, euphon- iums, and the like come into prominence in the March- ing Band, giving it a sonority which is its traditional trademark. The Michigan Band has been very fortunate in having for its drum majors, some of the outstanding men in the field. Names like Richard Smith and Floyd Zarbock and Champ Patton are but a few. The Drum Major for the 1957 season was Gurdon Champ Patton from Mt. Morris, Michigan. Twirlers were: joseph Brown of Dear- born, Michigan, john Kirkendall of Burlington, Indiana, Gary Kocher of Shelby, Ohio, and James I-Iiggenbottom of Lincoln Park, Michigan. The Michigan Marching Band has appeared from coast to coast, and from this has come the title, appended by the sports writers, of Transcontinental All-American Marching Band. Typical of its engagements are appear- ances in most of the Big Ten stadiums, and two appear- ances in the Rose Bowl.