Alumni Band & KU Band History

History of KU Bands

Founded in 1866, the first known band at the University of Kansas started in 1878 when student Stuart O. Henry organized a small 12-piece band to support the university military company. Unfortunately, this group did not receive much assistance from the University and did not survive the summer. Despite several attempts to form a consistent band in the following years, it was not until 1898 when student Curtis Osborne formed a group that the KU Band program would be established. A succession of many students followed Osborn as leader until Joseph C. McCanles was hired as the KU Bands first faculty director in 1910. He served until 1934 when Russell L. Wiley assumed leadership of the band. Under Wiley’s leadership, the band flourished and, in 1936, he founded the Midwestern Music Camp, a camp that continues as an annual summer tradition of educating young musicians from all over America. The MMC is now the second oldest music camp in the United States.

Wiley retired as Director of Bands in 1968 and was succeeded by Kenneth G. Bloomquist who held the position for two years. George Boberg served as interim director during the 1970-1971 school year until Robert E. Foster was appointed Director of Bands in the fall of 1971. During Foster's 31-year tenure, the KU Band continued to grow and prosper. Many KU Band traditions were established during Foster’s tenure, including the Marching Jayhawks march down Campanile Hill to Memorial Stadium (1971), the addition of claps to I’m a Jayhawk, and the addition of Home on the Range, the Kansas state song, to the band's repertoire, also beginning in 1971. Women also became a regular part of the marching band in the fall of 1972 with the passage of Title IX. In 1989, the Marching Jayhawks became only the seventh band ever to be awarded the Sudler Trophy, the highest honor available to college marching bands. In 1994, it was named as one of the top ten college marching bands by Sports Illustrated. In the spring of 1996, Foster organized a trip to Japan with the Marching Jayhawks where the band participated in a weeklong marching band festival held at the theme park Huis ten Bosch, in Nagasaki, Japan.

With the bands at KU growth in size and stature, another faculty member was hired. Tom Stidham came to KU with experiences as the Director of Bands at Georgia Southern College and as Assistant Director of Bands at Baylor University in 1975 and served until 2012. Shortly after Stidham’s arrival, James Barnes also joined the staff with a unique knowledge of KU as he received both a BM and MM in composition from KU. He served as assistant director of bands until 2000 when he stepped down to chair the music theory and composition department. 

In 2002 John Lynch was appointed Director of Bands, and Dr. Tim Oliver led the Marching Jayhawks and athletic bands for three years before leaving to lead the marching band at Temple University. Jim Hudson served as Director of Athletic Bands from 2003-2006, before leaving for Arizona State University. After Professor Hudson’s departure, David Clemmer led the athletic band program from 2006-2011, experiencing a tremendous 2007-2008 season with an Orange Bowl football victory and a national championship in men’s basketball.

Scott Weiss joined the KU Band program as Director of Bands from 2007 until 2010, when Paul Popiel took over leadership of the program. Dr. Popiel served as Director of Bands until 2023, when he moved into the interim, and later permanent, position as Dean of the School of Music. During his tenure, the KU Wind Ensemble furthered its national reputation through performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and multiple commissions and recording projects. 

In 2011, Matt Smith was hired to lead the Marching Jayhawks, and upon Tom Stidham’s retirement, Sharon Toulouse joined as assistant director in 2012. In 2024, Toulouse was appointed Director of Athletic Bands, and Smith accepted the position of Director of Bands in 2025 after serving in an interim role. Melissa Sawyer was named Assistant Director of Bands in the fall of 2024.

In recent years the Marching Jayhawks have increased in size to nearly 400 members. Pep bands are active for Women’s Volleyball and Men’s and Women’s Basketball, and often make appearances at other athletic contests, pep rallies, and special events on and off campus. When the concert bands expanded to four ensembles in 2025, Wind Ensemble was renamed Wind Orchestra and the new band was named Wind Symphony. Graduates of the wind conducting program are consistently placed in prestigious institutions throughout  the country. Our program is grateful to the many students and directors who have forged a path that cherishes our unique traditions and advance the reputation of bands.

In 2012, the KU Alumni Association and the student-led Homecoming Steering Committee named the KU Alumni Band as the recipient of the 2012 Rich and Judy Billings Spirit of 1912 Award. This annual award recognizes special contributions to KU's Homecoming celebration, a 100-year tradition. The KU Alumni Band was chosen in gratitude for its yearly performance during homecoming and its long-standing involvement with the tradition. The inaugural year of the KU Alumni Band was 1974 when Robert E Foster brought alumni back to celebrate the retirement of former Director of Bands, Russell Wiley.

In recent years, the KU Bands have continued to build on their storied reputation with performances at the MENC National Convention in Minneapolis and a concert tour of China in 2004, Carnegie Hall in 2013, Kansas Music Educators Association in 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2018. and the Kennedy Center in 2018. Subsequent commercial CDs include Wild Nights, 2009,  Derivations, 2011,  Landscapes, 2013, In the Shadow of No Towers, 2013, Michael Torke Concerto for Orchestra, 2016,  Of Shadow and Light, 2017, and Freedom From Fear, in 2020. 

There are over 400 students involved in various programs in the KU Bands. They represent the University in over 125 performances every school year beginning with Hawk Week before the first classes have met, and concluding with commencement, marking the end of the academic year.