Yale Precision Marching Band

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Yale Precision Marching Band
YPMB, The Band
Yale Precision Marching Band play Yale Bowl.jpg
Yale Precision Marching Band at Yale Bowl in 2019
School Yale University
Location New Haven, CT
Conference Ivy League
Founded1917 [1]
Director Thomas C. Duffy
Members100+
Fight song"Bulldog, Down the Field"
Website Yale Precision Marching Band

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.

Contents

About The Band

Wearing chef hats Yale Precision Marching Band wearing chef hats.jpg
Wearing chef hats

Aside from Director Thomas C. Duffy and Business Manager Stephanie Theodos Hubbard, the band is largely student-run.

Uberprop "Dmitri" at The Game 2010 (in attack position) YPMBDraegonDmitriUberprop2010.JPG
Überprop "Dmitri" at The Game 2010 (in attack position)
Uberprop "Peggy" at The Game 2006 (wings folded) Yale Precision Marching Band and their Pegasus (2006 Harvard-Yale Game).jpg
Überprop "Peggy" at The Game 2006 (wings folded)

Notable stunts

In October 1985, six YPMB members were suspended after dropping their pants at halftime during the Yale-Holy Cross game. [3] 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."

Repertoire

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. [8]

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References

  1. The Yale Alumni Weekly. 11 May 1917. p. 9. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  2. Schneider, Jordan (9 February 2011). "Accountant by day, announcer by night". Yale Daily News. Archived from the original on 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
  3. Freitag, Michael (20 October 1985). "6 AT YALE ARE PENALIZED FOR PRANK IN MARCHING BAND". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  4. http://www.bandmusicpdf.org/media/bmpdffiles/DownField.pdf [ dead link ]
  5. http://www.bandmusicpdf.org/media/bmpdffiles/YaleBoola.pdf Yale Boola, Boola
  6. http://www.bandmusicpdf.org/media/bmpdffiles/YaleCollegeLife.pdf Yale College Life
  7. http://www.bandmusicpdf.org/media/bmpdffiles/SonsYale.pdf Sons of Yale
  8. "Junta! Junta! Junta!". Archived from the original on 2000-03-04.