The Longhorn Band
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The Longhorn Band was founded in 1900 by a distinguished University of Texas chemistry professor, Dr. Eugene P. Schoch. Envisioning a marching band as an inspiring addition to the turn-of-the-century football season, Schoch recruited 16 UT students and spent $150 for instruments at Jackson's Pawn Shop in downtown Austin. This was the beginning of "The Showband of the Southwest." The 16 charter members, who wore uniforms of white linen dusters and white caps with black bills, were not music majors but students from various academic disciplines. They shared one common goal: to promote UT pride and spirit. Dr. H. E. Baxter, the first director, guided the band for five years, after which Dr. Schoch assumed leadership. For seven years after Schoch's retirement, students directed the band themselves. In 1917, Mr. Burnett "Blondie" Pharr became the director and is credited for developing the Longhorn Band into one of the outstanding band organizations in the country. Pharr's band gave performances in 17 states, including at the Chicago World's Fair, in Washington D.C., and at Madison Square Garden in New York. During Pharr's era the Longhorn Band was the guest of Governor Lehman of New York, Mayor LaGuardia of New York City, and President Roosevelt in the White House. Pharr served as director until 1937. From 1937-1949, Colonel George E. Hurt served as the director. During his tenure, the band grew to more than 200 members and gained enormous popularity. "Colonel Hurt and his bandsmen have become a part of the life of all Texans. When they give us 'The Eyes of Texas,' a lump comes in our throats and there is a pricklish feeling in our noses and we blink our lashes together and swallow hard--and thank God for Texas," said one editor of The Daily Texan student newspaper in 1940. In 1949, Colonel Hurt suffered a stroke. His replacement, Moton Crocket, assumed the directorship until 1955. 
For the next 20 years, Mr. Vincent DiNino served as director of the Longhorn Band. The band grew in both size and reputation and attained the level of quality that is characteristic of its musicianship today. During DiNino's reign as director, many traditions in the band were created, including use of cowbells and the Big Bertha drum, the Big Flags Brigade, and the inclusion of the Longhorn Alumni Band. A scholarship program was also established. 
Women became members of the Longhorn Band during the DiNino era. Until 1956, the only women in the marching band were the majorettes. Ten female students were admitted in the fall of that year. The first to march with the Longhorn Band was Leah Raye Sexton in January 1957 during the Governor's inaugural parade. In the fall 1957, an Asian flu epidemic swept through campus, and when many bandsmen became ill before the Oklahoma game, women were called to the rescue and have been marching ever since. In 1975, Mr. Tom C. Rhodes was appointed director and remained in that position until the spring 1980. In the fall 1980, Mr. Glenn A. Richter returned to his alma mater as director. During his tenure, the Longhorn Band was officially recognized as the nation's top collegiate marching band by being awarded the John Philip Sousa Foundation Sudler Trophy in 1986. Richter served until the fall 1995, when Ms. Paula A. Crider was named Longhorn Band director. Dr. Kevin L. Sedatole took over in 1999 to lead The Showband of the Southwest into the next century. Throughout its rich history, the Longhorn Band has gone through many geographical changes, as well. The first Longhorn Band Hall was a little shack known as the chemistry lab. Later, the band moved into more "spacious quarters," a caretaker's room built around the base of an old water tower which stood on campus. After this, the band moved to various buildings, including Gregory Gym, and finally was housed in a converted barracks building on 23rd Street across from Memorial Stadium in the fall 1947. This building, provided by the Ex-Students Association, served as the band hall until August 1969, when the band moved into its current residence at 500 East 24th Street. Officially known as the Music Building East, the present building is also called the "Longhorn Band Hall" around campus. A choral room, orchestra room, and upstairs studios for the wind and percussion faculty were added later. The Proctor W. Day Band Hall is the rehearsal room for The University of Texas Wind Ensemble, Symphony Band, and the Longhorn Marching Band, Concert bands, Jazz bands, and Basketball Band.
General InformationThe Longhorn Band is a year-round program offered as a course by the School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin. Activities begin in August with Band Week, in preparation for the marching season, and continue until graduation ceremonies in late May. Throughout the fall, the Longhorn Band performs at all University of Texas football games and provides a smaller pep band for out-of-state trips. For NCAA Bowl game trips, the tradition has been to send the entire Longhorn Band. Additional performances include pep rallies, parades, and a special halftime show with the Longhorn Alumni Band. 
During the spring, the Longhorn Band divides into several ensembles, including three concert bands, two jazz ensembles, and the Longhorn Basketball Band. During the summer, the Longhorn Band program includes outdoor concerts and participation in the Longhorn Music Camp, where members serve as counselors for high school and junior high students. Every year the Longhorn Band makes guest appearances at several events that spotlight the extraordinary talent of its members. Recent invitations have included an appearance on CBS This Morning, an Erwin Center speech by President Bill Clinton, performances at Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys football games, concerts at high schools, and participation in the Fiesta Flambeau Parade in San Antonio. As a public service, band students from Austin-area schools are invited to practice side-by-side with Longhorn Band members. Adapted from Decadence Magazine
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