Queen's Bands
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Queen's Bands, established in 1905, is the largest and oldest university marching band in Canada. They make their home in Grant Hall on the campus of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. This 2006-2007 season, the Bands operations are run by Managers Adam Gaudry and Emily Shackles, and during performances the Bands are led by Drum Major Richard Chang.
The Bands play a large role in promoting and maintaining school spirit at Queen's. The Bands comprise four distinct units (hence the pluralization of "Bands"): a pipe band (which includes the bagpipes and a drum corps), a brass band (which includes woodwinds as well as brass instruments), Highland dancers, and cheerleaders. They are led by a drum major and colour guard. The Bands perform pre-game and half-time shows at all Golden Gaels football games, and lead the crowd in singing the Oil Thigh after the Gaels score a touchdown. For home games, the Bands lead a parade of Queen's football fans from the main campus to the football stadium at the West Campus. Once football season ends they are active in festive parades, most notably the Toronto Santa Claus Parade for Christmas, and the Montreal St. Patrick's Day Parade. They are also active during Frosh Week, and have also performed internationally, for example in the New Orleans Mardi Gras parade and the South Boston St. Patrick's Day parade. They wear traditional Scottish uniforms complete with kilts and tunics, which the University recently purchased for $250,000.
The Queen's Bands is a volunteer organization, comprised mainly of current undergraduates, but it also features some graduate students and occasionally some alumni among its ranks. Members of the Bands come from a wide range of musical backgrounds, some with very little musical training before joining. The main goal of the Bands however, is to have fun and promote the Queen's spirit, so this disparity in musical proficiency does not usually cause a problem. In any given year, the band is likely to have only one or two music majors.
The Bands' office is in the John Deutsch University Centre, while their equipment vault is located in the basement of Grant Hall.
[edit] History
The Bands was founded in 1905, when a group of first-year students decided to form a marching brass band "to help things along at football games." The idea did not gain easy acceptance. The 12 original musicians, which included John Bertram Stirling (Queen's chancellor from 1960 to 1974), suffered verbal abuse on parades to the football field and were ejected from the equipment room, where they practised, by the football team. The group dissolved after just two years, and it was not until 1920 that a marching band reappeared. The revived band, unlike the original group, had its own instruments and even uniforms: white duck trousers, tricolour sweaters, and Queen's tams.
The now traditional kilts were adopted only after the Second World War. A pipe band was added to the troupe in 1925, but did not become a permanent fixture until 1938, at which time highland dancers also appeared. It is unclear when cheerleaders first joined the Bands. "Rooters clubs" were formed early this century to lead students in cheers at Queen's games and appear to have gradually become informally, and then formally, linked with the Bands.
Today that Bands are one of the most well-known groups on campus. Every faculty/group during frosh week can be heard cheering "We love Queen's Bands! We love Queen's Bands!"
[edit] Trivia
- The Queen's Bands celebrated their Centennial in 2005.
- The Bands share a friendly rivalry with the Western Mustang Band, and the two meet at least once in the football season. At each such meeting, it is typical to have a series of sectional contests (ex. a drum-off), before both bands play a massive tune together.
- The tartan worn by the Bands is the Royal Stewart (the official tartan of the British Royal Family); they are one of a select few non-military units to wear this exclusive tartan.
