University of Pittsburgh Varsity Marching Band
The band numbers over 300 students consisting of instrumentalists, a majorette squad known as the Golden Girls, a color guard, and the drumline.
[5] An official organization of a student marching band occurred in 1911, the year often cited as its date of establishment, and the band made its first appearance that year at Forbes Field on 14 October 1911 at the Pitt vs. Ohio Northern game with just 8 musicians in uniforms only consisting of scarlet felt caps with blue tassels.
[6] The original band was organized by Dr. Earl Miller and James G. Oliver while Carl Sabad became the Student Leader and Don Kirk played the role of manager, who obtained commitments to its membership from 22 men.
[9] The band ostensibly struggled in its early years, particularly during World War I, until 1918 when Italian immigrant Mario S. Rocereto was named director, a position he held until his retirement in 1934.
The band gave its first home concert on 5 April 1922 in the Carnegie Music Hall and was composed of male musicians from multiple schools within the university.
Band uniforms were military-like with cross belts and members had to pass rigid musical aptitude and marching tests.
Female musicians first joined the band in 1972, and the baton twirling majorette corps, the Golden Girls, was added around 1975.
Sanford was pressured to resign in 1995, because of both the perceived state of the organization as well as a little-reported scandal involving accounting irregularities in his music department.
The band forms an arc in front of the gate and plays the university fight songs for the team and fans as they proceed to the locker room.
After these concerts, the band proceeds to play several concerts to the various pregame groups, such as the student tailgate at Roberto Clemente Memorial Park, a group at Grille 36, and occasionally for band alumni tailgates before lining up to parade back down North Shore Drive and into Heinz Field.
An example is the DragonForce song "Through the Fire and Flames," which was performed at several large games during the 2008 season, culminating at the 2008 Brut Sun Bowl.
They are also sometimes used to usher in the Pitt men's basketball team prior to their home games at the Petersen Events Center.
At the beginning of the 1979 Football season, the drumline marched as a unified unit in drills, instead of being split into four person squads, for the first time.
This was due to the band hiring of Lorry Yednak as the Percussion Instructor and several members of the line having had experience marching in DCI corps.
At the conclusion of post-game cadences, all members of the line would hold both sticks in the air in their right hand and chant, "All Hail the Chrome Wall!"
The Crew began a tradition of occasionally performing their intricate sequence of cadences at band festivals, sometimes accompanied by the Golden Girls and Color Guard.
The Crew also began the tradition of performing a fast introduction cadence written by section leader Chuck Lee “Garfield” followed by a rap beat influenced “Noise.” During the mid-late 1980s, Assistant Band Director David Moy and Drum Instructor Dan “Danno” Yadesky wrote the percussion section music providing a consistent and polished sound.
In the early 2000s, the Golden Girls competed at AYOP, the National Baton Twirling Association championships, capturing the Collegiate Champion title four out of five years.
