Kansas State University Marching Band

In 1887 Professor Alexander Brown organized fifteen student-musicians into the first band at the Kansas State Agricultural College. The first involvement with athletics came when the band accompanied the baseball team to a game in 1899. Since then, the Kansas State Marching Band, also known as the "Pride of Wildcat Land", has grown to more than 410 members. The University band represents the school, the city and community of Manhattan, and the state of Kansas each year at home and across the country at home games, NFL exhibition, bowl games, parades and festivals, and alumni, charity, and community events.[2]

The "Pride" has been invited to many out-of-town venues, appearing before huge audiences, both live and on television. Occasionally the band travels to perform at a Kansas City Chiefs' home game. They have also performed on three occasions at Texas Stadium for Dallas Cowboys home games and twice at Denver Broncos home games. The K-State band performed at the 1974 NFL ProBowl and in the 1977 Texas State Fair. In May 1980, the K-State band performed at Wembley Stadium and Hyde Park in London, England. In more recent years, the "Pride of Wildcat Land" has accompanied the K-State football team to multiple bowl appearances, including:

• Independence Bowl
• Copper Bowl
• Holiday Bowl (three times)
• Cotton Bowl Classic (three times)
• Fiesta Bowl (three times)
• Alamo Bowl
• Insight.com Bowl
• Texas Bowl (two times)
• Pinstripe Bowl
• Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl
• Liberty Bowl
• Cactus Bowl

A memorable performance venue every year for many decades is known as K-State Band Day. Now attracting approximately 2000 high school and middle school students converging each year on Manhattan, the day-long event includes a morning parade through the center of town, and a massed band performance at half time of that afternoon's home football game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. On September 15, 1984 the K-State Band Day was recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records. In conjunction with that year's Band Day, sixty-seven school bands joined the K-State Band on the field, creating a 3,144 piece marching band, which put them in the book as the world's largest marching band.[2]

In 2017, Director Frank Tracz initiated a new attraction for high school students called the All Star Band. This band consists of high school students from area high schools who are recognized as the best from their school. The high school band puts a show together to perform at halftime. After their show they are joined by the members of the Pride of Wildcatland and perform a show with all members on the field, and then playing traditions songs such as the Fight Song and Wabash Cannonball with the All Star Band members. In 2017 this day was combined with alumni band day, and band alumni of all ages joined the high school and college marching members, totaling almost 600 people on the field. These alumni band members joined the K-State and All Star bands for the playing of the Fight Song and Wabash Cannonball.

Membership in the "Pride of Wildcat Land" is open to all Kansas State students, regardless of major. Some members receive scholarship aid for their participation in the band. Membership to the marching band is earned every year on an audition basis the week prior to the start of classes. Auditions occur in two parts, musicianship and marching. Members are expected to not only have pristine marching technique but also have their entire pregame memorized prior to their audition. Band members come from schools throughout the state and across the nation, and their educational goals are as diverse as their backgrounds. Students representing every college on campus, and nearly every curriculum, work many hours a week in rehearsal during the marching season.[3]

The marching band does not only consist of the musicians holding the instruments. Also part of the band are the Wildcat Twirlers, Color Guard, and Classy Cats dance team. These positions are audition only on a yearly basis. The members of these three groups practice with the marching band and are just as much part of the band as the musicians.[3]

• Official website