Band of the Fighting Irish

Band of the Fighting Irish – The longest continuously-running college band program in the country, the Notre Dame Band began not long after the school opened in 1842. Although the earliest known reference to the group was in 1846 – when a school band played at commencement – a wind group may have formed even earlier. After forty years of playing for special campus events and beyond, the band played for the school’s first home football game in 1887 and has been a permanent fixture on the gridiron ever since. In 1908, Father Michael Shea and his brother John wrote the famous “Notre Dame Victory March,” which Director Joseph Casasanta (1919-42) arranged for band. Casasanta himself went on to write the alma mater “Notre Dame, our Mother,” as well as “Hike Notre Dame,” “When the Irish Backs Go Marching By,” and “Down the Line.” Made up of over 380 members plus the famous Irish Guard, the Notre Dame Marching Band plays an integral role in the legendary football tradition of the university. During weekends of a home game, the band not only plays during the game but it figures prominently in a number of traditions. The band marches back and forth to a run-through rehearsal on Friday, plays at a pep rally on Friday night, marches around the campus for a Saturday morning wake-up, plays a concert on the steps on Bond Hall, and finally marches to the stadium for the game. In addition, the Marching Band has toured internationally and has produced numerous CDs. Currently, several other wind and percussion organizations thrive on the campus; they include five concert bands, a Varsity (Pep) Band, four jazz groups, and nine section ensembles (brass ensemble, double reed choir, percussion ensemble, etc.). In summary, Notre Dame’s famous band program provides an artistic outlet for the school’s diverse population. In fact, student participants in the Notre Dame band tradition include some of their most celebrated alumni including Knute Rockne, who played flute as a student, and athletic director Edward “Moose” Krause, who played clarinet.