Urbana High School Bands

ALUMNI

Welcome!

A warm welcome to all alumni and friends of the Urbana High School Bands! This site is a gathering place and information hub for all graduates, former students. and faculty who participated in any one of the many band ensembles at UHS. We encourage you to update your contact information here so that we can keep you up-to-date on the latest news and events!

Cover photo by Daniel M. Reck / forzandoArts

Retrospective

A Century of Urbana Bands

1924-2024View our Fall 2025 Newsletter, 100th Anniversary Retrospective: A Century of Urbana Bands here. We had an incredible 100th Anniversary Celebration with our UHS Bands Alumni in April 2024 representing nine decades from across the nation. It was an honor to see so many of you perform at the reunion concert and join us in the audience. Stay tuned for our next gathering!

First Annual TMB Alumni Reunion was a Roaring Success!

Nearly 25 TMB Alumni joined us for the pregame performance at the UHS Homecoming on Friday, September 19, 2025. Many more cheered us on from the stands. Enjoy photos from the event courtesy of Robin Kravets here and Karen DeBauche here. Make plans to join us next year!

Tell Your Story

Email your stories and upload any photos of UHS Bands here. Find a collective of photos in this link, as well as on Facebook and Instagram. Your memories and photos help preserve our history for the next generation!

Email your Photos and Stories about UHS Bands Here!

A History of the Bands at Urbana High School

Did you know that Urbana High School Bands were once under the guest baton of John Philip Sousa? Or, that UHS Bands were among the first in the nation to become mix-gendered in the 1920s and to integrate in the 1940s? Or, that Roger Ebert regularly emceed the UHS Show Band in the late 1950s? Learn more about the history of Urbana Bands and its many "firsts" through this digital exhibit prepared by the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music.

100th Anniversary Reunion and Concert

More than 100+ UHS Bands Alumni from across nine states and nine decades joined us in celebration for the historic 100th Anniversary Alumni Band Concert on April 20, 2024. Former UHS Band students ranging from the Class of 1935 (age 107) to the Class of 1923 (age 19) lined up to launch the concert with a nostalgic processional. It was a memory for the ages!

Photo and Video Archives

Enjoy photos from the 100th Anniversary Concert here and video here. View a touching video of the alumni processional by decade here. To access a slideshow of an extensive collection of photos from the first century of Urbana Bands prepared by Jennifer Showerman, click here.

We are grateful to Carlton Bruett, Dick Cogdall Family, Karen DeBauche, Kanittha Fay, Karl Hendrickson, Robin Kravets, Debra Larson, Peter Mortensen, Daniel J. Perrino Family, Daniel M. Reck / forzandoArts, Rosemary Yearbook Staff, Sarah Scully Photography, Urbana School District #116 and countless others who helped preserve the history of Urbana Bands over the years. If you have photos or stories you'd like to share, email here.

History Mural

Thank you to Carlton Bruett Design for this fascinating history mural recently installed outside the UHS Band Room to commemorate our 100th Anniversary. If you haven't seen it yet, stop by the band room!

Stay Connected

Update your information to stay in touch with fellow UHS Bands Alumni here.

Questions?

Email uhsalumnibands@gmail.com for more information about Urbana High School Bands Alumni or the history of UHS Bands.

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