COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT + OUTREACH
Community engagement activities require significant coordination and understanding of the different constituencies served by the Hawkeye Marching Band. Examples range from connecting with communities on campus (like Dance Marathon), in Iowa City (like the annual Homecoming Parade), throughout the state of Iowa (like the Iowa State Fair), and even through creating experiences for communities that start on campus and reach far beyond (like the Virtual Iowa Fight Song in 2020 or the band’s historic collaboration with The Ohio State University Marching Band in 2022). Organizing and producing these experiences elevates the Hawkeye Marching Band’s visibility, and brings people together through shared experiences driven by music. Community engagement and outreach activities often intersect with teaching and professional development activities, as they provide valuable educational experiences for students, and also often require development of my own creative work in order to be produced successfully. Below are recent examples of the kinds of events that drive connection between the HMB, the University of Iowa, and broader communities in Iowa City, the state of Iowa, and beyond.
The Hawkeye Marching Band in performance at the Iowa State Fair (August 2023)
The Hawkeye Marching Band performing in the annual Homecoming Parade in Downtown Iowa City
A contingent of Hawkeye Marching Band students gathered to play a rendition of the Hawkeye Victory Polka for community member George Scully and his family as he arrived at UIHC for his final chemo treatment in his battle with pancreatic cancer. (January 27, 2023)
The Iowa Pep Band performed at a city-wide celebration on the Pentacrest for the Iowa Women’s Basketball team after their historic season in the Women’s NCAA tournament. (April 14, 2022)
BRANDING
Since arriving at the University of Iowa in Fall 2018, I have invested extensive time and energy into growing the Hawkeye Marching Band’s visibility through a focused branding and social media strategy. Thanks to my success in the areas of fundraising and donor relations, I have been able to grow the HMB’s part-time staff to support the band with professional photography, video, and social media management. This area also intersects with teaching, as students (particularly those whose majors include marketing, design, photography, and/or video) have opportunities to participate in marketing and social media efforts. I oversee all part-time and volunteer staff, and consult with them throughout the year to ensure my priorities for the program are being made visible to a broader audience.
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
When I arrived at Iowa in 2018, the Hawkeye Marching Band had virtually no social media presence. In the last five years, the band has grown to have a strong presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, with the highest engagement rates of any band in the Big Ten conference. The band’s increased visibility on social media has been vital to the program’s success in fundraising, recruitment, and community engagement.
logo and visual identity redesign
I initiated and coordinated a redesign of the Hawkeye Marching Band’s logos in the 2022-23 academic year, including the design of new branding for the Iowa Alumni Marching Band. This involved regular meetings with the Iowa licensing office and the graphic designer.
video
Integrating professional quality video into the Hawkeye Marching Band’s game day performances has elevated the crowd’s engagement with the band. Of particular note is the inclusion of an “Intro Video,” which I introduced in my first season as director. This minute-long video draws the crowd’s attention to the band prior to our Pregame performance, building excitement around the band and anticipation for their performance. In recent years, I have observed the stadium’s student section physically responding to the video through chanting and repetitive, rhythmic arm movements. The intro video is one of the most visible ways the band reinforces its brand, encouraging a massive audience to engage in the Hawkeye Marching Band experience.
RECRUITMENT
HMB AUDITION REGISTRATIONS 2018-2023
Recruitment activities include: the coordination of auditions for the Hawkeye Marching Band; organizing coverage and materials for recruitment events at Hawkeye Visit Days and major conferences like the Midwest Clinic and the Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference; exhibition performances throughout the state of Iowa at high school marching band competitions and festivals. In 2020, I developed an entirely new, virtual audition procedure for prospective members of the Hawkeye Marching Band. I organize approximately two exhibition performances per year. In 2019, I established a Recruitment Team in the Hawkeye Marching Band. This group of students participate in Hawkeye Visit Days and other recruitment events at the university, and also coordinate the HMB’s “Buddy Program,” a peer mentorship program in the band that supports member retention.
The program’s growth in visibility and reach has translated to growth in recruitment and retention. Higher retention numbers have led to stronger competition for admission into the band in many sections, strengthening the band overall.
As the band program has grown under my tenure both in numbers and in the scope and scale of our performances, it became imperative that the Hawkeye Marching Band hire an assistant director. In 2022, I put together a proposal for the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, outlining the band’s need for an assistant director. This proposal outlines many of the band’s areas of growth, including growth in the diversity of the band’s membership. I successfully advocated for the addition of an assistant director, and served as the chair of the committee for the subsequent search. We hired Nick Miller in May 2023, and he began his tenure as Assistant Director of Bands, Associate Director of the Hawkeye Marching Band, and Director of Marching Percussion in August.
HMB RECRUITMENT FLIER
STAFFING + RESOURCES PROPOSAL
TRAVEL
The Hawkeye Marching Band, Iowa Pep Band, and Iowa Bands travel frequently throughout the year. Bowl Game trips, basketball tournaments, outreach and engagement performances, and regional, national, and international tours elevate the bands’ visibility and support recruitment efforts. These trips require significant coordination and planning, from setting itineraries to preparing performances for the specific parameters set by the presenters. When the band is traveling, I am also the primary point of contact for our students and staff, and groups range from 30 to more than 300 individuals. Each trip may include multiple performances, which each require a specific kind of preparation, be it a parade, pep rally, “Battle of the Bands,” formal concert, or any other format.
