Even Sousa thought IU's Marching Hundred was 'one of the snappiest'
(Editor's note: The following story ran in the Oct. 25, 1996, as the IU Department of Band in Bloomington readied for its centennial celebration. With Women's History Month on the horizon, we note that women students were admitted to the Marching Hundred in 1973. Ray Cramer is now a professor emeritus.)
One hundred years ago, a group of 22 students formed the first Indiana University Band. They used their own instruments, bought their own uniforms, arranged their own schedule and put together the beginnings of a band that is now among the finest in the country.
Although this year marks the centennial of IU's first "band department," there may be reason to believe that a band existed in Bloomington nearly 60 years earlier.
"In light of some research I've seen, there may have been a brass band at IU as early as 1838," said Ray Cramer, chairman of the band department. "There's no doubt, however, that the first mixed band -- brass, woodwinds and percussion -- is 100 years old."
IU formally established its band department in 1914. Today, there are actually four bands within the IU Department of Bands: the Concert, Symphonic, University and Marching Hundred.
The Marching Hundred actually has more than 300 members, far more than the original 22 members might have ever imagined. And, according to Cramer, more than 70 percent of the members are students from outside the IU School of Music.
Historically, the Marching Hundred had a bit of a military aura; in 1915, it was dubbed "The Band of the First Regiment of the Indiana National Guard." In 1916, the band traveled to Mexico to entertain U.S. troops under the command of Gen. John Pershing. During World War I, the IU campus was a training center for soldiers, and the band played an important role in drill exercises.
The IU School of Music was organized in 1923, and band members finally began earning academic credit for their work.
The marching band began drawing national attention in the mid-1920s. John Philip Sousa visited Bloomington in November 1925 and described the IU band as one of the "snappiest marching and playing bands in the country."
The name "Marching Hundred" was coined around the same time. The IU band was touring the East Coast and soon Associated Press wires were buzzing with stories about the "Famous Marching and Playing Hundred of Indiana University." The name stuck and eventually the band adopted the shorter version of "Marching Hundred."
The Marching Hundred remained an all-male band until 1972, when the RedSteppers, the dancing group named for its crimson outfits and knee-length boots, became an integral part of the Marching Hundred's pre-game and half-time shows at Memorial Stadium. Women joined the band itself for the first time in 1973.
