The College of William and Mary Marching Band (?-1995)

The early history of the William and Mary Marching Band is lost in time and space. Throughout the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, there were various efforts to organize a marching band, each of whic lasted for a few years at the most, and then collapsed. It wasn't until the early 1950s, with the coming of Dr. Charles Varner, that a marching band at William and Mary came to be.

Dr. Varner came to the College in 1952, as the new director of bands, and immediately started a reorganization of the the way that the marching band was concieved. Now that it had a stable leader, the band began to flourish. In the '50s, '60s, and '70s, the Summer Band program provided an opportunity for high schoolers around the state an opportunity to get better at their instruments and better at marching. The fact that it was staffed by members of the William and Mary Marching band shows their dedication.

However, when Chuck Varner left the College, the band began to hit troubled times. Diagnosed with cancer in the early 1980s, Varner was forced to retire just before the beginning of the year. The directors after Varner did not have the same dedication to the marching band that he did; by the mid 90s, under the lead of Laura Rexroth, the band was down to 30 members. This was deemed insufficient to run a real marching band, and so it was disbanded.

The William and Mary Pep Band Years (1996-present)

After the fall of 1995, in which the Marching Band had only 30 members, it disbanded, due to lack of interest in both the music faculty and the students. In the fall of 1996, the history of the William and Mary Pep Band began. It began as a similar institution to the Marching Band, in that it was a one credit class run by a Professor of Music. However, there were differing opinions between the Professor and the Band members on how it should be run, and in the fall of 1998, the Athletics department took over the management of the Pep Band.

As was to be expected, however, the reign that the Athletics Department had over the Pep Band was tulmultuous at best. The Athletic Department hired their own director, and practices were held in William and Mary Hall. There was also a misunderstanding amidst the Athletic Department of the reasons people joined the Pep Band. The situation became so dire that, during the basketball season, only 8 Pep Band members would show up for games.

However, there was planning afoot. Under the leadership of Jason Maga, the Pep Band sat down with Athletics, the Student Government, and the Administration to work out a new direction for the Pep Band. With the full support of Athletics, the Administration, and the Student Government, the Pep Band started a flyering and mailing drive across Campus and to all incoming freshmen. In the Fall of 1999, the Pep Band was reformed as as totally student-run organization, under the Directorship of Jason Maga. From there, we have soared into the bright sky of freedom, justice, and the peptastic way.

Former Pep Band Directors (L->R):Doug Bunch(2000, 2001), Andy Kramer (2005), Jason Maga (1999), Rebecca Nelson (2004), Diana West (2003)

However, the Pep Band had bigger things in store for itself. No longer content with playing in the stands alone, but not desiring the complications and stereotypes of a normal marching band, the William and Mary Pep Band sought to join a sacred brotherhood: The Brotherhood of the Scramble Band. So in the Spring of 2006 (really, the winter, but thats what the semester is called), a core group of individuals started planning this new chapter of history. It came to fruition in the Fall of 2006, November 18th to be precise, with the first field show by a William and Mary band in 11 years. Emboldened by their success, they vowed to continue their scrambling, which leaves only one question: Are you willing to join the Pep Band on their rocket ride to scrambling glory?

Thanks to Jason Maga, '00, and Doug Bunch '02, for information

Former Directors

1999: Jason Maga
2000: Doug Bunch
2001: Doug Bunch
2002: Carrilynn Greenwood
2003: Diana West
2004: Rebecca Nelson
2005: Andy Kramer
2006: Alex Mills
2007: Kenny Barry
2008: Dustin Glasner