The Notre Dame Marching Band is known for many things, including its status as the oldest collegiate band in continuous existence. This past December, the university’s band added the Sudler Trophy, a biannual award recognizing band excellence, to its already impressive resume.
The Sudler Trophy, which dates back to 1982, is presented by the John Philip Sousa Foundation, made possible by a grant from Louis and Virginia Sudler of Chicago, Illinois. As the only nationally recognized award for college bands, is the Sudler Trophy is akin to the Heisman Trophy of marching bands.
According to the trophy’s website, the Sudler Trophy goes to “collegiate marching bands of particular excellence that have made outstanding contributions to the American way of life.” The band must also have “demonstrated the highest of musical standards and innovative marching routines and ideas, (and) made important contributions to the advancement of the performance standards of college marching bands over a number of years.” The Sousa Foundation states explicitly that the Sudler Trophy is not an award for the best band of the year, but a reflection of the band’s outstanding achievement over a number of years.
The trophy depicts a bronze drum major standing atop a football stadium. It stands 22.5 inches tall, representing the standard pace for an 8 steps to 5 yards marching step. The Sudler Trophy is designed by Dieges and Clust, the company that produces the Heisman Trophy.
The winner of this year’s award was announced on December 17, 2010 at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. Ken Dye, director of bands at Notre Dame, was present when Robert Foster, director of bands emeritus at the University of Kansas, announced the winning band. Upon learning that Notre Dame had won such a prestigious award, Dye remarked, “I look for continued progress and success with the Notre Dame Band and wish to congratulate all the students, staff, and supporters that have helped our program earn this recognition.”
Students echoed Dye’s response. Assistant Drum Major Greg Dinnell remarked that the award “represents all of the effort of the band and staff, not just this year, but a culmination of effort over a number of years. It’s a great recognition for all of the hard work put in by not only the band, but the staff and directors as well.”
With over 380 members, the Notre Dame marching band is known for its highly original and innovative performances. During the celebration of the bicentennial of the United States in 1976, the National Music Council and the Indiana Music Educators Association declared the band a “Landmark of American Music.” The band has performed in stadiums all over the country, and in October 2009 performed with the band OK Go for the music video of “This Too Shall Pass.”
Rather than simply basking in the victory of the Sudler Trophy, the band hopes to use the award as motivation to perform even better next year. “Next year is an important year,” Donnell commented, adding that since the band has received the award, “we will have extra attention from other bands. More eyes than ever are going to be on the band, so we have to make sure we live up to what the award represents.”
The Sudler Trophy will be on display in the Ricci Band Rehearsal Hall. There will be a formal presentation of the award to the Notre Dame marching band at Notre Dame Stadium during a home game next fall.
Mike Johnson still can’t believe that Notre Dame had a snowday on his birthday. He can be reached at mjohns32@nd.edu.
