About Us

The Yale Bands is a thriving cultural community. Its members are given opportunities to prepare and perform great music; learn about the arts and their place in society and international cultures; and develop skills to become leaders. Through a robust series of musical activities, many Bands members work with and become serious performers, conductors, composers, arrangers, writers, archivists, historians, photographers, producers, choreographers, media producers, critics, and teachers. Band members develop and master these skills through service to the University, performing and producing commencement music, benefit concerts, university ceremonies, theater shows, international tours, reading sessions for classes, and special events. The YPMB is one of twelve scatter-style marching bands in the country. What does this mean? Most marching bands spend their time on field spelling their name in script or making a swirly line formation while playing the complete works of Andrew Lloyd Webber. We perform halftime shows composed of comedy segments, during which we spell witty things on the field and play really cool rock music. Between formations we run around wildly (hence the clever name "scatter band"). For example: in the past we've done a sketch about the rise and fall of Saddam Hussein as a Yale professor, accompanied to "It's Gonna Be Me" and "Live and Let Die," one in which we played the "Godfather" theme and dug up Jimmy Hoffa on the 30-yard-line (this was during our trip to Giants Stadium) and the unforgettable George W. Bush sketch, which involved a line of white-shirted bandies and the playing of Eric Clapton's "Cocaine." We are also a pep band. During the winter we support Yale's hockey and basketball teams every weekend. This time of year often leads to playoff travel; we've been to Lake Placid, Ann Arbor, MI, MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, and more. We are a mobile attack unit. If there's anywhere on the Yale campus (or, really, the East Coast - we're flexible) that needs some relief from pretension, we'll be there to provide. We could go on for pages trying to tell you what we are. You'd be best off to show up and find out, really. You won't be disappointed. For more, visit us here: https://bands.yalecollege.yale.edu/bands/yale-precision-marching-band/frequently-asked-questions