Marching Band

Marching band overlay.

Music has a long tradition on Eastern’s campus.  From the beginning, small music clubs and groups practiced and performed.  There were local bands as well. Sometime between 1918 and 1923, a Boy’s Band was sponsored by the Richmond Exchange Club.  In the 1920s, Eastern took on the responsibility of this band and the origins of the marching band we know today were established.  Uniforms for the new band were ordered in 1929 and were composed of white pants with a red stripe along with a sweater emblazoned with the school’s letters.  Later uniforms had different elements like this letter. Eastern’s band has played at athletic events, festivals, and, even participated in a political march.  In 1934, band members led a parade of 1,400 faculty and students who marched to the capitol in Frankfort to urge legislators to pass a tax measure that supported educational institutions.  The band’s long history almost came to an end due to funding cuts but returned in Fall 2018.