Overview
The Big Red Bands operate on an annual budget of approximately $165,000. Aside from a small, past subsidy related to the Band Center, the University does not provide any annual support to the Band. In general, all band expenses, including travel costs, music advisor compensation, instruments, and Band Center costs are supported by annual alumni giving and payout from the Band’s endowment funds. Each fiscal year, the BRBAA Advisory Council establishes a budget for the Bands’ operations based on student and alumni input. This budget is presented to Band Alumni at the annual Homecoming BRBAA meeting. The following summary provides highlights of the fiscal year 2018 financial results and the fiscal year 2019 budget.
Fiscal Year 2018 Performance
Overall, the Band had FY18 income of $182,706 and expenses of $159,335. Income was 7% higher than budgeted and expenses were 6% lower than budgeted.
Fig 1: FY 2017 Income and Expense- Budgets vs Actuals.
Over the last 5 fiscal years (2014-2018), the bands’ income has grown an average of 11% per year. This is mainly due to the introduction of Cornell Giving Day in 2015; income growth has slowed down significantly since then. Over the same period, the bands’ expenses have grown by an average of 6% per year. This is due to Band Center-related costs as well as increased costs for bus travel.
Fig 2: Historical Annual Income and Expenses.
Income Statement
The Band Endowment payout continues to grow, due in large part to a growing utility endowment and past share purchases. The actual payout of $58,725 was 13% above the FY17 payout amount, even though the payout rate per share dropped by 6%. Total gifts of $99,024 were 13% higher than budget, but actual FY18 gifts were $4,200 less than FY16. Pep Band SAFC funding was within 3% of budget, while Marching Band SAFC funding matched the budget. Marching Band fees were almost 30% below budget for unknown reasons. Despite this, the Marching Band student leadership is confident that it will meet their budget this year due to the large freshmen class and fees already received.
Fig3: Band Income Sources. The Bands rely primarily on annual alumni giving for operational funding.
Expense Summary
The Bands’ expenses in FY18 were mainly at or below budget. Notable differences between actual and the budgeted expenses were:
- Marching band uniform expenses (under budget by $3,300) – The dry cleaning expense prior to the 2018 Fall season was budgeted for FY18 but occurred in FY19. The FY19 uniform budget will therefore by higher due to the possibility of having two dry cleaning charges in the same fiscal year.
- Marching band equipment expenses (under budget by $6,100) – We encouraged the student leadership to use this budget to ensure that the bands’ instruments stay in a state of good repair.
- Marching band miscellaneous expenses (under budget by $3,200)
Net Financial Standing
The Band’s current endowment value stood at over $1.4 million as of July 1, 2018. Endowment shares payout based on the University Board of Trustees payout policy which considers a rolling performance average. The FY19 payout is $2.48 per share, down from $2.58 per share in FY17. Cash as of July 1 stood at $105,000 and an additional $84,000 in booked equipment reserve is held in the endowment, representing 5.8% of the total endowment value.
Fig 4: Endowment Value and Total Number of Shares. Endowment Value is a function of the number of shares and share value. The Band is the beneficiary of the Fischell Endowment Fund, created to offset annual operational costs of the Band Center.
Fiscal Year 2019 Budget
The BRBAA Advisory Council submitted a budget for FY19 based on $177,000 of income and $166,000 of expenses. The FY19 budget includes travel costs for three Marching Band trips and four Pep Band trips, $14,000 in Pep Band playoff expenses, and $21,000 of Band Center overhead charges. Annual band giving has been budgeted about 11% below FY17 to maintain a conservative estimate of income available to the Bands. Alumni with financial questions are encouraged to get in touch with Adam and Nick, the BRBAA Treasurer and Resource Chair, respectively.
Let’s go Red,
BRBAA Treasurer: Adam Mangano Drenkard ’11 (adrenkard@gmail.com)
BRBAA Resource Chair: Nick Janiga ’00 (nick@janiga.net)
Hey Alumni!
The Big Red Marching Band is wrapping up another year of practices, performances, and shenanigans. As the year comes to a close, I am incredibly thankful for the growth I have seen – within myself, individuals in the band, and the organization as a whole. The job has been strenuous at times, but nonetheless rewarding to be able to create a place where bandies, old and new, can have the time of their lives. Although my time with the band and at Cornell is coming to an end, I know that I will always have a home with the BRMB.
The start of the season was a whirlwind of activity, with recruitment yielding our largest new member class yet. We auditioned nearly 150 people, and a good number of them stuck around for the rest of the season. We celebrated our last First Night at the Nines, as it closed in mid-October. First week flew by, with notable memories including hiding from a rainstorm during our band camp parade and the ever-exciting Parade to North. We wrapped up pre-football season events with CU Downtown, performing with the pep band and building our relationship with the Ithaca community.
Our first football game of the season was Homecoming, one of the most exciting days of the year! One of my most cherished memories will be singing Evening Song with generations of bandies and a gorgeous Ithaca sunset providing the perfect backdrop. We had a few more home games and a weekend off before heading to Brown and Princeton for back-to-back away games. We then re-lived our high school experiences under Friday night lights with a home game versus Penn. The season was capped off with senior concert and our trip to Columbia, where we got to disturb New York City with one of my favorites parades to date!
With my graduation date less than a month away, I have begun reflecting on my time at Cornell. So much has happened to me over the past three and a half years, but there is one thing I can say with certainty: this band has given me more fun memories than I can possibly count, as well as more opportunities for personal growth than I can ever properly repay. The people I have met and experiences I have had in this band will always have a special place in my heart and be the first and last things I will mention when describing my Cornell experience. I cannot wait to see how the band will continue to create the culture that I fell in love with during my freshman fall. As I prepare to head to another university for grad school this upcoming fall, I know I might be tempted to hang around their band, but they will never live up to the experiences I have had with the only REAL marching band in the Ivy League.
Thank you band, for everything.
Becca Rodell ’18
HEY ALUMNI!
We’ve had an incredible semester filled with rainy days, cold rehearsals, and lots of laughs. While I’m wrapping up my time here at Cornell by taking the last few classes of my pre-med career, I am so excited to see how the band grows and continues to evolve. I have learned so much about leadership and I cannot thank Becca, section leaders, and my Bandstaph for all of the hard work they’ve put in this year. With our record breaking number of new members, First Night was a little louder and a little more crowded, but as always, we had a lot of fun welcoming everyone to campus. We also took advantage of the extended Orientation Week to solidify basics and fundamentals, and by hosting an instrument open house, where new players could spend an extended amount of time learning their instrument.
Our first show, which coincided with Homecoming, was our “Worldwide Show” which featured the famous “Africa” by Toto as our pregame song. Our half-time show featured a mash-up of Pitbull’s “I Know You Want Me” and “Llorando Se Fue,” a Bolivian folk song. With over 400 band members and alumni on the field, we played Maynard Ferguson’s “Conquistador,” a funk/jazz piece with some tricky trumpet and tuba parts. Although we lost the Homecoming game against Yale, the post-game concert made up for the loss. Following a day of beautiful fall weather, we joined together on the field with a picturesque sunset in the background. I would be surprised if you haven’t seen the pictures yet on social media (check the BRMB Historian Facebook page)! Playing “Evening Song” as the sun truly faded in the crimson of the west was perhaps one of the most memorable moments I will carry with me from my time at Cornell. The next weekend, we played the first show again at home, where we secured our first win of the season against Sacred Heart.
The second show, called the “It’s Just a Phase Show,” was played during our second consecutive win against Harvard and during our away trip to Brown. The show featured “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance as our pregame song. We added a bell soli to the arrangement to match the iconic piano melody at the beginning of the song. Our trumpet soloists, Zach Siper ’20 and Luke Ellert-Beck ’20, did a great job and sounded beautiful! For the halftime show, we performed an Ivy League favorite, “Everytime We Touch” by Cascada. Coincidentally, many other schools within the Ivy League have played this exact arrangement, and even have a universal dance that our drumline incorporated into their drill. The second song for halftime was the ever-popular “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, which was arranged by saxophone alumnus Kevin Linsey ’18 and this year’s Drum Captain, Josh Mooney ’20. This second show had people constantly singing during rehearsal, as well as the visiting bands on game day!
Our third show was our “Rock on Broadway” show, bringing Broadway from the 1980’s, the 1990’s and 2000′s to the forefront of the stage at Princeton and for a Friday night game at home versus Penn(SUCKS). “The Heat is On in Saigon” from Miss Saigon kicked off our pregame show with a literal kick line! For our halftime show, we started with “We Built This City,” originally by Starship but also found in the jukebox musical Rock of Ages, as well as “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from Hairspray. We made this show very theatrical!
Last but not least, we had our “House of Mouse” show, which was colloquially known as the Disney show. Now that Disney has acquired Star Wars, we decided to begin pre-game with another student arrangement of John Williams’ “Imperial March” from Star Wars, arranged by Sydney Eisenberg ’21 and Emily Waite ’20. This was mashed-up with Hans Zimmer’s “He’s a Pirate” from Pirates of the Caribbean, for a song we now call “Imperial Pirates.” For halftime, we chose “This Land/Circle of Life” from The Lion King as a nostalgic piece, while finishing with Aladdin’s “Friend Like Me” as the senior send-off song. After playing this as the senior show at home versus Dartmouth, we were also able to play it at Columbia for the last game of the season in front of lots of alumni. After the game, we then headed downtown to Rockefeller Center for the Annual Sy Katz ’31 Parade, where we finished the night with a concert outside of the Cornell Club. As someone who grew up outside of NYC, conducting the band in the city is an incredible experience.
I have had the absolute time of my life serving as drum major for the BRMB. I know that my contributions to the band are only minuscule to the love and support this band has given me and I am forever thankful for band members (past, present, and future). Thank you for your continued support! This time next year, I’ll be on the alumni side of things! And lastly, THANK YOU, BAND!
Katherine Curtis ’19
Heyyyyyy Alumni!
Wow have we been busy this semester. We started off this new school year by taking
advantage of our extra day during orientation week and really showing the freshman why they
should “Boin Jand!” From our recruitment dinner performances on North Campus (a new event
this year) to ESS New Student Orientation, we really made our presence known as we continued our tradition of spreading that good ol’ Pep Band charm all over campus. As such, recruitment this year was such a massive success! We brought in over 60 new members from all over the world! Shout out to the trumpets who have the most new members, 18 to be exact, in Pep Band alone! Even more impressive, our Pep Band has been averaging 120 members during our weekly Monday rehearsals! Helping me manage this surge of attendance is our two conductors for the season, Jacob “Magnus” Hoglund and Justin “Buckets” Kozma. They have been rock-solid from the very start and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for the band as this semester wraps up!
Switching gears into hockey, our men’s team started off strong by soundly defeating the University of Guelph (7-0) and Laurentian University (6-1) in our exhibition matches! We really showed them who is boss around here. New for this season is the Big Red Rave! This is a group of percussionists who will be performing a pregame show for Lynah IN THE DARK! Requested by our fearless leader, Coach Schafer, The Big Red Rave will be performing a sequence in the dark with the assistance of LED lights to help entice the Lynah Faithful to show up earlier. We hope to get final approval from athletics so that we can have this mini-show in Lynah by the end of the year. Make sure to watch the Big Red Rave in action the next time you are in Ithaca!
Of course, what is mentioning hockey without talking about MSG? This year, we will return to The Big Apple to face our arch-rivals, Harvard University, in the annual Frozen Apple event! This year is bound to be exciting as Harvard looks to beat us after last year’s heartbreaking loss (for Harvard) to the Big Red 3-2 in the final seconds of the game. For those attending, we will be in section 202. In case you cannot make MSG this Thanksgiving weekend, the Big Red takes on Harvard one week later at East Lynah! This is a special event as this will be my last as manager. Catch me conducting our Alma Mater (and definitely not crying) as we close out the semester in Boston. We hope to see you there!
Outside of men’s hockey, our other sport teams are doing quite well. Men’s soccer is having one of the best seasons in recent memory and has a real chance of making it into the NCAA playoffs! Throughout the semester, we also supported the women’s field hockey and volleyball teams. The rest of this semester holds even more
excitement as we finish off the year with the previously mentioned MSG as well as our trip to Harvard and Dartmouth (November 30 – December 1)!
As the Marching Band season winds down and the Pep Band season surges forward, I’ve started to reflect on my time here as a manager. I have had the time of my life, and I’ve made memories that I will never forget. Attendance has been higher than ever, and everyone has been enjoying themselves, which is the goal I had from the very beginning. Saying thank you to the band that means so much to me is truly an understatement as my entire college career was memorable thanks entirely to the Pep Band. I’ve loved having the opportunity to manage the pep and grow as a leader in this organization. I hope whoever follows after me will be able to have just as many exciting and memorable moments as I have!
- Zachary Brothers ‘20
Hey Alumni!
I’m Justin “Buckets” Kozma, and I am a junior pre-vet student studying animal science, and I’m Jacob “Magnus” Hoglund, a junior studying information science in the College of Engineering. We are your fall 2018 Pep Band Conductors! Even though one of us is a trumpet and the other is a bone, we manage to keep the section rivalry at bay and have made this semester a very event-filled and fun one!
Justin “Buckets” Kozma
This semester began with a hectic start, having the largest incoming group of new members ever to join the Big Red Pep Band! In order to make a presence during orientation week, we decided to plan events to keep people hyped about pep band and to make our voices heard. Not only did we perform at various spots on North Campus before classes began, but we also held our first rehearsal the day after First Night, which drew enough band members to require the glass doorwall to be lifted to fit everyone!
Our first event of the semester was a women’s soccer game, which saw over 90 (yes, ninety!) members of the Big Red Pep Band attend! Since then, we’ve played at various soccer, field hockey, sprint football, and, of course, ice hockey games! Our men’s and women’s teams have started off the seasons strong, so we are looking forward to a great year. In late October, we hosted Michigan State for the first time and even though we did not do great, we are looking forward to recovering! And coming up soon, we have back-to-back weekends of Hahvahd games- one at MSG over Thanksgiving Break and the other over the following weekend at Lynah East.
Jacob “Magnus” Hoglund
In addition to running a lot of events this fall, we have added plenty of new music to the folder in effort to modernize it. These song selections include “Wake Me Up,” Brooklyn,” “Istanbul,” and “Everytime We Touch.” We have had incredible attendance at rehearsals, making rehearsing songs a lot easier than previously. The great attendance this semester has made it so much fun to conduct the band and spread cheer and pep to all of Cornell.
We still have some time to go, but so far it has been a growing experience for both of us. From being able to help recruit new members and foster a loving community for them, to making songs, like “Rockin’ the Paradise,” sound better than they ever have before, this semester has proven to be one we will never forget. We could not be prouder of the band and the people in it for making it a place we love going to and serving each and every day!
~ Justin “Buckets” Kozma and Jacob “Magnus” Hoglund
The Flutes have had a flovely fall semester! We’re proud to say we’ve nearly doubled in size with a large freshmen and new-member class. With all these new bandsmen, we added rank U to our existing ranks of B, A, and D. We continue to uphold our traditions of flute-ups, flute naps, fancy flute, chopsticks, kumcha, etc., while adding new things to the mix. This year, we held a “Chopped”-styled event where flutes competed in an epic bake-off. Everyone had a blast! We also had fun meeting olds at homecoming and all the games since. Continue to visit us and we’ll be happy to share our baked goods!
The Clarinets have welcomed in a great new class of freshman plus a few upperclassmen! We’ve had multiple people learning the clarinet this semester who are all doing extremely well. We had some great times on all of the away trips this year! The section has been sounding GREAT given the hard parts thrown our way in basically every show so far. Additionally, we’ve had a fantastic time with some of our section bonding events, like spoopy pumpkin carving and our apple pie making tradition. Looking forward, we’re excited for our secret santa and many more great seasons of band!
The openest, snuggliest, mintiest section of the band, the Saxes have been absolutely killing this season with a panache never exhibited before! Starting with recruitment, we had a phenomenal turnout, with over 50 saxes packing the band center for First Night! Pizza and ice cream were had, and classic SaxHouse mainstays such as Eagles are Turning People into Horses and NumberWang were watched. We had many first-time sax players join us and every single one of them has done an astounding job learning the ropes! Our away trips have been fun so far- we threw a pool party and sang to wedding guests at Brown, and roamed through Princeton for the legendary Hoagie Haven. We’ve added two new cheers to our repertoire, “My Shiny Teeth and Me” and “Funky Town”! As we’re closing out the season, we are preparing to tear through the Big Apple parading in the Sy Katz Parade! Saxes for life!
The Trumpets are having an amazing Fall 2018! Our recruitment this year nearly doubled our ranks, and we’ve never sounded better. Some of our new members have never marched, some have never played trumpet, and some haven’t done either; but, everyone is having a good time trying! On the field, we’ve been told by ShowComm more than once that we are the best looking section, and we continue to mess around because of it. Pony Siper ‘20 and Spot Ellert-Beck ‘20 nailed the solo from “Welcome to the Black Parade”, while learning shows was made excellent and easy by Showcomm Chair Buckets Kozma ‘20. Buckets also helped make pep band a blast as conductor and all his hard work was recognized by the band with his election as our 2019 Drum Major! Our snacks have been boujee-er than normal due to our wonderful Trumpet Mom, Tips Han ‘19. Jeff Van ‘19 continues to be swoll as our Head Field Manager, with a huge amount of help from Molly Bergin ‘19 as historian. Off the field, we’ve had a lot of dinners, board game nights, and even a few Forums. In some ways the section changes, but in many ways, it stays the same. Lastly, thanks to trumpets young and old for making this season excellent. Here’s to an amazing 2018.
The Horns gained three wonderful new members this semester, but our three beloved seniors have marched their last show. Saying goodbye to Maria, Lauren, and Brandon will be difficult, but we’ll enjoy the semester we have remaining with them. The horns have continued to be a very tight knit group. Whether it’s bonding over a love for Waluigi or applying temporary tattoos on away trips, it’s easy for us to find fun when we’re together. Many of our horns are also pep band members and many play or sing in assorted musical groups/organizations on campus; so if you ever hear music at Cornell there’s a good chance that a horn is involved.
Da Bones are still going strong! With marching season coming to a close, we are excited to head into the spring for a whole new bonerush with the freshbones! They are the most wholesome group you could ever know! We’ve had everything from pumpkin carving to board game nights to mac and cheese nights for section bonding. Every second is pure and full of love! We anxiously await to see who will step up to the role of Section Leader for 2019! With nine seniors leaving us, we are happy to pass on the reigns and see the new generation of bones take over. This year we hope to bring back bone pants and maybe even section hoodies! Bone mugs are still in the works, we hope to order soon if the company can get the stencil right! Times may be rough and rapidly changing, but the bones are resilient and stick together through and through. Family don’t end with blood- the bones are proof of that! We hope that all is well and that we will see you soon! Come visit your family! We miss you all!
The Tubae have had a fabulous 2018 season! We’ve welcomed two newbas: Bowen and Keshav! This season, we kind of did the Tuba 500. We even continued to dominate the frisbee game during practices! We also almost won the annual band paper drive after collecting the most sheets of paper! As per usual, tuba report time is alive and well. Thank you to our seniors for a great season! You guys will be missed. See y’all soon!
The Guard is closing out yet another great semester! Through a lot of hectic rehearsals and cardio-heavy drill, we have pulled off some fun shows and had a good time doing them. We gained several fabulous new members this season to more than double our size, including a few who have never spun before and are now killing it on the field. The season started off strong with a fabulous homecoming and a great time hanging out with alumni. It has since seen us through two back-to-back trips to Brown and Princeton and a Friday night game under the lights. This season we have continued to expand on our traditions and we have established ourselves as one of the wholesome sections of the band. From getting lost in a corn maze in the backwaters of Upstate New York to getting crepes in a dark alleyway of Providence at midnight, the fun never stops! Congratulations to all of our returning members for a successful year of dominating Bandstaph and to Eggily Grigg ‘21 for slaying as the leader of our rifle line. We certainly are looking forward to another year of spinning and fun!
The Percussion think they’re too cool for BandNotes, but here is a picture of them anyway!
Their section leader was upset that they took a picture without him, so here he is!
Gligor Tashkovich (horn ‘85) won an international competition advertised in The Economist magazine to become part of the five-member Committee for the Approval of Investments of the sovereign Macedonian Innovation and Technological Development Fund. In other words, he is a “SharkTank” judge in Macedonia except it’s World Bank and Macedonian Government money and it isn’t televised. So far, they have awarded over 24 million Euros in 2018 to some 100+ companies.
Our Podcast Cover Art!
Gregory Berman (trumpet ‘12) and Amanda Quain (flute ‘13) have started a Disney music podcast that’s fun for the whole family (PG-13)! It’s called Wish Upon a Star. Check us out on Apple Podcasts or Google us!
Katie Shaw rubbing UNH’s Wildcat’s nose
Katie (Shaw) Green (horn ’16) graduated with an M.Ed in Secondary Agricultural Education from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in May 2018. She’s currently teaching high school animal science in NH and trying to join a community band.
Mark Goldman with his kids, Olivia and Ian
Marc Goldman (trumpet ’90) moved with his family from New York City to Gettysburg, PA, so he could work as Executive Director of the Center for Career Engagement at Gettysburg College. His daughter Olivia, 11, now plays the trumpet, and son, Ian, 9, just started to learn the string bass.
Wedding photo of Amanda and Dustin in the center of Schoellkopf field
Amanda Quain (flute ‘13) and Dustin Tiedemann (sax ‘13) were married on July 14th at Sage Chapel. The wedding was attended by an aggressive amount of bandies, and included flute-ups, “Call Me Al”, a recession to “Pinball Wizard”, and a rousing chorus of the “Alma Mater/Evening Song”.
David Fischell playing playing the piccolo in Lynah
David Fischell (piccolo ‘75) was thrilled to be able to play with the pep band on November 2 for part of the men’s hockey game. And he sends his thanks for the borrowed instrument!
Brian and Shayna with Annabel Brooke at homecoming!
Brian Adelman (tuba ‘09, head manager ‘08) and Shayna (Gerson) Adelman (trumpet ‘10, drum major ‘09) had a daughter, Annabel Brooke, on July 1.
Matthew experimenting in the kitchen
Matthew “Chopper” Weidman (bone ’18) has been experimenting with changes to his delicious quesadilla recipe! He recently tried adding bell peppers to it, but he didn’t like it as much.
Reunion Recap
Reunion was such a success! It was great everyone was able to come out and past and present members of the band were able to connect! Here are some photos from the event! For more, visit our historian page here!
Homecoming 2018 Information
Hey Alumni!
Homecoming is right around the corner and there couldn’t be a better time to return to the Hill with the only REAL Marching Band in the Ivy League? If you will be joining us please fill out this RSVP survey and below you’ll find a preview of the band’s activity. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions or concerns.
Saturday, September 22nd: Homecoming
9:30 AM – Big Red Bands Alumni Association Meeting. Join us in the Fischell Band center for a BRBAA meeting to get up-to-date with all that’s going on in the bands. There will be breakfast available, too!
10:20 AM – Alumni can join rehearsal!
Come join the band on Alumni Field and practice this year’s homecoming song, Conquistador! Music can be picked up from the Fischell Band center prior to the practice.
11:30 AM – Alumni Tailgate and Luncheon Time
Join us in front of the Fischell Band Center for food and fun!
1:45 PM – Tailgate Concert at Kite Hill
After parading down to Ho Plaza, the Big Red Marching Band will return to Kite Hill and play a tailgate concert where you can listen to some old classics and new favorites.
3:00 PM – Football Game Kickoff
Kickoff will happen promptly after the Big Red Marching Band performs a pre-game song and plays the National Anthem.
6:00 PM – Post-game concert and reception
As soon as the football game is over, in true BRMB fashion there will be a post-game concert, so look forward to a little more music from the only REAL marching band in the Ivy League!
Link to Full Schedule
Marching Band Fall Schedule
September 22nd: Homecoming vs. Yale
September 29th: Home vs. Sacred Heart
October 6th: Home vs. Harvard
October 19th: Away at Brown
October 26th: Away at Princeton
November 10th: Home vs. Dartmouth
November 17th: Away at Columbia (with the Sy Katz Parade after the game!)
Please email Emily Isenstein (eli7@cornell.edu) if you plan to attend any away game and you do not live near the home team.
MSG Information:
If you are planning on attending this year’s hockey game at Madison Square Garden, read this!
This year’s game will be held on Saturday, November 24th at 8:00pm and will be against Harvard! Since Harvard is one of our biggest rivals, this game could possibly be sold out!
The tickets presale information has not yet been released, but stay posted for updates! It will work differently than it has in the past and you will most likely receive a presale code or link where you can buy tickets through the MSG website. Please contact Emily Isenstein (eli7@cornell.edu) for more information.
I was hoping to start this article off crowing about a deep run in the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament, but the exciting regular season ended abruptly for the Pep Band and the team. Screw BU, it seems, so it is on to more official matters.
The Big Red Bands Advisory Council met in Ithaca on February 17, 2018, welcoming the 2018 student leaders of the Big Red Marching and Big Red Pep Bands. In addition to the usual reporting and budgeting, we took a deep-dive into our endowment funds. ***WARNING: Gory financial details follow – skip to the bottom for important announcements if you are short on time/attention span!*** As true BRBAA geeks know (all three of them), our endowment started over 35 years ago with a push for the “Second Century Fund.” There isn’t one endowment per se; we have multiple accounts of different types, and you can get a taste for the details here. Over the past few decades, budget surpluses have been reinvested in those accounts, which comprise shares in the University long-term investment pool. There is a smattering of gifts directly given to these accounts each year, but that represents both a minority of the gifts received – most go to the Bands’ annual funds – and the minority of the funds invested. Each share in the LTIP provides an annual payout ($2-3/share) that is set by the Board of Trustees. Resource Chair Nick Janiga ’00 presented some excellent analysis of our investing approach that showed an overall net-positive in present-day value cash because of our investment strategy. This may seem like an obvious finding, but it holds true even accounting for significant share value loss from the recession 10 years ago – a loss that still has not been recouped.
In fact, Nick’s analysis says that if anything, we need to be more aggressive in re-investing our cash reserves into LTIP and worry less about share value. Basically, there have been very, very few short-term periods where selling shares after a market decline would not be offset by the additional LTIP payout provided by those shares during that time. For example, current share value of ~$55 is still down from its October 2007 high of $69, a loss of 17%. If we sold those shares today, we would still be cash positive, as the $12/share loss is more than offset by the 10 years of $2.53 average payout per year on those shares. This is remarkable for two reasons:
1. It includes the most dramatic market crash we’ve seen in our lifetimes, and
2. It includes the terrible performance of Cornell’s endowment despite a surging stock market (which I briefly touched on last year).
The BRBAA had a very passive investing strategy after the initial second-century push until a little after the turn of the millennium, and the renewed focus on long-term finances was clearly the way to go. We now know that with the exception of perhaps 1-2 years before the $150,000 uniform purchase every 12 years, we should re-invest our gift account overages into LTIP every year to take advantage of dollar-cost-averaging to maximize the yields for the band.
If you’ve read this far, you may be asking, “Should I give directly to the endowment?” It depends on your intention, but if you are so inclined, the Bands’ non-endowment gift accounts still give maximum flexibility. We treat all gifts with the utmost respect and help the students manage their budget appropriately. Most years will result in a slight positive balance (even after line items set aside for long-term purchases), and we will re-invest responsibly. Nick can share this data in person this fall.
Speaking of which, Homecoming is September 21-22, 2018. Be there! Last fall, we moved the Annual Big Red Bands Alumni Association meeting to Saturday morning in the Fischell Band Center. It was a success, and we didn’t even realize the breakfast food was there for us right outside the glass doors. This fall, with the combination of actually realizing we ordered breakfast and a hastily mounted projector screen, there’s no telling what we can accomplish! We know that many people aren’t yet in town for the traditional 4 PM Friday Statler meeting, and even if you are, there are friends to see and beers to drink. We’ll be repeating the Saturday morning Annual Meeting this fall – so mark your calendars! Exact time TBD depending on kickoff and how late we’re out on Friday night.
Importantly, the proposed slate of 2019-2020 officers for the Alumni Association will be presented and voted upon at that meeting. If you’d like to donate time and energy to the Bands, please contact the chair of the nominating committee, Tom “Tasty Cakes” Seery ’09 (esquire). It really is rewarding to give back to an organization that means so much to all of us, and it’s a great excuse to get Hot Truck a few times per year.
I want to close by encouraging all Band alumni to come back to Ithaca for Homecoming, Reunion, or an away game near you. The Marching and Pep Band travel will be posted in the summer, reflecting the wacky new “rivalry” Ivy League schedule. Apparently Penn is just fine and we hate Columbia now. Don’t forget the Sy Katz Parade this fall on November 17 – details to come (I’m pretty sure the Band will be at that one)!
As always, thank you for your continued support of the Bands and the students!
Lowell ’99, ‘03
And now presenting the only REAL Spring 2018 BandNotes Articles in the Ivy League!
We’d like to briefly introduce ourselves to you! We are the 2018 Alumni Relations Chairs- Maria Komorowski ‘19 and Natalie Parker ‘20. Maria is a pre-med Nutritional Science major from Erie, PA. She has served on band leadership before as the 2017 horn co-section leader and has been one of the pep band historians since autumn 2016. Natalie Parker is a pre-med sophomore studying French and Biology from Ridgefield, Connecticut. She plays clarinet and is a proud member of Rank Z! Please feel free to reach out to us at mhk99@cornell.edu and nap68@cornell.edu; we’d love to hear from you!
As Ithaca begins to thaw and the hockey season ending, the bandsmen have had time to reflect on their hopes for the season. The new BandStaph members are settling into their roles and are already working towards new opportunities to make the band one of the most positive organizations on campus. In the meantime, we’re maximizing the time spent with our soon-to-be graduates, who have helped shape our band memories and contributed to our long standing traditions. While we’re enjoying the growing sunlight, take a glance through the attached articles to see what the band has already done this year and the great things we look forward to doing.
We hope to see you back on the Hill soon! Reunion weekend is June 7-10, 2018 and Homecoming is September 22, 2018. Nothing is quite like hearing music on distant chimes as the twilight falls.
Warm Regards,
Maria Komorowski ‘19
Natalie Parker ‘20
Maria Komorowski (left) and Natalie Parker (right)
Special Dates to Know
Reunion: June 7-10, 2018
Homecoming: September 22, 2018
Sy Katz Parade: November 17, 2018
Due to changes in the football calendar, our marching band schedule has slightly changed from what it’s been in the past. A few of the games have been moved to new dates or locations, so if you’re interested in attending any of the games please give extra attention to when and where. The Harvard game is now home this year, the Princeton game is away, and the last three games have been shuffled from their traditional weekend.
Fall 2018 Marching Band Schedule
First Night: August 20, 2018
Homecoming v. Yale: September 22, 2018
Home Football v. Sacred Heart: September 29, 2018
Home Football v. Harvard: October 6, 2018
Away Football at Brown: October 20, 2018
Away Football at Princeton: October 27, 2018
Home Football v. PennSucks: November 3, 2018
Home Football v. Dartmouth: November 10, 2018
Away Football at Columbia and Sy Katz Parade: November 17, 2018
Without alumni support, the bands would be unable to have so many wonderful opportunities to play, support our teams, and share our Big Red spirit. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped continue the Big Red Bands’ success. Both Phonathon and Giving Day were huge success thanks to your help. During phonathon, we raised over $38,000 for the Bands in two evenings of calling! $20,000 of this was from the first day alone and does not include all of the unspecified gifts we got, which means the number will go up even more! This is an all-time record! Alumni support goes so far to help the band and every gift is greatly appreciated and helps to make the band that much better. Giving Day further contributed to the bands! With the help of over 400 donors, we raised $25,000 for the bands; $5,000 of which was given by athletics for winning a donor challenge! We cannot thank you enough for your unwavering support and making all that the bands do possible
Additionally, our Fundraising Chairs have been hard at work. Caressa Swartz ‘21 and Peter VandeVort ‘21, Pep Band Fundraising Chairs, held a fundraiser at the much loved DP Dough, and raised over $200! We ordered so many calzones that we broke their ovens! Talk about commitment! Calios also reached out to us shortly after and an additional fundraiser will surely follow. There will also be bands merchandise available for purchase soon, so keep an eye on your inbox for more details on that to come in the near future.
Thank you again for your continued support!