The Hawkeye Marching Band is made up of 270 marching Hawkeyes who perform on Piccolo, Clarinet, Alto and Tenor Saxophone, Trumpet, Mellophone, Trombone, Baritone, Sousaphone, or on the Drumline.

Basic rhythm and average technical facility are the primary qualifications. You do not have to be a music major, as non-music majors make up approximately 80% of the Hawkeye Marching Band. Most students with high school band experience qualify. As part of their degree program, all brass, woodwind and percussion Music Education majors must participate in the Hawkeye Marching Band during at least one year while in residence at Iowa.

All members of the Hawkeye Marching Band are granted a scholarship through the John F. Allen Appreciation Awards, thanks to a generous gift from John F. Allen. Veteran members of the HMB (2nd Year+) may be eligible for additional scholarships, which are awarded at the directors' discretion, in line with eligibility and donor intent requirements.

All brass and woodwind auditions will be held in person during new students' Becoming a Hawkeye (BAH) Program. For students who will not be on campus for a BAH program, video auditions may be submitted.

Join us for our drumline clinics audition for the Hawkeye Drumline during the summer.

The Black and Gold Drumline plays for some Men's and Women's Basketball games, other Iowa Athletics events, and outreach and community engagement events. The B&G Drumline meets 1x per week in the fall semester, and 2x per week in the spring semester. It is a great option for musicians who do not have room in their schedules for the full time commitment required by the Hawkeye Marching Band, as well as any student looking to develop their skills on any drumline instrument. 

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No. the membership of the Hawkeye Marching Band is made up of woodwinds, brass, percussion, one drum major and one feature twirler (Golden Girl). The Iowa Dance Team performs with the Hawkeye Marching Band during pregame and halftime.

New students at Iowa should register right away for the Hawkeye Marching Band (MUS:1165:0001; 1 credit hour) during Summer Orientation. You do not have to complete your audition prior to registering for the course. Avoid conflicts with our rehearsal times. No class conflicts are allowed on Fridays.

The Hawkeye Marching Band rehearses 3:40 - 5:30PM Tuesday through Friday and on the days of home football games. We also have music rehearsals on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 - 9:00PM. Occasionally, our performance schedule will allow us to take some well-deserved time off during the season!

HMB Camp begins nine days prior to the first day of classes. The Hawkeye Marching Band pays for your residence hall room until your contract begins. A detailed schedule will be mailed in late-July. For your planning purposes, HMB members living in the UI Residence Halls will move in Saturday, August 17 through Monday, August 19. Prior to camp, every member of the Hawkeye Marching Band will receive a detailed student handbook/syllabus containing rehearsal and performance schedules, ensemble policies, marching fundamentals and additional information.

Each member is assessed $120 to cover rehearsal attire and uniform maintenance. As part of this fee, all new members receive official uniform items such as t-shirts, running shorts and socks, hats, a first pair of spats, first pair of gloves, and uniform dry cleaning throughout the season. Additionally, members that use a school-owned instrument will be assessed a $50 instrument rental fee (per instrument) to help offset our yearly repair costs. Whenever we travel, each student’s meal costs, housing, and transportation from Iowa City are provided by the athletic department and/or the host bowl organization.

The Hawkeye Marching Band provides percussion, mellophones, saxophones, baritones, and sousaphones (game day and practice instruments); trombones, trumpets, clarinets, and piccolos (game day instruments only).

Students playing on trombone, trumpet, clarinet, piccolo, alto saxophone, and tenor saxophone still need to provide a personal instrument for practice.

The Hawkeye Marching Band encourages and promotes academic excellence! Students are graded primarily on their attendance to all rehearsals and performances. Students can receive academic release time (to meet with a professor, attend a supervised review session, etc.) if pre-approved by the Director.

Halftime- No. Except for the Hawkeye Drumline, members do not have to memorize their show music. The Hawkeye Marching Band usually performs seven different half-time shows in addition to the pregame music, various cheers and music in the stands. The use of a digital flip folder (via your pre-existing smart device) is expected; In fact, writing your drill assignments on your music is required. All members use their digital flip folder in the stands during the game.

Pregame- Yes, the Hawkeye Marching Band memorizes all music for Pregame.

We typically travel to one away games and/or one or two exhibition performances. Additionally, there is an excellent chance that we will travel to a post-season conference championship and/or bowl game. Members are expected to attend these events.