The Hawkeye Marching Band is made up of 295 marching Hawkeyes who perform on Piccolo, Clarinet, Alto and Tenor Saxophone, Trumpet, Mellophone, Trombone, Baritone, Bass Trombone, Sousaphone, or on the Drumline.

All enrolled students at the University of Iowa are eligible to audition for the Hawkeye Marching Band. You do not have to be a music major, as non-music majors make up approximately 80% of the Hawkeye Marching Band. 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. While most students who audition for the HMB are first-year students at the university, this is not a requirement! Many second-year (and higher) students audition for membership. In many cases, a student who re-auditions after participating in other ensembles (e.g. Black and Gold Drumline, Iowa Pep Band, or University Band) find they are better equipped necessary to re-audition at a higher level.

For woodwind and brass musicians, students are adjudicated on a 100 point scale in sound quality, accuracy in pitch and rhythm, articulation, dynamics, and style in the following categories:

• Chromatic Scale (10 points)
• Prepared Etude (30 points)
• On Iowa (30 points)
• Sight-reading (20 points)
• Mark time (during sight-reading) (10 points)

For drumline musicians, students are also adjudicated on a 100 point scale in the following categories:

• Rhythmic accuracy (25 points)
• Technique (25 points)
• Sound/Dynamic Range (15 points)
• Marching Fundamentals (10 points)
• Tempo maintenance/mark time (10 points)
• Memorization (5 points)
• Sight-reading (5 points)
• Drill literacy (5 points)

Each year, the number of positions available in the HMB is directly related to the number of returning members. Currently, all brass and woodwind musicians have a standing invitation to return to the band each year, as long as they stay in good standing with the band and complete their intent form by the set deadline. Drumline musicians (with the exception of chosen leadership) re-audition for their spot every season. In each section, auditioning students are cut every year.

Section size is determined based on the overall balance of the ensemble and the way our custom music is arranged for the HMB. The top-scoring auditions from each section are accepted to fill the number of spots available. This will fluctuate from year-to-year, and a top score one year may not necessarily be a top score the following year. 

Sections may fluctuate slightly in size each year, based on many factors, for example:

• In a year where a section has many graduating students, additional first-year students may be brought on to offset attrition.
• In a year where one section is smaller than desired, another section in the same functional range may be expanded (e.g. supplementing with more tenor saxophones in a year where the trombones are light).

The maximum number of students in each section is determined by the number of instruments available. The maximum number of students in the HMB is determined by the number of uniforms, space in Kinnick Stadium, seats on our busses, and storage of our instruments. 

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. 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!

As ambassadors for our university, we also participate in some away games, exhibition performances, and other community engagement events (either as a full band or a smaller pep band). Post-season conference championships, playoff games, and bowl games are required.

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 16 through Monday, August 18. 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 $150 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); bass trombones, trombones, trumpets, clarinets, and piccolos (game day instruments only).

Students playing on bass trombone, 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 game 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.