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PROVO — BYU is getting the band back together at men's basketball games.
After several days of meetings between athletic department staff members and members of the university's pep band, the two sides came together in an agreement that will allow the band to resume playing at all home men's basketball games moving forward, school officials confirmed to KSL.com prior to Tuesday night's game against No. 20 Arizona (9 p.m. MST, ESPN).
The decision adds to a previous agreement that the pep band — commonly referred to as the ROC band, after the school's "Roar of Cougars" student section — would commit to travel with the team to postseason games, beginning with the Big 12 conference tournament March 11-15 in Kansas City.
The group was initially told not to play at home games after the band, which is led by one full-time faculty member in Fred McInnis and a part-time assistant in Richard Bateman, was unable to commit to play every home game of the 2024-25 season. The 200 or so band members, who regularly are split between football marching band and pep bands for men's and women's basketball, said that was a contrast from the traditional agreement to dedicate the band exclusively to basketball beginning with the winter semester.
The athletic band is not operated or managed by the athletic department, but by the BYU School of Music. Its members are students across multiple majors, who receive non-athletic scholarships to perform primarily during football and basketball season (some bands have been assembled to perform with other teams, such as men's and women's volleyball, though not on a consistent basis).
The decision opposing BYU's band banning — or "banding," perhaps? — was signed by more than 6,000 supporters, change.org confirmed to KSL.com.
"We are thankful to be able to be given the privilege to once again perform as part of the BYU basketball game day experience," said Jadyn Christensen, a trumpeter in the ROC band who organized the petition. "It's truly an honor to be able to represent our university and support the basketball team, as that is our whole goal."
The Cougars are riding a four-game winning streak before hosting reigning Big 12 Player of the Week Caleb Love and the Wildcats (15-6, 9-1 Big 12).
And the band will play on.
