Letters to the Band I really enjoyed my time at the UVa Band Day. It was great marching with the Cavs at half time. Rick Cyr was fascinating to talk to and to listen to, and I'm very glad you were able to hook him! i hope to attend UVa next year and march with my sister and the rest of the band. I was so impressed by the band and their dedication; you really have a great group and do a great job directing. Thank you so much for inviting me. Sincerely,
Peter Booker
Dear Mr. Pease, I attended the UVA Band Day event yesterday, and I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the wonderful opportunity. I thoroughly enjoyed my day with the Cavalier Marching Band members, volunteers, and staff members. The students and staff, yourself included, were all very welcoming, helpful, spirited, and supportive of all of the Band Day participants. I am extremely passionate about marching band, as well as, the University of Virginia, so it was truly a real treat to share the field with such an amazing band. It was a very fun, but also, and educational experience, I was able to get a feeling for what marching band will be like in college. Unfortunately my high school's marching band season ended last week, but it was honestly a great honor to be able to represent my band and wear the Herndon High School uniform and join the Cavaliers yesterday on the field. It was a wonderful way to end my four years of high school marching band. Once again, thank you for allowing me to join the Cavaliers yesterday! I hope to have the opportunity of marching with the Cavaliers, as a member of the band, next year. -Cailin Clinton
Herndon High School
Mr. Pease, I just wanted to say great job on this weekend's performance. You guys always do such a wonderful job! We've been going to UVA games for a long time and you have done just a wonderful job with the band. I really believe that we have one of the best bands in the country. We look forward to the after game performances as well. We have a couple of your cd's from previous years. Are there any dvd's available of your halftime and gameday performances? That would be awesome to see. Also, pass the word to Ivan Rutherford if you would... He was awesome this weekend. My wife is a huge broadway fan and we both thought that the performance this weekend was great. Thanks again and keep up the good work. GO HOOS! Adam Faulkner
Pease, How are you? Hope all is going well. Just wanted to shoot you a quick note. I saw a video someone posted online of the band doing the Disney show from this past weekend and I have to say WOW! I was completely blown away by how good the band sounded and just how well you could hear them even when they were facing the opposite direction. I always knew the band would continue to grow and get better every year after I graduated, but I have to say, they are exceeding the alum's expectations by miles!! I was also really impressed by how well the crowd responded to that show. You guys continue to prove just what a special group the CMB is and how integral a part it is for UVA Athletic. Keep up the good work and hope here's hoping I'll be able to make it back to C-ville sometime to see you all in action! Tim Ciesco
Reporter
KKCO 11 News
Pease, You all sounded great. The Aladdin piece was probably the best I've heard the best sound and that's saying something. I guess you've finally got that full sound you always wanted. I'll be at the Maryland game on the sidelines. I may call in a couple plays for Groh. Hope we can atleast get to six wins so you all can get a bowl trip somewhere. Hope all is well with you and the family,
Kenton Griffin
To the Directors and Members of the Cavalier Marching Band Kudos on a FABULOUS half-time show this past Saturday!! The Disney music was a wonderful choice and extremely well executed, right down to the perfect flags for the Lion King number. Ivan Rutherford's performance was a particular treat for those of us who know and love musicals. We were especially appreciative that he would stay for the post-game show and sing the entire show a second time.
We look forward to half-time at every Virginia home game because, while we never know which Cav football team may show up, we always know that the Cav Marching Band will be on their game! Many thanks for sharing you musical talents with us!! Your loyal fans,
Don, Susan, & Lauren Taylor
Paul West
Bill,
Thanks you and the marching band so very much for performing at the Richmond Regional Campaign Celebration Wednesday evening. Having the band there was phenomenal! I received so many positive comments on how the band helped to up the feel of the celebration - right from the beginning as people arrived. It was so much fun. The band members are wonderful kids too. It was a real pleasure to get to speak with a few of them. I wish we could bring the band along to all of our Regional Campaign Celebrations! We will have one in DC next semester and I will be sure to try to finagle you and the band to come and perform again. Thanks again and I will wave to you when I go to my first football game when we play Boston College. Tina Rees
University of Virginia
Senior Donor Relations Coordinator
Dear Bill, Staff, and Band Members
It was my pleasure to spend the day with the Cavalier Marching Band last Saturday on the occasion of your opening show of the season. From the pre-game rehearsal, to the lunch at O-Hill, to the CMB portion of the game itself, it was a terrific day!! Although the game did not go as planned, the Cavalier Marching Band more than made up for it!! I am continually impressed by the way your band rehearses and processes the things that they need to do. I really like the business-like manner the members work with. All high school band directors should spend time watching the CMB work. As a 30-year teaching veteran, I learn a lot of things to make my band better everytime I watch your group. For that, I thank you!! I was also really impressed with the wide-open sound you all are getting now!!! Also, please tell the mellophones that they "rocked my world" on that Mangione opener. What a sound!! Again, my thanks for a great day, and I can't wait to take in another performance of the CMB soon!!! Best,
Earl E. Shaffer, Jr.
Cosby Titan Band Director of Bands
Bill,You and your staff did a great job getting the band ready for their first game. They looked motivated and well-prepared, and they played with spirit. They were the bright spot in an otherwise dreadful evening.
Joe Garofalo 09-5-09 (vs. William & Mary)
Bill,
The band was just marvelous on Saturday. When you consider how hot it
was, how long they played, and the game's score, they sounded
FANTASTIC. We have seats directly across the field from the Band and we
could FEEL the tubas... We are so proud of you and the CMB.
Like I always say, "No matter the score, there is always the Band!"
Greg, Laurie and Rachel Redfern
11-13-08 (vs. USC)
I would like to commend you on the job you have done with our University of Virginia band - they are wonderful!!!!!
Hopefully some of the band will be able to travel to Wake Forest -- we travel fans were disappointed when we had no band at GT!!! We need the band at away games to help us keep the momentum alive in the stands as the team does on the field!!! Again, it is such a joy watching the marching Cavs at home games - the sound is tremendous!!! Keep up the fantastic work!
C. Baker
VAF Supporter 11-6-08
To all of the members of the U.Va. Cavalier Bands - I want you to understand something very important. I loved, loved and cherished your wonderful letters. And I thank you for the beautiful messages you sent and the lovely flowers. But I am also the one who should be writing to each of you. You have given me personally, my family, my friends, this town/county, and the U.Va family such a great deal of pleasure and pride in what all of you have accomplished in a few short year. You wouldn't be at U.Va if you were not very bright and motivated. But what you've done rings the bell at the top of the WOW meter. Remember that all of your fans are arriving early to be in the seats "when our band comes in." And your halftime show just blows them away. Ditto after the game. You are the ones to be thankful for your hard work and dedication and for a job well done. So thank you very much "for a job well done." You make us all very proud. - Hunter Smith P.S. We will have to give the Director and his staff and volunteers some credit also. 10-14-08
Hey Bill (and staff too), I am continually impressed with the entire CMB program. The rehearsal technique of the band is just plain amazing. More band directors need to watch this process so as to make their own bands better. It is remarkable to watch and listen to this band and realize that there is not a single music major in it. I learn something that makes me a better teacher every time I come up. Unreal!!
Again, it was my pleasure to be there with you on another game day and I am looking forward to being a part of another game day in the near future.
Best,
Earl E. Shaffer, Jr
Director of Bands
Cosby High School
10-16-08 (vs. Richmond)
Mr Koch and Mr Pease, My name is Zach Rowen and I have been in flags of the acc for the past couple of years. I just wanted to pass along an extremely high compliment from a couple of USC fans. I was talking to them yesterday when they told me that the thing that really stuck with them from their experience from the game was how well our band played. They have traveled
to just about all of the USC away games for the past few years and said that among all the schools they saw, UVa was probably among the best, if not the best performing band.
In any event, I just wanted to pass along that extremely high (and completely unprompted) praise. I know how hard everyone in the band works and I thought it was worth letting you know.
Sincerely,
Zach
10-16-08 (vs. USC)
Bill,
Just want to send a note to say thanks to you and the band members who came out to Klockner today to assist in our efforts against Johns Hopkins. Your organization was a major contributor to the best game atmosphere I have seen at Klockner. I hope that you can continue to have such a solid corps of band members at our future home dates. Again, thank you. Sincerely,
Marc Van Arsdale
Associate Head Lacrosse Coach
3-25-08
I just wanted to send you an e-mail to let you know how great Saturday was. Besides the win it was great to hear the band and wow they sound great. Rick and I had front row tickets and found ourselves in the band the majority of the game because it is the atmosphere we love. I miss it so much! Everyone is so excited and really into the stand tunes and the game (maybe because UVA football has been quite crazy this year with all the wins within 5 points!). Hopefully the team will continue to excel because a great bowl game would be very fun. I just wanted to say it makes me so proud to come back as an Alumni and see what has come of the band. I remember when we were so new, and about 100 less people, just learning to mesh with one another and create energy for UVA's football team and fans.
Suzanne Levesque
10-22-07
Mr. Pease,
Before I turn in tonight, I want to let you know that I am still geeked from tonights game and the band was a large part of that.
This was a easy road trip for me, because instead of driving the 120 miles from DC to Charlottesville for home games at Scott as I do 5 or 6 times a year, Byrd Stadium at Maryland is 11 miles from my house. A bus and subway ride for me.
The band sounded awesome. I had four tickets, two in the upper deck in the Virginia section, and two in the Maryland supporters section 26 at the 30 yard line behind the Maryland bench. I decided to use the two in the Maryland section across from the band in part because I wanted to hear the band. I am so glad I did. The great sounds you guys put out might have been lost for our fans sitting in the upperdeck 300 sections of Byrd. I' ve sat up there before and its so high up, you can' t even hear fans sitting in the lower deck cheering for Maryland way up there.
As you usually do at home games, you guys were rocking, and even the Maryland fans that surrounded me, had much love for you also. You guys were working all game, the Maryland band appeared to be watching all game, rarely heard them at all.
Thanks to you and the band for making the trip and adding to the atmosphere at the game tonight. Hopefully you guys can do the NCSU trip as well.
Take care!
Christopher Jerry
10-21-07
I enjoyed my day with the band. It is amazing how a group that large can be so effectively managed. Thanks for including me.
You and your staff made a fantastic recovery from the kitchen fire!!!! It was marvelous how you provided food and repositioned the uniforms. And the band members took it just like it was planned that way. Congratulations, Mr. Pease!
Wallace Morton
10-19-07
Dear Mr. Pease,
I wanted to congratulate you on a job well done with your Cavalier Marching Band. I was in attendance at Saturday's game against Georgia Tech and was privileged to witness the band's performance before the game and at halftime. Wow! They were incredible. I should tell you that I grew up in Charlottesville and went to a lot of UVA games. There were those of us who never really appreciated the "stylings" of the Pep Band.(Having to apologize after a performance is usually not a good sign) My family and I often wondered why Thomas Jefferson's university wasn't more appropriately represented by a decent marching band. Saturday my longing for musical entertainment with a presentation worthy of the school was finally realized. I am amazed at what you have been able to do in just a few short years. I am a VA Tech graduate and I'd have to say you even gave our band a run for their money. Please pass along my sincere appreciation to your staff and to all of the band members for their hard work. Great job!
Claire Dodd (Forest, VA)
9-23-07
I was supposed to email you a while ago but things have been kinda hectic up here in Maryland. I just wanted to say again just how great it was watching the band at the Duke game. I cannot begin to tell you what it felt like watching the band from the stands. Before the game I literally ran down the steps to the front row and saw a friend and was like "come down here with me.....get up close with the band." But anyway, from the new pre-game show, to the halftime show (especially the Norfolk State Spartan Legion-esque dance break), and of course hearing my favorite song ("Neck" of course), the band was just GREAT. I felt like a proud father. The band is now a far cry from those days inhaling paint fumes in the storage room and the small office in UHall. I don't have enough words to express how proud I am of the band. After that first game, I can only imagine how good the band will be by the end of the season. On another note, we were watching the UNC game at my job (bookstore across from UMd) and every time I heard the band I would smile and tell the person working with me "That's my band!!" And of course every time ya'll played the First Down Cheer I'd say "Hoos" at the end and my coworker was saying it by the end, lol. Can't wait to see ya'll when you come to College Park. Maryland's band is on point, but the CMB is gonna take them and I can't wait to see it.
Much love,
TJ
9-20-07
I hope this email finds you doing well this afternoon. I am the Head Cheerleading Coach for Duke University. We made the trip up to beautiful Charlottesville for this weekend's game. On behalf of the Duke Blue Devil Cheerleading Team, I would like to extend a warm thank you to the UVA Band for taking care of us. Dick Coleman and Dwight, along with the marching band, made sure that our girls were well hydrated during the heat of the afternoon. They were extremely kind and incredibly generous. Mr. Coleman had carried a crate of cold bottled water down to our end of the field for the girls. A few of them were feeling the effects of the heat, and it was greatly appreciated.
Please know that we felt truly welcome and we were thrilled to be a part of the game. The Band and its Directors certainly are a class act!
With Gratitude,
Alayne Rusnak
Head Coach Duke Cheerleading
6-7-07
Bill, Michael and Band Members:
On behalf of the men's tennis team at the University of Virginia I want to personally thank you for coming out and supporting the team on Friday. You are so much responsible for giving our guys a chance to play in an incredible atmosphere. Please fully understand you help us win and make the experience so much more enjoyable for the fans and most importantly the student athletes. Again, a great big thank you goes out to all of you who came out and supported us. We are truly grateful.
Brian Boland
Men's UVA Tennis Coach
4-16-07
I attended the men's basketball game with Georgia Tech on Saturday February 24th and I can't tell you how pleased I was to hear the band play 'Vehicle' by the Ides of March. It's one of my all time favorite songs from the 70's. Shortly after I first heard the UVA band perform I heard the song on the radio and thought to myself what a great song this would be for our band to play, since it has a terrific horn section. I was able to speak with your assistant at the women's ACC tournament game with Duke in Greensboro last Friday during halftime and I expressed my gratitude to him as well. We are so happy with the work you and your staff are doing at UVA and hope to keep you around for a long, long time. The presence of the marching band and pep band at the football and basketball games makes such a huge difference in the atmosphere. All the kids do such a great job and are a credit to the high standards set at the university.
Continued best wishes...
Danny Fainter
3-15-07
Dear Mr. Pease,
I just wanted to e-mail you and tell you how much Pat and I appreciated being invited to the banquet at Boar's Head. It meant a lot to us and we had a great time. We also thank you for the blanket and the watch. While I realize it is not a Rolex I would rather have it and I am wearing it proudly. More valuable to us than the gifts was the kindness and caring attitude shown us by you, Drew, and Ilon. We were made to feel like we truly were a part of CMB.
Sincerely,
Jim Cecil
2-5-07
Mr. Pease,
I am a UVa alumnus (CLAS '89), long-time UVa employee, and fan of the marching band! Our 5 year-old son loves to watch the UVa marching band; in fact, it is the only reason he wants to attend football games. He has a small toy drum, and continually reminds us that his main goal in life is to play in the UVa band!
Emily Lyster
1-4-07
Dear Bill,
Just a quick note to say how much I enjoyed the band during football season and am now enjoying in the JPJ arena for basketball. Thanks to you, the players and all the others who make these performances possible.
Sincerely yours,
Elizabeth P. Wilkerson
12-4-06
Dear Mr. Koch,
In case you don't recognize my address, this is Chris Anderson, UVa hopeful for the class of 2012, I attended the band camp over the summer etc. etc. But anyway I just wanted to send another e-mail formally thanking you and everyone at UVa music department for the great experience of the camp over the summer and the rewards it has brought me. While at camp Dr. Good took me aside on the final day and told me all about the Macy's Great American Marching Band. He also told me that he would personally waive the audition tape. Well I took him up on the offer and in five short days I am flying off to New York City for three days of rehearsal and fun and then the Big Parade. This is really a once in a lifetime experience and one that so few people will ever get. I have you and you're staff to thank for that, so, thank you.
Sincerely,
Christopher Anderson
11-16-06
Hi Bill,
Great job at the game last night. You have everyone energized this year. Lots of animation, swinging, dancing, having fun! I liked the sustained longgggggggg note. Do that again.
Best,
Alan Rob
10-20-06
Dear Bill,
I wanted to personally thank you, and the members of the UVa Marching Band, for your performance at the fireworks display on Friday evening. It goes without saying that the band's performance added tremendously to the event- it simply would not have been the same, nor as inspiring, without your presence and participation. I hope to see you and many of the band members there. And thank you again for your part in this past weekend's festivities.
Best,
Robert D. Sweeney
Senior Vice President for UVA’s Development and Public Affairs
10-3-06
Hi Bill,
We made it back from Scotland for the big weekend. This was a big deal for the marching band..... fireworks at the rotunda, Duke football game, and then the late performance at the gala dinner in JPJ arena. I saw it all. I trust that staff & players alike enjoyed the experience, tiring as it surely was. Lots of hard work!
Best!
Alan Rob
10-3-06
Mr. Pease,
I want to thank you very much for my great weekend at UVa. I enjoyed the day so much and I was really impressed by the quality of the marching band. There are so many things that I really love about the band program and about the university in general, and I would very much like to be a part of it. I hope I can keep in contact with you as I complete my final year of high school and move forward to college! This weekend definitely gave me a great idea of what Ova has to offer, and I would really love to be a part of it.
Thanks so much!
Evan Rust
9-12-06
Thank you so much for allowing me to "hang with" you guys this past weekend. As always--it is a blast and a learning experience wrapped up into one. I am a huge fan of your band and love what you guys have done with it. It is a real “class act.” The sound is AMAZING and will make returning to work next week a real challenge! It is nice to get a refresher in how things are supposed to sound like! The CMB is a great representative for the University and the Commonwealth and I know everyone in Scott Stadium is proud of this group. Thanks again for letting me be a part of the game day experience and I look forward to doing it again soon! See you all soon!
Best,
Earl E. Shaffer, Jr
Director of Bands Cosby High School
9-10-06
Then my last daughter started at UVA last fall. We came for all the home football games. Honestly, I thought for certain it would take you 3-4 years to get a really top notch quality band up to speed. You did it the first year!!!!!!!! Just unbelievable.
In ancient times, decades ago, I went to what I later realized was an excellent junior high school in Charleston, WVA. We had a superb marching band and orchestra. I then went on to Stonewall Jackson High School. I knew we were good, and I was later to realize that at that time (1959-1962) the band there was as good as any band in the country. We had a 120-man marching band, a huge orchestra, and a dance band. I played in all and was the drum major my senior year. Our band won every contest you can imagine, including representing WVA in the Kennedy inaugural parade and a trip to the National Music Man Festival a year later. A couple years ago I visited the band web site and learned that those two years were the greatest for the band and its accomplishments in school history. I tell you all this not to brag, or to bore you, but to tell you, I know marching bands. And the one you produced last fall was out of this world. I literally cried every time the band took the field. Memories flooding me, and realizing the wonderful job you had done the first season out.
Thanks. Keep up the good work. I hope you're blessed beyond imagination and I deeply appreciate what you're doing. Hope to see you this fall. A 3-time UVA parent,
Phil Farthing (Norfolk)
3-28-05
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