The first evidence of a band at the University of Kansas was in 1887 when a student, Stuart O. Henry, organized a 12-piece military band. This group apparently did not receive much support since it did not survive the summer. There were student-led bands over the years which performed in concerts as well as at athletic events.

The first band uniforms were acquired in 1906, and in 1907, Joseph C. McCanles became the first faculty director. He served until 1933 when Russell L. Wiley became Director of Bands. The band grew and flourished under his leadership. Wiley retired as director of bands in 1968 and was succeeded by Kenneth Bloomquist and then by George Boberg. Robert E. Foster became director of bands in 1971, a position he held for 31 years. John P. Lynch became the Director of Bands in 2002, only the sixth director of bands in KU history.

1988 Marching Jayhawks - KU vs. K-State

In 1967, an outstanding musician from Oklahoma came to KU. James Barnes came as a freshman tuba player and composition major, beginning a rich association with the KU Bands which continues to this day. In 1975 Thomas Stidham came to KU from a position as assistant director of bands at Baylor University. David Clemmer became the new Director of Athletic Bands in fall 2006, thus forming the present KU Band Faculty.

There have been significant changes in the band program during the past 25 years. The Marching Band and men's basketball band have gained a position of national prominence, and there are now three concert bands both semesters. Current initiatives include the KU Commissioning and Recording projects, the high school Prairie Wind Festival, The Conductors Art Symposium, the KUKC Youth Wind Symphony, and the Adopt-a-Marching Jayhawk program.

The KU Marching Band marched down Campanile Hill to Memorial Stadium for the first time in the fall of 1971, an important pre-game tradition to this day. The Kansas state song, Home on the Range, was first performed by the Marching Band in 1971, and soon became a permanent part of the Marching Band repertoire. Women became a regular part of the Marching Band in the fall of 1972, the same year that the beautiful new silver sousaphones, the first in the Big Eight Conference, were introduced in Memorial Stadium. In 1989 the KU Marching Band became only the seventh band ever to be awarded the Sudler Trophy, the highest honor available to college marching bands. In 1994 it was listed as one of the top ten college marching bands by Sports Illustrated.

1988 Marching Jayhawks - Marching Festival

The KU jazz program began when Foster started the first "official" jazz ensemble in the spring of 1972. Since then, it has become one of the outstanding jazz programs in the nation. Under the leadership of Dan Gailey, it includes three big bands, two jazz choirs, numerous combos, and hosts the KU Jazz Festival, one of the nation's largest jazz events.

The Symphonic Band (now called Wind Ensemble) appeared at the Music Educator's National Association convention in Colorado Springs in 1979 and Miami in 1980, and in subsequent years at conventions in Indianapolis, Chicago, and Kansas City. The Wind Ensemble has also performed at the prestigious American Bandmasters Association convention in Kansas City in 1983, in Oklahoma City in 1985, and in Lawrence in 1995. The band has also been selected to perform at three conventions of the College Band Directors National Association, as well as a tour of China in 2006.

There are over 400 students involved in the various programs in the KU Bands, playing in 11 different ensembles. They represent the University in over 125 performances each school year beginning during Hawk Week before the first classes have met, and concluding with the last selection in Commencement, marking the end of the academic year.