The University of Texas Longhorn Band….also known as the Showband of the Southwest….is the marching band of The University of Texas at Austin….which was founded in 1900 by distinguished professor of chemistry, Dr. Eugene P. Schoch. The band is currently under the direction of Dr. Scott Hanna. The band performs at all in-state football games….for various Texas Longhorn Athletics teams…. and at special pep rallies and parades throughout the year. The band includes about 375 students….of which all must register for a year-round course offered by the Butler School of Music.
Glenn A. Richter, an alumnus of the University of Texas, returned to his alma mater as director of the Longhorn Band from 1980 to 1995….as he directed the Showband of the Southwest during this 1982 Cotton Bowl with the Texas Longhorns verses the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The Longhorn Band performs a different show at each home football game throughout the year. These shows include ‘Traditional Shows’….which feature signature music and performed drills like the double block T E X A S script seen in this video herewith….and ‘Non-Traditional Shows’….which feature contemporary music and a modern marching style as seen in the geometric marching progressions….. also seen herewith…..as the Longhorn Band performs four non-traditional shows each year. The band typically selects music that highlights a wide variety of musical artists and thematic ideas. The music and drill for these performances are arranged by current and former staff of the University of Texas School of Music. Thanks to the high general level of musical talent in the Longhorn Band, complex arrangements of popular tunes appear many times every year.
