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Spirit of Gold Marching Band
School	Vanderbilt University
Location	Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Founded	1909
Director	Douglas Morin
Assistant Director	Clark Hubbard
Members	approx. 80
Fight song	"Dynamite"

The Spirit of Gold Marching Band is the collegiate marching band organized by Vanderbilt University.

Membership

A unique feature of the Spirit of Gold is that membership in the marching band is open to all students enrolled at Vanderbilt as well as students from other colleges in the Nashville area. This includes Belmont, Lipscomb, Trevecca, Vol State and Nashville State. This does not apply to Tennessee State University as they already have their own marching band, the Aristocrat of Bands, nor to Fisk University who re-started their marching band in 2020 after a long hiatus.

Performances

Football

The band forms the core of the student section at intercollegiate football games hosted by Vanderbilt at FirstBank Stadium and performs at all Vanderbilt Commodores home football games, as well as one away game per season and any post-season games.

The Spirit of Gold works with the Office of the Dean of Students to coordinate the band's performances at football games. The band has developed many traditions that help add to the exciting atmosphere of Southeastern Conference football on game day. For example, the band leads a parade through campus before games and provides music for pre-game and in-game spirit. The band plays the university's fight song, "Dynamite", throughout the game as well.

The Spirit of Gold prepares a unique halftime show for every home game, performing from variety of musical genres and eras. Recent performances have featured music from Olivia Rodrigo, Fall Out Boy, John Williams, Earth, Wind, and Fire, and Bruno Mars. The last halftime performance of the year is traditionally a completely student-run, student-organized show.

Basketball, Anchor of Sound

During the spring semester, a 50-60-piece pep band is formed for performances at Vanderbilt's men's and women's basketball games played in Memorial Gym. Members of the Anchor of Sound are divided into two bands, Black Band and Gold Band, each band playing at the same number of regular-season games. The Anchor of Sound, like the Spirit of Gold, travels to any post-season games for both men's and women's basketball. Anchor of Sound performs music similar to that which Spirit of Gold performs.

Additional Performances

In addition to their respective regular-season games, the Spirit of Gold performs at select home women's soccer games, while the Anchor of Sound performs at select home women's lacrosse games.

Tau Beta Sigma

The Eta Phi chapter of Tau Beta Sigma serves the Spirit of Gold. The co-ed chapter consists of approximately 25 members, and, in 2009, received the Grace and A. Frank Martin Chapter Leadership Award, a biennial award that honors the outstanding chapter in the nation. All members of the Spirit of Gold, regardless of university, are able to seek membership in Eta Phi.

External links

• The Spirit of Gold's Website
• Renditions of songs played by the band

Notes

1. "Ensembles | Vanderbilt University Band". Archived from the original on 2008-05-11. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
2. "Vanderbilt Spirit of Gold Marching Band". Vanderbilt Athletic Bands. Retrieved 2022-12-04.
3. "Fisk University Marching Band". Fisk University. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
4. Mitchell, Damon (2020-11-29). "Fisk University Pumps New Life Into Marching Band After Decades-Long Hiatus". wpln.org. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
5. "Basketball Band | Vanderbilt University Band". Archived from the original on 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2008-05-22.
6. "Vanderbilt Athletic Bands Schedule". Retrieved 2024-12-31.
7. "Tau Beta Sigma - National Honorary Band Service Sorority". Archived from the original on 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2010-11-15.

v t e Vanderbilt University
Located in Nashville, Tennessee – Founded 1873
Schools and colleges	Undergraduate Blair School of Music College of Arts and Science Peabody College School of Engineering Graduate Divinity School Graduate School Law School Owen Graduate School of Management School of Medicine School of Nursing
People	Cornelius Vanderbilt Holland McTyeire Bruce R. Evans Southern Agrarians Fugitives Vanderbilt alumni Vanderbilt athletes Vanderbilt chancellors Spirit of Gold Greek life Bachelor of Ugliness
Athletics	Teams Basketball Men's Women's Baseball Football Men's soccer (defunct) Venues FirstBank Stadium Hawkins Field Memorial Gymnasium Traditions "Dynamite"
Places	Alumni Hall Disciples Divinity House Dyer Observatory First Amendment Center Jean and Alexander Heard Library Institute for Space and Defense Electronics Home Economics Building Mayborn Building Memorial Hall Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital Old Gym Thomas W. Phillips Memorial Television News Archive Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Vanderbilt University Medical Center Vanderbilt University Press
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Affiliations	Association of American Universities Southeastern Conference American Lacrosse Conference
Category

• Vanderbilt University
• Southeastern Conference marching bands
• Musical groups from Tennessee
• Musical groups established in 1909
• 1909 establishments in Tennessee