The 2023 Ivy Band Agreement
1. In order to facilitate communication among the bands, each band will send out to all other bands a list of their newly elected or appointed officers’ contact information. This is to be done as soon as possible after elections or appointments, and is to be done again when any information on the initial list changes. In addition, the ivy-band-mgt@elilists.yale.edu will be updated as soon as the information is available. Yale is in charge of this listserv, and will be responsible for adding new leadership and removing old leadership from the listserv. New leadership must be added by December for bands who change leadership in November, and by the end of January for bands who change leadership in January. Also, newly elected or appointed officers must be shown this Ivy League Bands Agreement. Contact information for each band and the current Ivy League Bands Conference Agreement will be posted on each group’s website in an easily accessible location. Each group’s respective website URL is as follows:
Brown: http://students.brown.edu/band/
Columbia: dissolved until further notice
Cornell: http://mb.bigredbands.org/ and http://pepband.bigredbands.org
Dartmouth: http://sites.dartmouth.edu/dcmb until http://dcmb.dartmouth.edu is fixed
Harvard: http://www.harvardband.org
Penn: http://www.pennband.net/
Princeton: http://www.princetonuniversityband.com
Yale: http://bands.yalecollege.yale.edu/yale-precision-marching-band/
The following is a list of the approximate times each band’s leadership changes:
Brown: late November
Columbia: dissolved until further notice
Cornell: January
Dartmouth: late November
Harvard: late November
Penn: January
Princeton: late January
Yale: late January
2. Each band will inform other bands of the intent to attend University events (sporting or otherwise) at least four weeks (28 calendar days) in advance during the football season (but preferably at the beginning of the school year) and as soon as scheduled for all other events (at least two weeks (14 calendar days) for winter sports). If they will need to be housed for a game, they will notify the host band at least four weeks (28 calendar days) in advance of this date, giving an approximate estimate of numbers as soon as such information is known (no later than three weeks (21 calendar days) in advance). The host band will provide a response (including housing capacity) no later than three weeks (21 calendar days) in advance of the game. If a visiting band is in need of a practice field, they will notify the host band at least three weeks (21 calendar days) in advance, and the host band will attempt to secure the requested practice field (more information for hosting and visiting rules per school can be found in a different document shared with those on the Ivy bands listserv). Yale will neither request nor provide housing. Dartmouth will not house bands during their finals period. There shall be no expectation of housing any band by any band for the Ivy League Basketball Tournaments. All bands attending the tournament will make their own accommodations for the duration of their team’s participation in the tournament. So as to avoid unequal treatment, no band shall be housed while other visiting bands are not, except in the event of a double-header. If a band does not have adequate space to house both visiting bands, the first band to contact the host band has priority in receiving housing. Bands, with the exception of the given cases, are expected to provide housing to visiting bands during the football season and are encouraged to do so during the winter and spring seasons as they are able.
3. Visiting bands are expected to act respectfully towards host bands and institutions. Bands may decline housing if serious infractions occur, but this must be discussed between the host band and the visiting band before contacting all bands. If housing is declined for a band, all bands must be notified via the listserv by the band declining housing. If housing is declined for a serious infraction, housing must be reevaluated for the next housing cycle. Further disciplinary action should be brought up with the university’s athletic departments and administrations.
4. The following officers should be contacted when traveling to their respective schools:
Brown: Corresponding Secretary – brownbandcorsec@gmail.com
Columbia: dissolved until further notice
Cornell: Marching Band Head Manager for football – marchingband@cornell.edu , Pep Band Head Manager for other events – see website
Dartmouth: President – dcmb@dartmouth.edu
Harvard: Student Leadership – leadership@harvardband.org
Penn: Executive Board – board@pennband.net
Princeton: Head Manager – puband.hm@gmail.com, puband@princeton.edu
Yale: YPMB Manager – see website
Bands not listing an email on the agreement will have an updated email to contact available on their website. These people should provide visiting bands with contact numbers for emergency health services in the area, and both visiting and hosting bands should provide each other with emergency contacts within their bands. These same people should be contacted for information about the host school’s policy regarding the censoring of scripts. Bands will provide a censoring policy in advance to other bands via the listserv if a policy exists. If a script needs to be sent in advance, it should be sent to the other school’s athletic department by 5 PM the Monday before the game.
5. Each band will contact its respective ticket office in the spring or before football season to attempt to secure adequate and equitable seating for visiting bands at football, hockey, and basketball games for the coming year. The visiting bands will be responsible for procuring those seats, but the host bands will make sure that their ticket offices are expecting these bands. If any problems arise that involve tickets or seating, visiting bands should feel free to ask for assistance from the host band. The host band will find out and inform the visiting band of any ticket limits imposed by the host school’s athletic department at least one week in advance.
6. Each band will find out its respective school’s policy on playing music during sporting events (whatever sport), including post-game policy, and will communicate that policy, along with other traditions bands might have during the game (Ex: Penn, toast) to visiting bands at least one week in advance of the game. Bands shall not enter the football field or play music during the performance of another band without prior agreement. Where possible, the host band will help show the visiting band how to use the P.A. equipment.
7. Representatives of the home band will meet with the visiting band upon arrival to determine the order of playing during breaks and after the game, and, if available, an Athletics script will be provided for each band. Time outs will be divided between the bands in an equitable manner agreed upon before the start of the game. Additionally, bands will not play over P.A. announcements, except where permitted.
8. All bands agree to adhere to splitting their allotted time for halftime and pre-game shows evenly at football games. Respect for allotted time takes precedence over Section 6. Timing shall start when a member of the band first steps on the field, begins to play, when the band’s public address announcer begins to speak, or at a designated time, whichever comes first. Timing shall end when the last member of the band has left the field, stops playing, or when the announcer completes his dialogue, whichever comes last. All bands shall time their own shows both in rehearsal and actual performance.
9. If any bands need extra time for a special band-related celebration or internal celebration, they will let the visiting band know three weeks in advance or as soon as possible so that the visiting band can write or adjust its shows accordingly. If there will be other changes (such as kick-off time delayed due to televising or other non-band activities taking up part of half time) the host band will let the visiting band know as soon as possible. If any changes occur on game day, the visiting band will be notified immediately.
10. In the event of an infraction of the Ivy League Bands Conference Agreement, the offended band may notify the other bands of the nature of the infraction (via use of the listserv, if need be) after a discussion between the bands involved in the infraction has taken place.
11. All bands agree to host the Ivy League Bands Conference in the following order: Penn, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Harvard, and Princeton. Dartmouth and Cornell are exempted from the cycle due to how difficult it is to get there. Columbia is exempt from the cycle until further notice (due to their dissolution in fall 2020). Each host band of the given year will act as a center of communication until the following conference. The host band shall be in contact with other bands of the upcoming Ivy Bands Conference by February 1st of the hosting year. By February 1st, the host band should send out the expected date, which will be around the first weekend of April. Other bands have until February 15th to voice serious conflicts with this date. The host band will also calculate the cost of hosting the conference and divide it by the number of attendees, and each band will pay that amount times the number of that band’s attendees on the day of the conference. One representative from the host band will take minutes throughout the conference and send them to all members within 1 week following the conference.
12. The conference host shall send the text of any proposed amendments to this agreement to all members within 2 weeks following the conference. Each band will contact the host to ratify the amendment(s). Amendments will be ratified individually. Each band will have two weeks from receiving an amendment to ratify. Any school that does not contact the host by the end of those two weeks shall be counted as ratifying all amendments. If an amendment has not passed unanimously once the two weeks have passed, the bands will discuss and revise the amendment and begin the ratification process anew. If the amendment fails to be ratified unanimously three times, the most recently proposed version will be added to a “Proposed Amendments” section following the ratified IBA and discussed at the next year’s IBC.
12a. Amendments to the Ivy Bands Agreement may also be considered at any time of the year via proposal emailed to the Ivy Bands Listserv by one or more bands. If a band or bands email(s) a proposed amendment to the listserv, the bands shall have four weeks from the date the amendment was first proposed to discuss the amendment and vote via the listserv to either ratify or not ratify the amendment. Bands that do not cast a vote to the listserv within four weeks of the proposal shall be counted as ratifying the amendment. If an amendment proposed electronically is not ratified unanimously by the end of four weeks, the procedures for revision denoted in Section 12 shall take effect.
13. All bands agree to split their allotted time at hockey games. During period breaks, the bands will determine whether this means splitting playing time during each break, or whether each band will take one period break. Representatives of the leadership of each band will, time and ability permitting, meet with the announcers before the game to indicate that playing time shall be split during the breaks. Additionally, bands will alternate playing during the time following any stoppage of play. The bands will coordinate before the game if this same rule applies to time following a penalty.
14. When a band transitions its leadership, its outgoing leadership shall publish a short report to the Ivy Bands listserv detailing the past year’s recruitment efforts, retention efforts, initiatives to foster greater inclusivity, and relationship with its athletics department. Outgoing leadership reports shall be due by Valentine’s Day. The host of the upcoming year’s Ivy Bands Conference shall be responsible for reminding the bands to publish their outgoing leadership reports.
Ratified May 2023