2025 Ivy Band Agreement

The 2025 Ivy Band Agreement

A. Administration

1. IBC: 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 may 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.

2. Listserv Management: The ivy-band-mgt@elilists.yale.edu will serve as the primary communications hub for the Ivy Bands. 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. See Appendix A for each group’s URL.

3.Discord: The ivy-band-mgt discord server will serve as an informal communications hub for the Ivy Bands. Yale is in charge of the server, and will be responsible for maintaining it in a similar fashion to the listserv. At a minimum, it will have one channel for each school, which can be used to communicate with said school, and an infractions channel.

4. Infractions: In the event of an infraction of the Ivy League Bands Conference Agreement, the offended band will make the infraction known via the infractions channel on the ivy-band-mgt discord server. If the infraction is sufficiently severe as determined by the offended band, the infraction will be made known via the listserv and the hosting athletics department will be notified.

5. Amending IBA: 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.

6. Outgoing Leadership Reports: 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. 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.

B. Sports Agreement

1. Football Hosting Logistics: All bands will provide updated typical logistical information as laid out in Appendix C at the beginning of each school year. This will take the form of a pinned message in the ivy-band-mgt discord server. This information will help inform bands on expectation when planning away games, and should note games for which changes are likely.

2. Football Attendance: 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).If a visiting band is in need of a practice field, they will notify the host band in their attendance notification email, and the host band will attempt to secure the requested practice field.

3. Host Acknowledgment (Football): The host band will provide a response no later than three weeks (21 calendar days) in advance for football game attendance notifications.

4. Other Sports Attendance: Each band will inform other bands of the intent to attend University events (sporting or otherwise) soon as scheduled for all other events (at least two weeks (14 calendar days) for winter sports).

5. Housing: If a visiting band 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). Please see Appendix E for availability.

6. Host Acknowledgement (Housing): The host band will provide a response about housing capacity no later than three weeks (21 calendar days) in advance of the game. Additional school-specific information can be found in the drive shared on the Ivy Bands listserv.

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 doubleheader. 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 cases specified in the Ivy Bands Drive, 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.

Visiting bands are expected to act respectfully towards host bands and institutions. Bands may decline to host other bands, but this must be discussed between the host band and the visiting band before contacting all bands. If hosting is declined for a band, all bands must be notified via the listserv by the band declining hosting. If hosting is declined for a serious infraction, hosting must be reevaluated for the next hosting cycle. Further disciplinary action should be brought up with the university’s athletic departments and administrations.

7. Seating for Visitors: 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.

8. General Play Policy & Post-Game: 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.

9. Playtime Allocations & Scripts: 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.

10. Halftime/Pregame Show Timing: All bands agree to adhere to splitting their allotted time for halftime and pre-game shows evenly at football games. Bands shall not enter the football field or play music during the performance of another band without prior agreement, except to respect allotted times (i.e. the first band runs long). 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. Where possible, the host band will help show the visiting band how to use the P.A. equipment.

11. Script Approval: Host bands 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. 

12. General Script Content: As a general policy regardless of athletics censorship, shows will be written with attention to not degrade, belittle, or “punch down.” Jokes should not be aimed at any vulnerable populations or people, or any specific and named current students. Finally, while light jabs between bands are welcome, care should be taken not to in any way alienate band culture or otherwise overdo things. Such things work against active recruitment efforts.

13. Exceptions to Show Timing: 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.

14. Hockey Playtime Allocations: 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.

15. Emergency Contacts: Host bands 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.

Appendix A – URLs and Contact Info

Appendix B – Rough Turnover Dates

  • Brown: late November
  • Columbia: dissolved until further notice
  • Cornell: January
  • Dartmouth: late November
  • Harvard: late November
  • Penn: January
  • Princeton: late January
  • Yale: late January

Appendix C – Typical Logistical Information

  • Bus drop off and parking
  • Seating area and Ticket information
    • Directions to seating
    • Photos and/or maps are ideal
  • Athletics point-of-contact
  • Stadium food and bag policy
  • Current housing information
    • Capacity
    • General policy
  • Unusual dates/game/circumstances
    • i.e. Senior Day, Homecoming, Family Day, etc.
  • Additional information

Appendix D – Visiting Band Expectations

Please see the linked sheet for the most up-to-date information and to provide updates: IBA Linked Sheet

Appendix E – Housing Availability

Please see the linked sheet for the most up-to-date information and to provide updates: IBA Linked Sheet

Ratified May 2025