Texas Tech University. School of Music

Made up of twenty-five members, Texas Tech's band made it's first official appearance at the Tech vs. McMurry football game in 1925. The band got it's first official uniform in 1926 and by 1955, had grown to include 135 members. The decade of the 1960s marked the Tech Band's appearances in several major bowl games from which the band received the nickname " The Goin' Band from Raiderland."

Texas Tech has offered music courses since 1925, but not until 1952 was a Bachelor of Music made a degree option. By the academic year 1954-1955, there were nine full-time staff members and three part-time. A music building was constructed in 1951.

The Alpha Omicron chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi was founded at Texas Tech on March 12, 1938, under D.O. "Prof." Wiley, director of bands (1934-1959), for the purpose of promoting and serving the Tech Band and recognizing outstanding bandsmen. Beginning with 17 members, Alpha Omicron was the first chapter founded in Texas and boasts the longest continuous history of any Greek Letter organization at Texas Tech. It was also one of the few Kappa Kappa Psi chapters to remain active throughout World War II.

Over the years, the Alpha Omicron chapter has hosted two National Conventions and has been involved in many projects that have served both the Texas Tech Goin' Band from Raiderland and band programs throughout the area, including hosting a regional marching festival with their sister organization, Tau Beta Sigma, raising money to send the Tech Band to bowl games, and an endowment for a scholarship for outstanding band members. The fraternity was awarded the William A. Scrogg's Founder's Trophy in 1997, an award that recognizes the most outstanding Kappa Kappa Psi chapter in the nation.

Past sponsors have included D. O. "Prof." Wiley, Dean Killion, James Sudduth, Keith Bearden, Michael Blass, Christopher Anderson, and Dr. Sarah McCoin.

Tau Beta Sigma has played a crucial roll in the history of Texas Tech's band program. The idea to create a society that would promote band work among women college students came about in 1937 by Tech Band member Wava Banes. With the aid of D. O. "Prof." Wiley, director of bands, several women in the Tech band program organized and created the organization, called Tau Beta Sigma, in 1939. They modeled it after the band fraternity already in existence, called Kappa Kappa Psi.

Nationalization was finally reached when Tau Beta Sigma decided to allow Oklahoma State to be the Alpha chapter because there were less legal obstacles under the state of Oklahoma. Oklahoma State was named the Alpha Chapter and Texas Tech University the Beta Chapter in 1946. However, Texas Tech is still recognized by the organization as the founding chapter. Soon afterward, Tau Beta Sigma was officially honored as a parallel organization with Kappa Kappa Psi.

From the guide to the School of Music Records, U 123. 1., 1934-2010, (Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University)