The Wind Ensemble is the premiere instrumental ensemble at Mississippi State University. Membership is extended to the most advanced musicians by competitive audition, regardless of university major. This select group performs in both the Fall and Spring semesters. Members aspire to elevate individual and collective musicianship and strengthen performance skills. The ensemble has a tradition of musical excellence and is committed to playing the finest new works along with the traditional masterpieces from the past.

In addition to two to three campus performances each semester, The Wind Ensemble conducts a regional performance tour annually during the Spring semester. The band has been the featured university band at the Mississippi Bandmaster’s Convention three times in the past ten years, and has performed for the Mississippi All-State Concert Band. In 2008 the Wind Ensemble conducted a performance tour of the British Isles culminating with a concert at Knellar Hall at the Royal Armed Forces School of Music in Twickenham, England.

In addition to their concert appearances, Ms. Lance and the Wind Ensemble embrace a mission to advance the wind ensemble literature while preparing future musical leaders. They regularly participate in the commissioning of new literature and through this process ensemble members are exposed to a diverse repertoire and a variety of compositional techniques that challenge each student to further develop their musicianship skills.

The Symphonic Band is comprised of musicians representing almost every major on the MSU campus. The group performs a comprehensive mix of wind repertoire, including orchestral transcriptions, classic works for band, contemporary concert works, and “pops” arrangements. The Symphonic Band meets Monday-Thursday during the spring semester and performs 3 concerts annually. Membership in the band is gained through auditions held in late October. Any student with prior band experience is welcome to audition.

The Starkville/MSU Community Band is a course offered by the MSU Band Program and the Department of Continuing Education. The group’s membership is a mix of community members from throughout the Golden Triangle region as well as university band students, and rehearses on Monday evenings during spring semester (Students have an additional rehearsal on Wednesday afternoons). The band plays a mix of contemporary and traditional band literature as well as marches, patriotic music, Broadway show tunes, and other “pops” literature.

Community members can register for the course by contacting Department of Academic Outreach and Continuing Education at (662) 325-1457. CEU’s are available for participation.

Membership in the Campus Band is open to all students regardless of major. The band meets during the spring semester and performs 2 concerts annually. The course emphasizes learning primarily through the performance of literature, but also has a special focus on developing practical musical skills such as sight-reading.

Membership in the two MSU Jazz Ensembles is open to any MSU student by placement audition regardless of major. Each band rehearses two hours per week and performs one to two concerts on campus each semester. Off-campus performance opportunities are also available. Students who play bass or guitar and have not been able to participate in the typical concert band setting are encouraged to audition.

For 107 years, the Mississippi State University Famous Maroon Band has provided support and entertainment for Bulldog fans everywhere. With over 300 students representing every college and school on campus, the band has always been at the heart of the Mississippi State family.

During the past century, thousands of students have developed their leadership and musicianship skills through membership in the Famous Maroon Band. This long standing tradition will continue when the 2009 Famous Maroon Band takes the field! From the pregame activities around campus to the victorious sounds of Hail State at game’s end, the Famous Maroon Band always ignites the crowd in support of the Bulldogs.

The MSU Pep Bands perform at all Men's and Women's home basketball games and travel to the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. In the spring of 2007, the pep band traveled to New York City to support the Bulldogs in the NIT Final Four. In recent years, the Pep Bands have performed in Eugene, OR; Columbus, OH, Tampa, FL; Albuquerque, NM; Orlando, FL; Atlanta, GA; Greenville, SC; and Charlotte, NC. Pep Band members receive a stipend in addition to their regular band scholarship. The Pep Bands are selected from members of the Marching Band.