ONLINE: Life with the Badger Band

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Amandalynn Jones

Mike Leckrone

For more than a century, the UW-Madison Marching Band has amped up the crowd at Badgers football games and the Varsity Band offered beloved spring concert spectaculars. For five decades the bands were led by Mike Leckrone, who retired following the 2019 school year. Think he has some stories to tell from his historic tenure? Find out during this free Badger Talks lecture, via Facebook Live.

media release: Talk will take place at https://www.facebook.com/UWConnects/. For a complete schedule, visit https://badgertalks.wisc.edu/badger-talks-live/.

Dec. 8:  Join UW–Madison’s legendary Marching Band Director Michael Leckrone as he shares funny stories and thoughtful reflections on his 50-year history leading the University of Wisconsin Band. Leckrone will discuss the development of iconic traditions such as the Fifth Quarter and the Varsity Band Spring Concerts and will be taking questions at the end of his talk.

Recently retired after 50 years at the helm of the University of Wisconsin Marching Band, Mike Leckrone is a legendary performer and educator whose musical arrangements, halftime shows, UW Varsity Band Spring Concerts, and popular music history courses have been enjoyed by thousands of Badger Band fans and music lovers over the years.  Director of the UW Marching Band and Director of Bands in the UW-Madison School of Music from 1969 to 2019, he established numerous traditions, including the Fifth Quarter, the “Bud Song,” and the Badger Band’s “Stop at the Top” marching style.  His many accolades include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Foundation for School Music in 2007, the “Spencer Tracy Award for Distinction in the Performing Arts” from the Wisconsin Historical Society in 2010, the Michael St. John Lifetime Achievement Award from the Madison Area Music Association in 2013, and both the Edwin Franko Goldman Lifetime Achievement Award from the American School Band Directors Association and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

In these uncertain times, many of us are in the same position: hunkered down, trying to get a handle on our new reality. Like organizations and businesses across the globe, we at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have made changes to keep our campus and community healthy and safe. While gifted UW researchers identify ways to understand and develop a vaccine for COVID-19, our campus experts are finding new, innovative ways to support and connect with Wisconsin residents.  

We are pleased to offer Badger Talks LIVE…. a Facebook Live series intended to help you cope, stay engaged and thrive during these challenging times. Can't catch the live talks? Check out past talks here.