The Marching Virginians

The Marching Virginians
The Marching Virginians perform at the 2006 Chick-fil-A Bowl
School	Virginia Tech
Location	Blacksburg, VA
Conference	ACC
Founded	1974
Director	Dave McKee
Assistant director	Dana Biggs
Members	330+
Website	http://spiritoftech.music.vt.edu/index.html

The Marching Virginians are one of two collegiate marching bands at Virginia Tech (the other being the Highty Tighties, the regimental band of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets). Because the Marching Virginians draw from the general student body, they are considerably larger than the Highty Tighties and have about 330 members. Despite offering no scholarships to band members, The Marching Virginians consist of students from every college and virtually every major within the university, as well as several graduate students.

Known as "The Spirit of Tech" and established in 1974, the band performs at Virginia Tech football games, fundraisers, and charity events. The Marching Virginians also hold their own yearly charity event, Hokies for the Hungry, during which canned food is collected by band members prior to a Virginia Tech home football game to benefit the Montgomery County Christmas Store. The Marching Virginians are the creators of Virginia Tech's 'Stick It In' cheer, though the MVs were recently (Fall 2007) banned from performing this cheer by the Virginia Tech Athletics Department.

The Marching Virginians have performed at the Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl, Independence Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Gator Bowl, Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl, and the 2004 BCA Classic, among many other venues. They were also recently featured on the Blacksburg edition of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, as well as a 2007 ESPN Magazine article written by executive editor Steve Wulf.

The Marching Virginians are currently under the leadership of director Dave McKee and assistant director Dana Biggs. A majority of the music is arranged by Dr. James Sochinski, and the halftime performances are narrated by Mike Sparrer, "The Voice of the Marching Virginians."