Author: Nicole C

You can donate any time of year by clicking on the donate button on the right side of our home page or you can go directly to go.unl.edu/sniderfund. Thank you to all who have donated to this fund. You make it possible to give this gift to these deserving students. Congrats to all three winners!

Jack R. Snider/Band Alumni Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to members of the Cornhusker Marching Band who are non-music majors. Recipients demonstrate leadership (formal or informal), volunteerism and integrity. They are a role model for their section and the band, and exemplify what it means to be the Pride of All Nebraska.

My name is Tori Thomas and I am deeply honored to have been selected to be a recipient of the Jack Snider/Band Alumni Association Scholarship. Band and music have been near constants in my life and I am proud to serve the musical organizations that I have had the pleasure of being a part of in any way that I can. Being recognized for such a prestigious award within the Cornhusker Marching Band is such an honor for me and I am thankful to have even been considered for this scholarship. As a new alumna of the Cornhusker Marching Band, I am excited to serve the band in a new capacity as I learn more from and about the Band Alumni Association. The history of this band and the overwhelmingly positive impact it has had on tens of thousands of people cannot be overstated and I can’t wait to help out!

Victoria “Tori” Thomas, piccolo. Senior in Secondary Education from Lincoln, Nebraska.

Thank you for the wonderful honor of being a recipient of the Jack R. Snider/Band Alumni Association Scholarship. The generosity of this organization has not gone unnoticed, and I cannot wait to become a member once I graduate from UNL this May. It is an honor to work alongside some of the best musicians in the state, and I am honored to carry on this legacy of excellence as a UNL and CMB alum.

I graduated from Blue Valley High School in Stilwell, KS in 2020, where I marched mellophone and served as a drum major. I came to UNL majoring in Forensic Science with a concentration in Crime Scene Investigation. In my second year, I declared a double major in Biochemistry.

Serving as a rank leader and drum major in the Cornhusker Marching Band has given me multiple opportunities for growth in conflict management, interpersonal skills, and problem solving. I am so fortunate that I have amazing colleagues in the Glenn Korff School of Music that have helped me grow as a musician and a leader. The skills I developed in the CMB will be imperative to my success as a forensic investigator, and I am forever indebted for the love and experience that the CMB has provided me. Thank you all for allowing me to continue to fund my education as I am applying to graduate programs. I am so proud to represent Nebraska
Bands and will continue to be for the rest of my life.

Madison van Ophem, drum major/mellophone. Senior in Forensic Science and Biochemistry from Overland Park, Kansas.

Jack R. Snider Freshman Scholarship

This scholarship was created in 2020 and is presented to a freshman band member based on the student’s financial need.

As a fledgling member of the Cornhusker Marching Band and Big Red Express, I must admit that this year has been a memorable one. I am a member of the Campus Red Cross, UNL MUNA, NU Meds, MEDLIFE, and the Doctors Without Borders chapter. I also enjoy involving myself as an ambassador of the College of Arts and Sciences and playing intramural soccer. Above all of these commitments, however, the Cornhusker Marching Band and Big Red Express have shone
through the brightest. The peers—the family—I met by joining these programs are unmatched; they were the first to introduce me when I came to campus, and they were the ones who stuck through the ups and downs of the season with me. I’m not sure where I’d be without this crucial piece of my postsecondary journey—certainly not where I am now! Finding how devoted Mr. Snider and his son were to the band program was inspiring, and I hope that, in my time at UNL, I will represent them well.

Andrew Moyer, trumpet. Freshman in Biological Sciences from Bennet, Nebraska.

We still need approx. $6,000 to reach the final fundraising goal, so any amount you can send is greatly appreciated! Please read below to find out what your contribution will go towards.

Contributing is easy via the University of Nebraska Foundation website for the Jack and Mary Alice (Petie) Snider Fund. Just click the GIVE NOW button.

The Nebraska Bands Program has been at the forefront of performance and pedagogy for more than 140 years. We look forward to a new rehearsal space with technology that will enable us to:

• Link sections of the Cornhusker Marching Band who are now rehearsing in various spaces to enable full ensemble preparation while indoors.
• Share cutting edge rehearsal techniques from our Ensemble Performance Lab with partner ensembles nationwide.
• Engage in virtual side-by-side coaching with young bands that cannot afford a trip to the Lincoln campus.
• Collaborate with composers worldwide to prepare and premiere new works.
• Engage guest artists remotely to share their expertise with our students.
• Capture the work of conducting students and enable concurrent voice-over coaching on video.

The rebuilding of Westbrook Music Building will include a state-of-the-art band rehearsal hall. Jack and Mary Alice Snider left a sizeable amount at the University of Nebraska Foundation earmarked for “costs associated with constructing and equipping the ‘Lentz-Snider’ Hall, Glenn Korff School of Music, Hixson Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, University of Nebraska–Lincoln.” We need your help to complete the project!

This is a very exciting project that goes way beyond buying chairs and music stands. PLEASE SHARE with other band alumni, friends, family, fans, etc. Remember to ask your employer for a contribution match!

Click the GIVE NOW button when you visit this link: Jack and Mary Alice (Petie) Snider Fund OR if you prefer to go ‘old school,’ you can send a check to:

Jack and Mary Alice (Petie) Snider Fund #01074861
℅ University of Nebraska Foundation
1010 Lincoln Mall, Suite 300
Lincoln, NE 68508

Thank you for your consideration!

We were given the Louisiana Tech game on Saturday, Sept 23rd! We were told that we will not know the game time until 6-12 days before, but we hope you will be able to join us for a day of fun!

Here is the form for registering online (you can also print a PDF if you need to mail it in!):

https://nebandalums.org/registration/

Please check the Reunion weekend tab on our website for TONS more info: https://nebandalums.org/reunion-weekend/

We are also fundraising for the new band hall! The BAA would LOVE to match your donations up to $6000! Donate to “Other Projects” on the registration page so your donation is matched so our goal of the BAA raising the final $12,000 to complete the project is met!

All registrations for the reunion are due by midnight on Friday, Sept 1– no exceptions- don’t miss out!

The 2022 Russ Swanson Outstanding Band Member Award was announced February 10, 2023 at the Band Banquet, held at Memorial Stadium. The band department chooses one recipient, and our Band Alumni Association awards this person a plaque and cash award. This year’s commemorative award was made by band alumnus Nathan Nelson of Rooted Woodworking. Julie Duensing and Ranelle Maltas represented the BAA and were able to speak with the current band members about the BAA and what we do. Congratulations to all CMB members for a great season!

Katherine Schmit is a senior music education major with an emphasis in trumpet at UNL. During her time at UNL, she has been a member of the Cornhusker Marching Band, Wind Ensemble, Symphony Orchestra, and Jazz Orchestra. As a member of the Cornhusker Marching Band, Katherine served as a trumpet rank leader and drum major. She is a member of the Epsilon Omega chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi, and served two years as Vice President for Membership.

Katherine is a co-founder of Quintessential Brass, a student-led brass quintet which has been playing together for the past four years. She is also a member of UNL’s Teacher Scholars Academy. Katherine was recently named Outstanding Undergraduate Artist/Scholar for the Glenn Korff School of Music and will receive the Student Leadership Award for the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts in May.

Outside of school, Katherine loves teaching trumpet lessons and hopes to grow her studio in the future. After graduation, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in trumpet performance and continue her career as a performer and teacher.