Tulane University Celebrates the Career of Director of Bands Barry Spanier

This fall marked the end of an era at Tulane University as Barry Spanier, the longtime director of bands, entered his final season leading the Tulane University Marching Band (TUMB). Spanier, who joined the university in 2004, will retire at the conclusion of the 2025 football season after 21 years.

When Spanier arrived on campus, Tulane’s marching band existed only as a distant memory. With a wealth of experience from Olympic ceremonies, the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band and orchestras at New York University and abroad, Spanier saw Tulane as “a magical opportunity.” He accepted the task of forming a band from scratch, envisioning not only a musical ensemble but also a lasting symbol of Tulane pride and New Orleans spirit.

That vision became a reality in Fall 2005. Even after Hurricane Katrina made landfall during the inaugural band camp, Spanier gathered displaced students to perform at Tulane’s first post-Katrina football game. In January 2006, TUMB began preparing for Carnival — the band’s official New Orleans debut.

With more than 100 members today, TUMB is the largest in the institution’s history and one of the only college marching bands that performs during both fall and spring. TUMB is now integral to Tulane’s identity: performing at every home football game, dozens of Mardi Gras parades and international and national stages — from the 2020 Dubai World Expo to appearances on “American Idol,” “Wheel of Fortune,” “Fox & Friends,” MTV and “NCIS: New Orleans.”

“It has been a pleasure to watch Barry serve as the heart and metronome of Tulane Bands,” said School of Liberal Arts Dean Brian T. Edwards. “He has embraced the challenge of developing a vision for the bands in one of the greatest music cities of the world.”

Spanier’s impact on music education extends far beyond the gridiron. Throughout his career, he has led and produced music for prominent world events. At the Sydney 2000 Olympics opening ceremonies, he directed the largest marching band in history — 2,000 musicians from 23 nations. In 1984, he coordinated all venue bands for the Los Angeles Games. As director of bands at World Expo ’88 in Brisbane, Australia, he introduced a full-scale marching band program to a country with little tradition of the form.

Yet among his most enduring legacies will be the one he leaves at Tulane. Over two decades, Spanier’s dedication has redefined what a college marching band can be — one that is welcoming, student-centered, community-engaged and distinctly New Orleanian.

“Not many in the collegiate band and music education profession can lay claim to starting a Division 1 university band program,” said Dylan Parrilla-Koester, assistant director of Tulane Bands.

In honor of Spanier’s retirement and the 20th anniversary of TUMB’s re-establishment, Tulane will hold a special halftime performance and an alumni band reunion at the homecoming game.

Parilla-Koester continued, “For hundreds of current students and alumni, TUMB remains the centerpiece of their connection to Tulane. Most university events — from convocation, to homecoming, to Carnival — are defined by the band. His impact can’t be overstated.”