IUP Marching Band to Present Friends and Family Show as Part of 150th Celebration Carnival on Aug. 23
William Sugg, who has more than 15 years of experience in music education at the secondary and university levels with competitive and high-profile marching programs, has been named interim director of Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Marching Band and associate director of Bands.
William Sugg
Sugg, currently of Jeannette, is originally from Tennessee. He began his work at IUP in August.
Prior to his appointment at IUP, Sugg served as assistant director of bands at the University of Pittsburgh, where he conducted and coordinated all facets of a 300-member program encompassing the Varsity Marching Band, Basketball Pep Bands, Volleyball Band, and Symphonic Band across more than 50 performances a year. His work at the University of Pittsburgh included logistical coordination for high-profile national performances, implementation of advanced program management systems, and improvement of cultural influences on student well-being.
“We are very pleased and excited to welcome Dr. William Sugg to IUP as interim associate director of Bands and as interim director of the IUP Marching Band,” said Curtis Scheib, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, Media, and Public Affairs. “Under his leadership, we are confident that ‘The Legend’ will continue to achieve even greater heights.”
IUP Marching Band leadership camp began August 11; full band camp begins August 14. The band’s first performance under Sugg’s direction is the August 23 “Friends and Family” show at Miller Stadium at 5:45 p.m. This performance is part of IUP’s 150th anniversary carnival celebration and is free and open to the community.
“I learned about the IUP opportunity from a friend who thought it might be a good fit,” Sugg said. “I’ve known about IUP for many years; I did a summer program with Dr. Jack Stamp, IUP music faculty emeritus, and it had a formative effect on me, kickstarting my graduate studies in music and conducting.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” he said. “I’m meeting the student leaders of the band and getting to know them, and I am looking forward to beginning band camp with all the students later this week. My initial focus will be on listening and learning; one of the responsibilities of a band director is to be a custodian of the band’s traditions and values while working to support and enhance them.
“I’m very pleased and honored to be chosen to work with the IUP Marching Band,” he said. “The IUP Marching Band has such longevity and national impact; the Casavant legacy was part of one of my undergraduate courses. I don’t take the Marching Band’s reputation or traditions lightly, and I’ll work hard to preserve them,” he said.
Prior to his work at the University of Pittsburgh, Sugg was codirector of bands at Downers Grove South High School in suburban Chicago. There, he helped lead the program through the challenges of pandemic-era instruction using an innovative approach to ensemble performance, resulting in an Emmy Award-winning virtual marching band production.
He also served as director of bands and chair of fine arts at Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet School in Nashville, Tennessee, where he led one of the state’s most comprehensive music programs—serving nearly 400 students across nine ensembles—earning invitations to perform at the Tennessee state conference in addition to national recognition for student and ensemble achievement.
Sugg earned his doctor of musical arts and master of music degrees in wind band conducting from the University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign, where he was involved in every facet of the band program, including teaching conducting courses and conducting the Illinois Wind Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra, Marching Illini, and Basketball Bands. He completed his undergraduate degree in music education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he was named the Outstanding Graduate in Music Education.
Throughout his career, Sugg has remained an active clinician, adjudicator, and conductor.
“Ensemble education not as a pursuit of technical perfection, but a deeply human and artistic process—one that invites students to explore music as both a craft and a cultural force,” he said. “My goal is to cultivate not just better performers but lifelong musicians who find relevance, beauty, and connection in the ensemble experience.”
Around 185 students are part of the IUP Marching Band, including color guard, majorettes, and the dance team. The Marching Band is open all IUP students, and there are many non-music majors as well as music majors in the band.
“The Legend” celebrated its one-hundredth anniversary in 2021 and held a one-hundredth-anniversary celebration in fall 2022, which included close to 900 band alumni returning to campus.
Earliest photo of the IUP Marching Band, group photo, circa 1922 (University Archives)
The IUP Marching Band was formed in 1921 under conductor D. O. Slyker and had 60 members. It gave its first (non-marching) performance in May 1922. Its second director was E. F. Sullivan, who served as the director of band and instructor in band music from 1923 to 1935, when Lawrence Stitt took over the band director position. He was in that role from 1935 to 1938. Under his leadership, band uniforms were purchased for the first time (in 1936), and in 1937 the band became an all-male unit.
Under the leadership of Irving Cheyette (director from 1937 to 1947), the band resumed admitting female members; there was no band in 1943 and 1944 because of World War II, but it was reorganized in 1945.
Although they had appeared as early as 1940, the first squad of majorettes was officially organized in 1947. When C. David McNaughton took over the band in 1948, he eliminated the majorettes and instructed the band in more marching drills.
In 1960, Daniel DiCicco, one of McNaughton’s former students, became marching band director. During DiCicco’s direction, the marching unit was asked to appear at half-time shows during Baltimore Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers football games.
In the early 1970s, directorship changed hands from Richard Knab to Frank Dillard and finally to Charles Casavant in 1976. Casavant, the son of Albert Casavant, an internationally known field technician in marching bands, brought the organization to one of its highest levels of spirit and pride. The marching band became nicknamed “The Legend” and “The Beast of the East” during Casavant’s tenure.
Under Casavant’s leadership, the IUP band reactivated the philosophy of combining entertaining performances with educational experiences. “Teaching music and drill to 200 people is not a one-man job, and student leadership plays an important part in the marching band,” Casavant said.
IUP Marching Band performing in front of the Statue of Liberty (University Archives)
In 1987, the ensemble was selected as the official band at the US Constitution Bicentennial Celebration. The attention IUP received there led to an invitation from Jacques Chirac, the then-mayor of Paris, to perform at the America’s Day celebration of the French Bicentennial in the summer of 1989. In September 1989, The Legend toured Washington, DC, with performances on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and the Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home. In 1996, IUP made its debut performance at the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, performing not only in the parade but also putting on a show in front of the Statue of Liberty.
Casavant completed 25 years as director in 2000. David Martynuik joined the band in 2001 as its new director and continued in that role until fall 2021, when Nevin Saylor, a 1980 IUP graduate with more than 34 years of experience as a music teacher and band director, was selected as the interim IUP marching band director, serving in that role until Zach Cheever was selected as director in 2022; Cheever held that position until July 2024. Cassidy Nalepa, a 2003 IUP music education graduate, served as interim director of the IUP Marching Band and as interim associate director of Bands from August 2024 to July 2025.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.