July 24, 2008

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook University Athletic Bands --the official band of Arena Football League's (AFL) New York Dragons - has received $25,000 to support scholarships from the Dragons. Chris Dey, senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Operations for the Dragons and the NHL's NY Islanders, presented the check to John Leddy, the Director of Athletic Bands at Stony Brook University, at a pregame ceremony at the Dragon's final home game of the season, June 22, at the Nassau Coliseum.

The money helps to create the New York Dragons' Athletic Bands Scholarship, the first scholarship program for the university's athletic bands and adds to the university's seven-year $300 million capital campaign. Stony Brook students eligible for scholarships drawn from this fund must be a registered member of the Stony Brook athletic bands; must demonstrate outstanding leadership qualities and potential, and possess superior musical skills and abilities; must be in good academic and judicial standing with the university; and must be a high academic achieving student.

Leddy stated that transitioning to a scholarship program "will help both recruit new members to the band and students the university as well as help us retain some of our players over a longer period of time."

The Office of Athletic Bands was founded in 2006 and consists of several ensembles including a marching band, pep band, color guard, and drum-line. Just as Stony Brook has come "so far, so fast," so, too, has the band into a Stony Brook mainstay, growing quickly from a courageous corps of 17 students at the first band camp in 2006 to 70 members in the 2007-2008 season. The band looks this year to grow to 100 on-field members in what will be just its third year.

"We pretty much work all year round," Leddy said, citing the 57 different campus and community events the band performed at throughout the 2007-2008 academic year.

In August the Office of Athletics Bands coordinate a now week-long band camp, leading into the fall football season, during which the marching band performs before and after all home football games at Stony Brook's LaValle Stadium and at some away games. When the football season ends in November, SBU's basketball season begins and the band morphs into "pep" mode, bringing excitement and spirit to the arena in support of both the men's and women's basketball teams. At the end of their season, they assemble a tournament band to support the teams at the NCAA America East Basketball tournaments. In addition the band performs at several major campus events, including new student convocation, Homecoming, and EarthStock and is involved in community outreach initiatives.

This year, as basketball season ended in March, the New York Dragons Arena Football season began. The band assembled a 20 member regimen to support the Dragons at home games. Students auditioned for those coveted spots.

Band members come from all of the university's colleges, and are not necessarily music majors. Leddy and his staff are currently busy working on outreach and recruitment efforts, especially with the many first year and transfer students just entering the university and attending summer orientation. Jeffrey A. Barnett, Assistant Dean of Students, who oversees the Office of Athletic Bands explains, "We work hard to try to draw the interest of entering students because we know that involvement in college activities and opportunities for leadership development early in college students' career as well as their connection to faculty & staff and to a tight knit community, like the band, increase their academic success and personal development."

The band started working with the Dragons just this season, performing at their home games, according to Dey.

"The scholarship money was a "thank you" for a job well done," Dey explained. "Stony Brook University is always great to work with; we've had a wonderful long-standing relationship with them and the band was great. The Islanders have worked with Stony Brook University for a long time and we thought the Dragons should as well," Dey said. He said that the band was set up in the stands at the Nassau Coliseum and performed during "breaks in the action, like after a touchdown. It added a lot to the game. We hope to have them back again next year."

"The partnership with the Dragons offered us a way to showcase our Band members and to let Long Island know that something wonderful is happening at Stony Brook," said Dr. Jerrold L. Stein, Associate VP of student Affairs and Dean of Students. "Not only are we bringing a sense of institutional pride and spirit to our own athletic teams and on our campus, but we have now expanded to do this with one of our region's most exciting professional teams. This was great for both Stony Brook and the Dragons."