With marching band spirit and classic Wisconsin scenery, UW–Madison’s new TV spot highlights a far-reaching impact on the state  

Wisconsinites love the UW Marching Band. They sing and dance to the band’s iconic tunes, whether it’s at a Badger Game Day in Madison, a special halftime show at Lambeau Field in Green Bay or a summer parade in a small town in Wisconsin.  

This strong bond between the band and its statewide fans is the creative inspiration behind UW–Madison’s new TV spot, “Band Together.” The 30-second ad highlights the university’s deep-rooted, far-reaching impact on the state, represented by UW Marching Band ambassadors performing “On, Wisconsin!” in a surprising range of real-world settings. A trumpeter serenades a herd of Holstein cows in an open farm field; a euphonium player greets patrons of a small business; a drummer beats to the rhythms of an industrial plant; a tuba player hits the low notes from a school classroom.

The ad’s message comes through as loud and clear as the instrumentals: Every day, UW–Madison is working together with the people of Wisconsin to improve life for all.

“We’re proud to help farmers cultivate healthy food and landowners preserve and maintain forestland,” the voiceover says. “We’re proud to educate the next generation of teachers and drive groundbreaking medical research.”

The spot, which aired for the first time as the Badger football team opened its season on Friday, will run during the university’s televised sporting events throughout the year. It was produced by UW’s Office of Strategic Communication and the Madison-based Hiebing agency. And it marks the launch of a larger statewide outreach campaign that will reinforce UW–Madison’s commitment to working together and solving real-world problems that affect everyone, no matter where in Wisconsin they live.  

“This campaign will amplify what we already know to be true — that UW–Madison is improving lives near and far through our education, research and outreach,” says Diana Harvey, UW’s vice chancellor for strategic communication. “Whether it’s helping farmers improve yields, making progress on Alzheimer’s disease or addressing the rural nursing shortage, we’re working to make Wisconsin the best place to call home.”  

Behind the scenes 

Who needs actors when you can cast real Badgers? The filming of “Band Together” featured actual UW Marching Band members, both past and present, who submitted short audition tapes for a chance to appear in the TV spot.

After hearing about the chance to audition, Tammy Coplien ’86 dusted off her marching clarinet, put on a band alumni T-shirt, and asked her husband to record her playing “On, Wisconsin!” from her basement — a fully furnished “Badger party den.”

“I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to represent UW, the School of Nursing and of course the UW Marching Band,” says Coplien, a registered nurse at the VA hospital in Madison. “I’ve performed a lot, but never in something like this.”

In the ad, Coplien wears her nursing scrubs and a marching band hat as she plays a slowed arrangement of “On, Wisconsin!” in front of a hospital. “It was so cool to see my life experiences come together in that moment,” she says.

The band members had to fight against years of muscle memory to master a new take on the school song — an original composition by the Milwaukee-based Tanner-Monagle production company. The final ad uses a dubbed-over recording for sound quality, but you’d never know it by the players’ perfect rhythm and finger alignment.

The result of all this behind-the-scenes work is a spirited TV spot that sends a message of shared community.

“I hope that other alumni and viewers will feel the same pride and joy that I felt taping it,” Coplien says.

The “Band Together” cast features:  

• Director of Athletic Bands Corey Pompey  

• Kyle Stephenson x’25 on snare drum  

• David Anderson ’74, JD’89 on trumpet  

• Nicky Arn ’98 on euphonium  

• Rob Ancheta ’91 on bass drum  

• Dan Evans ’01 on sousaphone/tuba  
• Tammy Coplien ’86 on clarinet