Growing Scholarship Support for Marching Band Students

* * * A generous alum will match up to $30,000 in donations to the Student Scholarship. Your donation will be doubled! This gift will unlock at the end of the campaign. * * *

Being part of the Big Ten is all about our collective SPIRIT for our alma mater. The Mighty Sound of Maryland (MSOM) helps bring that Terp Spirit to life each year. Now, you can help support our efforts with a gift to the Marching Band Student Support Endowment. 

In 2022, Dotty Reitwiesner '78 helped to launch a first-of-its-kind endowed fund to support scholarships for marching band students from all majors. It is now Dotty's hope that all members of the MSOM Community — alumni, parents, family, fans, and students — will see this as a shared endowment. A gift of any size will help us to strengthen the Marching Band Student Support Endowment, so that generations of MSOM students from all majors across campus will benefit from scholarship support year after year.

A personal call to action from Dotty: 

"For you who were marching in 1974, please consider giving one dollar a year to the scholarship for each of those 50 years since we first marched together. For the rest of you, please select a meaningful amount to contribute. Maybe it will be $1 a year since you graduated, or $5, or maybe a flat $100 or $50. Come up with your own calculation – how you may best express your gratitude for your own band experiences."

Dotty Reitwiesner '78

Your gift to the scholarship fund will have a positive and meaningful impact. Our best advocates are our thirteen MSOM scholarship recipients for 2025:

"MSOM is a community that means the world to me, and I am so lucky to go to a school with a program like this. When spending more than 10 hours a week doing band, it is no surprise that I have made lifelong friends and have had some amazing experiences along with them. This assistance fund is paramount for affording college, given my changing financial circumstances, and has taken a huge burden off my shoulders. It allows me to stay connected with my friends, travel, and support my community, which I am truly grateful for. With extra time and flexibility in my life, I can stay in MSOM all four years of college and dedicate more effort to growing our great MSOM traditions as a leader. Thank you so much for your contribution!"

"The MSOM Student Assistance Fund allowed me to leave my financial stressors off the field and helped to pay for some of the many costs of off-campus living that a lot of academic scholarships do not account for. I am endlessly grateful to have received support from an organization that has meant so much to my personal growth and college career."

"Your generosity by gifting me this award will greatly assist in my ability to persist and thrive in MSOM. As I am paying for my education, awards such as these are paramount in helping me balance MSOM with my academic commitments, mainly by reducing the amount I have to work between my 2 campus jobs. By being able to work less, I can focus more on being a great leader for my section, bonding with my section, being less stressed about the time commitment, and mitigating the opportunity cost of not working during rehearsal hours."

"This scholarship will help me a lot while I map my path forward. I plan on using this award to offset the cost of attendance. The marching band has played a huge role in my life as of late, as it gives me something to look forward to each week. I am incredibly grateful that the activity I love has supported me in my time of need. I am excited for what the rest of the season holds."

"This financial support will be beneficial in helping me pay extra fees and overall contribute to my tuition bill. This will be helpful in participating in MSOM because it helps pay the extra fees and lets me continue to do band in the future. Thank you so much!!!"

"Receiving this scholarship has significantly eased my financial pressure, allowing me to fully focus on my contributions to MSOM. I’m incredibly grateful for this support as it makes it possible for me to participate entirely in MSOM without added stress and continue to perform great music!"

"Receiving this assistance took some financial burden off of having to work a campus job while also being a full-time student. I am very grateful for the extra time this scholarship gives me, from not having to work as often and dedicating more time to music and my studies."

"MSOM has been the best part of my four years at UMD, and I am forever grateful for the generosity of this organization. This fund has allowed me to continue my studies and membership in MSOM without having to struggle to cover tuition and rent costs. Because of this assistance, I can finish my senior year at UMD as a four-year marcher and enjoy all of the great experiences MSOM has to offer."

"Receiving this assistance will be beneficial to my participation in MSOM by taking my focus further away from college financial challenges and more towards the fantastic experiences I have in Marching Band, my classes, and other extracurriculars. As a Junior, internships, higher-level courses, and incoming graduate school applications have added a lot of stress, and MSOM has continued to be a part of my college life that grounds me through these challenging moments. It means a lot to receive financial assistance from the MSOM Assistance Fund, and I am eternally grateful for the support!"

"This assistance fund has meant the absolute world to me. In receiving it, I'm able to participate in MSOM. It allows me to attend practice and still work my way through school. It means everything to receive this help; it lets me participate in something I have so much love for. Thank you."

"Thank you so much for this assistance. Since my current financial aid doesn’t cover my tuition, this assistance will help me buy groceries and help me pay rent for the apartment I live in. This allows me to better enjoy the time I spend in band instead of working a part-time job."

"With more medical issues arising in my family, this support is greatly appreciated to help offset the costs of higher education. The MSOM Student Assistance Fund gives me much-needed relief during a semester of classes, band, and work. Once again, thank you so much."

"The MSOM Student Assistance Fund is a great financial help. With it, I can worry less about how I'm paying for school, and focus more on putting my all into being part of the band."

Thank you for your generosity and for supporting future generations of MSOM students!

Check out a performance by the Mighty Sound of Maryland from this season!

Gifts in support of the University of Maryland are accepted and managed by the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc., an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization authorized by the Board of Regents. Contributions to the University of Maryland are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Please see your tax advisor for details.