Editor’s note: Some names in this story have been changed to protect the sources’ position in their organization.

UT postponed the creation of a second Longhorn Band that will not play “The Eyes of Texas.”

The band, which was planned for this fall, has been postponed until the school hires a permanent director for the Butler School of Music, Alicia Dietrich, director of communications for the College of Fine Arts, said in an email. The University announced the creation of a second band in an April 2021 media release after band members protested playing the song. 

The University does not have a clear hiring date, Dietrich said. Jeffrey Hellmer has been serving as interim director since Mary Ellen Poole left in 2021.

In 2021, the University released a report about “The Eyes of Texas,” the school’s alma mater and said it was written in a “racist setting,” but “wasn’t overtly racist.” Despite refusing to play in the past, members of Longhorn Band are required to play the song at events such as football games. 

Radio-television-film senior Levi Casias, who joined the band in 2019, said no one provided updates about the second band this semester.

“I know some people who have just started (in the) band, who don’t even know that there’s supposed to be a second band,” Casias said. “It’s crazy for me.”

Alex, a sophomore currently in the Longhorn Pep Band — a band that plays during volleyball and basketball games — says there was a “hectic transition” of leadership this year. While they understood why a second band was not possible, they wished there was better communication.

“Not knowing about this opportunity really sucks,” Alex said. “I would have loved if they had just even sent out an email.”

The new band is part of a series of initiatives to restore the band’s “historical glory,” including the elimination of uniform and participation fees, according to the release.

Casias said since the role of the new band was unclear, he would rather stay with the Longhorn Band and play at football games because of the experience as a whole. The new band was advertised as a marching band with a “focus on leading/directing bands and community engagement,” according to the release.

“It is highly regarded even around campus, it’s so iconic,” Casias said.

Some donors threatened to withhold donations if the band did not play the song, according to previous Texan coverage. Taylor, another sophomore in the band said while she would prefer not to play it, she understood the reasoning behind continuing to play the song. 

“This is our job,” Taylor said. “I still play, even if I don’t want to.”

However, she said she would be interested in joining the second band that doesn’t play the song.

“I don’t think ‘The Eyes of Texas’ reflects my views … (and) it’s not that fun to play,” she said 

Casias said it would be difficult to stop playing the song given how big of a part of the school’s history it is.

 “Calypso is one of my favorite stand tunes, but I am aware that it is just a spicier version of ‘The Eyes of Texas,’” Casias said. “It’s asking to rearrange years and years and years of tradition — and I do not think people would be okay with that.”