Arguably, the deepest tie is the music – the auditory traditions that evoke emotion and pageantry throughout the city on that first Saturday each May. Indeed, if an official soundtrack existed for the Kentucky Derby, the University of Louisville would appear several times in the credits.

Take, for instance, the event’s signature opening of “My Old Kentucky Home.”

The rendition is performed by our very own Marching Cards. It has been since 1936, in fact, when the group was first recognized as “The Official Band of the Kentucky Derby.” The lyrics, meanwhile, are brought to life by the UofL Cardinal Singers.

A few years ago, a  experience is like: “I’ve interviewed Kentuckians who haven’t set foot in the state for 30 years who still stand in front of their televisions and weep when they hear the woodwinds and brass instruments strike the first few notes of ‘My Old Kentucky Home.’ The lyrics tell us that there’ll be hard times, by and by. But at the crescendo, it’s as if 150,000 voices nudge us to weep no more.” 

Those are our students playing those woodwinds and brass instruments and creating such sentiment, courtesy of Stephen Collins Foster’s lyrics. Such an experience is not lost on the group.

“I’m extremely proud to be a part of this tradition. Some of the most important work the CMB does is that which impacts the Louisville community. To represent not only the city, but the state at such a highly respected sporting event is truly humbling. Further, this experience creates a unique bond between current and former members of the CMB that no other marching band can relate to. Like the rest of the band, my memory of this Derby will last a lifetime,” said Michael LaRoche, a Marching Card and mechanical engineering major.

“Hands down my favorite part is hearing everyone sing at Churchill Downs. When the song begins, voices are a bit subdued, but then a strong rise of voices is heard on ‘Weep no more my lady.’ It is a powerful and unifying event that makes you feel connected to people all over the world and so proud to live in Kentucky,” Amy Acklin, director of the Cardinal Marching Band, said in 2019.

So important is this tradition to our students that when the Derby was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UofL drum major Natalie Humble recruited marching band students from schools across the state to record a virtual version of “My Old Kentucky Home.”

Meanwhile, that emotion shifts to excitement whenever the sound of the trumpet rises above the crowd to beckon horses to the starting gate for each race. The signature “Call to the Post” has been used at racetracks since the 1860s, . At the Derby, it’s performed by UofL School of Music alum Steve Buttleman, who earned a bachelor’s degree in music performance in 2007.

The fulltime bugler, who also kicks off the day with “The Star-Spangled Banner,” performs at hundreds of special events throughout the year. But it’s his Derby assignment that stands out most.

“There isn’t another office in the world with a view like mine. I step out onto the balcony and I am looking across the racetrack at the Twin Spires … I never take what I do for granted,” he told the Courier Journal.

Derby Week is here, which means our city is in the spotlight of a global stage once again. And positioned in that metaphoric orchestra pit, ready to set the tone for the festivities, are our fellow Cardinals. , for a Marching Cards takeover from LaRoche.

Check out a performance from the Marching Cards and the Cardinal Singers from a few years ago:

Beckham will take over for Band Director Amy Acklin for “Marching Together,” the band’s now-yearly event to spotlight children who are patients of UofL Pediatrics physicians at Norton Children’s Hospital.

Beckham has leukemia and currently has weekly chemotherapy treatment. But the illness hasn’t dampened his spirit one bit.

“Beckham just has this energy; we just knew, ‘Oh man, he could handle it Saturday and beyond.’ So we asked him to be the guest band director for me,” .��

“Our ‘drum major in training’ graciously agreed to get the band off the field at halftime and conduct our fight song.”

Acklin added that several of the songs performed by the band at Saturday’s performance were selected by patients at Norton Children’s.

The Marching Together event highlights UofL’s annual (and largest) student fundraiser, . Organized and conducted entirely by UofL students, raiseRED consists of a week’s worth of events leading up to an 18-hour dance marathon that supports pediatric cancer research at UofL and Norton Children’s.

Marching band members support raiseRED each year, and the band is sponsoring the Marching Together event to bring attention and encourage donations to raiseRED which will be held Feb. 22-27, 2022.

Last year, raiseRED brought in more than $690,000. Due to COVID-19, the event was not held in its traditional format, but rather outside at Cardinal Stadium. The organization plans to revisit its normal format this year and the fundraising goal is $3 million. One-hundred percent of the funds raised go to UofL’s Pediatric Division of Hematology and Oncology and to Norton Children’s Cancer Institute.

Beckham, however, is just interested in getting some practice time in. Earlier this week, he was getting baton handling pointers from feature twirler Morgan Proctor and rehearsing his lines:

“C – A – R – D – S – Go – Cards!”

UofL takes on Clemson Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Cardinal Stadium. To donate to raiseRED, go to the

Since 1936, the group has served as “The Official Band of the Kentucky Derby.” What this means is that on the first Saturday of every May just prior to the Most Exciting Two Minutes In Sports, our students’ rendition of “My Old Kentucky Home” is showcased to about 150,000 people at Churchill Downs and an additional 15 million television viewers across the world. By the time the band is finished playing, there aren’t many dry eyes left.

A : “I’ve interviewed Kentuckians who haven’t set foot in the state for 30 years who still stand in front of their televisions and weep when they hear the woodwinds and brass instruments strike the first few notes of ‘My Old Kentucky Home.’ The lyrics tell us that there’ll be hard times, by and by. But at the crescendo, it’s as if 150,000 voices nudge us to weep no more.” 

Those are our students playing those woodwinds and brass instruments and evoking such emotion, courtesy of Stephen Collins Foster’s lyrics. Such an experience is not lost on the group.

“Hands down my favorite part is hearing everyone sing at Churchill Downs. When the song begins, voices are a bit subdued, but then a strong rise of voices is heard on ‘Weep no more my lady.’ It is a powerful and unifying event that makes you feel connected to people all over the world and so proud to live in Kentucky,” said Amy Acklin, associate director of Bands and director of the Cardinal Marching Band.

This Saturday will mark her 12^th year with the band, eight of which have been as director and four spent as a student. This year will also mark year 24 for Dr. Fred Speck, UofL’s director of Bands, and year three for Dr. Jason Cumberledge, assistant director of Bands.

It’s not just the directors who appreciate the experience, either. Natalie Humble, a sophomore from Monticello, Kentucky, performed at the Derby as a trumpet player last year and will move into the drum major role this year. She calls the opportunity to play the Derby “surreal.”

“Traveling to (football) games is a unique experience in the fall, but there is nothing more special than having an opportunity like this right where we are,” she said. “It is entirely unique to the Cardinal Marching Band. Having that legacy of performing ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ is something you can only gain through the CMB – that’s the most special part.”

Acklin adds that having the unique opportunity to be part of this tradition is a privilege.  

“It’s pretty incredible to know that literally thousands of UofL alumni, whom you’ve never met, are cheering you on and grateful for your service in continuing this important tradition,” Acklin said. “Having this singular honor for over eight decades is a testament to the commitment from the community and the dedication of the band and its alums.”

As for his perspective, which spans more than two decades, Speck simply passed along his favorite quote from famed sports commentator Jim McKay in 1999:

“It offers a moment that exists nowhere else in sports … when the horses come on the track and you see the silks on the jockeys and the tan of the track and the blue of the sky. Then they start playing that song, ‘My Old Kentucky Home,’ and you can’t explain why, but it doesn’t matter if you’re from Kentucky or England or Timbuktu, it brings a tear to your eye…”

Check out the Marching Cards’ and Cardinal Singers’ performance from the 2017 Derby below, but be sure to have some tissues on hand.

But our connection runs far deeper than sheer proximity. In fact, UofL’s Board of Trustees nearly purchased Churchill Downs in the 1960s, hoping to generate a steady revenue stream during a period of financial struggles. However, according to “The University of Louisville” by Dwayne D. Cox and William J. Morison, the plan was called “shameful and godless” by a local minister and deemed impractical.

Despite that failed plan, there remains quite a few UofL ties, either directly or peripherally, to the track’s flagship event, the Kentucky Derby – the most famous horse race in the world.

As it turns out, UofL has faculty, staff, alumni and a whole lot of students involved in The Most Exciting Two Minutes In Sports. Through Thurby, Oaks and Derby this week, members of Card Nation will sling drinks, clean up trash, evoke emotion by playing “My Old Kentucky Home” and more.

To get a sense of just how unique a perspective we have to this , look no further than Remington Smith, an assistant professor of Communication in the College of Arts & Sciences. Smith recently received the Reel South Short award for his documentary, “The Derby.” The Indie Grits Festival and PBS Reel South give the Short award to the best short documentary filmed in or about the south.

“The Derby” showcases Guatemalan backside workers, bourbon-drinking visitors in Millionaires Row and everything in between; a juxtaposition of “the haves and the have nots,” .��Smith spent about three years on the project.

“I grew up poor and working class, so I’m always interested in the lives of people working, especially at big events like the Kentucky Derby. The main thing was I didn’t want to focus on the usual suspects at the top for Kentucky Derby coverage (horse owners, jockeys, etc.). I wanted to show you the moments only people who live and work here will tell you about,” Smith said.

The 15-minute documentary is .��

Of course, one of the signature features of the Derby is the mint julep, which showcases Kentucky’s rich bourbon tradition. Those mint juleps, as well as the many other cocktails sold at the venue, have to get to fans somehow. That’s where UofL’s ROTC cadets step in.

For the past eight years, our cadets have worked behind the scenes with the venue’s alcohol vendor to make those drinks. According to Captain Steven Richards, assistant professor of Military Science, the work is hard, but the cadets get compensated.

“They’re on their feet all day Thursday through Saturday working alongside each other in a big assembly line. It’s all hands on deck from 6:30 a.m. to about 6 in the evening. They are long days of hard labor, but they’re valuable,” Richards said. “Teamwork is a huge part of what we’re trying to build here and they get a lot of camaraderie from this.”

The money that the cadets earn from this work typically goes toward their Military Ball and other ceremonial occasions such as graduation and commissioning. Derby weekend is the only event in which they work to build up these budgets.

“Obviously the Derby brings a lot of economic stimuli to Louisville and we’re fortunate to be able to tap into that a little bit and to benefit from that,” Richards said. “I’m really happy that this translates to our students and supports them directly.”

Unsurprisingly, UofL’s Equine Program has some involvement in this weekend’s festivities. Madison Jackson is interning in the race office, while Adrianna Lynch is shooting photos for BloodHorse magazine,  and Tricia Warrens is doing work for Upson Downs Farm, a breeding farm in Goshen, Indiana.

A number of graduates from the Equine Program are also heavily involved in the Derby, either through event marketing (Gary Palmisano), as a blood stock agent (Josh Stevens) or in another capacity.

Speaking of alums, the Hite Art Institute has two from the Graphic Design program who are on the creative team at Churchill Downs. Emily (Schmidt) Shepard, BFA ’10, is the director of Design and Creative at the Downs and the Kentucky Derby, while Zach Downs, BFA ’18, was just hired as a production designer. Also, Colin Dean, a senior Studio Art minor, participated in the Poetry Derby, where he read his poem, “Drive By.”

Communications graduates (and alums of Professor Karen Freberg) Abbie Chambers and Michael Jester have joined the social media team at Churchill Downs for the weekend’s events. They are tasked with creating content for both the Oaks and the Derby.

Throughout Derby weekend, UofL Housing staff will assist with check-in and check-out for groups and individuals coming in for the event. According to Jarayon Jackson, assistant director for Summer Operations, this group will have about 290 people working the check-in process on May 1 and May 2.

Students from the Biomedical Engineering Society will volunteer on both Oaks and Derby day, cleaning up trash and helping to keep the venue clean. According to Maddy Wesley, BMES president, about seven students are participating in this effort.

Also, as has been the case since 1937, the UofL Marching Cards will serve as the official band of the Kentucky Derby this year, opening up the flagship race Saturday with “My Old Kentucky Home” as TV cameras pan to attendees typically in tears.��

And, finally, UofL alumni chapters across the nation will host parties to celebrate the Derby. Check out the schedule here to see if there’s one in your area, and enjoy that mint julep.��