In 1923, a band was formed under the direction of Sidney Kingsmill on the newly developed University of Western Ontario campus. Kingsmill was a well-known musician at Western and developed a small group of other musicians to join in the parades down to the stadium before a Western rugby game. This group became known as the "University Band". With limited resources, the band did not develop after the fall of 1923. However in 1926, the band restarted under the direction of Bruce Wiley. This new organization had more resources due to financial and administrative assistance from Paul McKibben, the Dean of Western's School of Medicine. During this time, the band got funding through an applied grant and a practice space for marching drill.