 During the 2010 season, the band was left without a director just before the beginning of the football season.A former band member and 2009 graduate, Matthew Cain, stepped in and served as interim director, organizing and conducting weekly rehearsals, coordinating non-athletic performances, and even arranging songs for the band to play at basketball games during pep season.During the season, the band looked to hire a permanent director, and appointed Nicholas J. McKenzie, a graduate of UMass Amherst and a professional in both band direction and drill coordination.