High-stepping into a new era: Cal Band keeps traditions alive while adapting to life in ACC

WHEN UC BERKELEY made the controversial move this season to jump from the Pac-12 athletic conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference, it had a huge impact on the more than 200 members of the school’s marching band.

As they rehearsed this summer for the start of the football season, band members were eager to move into the elite conference with such storied teams as Clemson, Duke and North Carolina. But they also were anxious about what the change might bring.