Toike Oikestra

"On Monday evening I went to the first practice of the Toike Oikestra in the C&M building. There are about 15-18 fellows in it. They seem decent enough, though some of them smoke. We sawed off the ragtime from 7:30 till nearly 10." (28 Oct. 1914, Kent Duff to his mother)

Seen in yearbooks, "Toikeoikestra" has also been stylized as "Toike Oikestra", "Toike-Oikestre" and "Toike Orchestre".

The Toike Oikestra had begun its work in 1911. They were a School orchestra, formed under the leadership of Mr. John Temple (SPS '11). They would provide instrumental music at a number of events during the academic year, including Engineering Society meetings, dinners (e.g. annual class dinners, alumni dinners), smokers, and other events. Engineering Society elections at the time also were accompanied by their music. It was disbanded (along with many other Society affairs) during World War I, but it was re-formed in 1920. They provided the music for "Ngynyrs in SPaSms", the precursor to Skule Nite, when it premiered in 1921, being the mainstay of the show.

"The Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad was following in the steps of the Toike Oikestra of two generations past, but the name was new, as was the association with the defiant lady whose populist challenge to authority had long been inspirational to engineers."

References
B. Levine, A Century of Skill and Vigour, Toronto: Barry G. Levine, 1985, p. 25-26.
R. White, The Skule Story: the University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, 1873-2000, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2001, p. 79-80, 185.