Pep Bands vs. Canned Music at Football Games

Started by AUPepBand, May 07, 2006, 10:38:07 PM

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AUPepBand

"Homecoming" was truly "home coming" for Alfred's football team, who played their first home game of the season on Saturday, Oct. 6. Likewise, it was the AU Pep Band's first gig at Merrill Field, aka "The Pit," for 2012. Only two more gigs there this year, barring post-season play.

Last year, the band's drumset was on a purple portable platform that Pep designed and built to fit into Merrill Field's new grandstand, which has since been replaced with an OSHA-approved "caged" platform. Pep likes to think of it as the band's luxury box.

On Saxon Warriors!
On Saxon Warriors! On to Victory!
...Fight, fight for Alfred, A-L-F, R-E-D!

AUPepBand

Pep is likely speaking to himself here, doubting anyone reads about pep bands on these boards, but Pep just needs to get something off his chest. And it's this: live performance should ALWAYS TRUMP canned music at D3 football games. Pep will explain.

Pep attended the Alfred-Salisbury football game at Sea Gull Stadium in Salisbury, MD. There was a good sized Family Weekend crowd. There was a good little pep band ready to play some tunes. But when it came to the National Anthem, they played a recording from the press box. Yuck. Would rather listen to someone sing it or someone play it LIVE. A live performance gives it LIFE. Then whenever there was a timeout or between quarters, they pumped canned "music" (more like noise) into the stadium. There was more at halftime with a dance team/cheerleading outfit. That little pep band, which was there to play music, wasn't given a chance to even play. So, the only time they figured they could play any music was when the other team had the ball...no matter that the QB was calling signals, etc. (Pep is no way suggesting that it was a distraction to AU's players. Don't know that it was, haven't spoken with any yet.) Fact is, they sounded very good! And Pep wanted to hear them, but not when the Saxons were in the middle of a play.

Now Pep knows that there are strict guidelines regarding bands at NCAA playoff games. AU Pep Band, to the best of its ability, has adhered to those strict guidelines during the regular season as well as post-season play. Bands are NOT allowed to play during a opposing team quarterback's cadence. Early in Pep's involvement with the pep band, a visiting team's coach had words with the game officials about our pep band. One of the officials spoke with Pep before the game and indicated that the officials would penalize AU 5 yards were the band playing during the opposing team's cadence. Pep is unclear whether any sort of penalty exists in the rule book. But the AU Pep Band has operated in accordance to that dictate ever since. It's the right thing to do.

Suggestion to D3 pep bands: If you wish to be a positive influence for your team, learn some "shorties" to play when your team gets a first down, gets a sack, an interception, a fumble. As soon as it's clear your team has earned a first down, CELEBRATE it with a cheer or a short peppy piece. Stop playing when the QB is under center or calling signals. Play in response to what is happening on the field. Focus your attention on the action on the field and as you respond to plays on the field with appropriate tunes, it also helps get the crowd (some who may be there for social reasons) focus on the game.

Pep has always told his band members that our playing music is NOT about US. Behind the scenes, Pep tells the (jealous) AU director of bands that the pep band attracts thousands of listeners to their gigs, whereas a few hundred is a big audience for his groups. We are not performing for us to be acknowledged for our fine musical talents. Heck, some of us don't have musical talents! Our playing should always focus the crowd's attention on our players on the field, celebrate their achievements, and encourage our warriors to press on. It's a battle out there. They need all the support that can be mustered. Yet timing is everything and music should be played in deference to what is happening on "stage" (the field.) For example, Pep has always instructed the AU band to sit in silence in the event of an injury on the field.

Pep wonders, aside from its championships, whether the NCAA has "regulations" governing participation of pep bands at regular season games. Pep is thinking not. Perhaps it's something that individual conferences could/would address.

Another of Pep's pet peeves is "cheerleader announcers" at D3 football games. That could be another Pep tirade....for another day.

On Saxon Warriors!

On Saxon Warriors! On to Victory!
...Fight, fight for Alfred, A-L-F, R-E-D!

dahlby

Plus K...agree 100%
Nothing beats a good pep band and cheerleaders.
Our's is  "The Pride of Chapman".

njf1003

My understanding is that no rule exists or at least the refs never follow it. Our athletics staff has told us to just play through whenever the opposing team has the ball...
We try not to do it very often, but we were 3 for 3 with causing the opposing team to miss their 3rd downs... (It's not like it really matter F&M won 34-2)

Also, I'm very glad we finally got our athletics people to trust us with the national anthem. For a while they played some recording, then they amplified us, and now they just let us play.

They play canned music before the game and then we will play throughout the game.

It's too bad our cheerleaders didn't want to cheer so lost their funding...

AUPepBand

Quote from: njf1003 on October 21, 2012, 04:32:04 PM
My understanding is that no rule exists or at least the refs never follow it. Our athletics staff has told us to just play through whenever the opposing team has the ball...
We try not to do it very often, but we were 3 for 3 with causing the opposing team to miss their 3rd downs... (It's not like it really matter F&M won 34-2)

Also, I'm very glad we finally got our athletics people to trust us with the national anthem. For a while they played some recording, then they amplified us, and now they just let us play.

They play canned music before the game and then we will play throughout the game.

It's too bad our cheerleaders didn't want to cheer so lost their funding...

Are you at Moravian? Likewise at Alfred, there is canned music for team warmups. Assuming that music is selected by a coach or someone on the team, that's fine. While that's happening at the field, our little band goes to the parking lot and warms up with the tailgating fans. It sort of gets them pumped up for the game.

There are some weeks that we don't have the numbers to pull off the national anthem. At those times, a solid musician is asked to play it solo. Truth be told, we've had the National Anthem played as a trombone solo and, last year, our tuba player nailed it on his tuba at the 9/11 anniversary weekend game and you could hear a pin drop. The PA announcer, who doubles as MC at the football banquet, said his highlight of the 2011 season was the tuba player's rendition of the National Anthem!

Pep is of the mind that to create an atmosphere of sportsmanship and mutual respect, the band does not play anything during an injury timeout and does not play anything during the opposing team QB's snap count.

On Saxon Warriors!
On Saxon Warriors! On to Victory!
...Fight, fight for Alfred, A-L-F, R-E-D!

dahlby

Our "Pride Of Chapman" performs ala Stanford's Pep band  on the field at halftime, also doesn't play during the live play, and comes down to field at the conclusion of the game and performs for the team, and the team goes over and applauds the band. The band and the cheerleaders are definitely a part of the student (and fan) experience.
You gotta' love it. We usually have a student sinf the anthem.

njf1003

Quote from: AUPepBand on October 21, 2012, 10:13:36 PM
Quote from: njf1003 on October 21, 2012, 04:32:04 PM
My understanding is that no rule exists or at least the refs never follow it. Our athletics staff has told us to just play through whenever the opposing team has the ball...
We try not to do it very often, but we were 3 for 3 with causing the opposing team to miss their 3rd downs... (It's not like it really matter F&M won 34-2)

Also, I'm very glad we finally got our athletics people to trust us with the national anthem. For a while they played some recording, then they amplified us, and now they just let us play.

They play canned music before the game and then we will play throughout the game.

It's too bad our cheerleaders didn't want to cheer so lost their funding...

Are you at Moravian? Likewise at Alfred, there is canned music for team warmups. Assuming that music is selected by a coach or someone on the team, that's fine. While that's happening at the field, our little band goes to the parking lot and warms up with the tailgating fans. It sort of gets them pumped up for the game.

There are some weeks that we don't have the numbers to pull off the national anthem. At those times, a solid musician is asked to play it solo. Truth be told, we've had the National Anthem played as a trombone solo and, last year, our tuba player nailed it on his tuba at the 9/11 anniversary weekend game and you could hear a pin drop. The PA announcer, who doubles as MC at the football banquet, said his highlight of the 2011 season was the tuba player's rendition of the National Anthem!

Pep is of the mind that to create an atmosphere of sportsmanship and mutual respect, the band does not play anything during an injury timeout and does not play anything during the opposing team QB's snap count.

On Saxon Warriors!

Nope, I'm at F&M, but I have heard rumors Moravian has a marching band, but I can't confirm or deny that. Else where in the CC, I know Gettysburg marches and JHU has a pep band that travels. We haven't traveled yet, every year Gettysburg is away it comes up, but we're not so sure we want to go up against their marching band yet.
And injury timeouts are definitely a big no! Our whole play during their possessions things start when we were part of the "game plan" to try and mess up JHU's no-huddle offensive, but that didn't work too well...
Ever since my freshman year, we have been able to pull off the anthem (even if we have to go wake up a trumpet player Sat. morning!)
We were just formed in 2008 with 4 players showing up to one game and have been growing since and now get like 20ish a game, and have only missed one home game since 2009 and that was due to the October snow storm last year that was just a little too much for us to head out into.

Gray Fox

Caltech doesn't play football.  Fox went to their basketball game last night, and the pep band was playing.
They did not lip sync the National Anthem. 8-)
Fierce When Roused

AUPepBand

Pep is getting pumped for the 2013 season! Using FB chat, Pep believes he has convinced a returning AU sophomore to join the band. Pep sometime ago was told by AU Football Coach Murray that Pep really needs to get out and recruit for the band, after a somewhat disappointing 2012 turnout. Pep is hoping the homer schedule (six games at Merrill Field) and short day trip games will spark new pep into the band.

On Saxon Warriors!
On Saxon Warriors! On to Victory!
...Fight, fight for Alfred, A-L-F, R-E-D!

Pat Coleman

Uh-oh -- did you get called on the carpet?
Publisher. Questions? Check our FAQ for D3f, D3h.
Quote from: old 40 on September 25, 2007, 08:23:57 PMLet's discuss (sports) in a positive way, sometimes kidding each other with no disrespect.

AUPepBand

Quote from: Pat Coleman on July 15, 2013, 12:16:01 PM
Uh-oh -- did you get called on the carpet?

Band was pretty limited for 2012. "Recruits" were no-shows for Band Camp. Small band traveled to Troy for the season opener and were outmanned by an awesome RPI Pep Band, 24-6....where after the game, our little band was "held in captivity" for 10 minutes or so as the security guard had locked the gate we had entered(!?)

Great turnout for Homecoming game vs. Ithaca and Saxons prevailed, 31-7. After that, it was Mid-Semester Break for the Fisher game and a sparse band played for the Frostburg home game.....the rest were road trips and, without sufficient home games to muster the troops, travel plans fell flat. And, without the home games, little opportunity to recruit new members.

So Pep is excited about the 2013 season with six home games and three of the four travel dates within 2 hours travel time.

Get the fight song ready!
On Saxon Warriors! On to Victory!
...Fight, fight for Alfred, A-L-F, R-E-D!

AUPepBand

Pep was quite pleased with Band Camp 2013. A good number of new musicians with a final head count of a dozen. After working on music with the "real" band director, the instrumentalists hiked down the Green Monster and played for the Saxons during their Purple & White Intrasquad Scrimmage. A couple new shorties sounded pretty good....Rawhide and Final Countdown.

On Saxon Warriors!!
On Saxon Warriors! On to Victory!
...Fight, fight for Alfred, A-L-F, R-E-D!

mattvsmith

Nice, Pep!!!

Live music is really the way to go at games. Nothing can beat the energy and mood of a pep band.
I'm a big fan of Pat Benatar's "Hit me with your best shot". And sticking with Pat B, "A little too late" is a great song for a pep band to play when the opposition scores toward the end of a game they are going to lose anyway.

If you want to get esoteric during halftime, putting on a hell of a halftime show, Frank Zappa had sme albums that were all big band sounds. Lots of sax and horns. I'd pay money to hear and see a college pep band perform Inca Roads or Pound for Brown.

AUPepBand

Thanks, Rev.....+K

The band has been playing in Mayberry since Fall 2000 (well, Fall 1999 if you count the all-kazoo band) and now AU is adding a mascot and a horse and rider to the gametime fun:

     ALFRED, NY – Alfred University's newest Saxon personality makes its debut Wednesday night when the AU men's soccer team plays its home opener vs. Pitt-Bradford.
     Li'l Alf, the University's new mascot, will escort students on a mini-parade from Ade Dining Hall to Merrill Field beginning at 6:30 p.m., proceeding to the field prior to the game's 7 p.m. start. The mascot will be present at various AU athletic events throughout the year.
     Li'l Alf will soon be joined by Alfred the Great and his trusty steed Alden (an Anglo-Saxon name meaning defender). The Saxon warrior makes an inaugural appearance at the football home opener, Saturday, Sept. 14, at 1 p.m. against RPI.



On Saxon Warriors! On to Victory!
...Fight, fight for Alfred, A-L-F, R-E-D!

swede

I Love the good ole pep band :D. Some say it has nothing to do with football so why have it, well either do the cheerleaders so why not get rid of them.
Some people just don't get it. The bands and cheerleaders are part of the game atmosphere.

Long Live the Marching, pep bands, and cheerleaders.  :) :) :) :) :)