Pep Band expands show

    Not as large as a marching band, but with just as much spirit, the William and Mary Pep Band entertains Tribe fans on the field at halftime. Last fall the pep band began scrambling.

    p. “If you watch a show, it is quickly apparent where the ‘scrambling’ part of the “scramble band” moniker comes,” Kenneth Barry ’08 said. “Instead of marching and playing, scramble bands run around in mass chaos while a joke is being read over the stadium microphone. As the joke comes to an end, the band forms a shape that helps with the punch line and plays a song that is the punch line or is heavily related.”

    p. Scrambling is a hit with both students and band members.
    “With scrambling, I don’t need to know anything about marching, because I just get to run around, chase people and do all sorts of crazy things on the field,” Ben Bromley ’08 said.
    Due to the hard work that the band members put into developing their scrambling routines, the organization Friends of the William and Mary Pep Band created a scholarship to reward outstanding members of the pep band.

    p. “All of the halftime shows that we put on are products of the creativity of the members of the band. This requires a huge time commitment behind the scenes. These scholarships will help to reward and publicly acknowledge this hard work,” Barry said.
    In order to receive a scholarship, band members must first be nominated by a peer. If the student accepts the nomination, then he submits a statement that explains his involvement with pep band. Statements will then be reviewed by the FWMPB board and recipients will then be selected.

    p. According to the pep band’s website, in 1995 the College’s marching band comprised of just 30 members, disbanded due to indifference on the part of faculty and students. It was with the demise of the marching band that the pep band came into being.
    Eager to play, pep band members worked with Tribe Athletics, student government and college administrators to create performance opportunities. The pep band played in the stands until spring 2006, at which point they were no longer satisfied with being stuck in the bleachers.

    p. “Football games just aren’t the same without our getting on the field. I was ecstatic when I found out we would be doing a halftime show,” Dani Derringer ’09 said. “For the alumni who want a marching band, we play music on the field. For people who don’t miss themed music played while marching intricate drill, we have a comedic script. The pep band is about bringing school spirit to athletic events and having fun.”

    p. The pep band will scramble next at the James Madison University game Nov. 10.

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