Pep Band Brings School Spirit to Basketball Games

As the spring semester ramps up, sporting events get more rowdy, packed, and exciting than ever. A key Mines feature that definitely contributes to school spirit is the Pep Band. The difference in crowd participation with this group present is huge! Senior Tenor Sax player and Applied Mathematics major, Tyler Martinez, sat down to chat with The Oredigger about what this semester looks like for Pep Band.

The Pep Band is a mostly permanent fixture at home basketball games. Notably, last season the band traveled with the men’s team all the way to South Dakota for playoffs.

Martinez says that this semester, Pep Band is planning on playing at most, if not all, home basketball games. He and the other members are hoping for another championship, as they would love to participate again. The Pep Band’s travel is largely dependent on Mines Athletics, Martinez noted, saying “we are hoping to travel to at least one away game.”

When asked what makes Pep Band so unique, when Mines is home to countless student organizations and clubs, Martinez responded that they are “the only group whose entire purpose is to get LOUD, which I think is probably something that others do not do often.”

Sitting in the stands at a sporting event, Pep Band is a huge force, sometimes drowning out other fans with their clever chants and jabs at the opposing team. But it is not just their spirit that makes Pep Band stand out. At each game Pep Band performs at, you can pick them out by their hard hats. While we all received one at orientation, how many people do you know that don theirs to watch a football game? In the colder months, you can also see them rocking matching flannels in the stands.

While most of us have probably seen Pep Band at a basketball or football game, Martinez says that they are actually a subset of the Concert Band at Mines. When asked what students and faculty might not know about Pep Band, he said that most do not realize there is a Concert Band and an Orchestra! Martinez says that students should come check out some of their concerts, but to keep in mind that “what you see is what you get with us- all bad jokes and decent tunes.”

Since the Pep Band is a big part of on campus school spirit, students should keep an eye on the Daily Blast for upcoming band concerts, and show them the same support they give other organizations. We at The Oredigger are excited for another semester of great songs and witty cheers from the Mines Pep Band.