Welcome!
Congratulations, you've found the most current iteration of the Cornell University Big Red Pep Band website. There are lots of old, abandoned sites of ours lying around the internet, confusing freshmen and bothering former pep band managers, but somehow it all works out. Is this new window dressing too corporate for this organization? Probably, but at least we kept Waldo. Cornell's Office of University Communications has some pretty strict restrictions on how not to misuse their templates or the new $2 million involable logo (meet the new insignia, same as the old insignia...), but we don't think they have the market cornered on concentric circles.
About Us
Photo by Jen Ceballos '06
The Pep Band has been referred to by many names, including candy stripers, candy canes, hooligans with horns, and, of course, those kids in Waldo shirts. We are the best hockey pep band in the NCAA, according to ourselves and INCH.com and some guy that writes for the Minnesota Star-Tribune. We are an entirely student-run organization, though we get a little advising, wrist-slapping, and administrative assistance from the Athletics department at Cornell. We are among the most well-traveled hockey bands in the NCAA, stopping at nothing--even 20 hour bus rides--to cheer on our team across the United States. We also have a pretty dense musical repertoire and a pretty awesome support group of hockey fans that loves us wherever we go.
But the Big Red Pep Band isn't just about hockey. We love lots of sports at Cornell, especially men's lacrosse, men's basketball, sprint football, women's hockey, women's lacrosse, men's soccer, women's soccer, and field hockey. We've also been known to cheer on the football team when the marching band is too lame to travel. We have also been booked for non-sporting events, like pep rallies, dedications, and welcoming ceremonies (including, but not limited to, a visit by the Bulgarian ambassador). If your organization is interested in booking the pep band for a special event at Cornell, please follow the link in the left column that explains our general policy on such things.
How to Join
Joining the pep band is easy! Just check the schedule linked to the left and show up. You can join any time during the year when we have events going on. If you're new, the first event you go to ought to be a rehearsal. Our rehearsals are in the Barton Hall band room, Mondays at 4:45 in the fall and Tuesdays at 4:45 in the spring. You can also email the pep band manager for more information at pepband@cornell.edu.
Obviously the biggest draw for joining the pep band is being able to get into men's hockey games. The Cornell ticket office graciously gives us 51 tickets per home game. To determine who gets these 51 tickets (50-piece band plus conductor), we use a system of priority points. Going to non-hockey events racks up your points for hockey, so once you're in the band, be sure to attend as many events as possible!
Photo by Jason Endriss '08
Neither rain, nor snow, nor dark of night shall keep us from our appointed rounds.
Even the hockey team wants to join the pep band
