Walking into certain winter sports at Greater Latrobe you might hear the pep band blasting music. The Pep Band is a smaller unit of the marching band that attends basketball games and other sporting events. It is composed of percussion, brass, and woodwind instruments and talented student musicians from Greater Latrobe. Pep Band adds an exciting and infectious energy to the teams. The band makes the whole crowd and school feel included and brings a smile to everyone’s face.
Mr. Czekaj is the band director at the high school and is in charge of the pep band. Mr. Czekaj said, ¨The pep band started one year ago, during the 22-23 school year.¨ With the band only being in effect for a year the band is already making a huge difference in the atmosphere of our school sporting events. Fans and students enjoy having the band at games. Emma Lippert, junior cheerleader said, ¨I love getting to hear the pep band and they help us get the fans excited about the game.¨ The cheerleaders feed off the pep band’s energy which spreads to the fans attending the games. Lippert said, ¨They make the game very lively and we love getting to dance to their music.¨
Mr. Czekaj talked about some of the feedback they have received since starting only last year. ¨In my humble opinion, I think that the pep band has added tremendously to the atmosphere of basketball games. We have received tremendously positive feedback from players, coaches, families, and fans of the teams. Our position in the gym assists in this regard, with us positioned evenly between the student section and the fans.”
With only being in existence for a year Mr. Czekaj has big plans for expanding and growing the band and is excited to see it expand. Czekaj said, ¨Moving forward, we hope to continue our momentum and make a strong showing at all home varsity basketball games. As this is our off-season from typical marching band activities, students sign up for each event individually. Despite this, we try to have a full group for every game. Long term, and with the support of the athletic department and administration, we may consider expanding our scope and making appearances at other sporting events.¨
The pep band plays a crucial role in bringing together our community to help cheer on teams. A unique portion of our sporting events that is unique to Greater Latrobe that other schools do not have and is sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face.
Both the pep band and marching band are always upbeat, energetic, and a super fun way for crowds to participate. Drum major Sarah Hoffman said, “The differences between the two bands are really interesting. I like to think that a pep band is just a really relaxed version of a marching band. The Marching Band organization is a huge undertaking – with rehearsals during the summer then later twice a week, official uniforms, leadership teams, parent boosters, drill/halftime shows, parades, traveling, etc. Pep bands, however, rehearse maybe 30 minutes during the week. We don’t have to prepare a halftime show, so we just spend time playing fun tunes to play in the stands. Pep bands are also available to anyone and don’t require any commitment, so every week we get a different crowd of musicians and combinations of instruments¨, said Hoffman.
From football to basketball season some traditions within the band still stand. Many people love attending to hear fun, fan favorites. Sarah Hoffman said, “My favorite song to play is probably ´Hey Baby.´ I think it’s a favorite for a lot of the instrumentalists, but also a crowd favorite. It’s a tradition to play it at every football and basketball game, and everyone is always really excited to hear it. It’s a really special thing to sing along with it with the band, and it’s just an awesome tradition that we have.”
The pep band always knows how to bring passion and enthusiasm positively. No doubt the pep band puts in countless hours of hard work to always play to perfection. They make our school a better atmosphere with awesome instrumentalists and leaders. When they play they are sure to make the whole crowd feel included and bring a smile to everyone’s face.
