Where UAlbany Gets its Spirit

The University at Albany Pep Band took off in January 2004 and has been soaring ever since. Kevin Champagne, the director of symphony band, was approached by the Spirit Committee, which asked him if he’d be interested in making a pep band happen.  He said yes, and the pep band has been growing ever since.

Champagne is in his eighth football season and about to begin his ninth year for basketball. Throughout these years under his leadership, the UAlbany community has embraced the pep band. The band has been involved with not only the music department, but the dance team and cheer team, the athletic department, and sports fans.

The pep band currently has a total of 50 members. Because students and members of the Albany community don’t have to take pep band for credit, the numbers go up and down throughout the year. The band is most popular in the spring semester; since games are indoors, it is a more comfortable environment, and the game is right in front of the band, so it usually draws more musicians, said Champagne.

The fans at the games are no strangers to the pep band either. The crowd will often get involved with the pep band by cheering and chanting with them or start singing to a song that the band plays.

“Not a game goes by where at least a few fans tell us that we sounded good, or that they appreciate us being there. Sometimes they even tell me that they noticed we added a song to our repertoire,” Champagne said.

The UAlbany Dance Team likes to kick it up a notch by involving themselves with the pep band. At the games, the dance team will dance to whatever the band is playing. Damien, the school mascot who dresses up in UAlbany purple and gold is a great dane. He likes to hang out with the band by coming to rehearsals and attempts to play the drums or flute, said Alex Balgobin, an undergraduate student who plays clarinet in pep band. There were even a few occasions during a game when Damien pushed Champagne aside and started directing the band himself.

Some of the biggest events that the pep band plays at are the UAlbany vs. Siena game, the Big Purple Growl, the game at Madison Square Garden, and the Conference Tournament. While these events are all football and basketball, in recent years the pep band has started to play for other athletic teams such as: rugby and women’s basketball.

The rugby and women’s basketball teams came to the pep band asking them to play at their games, and expressed how much they’d appreciate it if the band was there cheering them on. It not only increases their fan base with some live music, but makes the games more fun.

Jeff Brauner, a political science major, plays the trumpet in pep band, and is a proud member.   “Pep band gives me the opportunity to play fun music, exude massive amounts of school pride, and spend an afternoon or evening with people who I enjoy being around. We are there for the fans, we are there for the players, but ultimately we are there for ourselves, and the atmosphere is perfect for that,” he said.

Previous to Champagne, Kirk Smith was the band director. Smith considered creating the pep band, but for a number of reasons it never happened.

Because UAlbany is a large school, the athletic department wanted what other universities had at their games: a marching band.

The athletic department approached the music department about the possibility of creating a marching band. However, athletics did not take into consideration that instruments and uniforms would have to be bought, which is a tremendous expense when starting from scratch, Professor Reed Hoyt, chairman of the music department, said.

It had seemed to students and some faculty that the music department didn’t want the pep band and was not interested in having one. In reality, it was the need for funding that didn’t allow for the creation of the band.

“Kirk drew up a budget that was infeasible in terms of finances, so it went nowhere,” Hoyt said.

In the meantime, two students took it upon themselves to write the university’s fight song. Jonathan Hansen and John Regan were founding members of The Earth Tones, a male choral group on campus. They originally wrote the song for the University Chamber Singers, which premiered it at an event shortly after it was written, said David Griggs-Janower the choral director for UAlbany.

Once Smith heard the finished song he became inspired. The idea of having a pep band or marching band was still in the works, so he began working on the arrangement for the band to play.

“One thing that really stays with me is when the former band director worked constantly to come up with a fight song for UAlbany. He would ask me to listen and asked for my opinion and I really enjoyed being a part of that. When I hear the band play it, it makes me smile and remember those days,” said Coach Patty Palmer of the UAlbany Dance and Cheer teams.

After the fight song was written, Smith transferred to teach at a school in Arizona. He left behind the hopes for a beginning to the pep band to the man who took over for him: Kevin Champagne.

At the second attempt to make the pep band happen, the Spirit Committee took a large role in the creation. They knew having a marching band would be too expensive so they decided to go for the next best thing: a pep band which wouldn't require as much money.

When the band is in need of music or instrument repairs, the athletic department provides the finances. They also provide funding for the annual tournament trips and the trip to Madison Square Garden. As an extra incentive, the department pays students $20 per game as long as they participate and play. 

When asked about why the pep band was successful the second time around, Champagne said that it requires more than just funding. The band needs an enthusiastic band director who can get the students psyched for the games. When the director isn’t excited about the group or the upcoming games, the students are aware of that, and it affects their school spirit. He also said that a pep band director needs to be open to new ideas which may include allowing more than just university students to join.

It doesn’t matter what major you are in college, or if you are young or old. The only requirement to join the pep band is that you can play an instrument at high school level.  The band is full of undergraduates, graduates, friends of students, alumni, and even a few adults who live around the area of Albany.

“Being in pep band is like having a second family. Members go to parties together, friends come to cheer us on and yell funny things at us. When I first started and didn’t know anyone, they made me feel welcome,” Balgobin said.

Written:

1 November 2011