We understand joining new groups can be confusing and intimidating– below are some frequently asked questions and other information for new members to help ease the transition. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions!
Show up to gigs and rehearsals. That’s it. No sign-ups or auditions necessary; if you show up, you’re in!
We accept any and all instruments in Pepband! Most of our music is arranged with marching band instrumentation, but we welcome everyone! In the past we’ve had strings, guitars, keyboards, and many more. For the lineup of instruments we have, see the question below.
Yes! Our instruments are loaned out on a first-come, first-serve basis. We have a range of instruments available, including flutes, clarinets, saxophones (alto, tenor, bari), trumpets, mellophones, trombones, tubas, a euphonium, and a drum kit. Ask an officer at any gig about rentals and we’ll get something set up. You may borrow an instrument for the duration of the gig/rehearsal. If possible, it’s best that you bring your own instrument, but if you are unable to then you can certainly borrow one!
These are Google Forms sent out through the email list every week. Please fill them out, as they allow the conductors to determine which songs we will be able to play at gigs based on which instruments will be there!
The official uniform of the UCSD Pepband is our blue Hawaiian shirt, worn over a UCSD Pepband T-shirt. We wear these at all gigs unless stated otherwise. We also have a limited number of loaner Hawaiians available for use at every gig if you've forgotten yours.
We read all of our music out of our music books, which are made up of half-sheet sized paper bound by binder rings. No need to memorize any songs (though you may end up remembering quite a few along the way). We also have rental books at most gigs if you haven’t gotten your book yet. If you’re interested in the specific songs we play, you can check out our list of songs on the media page.
Find Adi, our treasurer to ask about getting your shirt and music book package. Talk to Arthur, our media manager, will give you a music book at the next gig.
Closet time is the time at which an officer will be present at our storage closet to unlock it. If you choose to store your instrument in the closet, then you should show up to gigs at closet time so that you have enough time to get it ready. Call time is the time at which you should definitely be at the gig. Please come at call time so that we are ready in time to play the national anthem for athletic events.
Absolutely! Since we do not have any time commitment for our members, you are more than welcome to come to as many or as few events as you want. Many of our members do have class during rehearsal time and either come late to rehearsal or simply just go to gigs.
During parades, we “march” pepband style, meaning we more or less walk in a semi-organized clump. The songs we play during parades include Bad Romance, Gimme Some Lovin’, Hey Baby, Louie Louie, Stacy’s Mom, and Wipeout.
OF COURSE YOU CAN. We love when you guys come out to gigs. The best way to think about it is that the more practice you get at events or rehearsals, the better you’ll eventually be with the music. There is also plenty to learn and enjoy at gigs, such as cheers and dances, that go beyond just knowing the music.
Davis is our annual trip to UC Davis for their Picnic Day, a student-run event showcasing the campus. We play in the morning Picnic Day Parade as well as the Battle of the Bands, an 8 hour long event where college bands from around California take turns playing songs and doing fun little activities together. It usually takes place during the weekend of/after week 3 of Spring Quarter. It’s loads of fun and we love being able to meet up with other students who have the same enjoyment of being weird and playing music together!
‘Davis points’ is just our fancy way of referring to attendance points. Typically you get one for every gig or rehearsal you attend, but there is a chance that certain gigs may be worth more Davis Points (we’ll be sure to let you know!). We call them Davis points because they’re what we use to decide who has priority to go to the trip with us in April. Some people opt out of attending despite having enough Davis points, so no worries if you feel like you’re behind on points! Spots open up and we try to give you as many opportunities to gain points as we can.
Stay tuned for more information about Davis as we get closer to Spring Quarter!
If you have any other questions that were not answered above please feel free to reach out to us on any social media or shoot an email to pepband@ucsd.edu and we can help you out!