Generally, pep rallies are quite enjoyable for the students as well as the select group of optimistic band members. You get out of class, dance around for a while, watch silly games involving eggs, and witness dance-offs hosted by a very enthusiastic announcer. What a lovely way to get excited for the homecoming game! For me and a few of my fellow band members, however, the tight space restricted us from fully enjoying the event. Thus I present to you: “The Not-So Peppy Band Members of the Pep Rally!”

I have to admit, the pep rally we had recently was far more enjoyable than last year’s. For example, I noticed an empty step dividing the trombones from the rest of the brass players that stood in front of them. This, at least, made it less likely for one to be impaled in the back of the head by a trombonist’s slide. In case any readers may be unaware of how it works, a trombone is played by extending your arm in multiple positions in order to make music. Unfortunately, standing directly in front of a trombone means you are either going to be repeatedly beaten on the back of your head by the slide, or you’re going to have the little spit valve leak onto your shoulder. One of my mellophone friends called me weak for complaining about this, because she often faces the rainstorm of saliva at football games. A trumpet player who asked me to refer to him simply as ‘The Latter’ in this article explained to me that “Spit valves are not airtight. A tiny key is not going to keep all of that moisture from leaking at least a little bit.” I’m not one to judge the mechanics of a spit valve, though. As a piccolo player, I have to worry about standing too close to my neighbor who may surprise me with a short, yet undesirable, sprinkle of water when she flicks her small and shrill instrument of torture up at the sound of the drum major’s powerful “SET: HORNS UP!” followed by the soul crushing self-awareness that I may be doing the same to the poor piccolo on my right.

The biggest issue at pep rallies is trying to fit a mass of approximately 150 people with instruments into a tiny space. ‘The Latter’ and another trumpet player said they did not enjoy pep rallies for this reason, stating that it was, “Too hot and too crowded. It’s a risk to pop your horn up!” Again, I noticed the pep rally this year changed for the better, but it was still an issue. For the tubas, they had the glory of standing on their own balcony where they were evenly spaced from each other. This made the tubas the envy of the rest of the band members who were not as fortunate. For me and a few of my fellow flutes/piccolos, we were able to slide down to the floor and spread out by creating an arch; we were also somewhat comfortable, minus the fact that a few of us were standing more in the hallway than the gymnasium. For the rest of the flutes, piccolos, clarinets, and saxophones behind us, however, it was not so pleasant. A poor clarinet freshman behind me had to keep her back against the wall, her right foot on a higher step, and her left foot on a lower. Even then, she was still unable to adjust herself to be in a more comfortable position and became trapped between a horde of woodwinds and the lukewarm wall. At least the gym didn’t reach equal temperatures with the surface of the sun as it did last year.

I am still unsure if this is true, but according to one my section leaders, there was talk of improving the conditions of pep rallies for band members. I am convinced the school did put forth the effort of improving the conditions by the change I observed from last year to this year. Although multiple band members were still suffering from the tight space and overwhelming heat produced by the many bodies of those around them, there is hope for a cooler rally. I am excited for the next rally where I may see if everyone can keep both of their feet on one step.