During a Marist University basketball game, there is a lot to listen to: the squeaks of sneakers against the hardwood, the loud buzzer at the end of a half and most notably, the roar of the fans in the stands.
While these are the sounds one should expect during a basketball game, there are also more melodic noises soundtracking the event. Behind one of the basketball hoops, lined in rows, the Marist band brings stomps, cheers and catchy pep tunes to McCann Arena.
The Marist band has been a long-time partner and supporter of the Marist basketball teams. In January 1986, Art Himmelberger, the founder of Marist’s music program, took two trumpet players as a makeshift pep band to support the men’s basketball team at Madison Square Garden.
“Art really pioneered the band’s involvement with athletics,” said interim director of music Michael Napolitano. “He was very committed to having a marching band and pep band here at the university, and he wanted it to be a draw for students interested in band.”
Since 1986, the band has grown significantly from those first two trumpet players. The band is described on the Marist website as a “3-in-1 program”, with members being a part of the concert band, marching band and pep band. In the fall, members come to campus early as a part of music camp, a program that helps music students get a jumpstart on music for the semester.
For the band, that means early marching band practice to prepare for football season. In the spring, the focus shifts from marching band to pep band, which means practicing primarily for basketball games and the occasional hockey match.
The preparation for the pep band to play at basketball games is not simple. It starts with the music. This year, the band has around 25 pieces on standby for athletic events, which they use at both football and basketball games. Many of the pieces have been consistent over the years, such as fan-favorites “The Final Countdown” by Europe and “50 Ways to Say Goodbye” by Train.
“The first three weeks of the semester we practice three times a week on pep band music, but as we go through the semester, it becomes less,” said Dr. Malcolm Jones, the current director of bands.
As the pep band practices the music, the routine becomes inherent, and they need less time dedicated to practicing. However, Jones wants to have a specific class period for practicing pep tunes, which is something that is not currently available in the curriculum.
“I want the marching band and pep band to have their own specific class since it’s still just in the concert band time slot,” said Jones..
In addition to the efforts of learning music, a lot of energy is put towards the setup of the band playing in McCann Arena. The setup of the equipment is a comprehensive process and requires multiple members to help. Usually, an hour before call time, students start preparing to move the equipment to McCann.
“If call time is 6:15, I’m starting to set up about an hour before,” said Lina Tornese, a percussionist in the band.
According to Tornese, the drum kit takes the most work to set up. The kit involves five drums, four cymbals, hardware and stands. In addition to the kit’s parts, the crew needs to set up two platforms for the drummer to sit on and hold the instruments while playing in the stands.
Getting from the Murray Student Center to McCann Arena with all that equipment can be challenging, so students utilize carts to help carry the equipment. Even with the aid of carts for moving the drum kit, it still takes time to move the water jugs, food and every other instrument to the gym.
“It usually takes 20 to 30 minutes [to set up] when all of the equipment is in McCann, but from start to finish when it comes to moving the equipment, it can take about an hour to set up everything,” said Tornese.
“It takes a lot of work and time to stay prepared for the basketball games and maintain our setup, but it’s worth it,” added Victoria Cisternino, another percussionist in the band.
The work does not stop after the pep band is physically set up. For the duration of the game, the students are always prepared to play. With around 25 songs in the rotation, it requires a certain level of attention to be ready to play whatever Jones thinks best fits the moment. The students remain standing for the entire duration of the game and play a tune every few plays, usually after every timeout.
“The students are doing the work to make this happen, they’re putting the time and the effort in,” said Jones.
He believes that because the current basketball season at Marist has been fun to watch, it improves the work and energy of the pep band. When the students are not playing their instruments, they are cheering, stomping, holding up images of foxes, and waving a sign of the letter “D” and a fence to motivate the players on the court.
“It is a lot easier to motivate them when there are things to cheer for. For instance, they love the fast action and fast pace of basketball, and it helps that both teams are playing very well right now. It’s been a very exciting basketball season,” Jones said.
The energy that the pep band brings to athletic events on campus is underrecognized but undoubtedly appreciated. Without the band, many basketball events would just have music played from a DJ intermittently throughout the game. The live aspect of the pep band brings high energy to the crowd, and even involves them at points.
“I think that students would notice if there wasn’t a band at the games. We play music almost constantly through the game, and we play songs that the crowd knows, so it adds an atmosphere of involvement,” said Cisternino. “I’ve even heard from parents and community members who go to the games during the winter say, ‘We miss you guys when you’re not here!’”
“I think the partnership with athletics is great. I think they are very excited that we are there. I think that they might not acknowledge us as much as the students want, but I think they are very appreciative,” said Jones on the acknowledgement of the band by the Marist community.
While the pep band may not be widely recognized by students in discussions about basketball games, the energy is appreciated. During a game, students visibly enjoy the music that the pep band plays. People in the stands sing along to “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5 and laugh when the band plays “Fireball” by Pitbull.
The pep band provides a constant display of energy and talent, which is something that adds to the excitement of our school’s entertaining basketball season this year. The band traveled to Atlantic City to continue playing for Marist men’s and women’s basketball games during the MAAC championships.
Edited by Ben Leeds and Marley Pope
Graphic by Eugene Barbieri; Photo from Marist Band Instagram
For more coverage of Marist athletics, follow @cfmarist on Instagram, X, TikTok, and Bluesky. Sign up to receive daily alerts here.