Pep in their step: The Aggie Pep Band brings music and momentum to games
Utah State basketball games overload the five senses. There’s the smell of sweat from the players and jumping fans, the sights of nets and Aggie blue and white, the feeling of clapping your hands together and even the taste of stadium food on your tongue. However, the sound may be the most overwhelming. There are echoes of announcer voices, referee whistles, dribbles, swishes, cheers and taunts from the HURD. One sound might be overlooked, but it is a key piece to the soundtrack of Aggie games. This is the music of the USU Pep Band.
The band, with director of athletic bands Lane Weaver at the helm, brings energy and music to the Spectrum and beyond. They play a variety of songs, with chart-toppers of today, classic hits of days gone by and Aggie favorites, such as “The Scotsman.”
Weaver said he doesn’t have a favorite song to play and he doesn’t normally pick a favorite of anything, except his favorite color, Aggie blue. However, his students do have favorite songs. Trumpet player Emmi Morgan said her song wasn’t the most popular.
“I love ‘I’m Gonna Be.’ A lot of people don’t like it because it can be tiring,” Morgan said. “It is so fun, though, and we do a dance with it. I just love it so much.”
The band doesn’t just bring music. It is a guaranteed HURD section for the basketball teams, as the band travels with the team for tournaments and championships. Sometimes, they are the few Aggies in the stadium, in charge of boosting morale and cheering on the players. They even come up with their own cheers when the HURD isn’t all there. Mikey Johnson, a mellophone player, said they’ve collected random chants over the years.
“Our drummer has a collection that we have curated carefully over many years of research, study and absolute mischief,” Johnson said. “We have just figured out what is the dumbest, funniest thing we can do when it’s just us. It is art.”
Morgan said their favorite cheer was saying, ‘Your mother/father is an Aggies fan,’ when an opposing player shoots a free throw. If the player makes it, the band calls out, ‘They’re so disappointed,’ while if they miss, calls of ‘They’re so proud’ meet the opponent’s ears.
“We just sing ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ sometimes for free throws regardless if they make it or miss it, and we’ll sing the whole song regardless of if the play starts again,” Johnson said. “Nothing cracks me up like that.”
It’s not all laughs, as it can be hard to keep the energy up for the whole game.
“That’s our job. It’s what we do,” Weaver said. “These students are part of what represents USU. It’s an important thing. These aren’t kids that are going to get their names and box scores or any headlines in newspapers or anything. They’re doing it out of pure love for the university.”
While the band website says members receive a stipend and one credit for their participation, members shared they truly just love the experience.
“Honestly, I have grown to love basketball so much,” Morgan said. “It’s so fun and also just the friendships and the people you meet. I’ve been doing pep band for four years now. I love it. It has given me so many opportunities.”
Johnson agreed, saying he loves playing mellophone and watching the Aggies play basketball.
“My favorite part of being in the pep band is to be this close to the players, absolutely rip on the mellophone and play louder and better than the other pep band while our team plays louder and better than theirs,” Johnson said.
Weaver said getting to represent Utah State is one of his favorite aspects of the job.
“I love everything we get to do together,” Weaver said. “You get to kind of be the cultural sound of the university and feel like you’re a big part of the fabric of what goes on. We’ve always had great support and great recognition.”
Weaver also said working with students who love music and Utah State is incredible.
“If you’re going to ask about favorite musicians, I get to work with mine every day,” Weaver said. “I just love these students that I get to work with.”
For those interested in adding to the soundscape of a basketball game, the Aggie Pep Band information can be found at cca.usu.edu/music/ensembles/bands/get-involved#pep-band.