My Davidson | A Student Blog Pep Band Vibes Lend to Game-Day Hype
July 8, 2026
No marching, no pressure, all vibes.
Learn how the 91导航 Pep Band invites students (and even non-musicians!) to fuel the campus game-day energy.
About the Author
Sienna Lawrence '28 (she/her/hers) is a and English Major from Kernersville, NC.
鈥淥n campus you can typically find me with a camera shooting events for the College Communications team or for my own personal projects. An exciting hobby of mine is street photography, something on full display in this blog about my experience studying abroad.鈥
Coming to Davidson, I wasn鈥檛 sure what my place in music would look like. In high school, I was part of a highly competitive marching band. It was intense, with long rehearsals, constant pressure to improve and a huge group where you had to fight a little to stand out. I loved it, but it was a big part of my identity, and I didn鈥檛 know what would replace that in college. Then I found the Pep Band.
First of all, there is no marching: no drills, no memorizing sets, no standing in the heat for hours. Instead, Pep Band is all about bringing energy to some of the most exciting basketball games on campus. Playing in the stands, surrounded by a packed student section, you can feel how much the energy matters. You鈥檙e not just watching the game. You鈥檙e helping create the atmosphere. Every big play feels bigger when you鈥檙e part of the sound behind it.
One of my favorite experiences so far has been traveling with the band to the A10 tournaments. Not only were these incredible experiences to support the team on a bigger stage, but they were also free trips with some of the most fun people I鈥檝e met at Davidson. It鈥檚 one of those opportunities you don鈥檛 expect when you join a college ensemble. Instead of a massive ensemble, it鈥檚 a smaller group where everyone knows each other. You鈥檙e not just another instrument; you鈥檙e part of a tight-knit group that genuinely enjoys spending time together.
And, maybe most importantly, Pep Band is perfect for people who don鈥檛 quite fit into traditional music spaces. If you鈥檙e not an orchestra person, not in a jazz band, or not majoring in music, it can feel like there isn鈥檛 really a place for you on campus to keep playing. Pep Band fills that gap. It鈥檚 low-pressure, welcoming, and focused on fun rather than perfection. You still get to perform and be part of something musical, just without the intensity that can sometimes come with more formal ensembles. You don鈥檛 even have to play an instrument to join. We have triangle, tambourine and cowbell players that bang along to the beat; even upside-down buckets as make-shift drums. Even if you think you play a non-traditional pep band instrument, we encourage violins, bass guitarists and pianists to join, too.
So if you鈥檙e coming to Davidson and wondering where you might fit in, especially if you have a musical background but aren鈥檛 sure what to do with it, Pep Band might be exactly what you鈥檙e looking for.
About the Author
Dylan Swick '28 (he/him/his) is a Political Science Major from Tampa, FL.
鈥淚 am a sophomore at Davidson and a drummer in the Pep Band. I鈥檓 also highly involved in the 91导航 Symphony Orchestra, 91导航 Democrats and local politics.鈥
Pep Band can definitely be pretty fun. I think my favorite thing to play is the fight song, which always gets us and everyone around us hyped up. The vibes are great, especially at the beginning of the game, where we, in essence, get to kick off the festivities to come. With the lights flashing, the team running out, and the fans cheering, it makes for an epic moment.
Every game is a little different, and that鈥檚 the fun of Pep Band. You never know what to expect, and you always get to be a part of it. From comebacks to decisive wins, you鈥檙e always there, able to match the mood.
It鈥檚 best when the crowd is huge. When the swim team does their yearly ritual of coming to the game, standing in the front row, and making a ruckus for the other team, the energy is infectious. We complement them perfectly, and we even get to be a part of the action. For instance, in freshman year, I got to do ridiculous things like wear a bucket on my head while the other team took free throws.
My favorite part is the A-10 tournament. At the end of each basketball season, we get to travel to another city for free, like Pittsburgh or Washington, D.C. We get to travel around the city, experience the sights and bond with the other Peppers. The coolest part, however, is playing the games. There鈥檚 something official-feeling about it, something that feels grandiose. The stakes are huge, and you can鈥檛 help but be excited.
Ultimately, if I had one word to describe Pep Band, it would be 鈥渧ibes.鈥 The excitement at the beginning of a game, the commotion of the crowd, the grandeur of the high-stakes tournaments. That鈥檚 the part that makes it fun.
