-New Cornell Fight Song
The Big Red Pep Band provides musical entertainment at all Men's home Hockey games and at other sporting events including Men's and Women's Basketball, Women's Hockey, Sprint Football and Men's and Women's Lacrosse. The Pep Band also travels to Men's Hockey regular season away games and to Hockey, Basketball and Lacrosse playoffs in the Spring.
Want to see us play? Want to join the band? Check out our Schedule to see when and where we will be performing! If you would like to join, just come to any rehearsal in the Fischell Band Center on Mondays from 4:45pm - 6:00pm. To join our email list for weekly schedules and other announcements, email our secretary, Erik "Grapefruit" Bermudez. For more details about the inner workings of the pep band, check out our constitution.
The Pep Band uses a points system based on attendance at games, practice, and other events to determine which members can attend men's hockey games, as only a certain number of tickets are allocated to the band.
Find us at the Fischell Band Center!
Cornell's Pep Band mostly plays at Men's and Women's Hockey, Basketball and Lacrosse but also has been seen at Wrestling, Track and Field, Sprint Football, Field Hockey and other events. The Pep Band normally attends two to five events each weekend plus a weekly rehearsal. At times, the Pep Band will follow the teams on road trips to other schools for regular season and playoff events.
"Give My Regards to Davy" is the official Cornell fight song. The Pep Band plays it when the team comes
out and, for many sports, after the team scores.
During lacrosse games, when Big Red scores ten points
the Pep Band plays Give My Regards to Davy, the fight song, in three-four time rather than four-four. At
fifteen points and above, they continue to improvise Davy in other ways.
The BRPB plays two verses of the Cornell Alma Mater at every sporting event. This usually occurs at half time or during the second period break in hockey. When the Pep Band plays at te Men's Hockey senior night, all six verses of the Alma Mater are played, each with a slightly different instrumentation.
One of the Pep Band's most popular songs, it is usually played right before the last segment of the game. It is also, on occasion, used during time outs or before overtime periods. During the song, band members and other spectators do a dance shown below. At the end of playing the "Hey!" song, the band (and often times the crowd as well) yells at the other team "We're gonna beat the hell outta you! Rough 'em up! Rough 'em up! Go CU!"
Another tradition at hockey games is Over There: The tuba section stands behind the opposing team's bench and plays ‘Over there’ at them. Between each of the lines of the song, the Pep Band (and the crowd) yells "Hey [school]!", "Die!", "Drop Dead!", and "Go Home!"
Whenever Cornell wins, the Pep Band stays after and plays a song in celebration. In honor of the Men's
Hockey coach, Mike Schafer, the Pep Band plays a version of Schaefer Beer's theme song (singing different
words) when the Men's Hockey team wins. Additionally, the BRPB plays Birdland when the Women's Hockey team
wins and Paradise City for Men's Lacrosse.
After Cornell victories, as the Pep Band walks back to the
band room or the bus, many members play a set of 'walking songs'.
The Pep Band is entirely student run. Everything from conducting to repairing instruments to deciding where the band will play is run by elected undergraduates. The many of the cheersheets and songs in the band's folder are also arranged by its members.
The Big Red Pep Band Board plans and oversees the activities of the band. While they meet formally only a few times per semester, the members of the board work year-round to ensure smooth operations. They show extreme dedication to the band, and their efforts are greatly appreciated. Elections are held in December, and, with the exception of Conductors, the positions are held for the following calendar year. Conductors' terms last only one semester, and their elections are held in May and December.
The Pep Band Conductors conduct the band at events and run weekly rehearsals. They also can choose to add
and remove songs to the band's repertoire.
For a list of past conductors, see here.
The Pep Band Manager runs the band administratively. The manager organizes the schedule for each
semester, plans road trips, keeps track of points, and enforces all rules.
For a list of past
managers, see here.
The Pep Band Conductors conduct the band at events and run weekly rehearsals. They also can choose to add
and remove songs to the band's repertoire.
For a list of past conductors, see here.
The Pep Band Historians are responsible for photographing the band during events and putting them up for public display. The historians maintain our Facebook page for this purpose, as well our Twitter and Instagram accounts.
The Pep Band Social Chairs organize events so that band members have the opportunity to interact outside of usual performances and rehearsals. The social chairs encourage members get to know each other and build friendships while participating in activities such as ice skating and bowling.
Please donate to the Big Red Pep Band! We need money for travel expenses, instrument repairs, and other things to keep us performing at events.
How to Donate:
Click the "make your selection" button and select "Other - Athletics"
In the Text
box just below, type "Pep Band Gift Fund (Fund #622808)"
We love playing at sporting events, university programs, banquets, and even weddings! Please let us know what occasion you would like us to perform for and we would be happy to accommodate you. We can offer anywhere between one to over 60 players at your event. Email the manager for rates and more information. Feel free to check out our pictures and videos to see what we look like while performing!
Contact our Manager!