Traditions of the BRPB
Who We Play For
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.
Davy
"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.
The Alma Mater
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.
Gary Glitter
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 Gary Glitter, 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!"
Over There
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!"
3/4 Davy
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.
Victory Songs
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.
Walking Songs
After Cornell victories, as the Pep Band walks back to the band room or the bus, many members play a set of 'walking songs'.
Management
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 (BRPB Board Members). The many of the cheersheets and songs in the band's folder are also arranged by its members.