Pep Band

The CCHS Pep Band is a bunch of wild and crazy band members whose goal every football-Friday night is to play every tune in their book (at least once), or have their lips fall off, whichever comes first! Pep Band provides a spirited accompaniment to all home (and a few away) football games, the big Thanksgiving Day game, and to an occasional noble event or impromptu concert on someone's front lawn.

The Pep Band's repertoire includes school songs, traditional football favorites, and contemporary popular selections. It is typically our band members' only chance to play rock or pop music in a school sponsored organization. Our “book” traditionally includes 25-30 songs each year. Every year we rotate out a few of the “dated” songs, and rotate in a few more current selections. So, after students learn the songs once, they can be relatively certain that next year they'll already know 75-80% of the Pep Band repertoire.

Pep Band is open to anyone who plays a band instrument in grades 9 through 12, and is a member in good standing of either the CCHS Repertory Band or Concert Band. You must be in either Repertory Band or Concert Band in order to be in the Pep Band. Band members select the Pep Band course number in conjunction with their Repertory or Concert Band registration in March. Late registrations are permitted at the first Pep Band rehearsal in the fall. Fall sign-ups can be easily accomplished without changing a student's course schedule, as Pep Band meets at the same time as Repertory and Concert Bands. It’s simply a matter of changing a course number.

Pep Band is a fall-quarter-only activity. It starts during the first week of school and ends on Thanksgiving Day. Pep Band rehearses during two of the four weekly Repertory and Concert Band rehearsals. Mr. Dentino rehearses with Pep Band members while another teacher rehearses with those students who are not in Pep Band. Participating in Pep Band does not affect a student's' participation in Repertory or Concert Band.

Only minimal rehearsal is required outside of normal school hours. Therefore, Pep Band members can, and do, participate in after-school sports. Pep Band members meet in the band room at 5:30 p.m. for pre-game warm-up on game Fridays. This is the only time that Pep Band members from both Repertory and Concert Bands can rehearse together. Beyond that, extra rehearsals are only required under the most unusual circumstances, such as when the first home football game falls during the second week of school. On game Fridays, a large number of Pep Band members have a pre-game supper together in the Band Room. Everybody knows to bring a few extra bucks to school that day and we order out for pizza and subs.

Pep Band members will have an opportunity to purchase a maroon and white Concord-Carlisle Patriots sweatshirt. If they choose not to buy one, they will be issued a used one. Their sweatshirt and their instrument gets the Pep Band members free admission to the game and seats on the 50-yard line. Sweatshirts must be worn once we leave the band room until we return. We also suggest that students not use their very best wooden clarinet or their best Bach trumpet outside. It's probably better to use an old beginner horn that's hiding in the closet. We typically don't play in severely inclement weather, but it does rain (or snow!) sometimes, and it can get cold.

Pep Band members receive Community Service credit for every Pep Band performance they play. After only three years of Pep Band, they have accumulated enough Community Service credit hours to satisfy their graduation requirement, and they've had a lot of fun along the way. What better way is there to satisfy one’s Community Service obligation than by playing music with one’s friends on a Friday night? Attendance at all games is required, but there is no grade or course credit penalty for absence. A student who is absent from any Pep Band performance, for any reason, simply will not receive Community Service credit for that performance. However, we all understand that one joins Pep Band because one wants to play at the games. Mr. Dentino keeps very accurate attendance at each game and submits all the Community Service credits to the appropriate administrator at the end of the football season. No paperwork required! If you miss more than two games, you can be certain that you and Mr. Dentino will be having a conversation.

    Top Ten Reasons to Join Pep Band:

  1. It's fun.
  2. It's the only chance you'll have to play rock music in CCHS band.
  3. You get Community Service credit for playing your instrument with your friends at football games.
  4. It's an activity at Concord-Carlisle that helps you feel that you're a contributing member of a team, even if you're a freshman.
  5. The seniors don't mind if you're a freshman, in fact, they really like having a lot of freshman in the band.
  6. It's a good way to meet new people and make new friends.
  7. It's a great way to have good loud, crazy fun in a very constructive way on a Friday night. In fact, people don’t mind if you yell and scream…a lot!
  8. You get to hear Mr. D.’s stories on road trips.
  9. You may become part of one of Mr. D.’s stories.
  10. It's a cheap date.

(back to CCHS Bands page)

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