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UALBANY PEP BAND CHEERS ON GREAT DANES AT NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME AGAINST UCONN!
An Interview with Pep Band Leader, Prof. Kevin Champagne
Prof. Kevin Champagne and the UAlbany Pep Band were a part of the nearly 20,000 fans who filled the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Friday, March 17, 2006, to witness a thrilling performance by our basketball team as the Great Danes battled UConn in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Prof. Champagne has been leading the Pep Band as well as our University-Community Symphonic Band for three years now. Currently, the Pep Band is forty members strong with 23-25 members participating per game. Recently, Prof. Champagne was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to stop by the Music Department Office and speak about his experience leading the Pep Band at the tournament game:
- What was the atmosphere like in the Wachovia Center?
"It was amazing. Almost everybody was rooting for UAlbany because we had brought our fans, or they came, and UConn had their fans, but everybody else was either rooting for us because we were underdogs or rooting against UConn because they wanted to see a good team bumped off. And the more it seemed like we were going to win, the crazier it got. There are pictures on the web site of us, and it looks like we've just been told we won a million dollars...And you wouldn't believe how many people were taking pictures of the scoreboard..."
- What exactly do members of the Pep Band do at the game?
"Very often we'll play a song or two before the game starts, maybe play a song at halftime, and then we play during the time-outs, which sometimes they have to do announcements or contests, and we play after that..."
- Do you cheer or do anything like that?
"We don't have much organized, but we have some loud people who turn things into chants or harass the referees."
- UConn had a Pep Band too. How was their band?
"Oh, they were great. And theirs is more brass-heavy...when there were ten minutes left, the Pep Band for the next game came in, Kentucky, and they were sitting next to us, and they had a lot of brass too...but we don't have that many brass people."
- What has been the effect of this entire experience on the Pep Band?
"Well, I think that we've actually gotten better because we've been playing more, and a much tighter bond for spending that much time together and in such joyous fashion. I think we're a lot closer now, and I think the people that have been in it are going to stay in it except for a couple of people that I know are going to be out of state next year, and hopefully, more people will join."
- How does a student go about joining the UAlbany Pep Band?
"They can call my number...we have flyers up generally, and you can take it for a course, so you can just sign up for it. And I believe my e-mail address is on the web site. And as long as somebody shows up at a rehearsal, they're pretty much in."
- So they don't have to audition?
"Not really, the music's fairly easy. If they've played in high school, they should be able to play. We're going to get into a little harder music next year 'cause I've added some stuff this year, and it was successful so we're going to try to bump it up another notch."
- What was the most memorable part of the whole trip for you?
"Probably, well, the game itself, just the whole experience: We got a police escort from the hotel to the game. We were ushered into the game in an extremely organized fashion. I was given a headset. They were talking to me on the headset. And playing back and forth with the other band. We always go over and talk with the other band...probably the realization at one point, that we could actually win, that it wasn't just a close game. We were ahead, and we were staying ahead for awhile."
- So how do you think it's going to go next season? Any predictions?
"It's tough to say because there are injuries and you never know really, but we've got a lot of really good players coming back. My biggest concern would be losing our tall guy (Kristen Zoellner). But I think the other players are all solid, even the guys that were on the bench are decent players. So I think we're going to be very competitive. I can't say we're going to go to the NCAA tournament again, but it's possible. As long as Will (Brown) comes back."
- Do you want to add anything?
"I would say that experience, and I know this is true for almost all the Pep Band, they've all said that was one of the best days of their life: The bus ride down, the hotel, the game, and after the game, there were like eighteen of us that went out to dinner together. It gave me a big warm fuzzy."
- Did you have much to do with the players at all?
"No, you know the only time I ever really met them was after when we were out to dinner. Jamar Wilson came in with his parents, I think, and a couple other people, and he walked by our table and we were shaking hands and saying, 'Good job'...So we barely have anything to do with the players, but I think they appreciate what we do."
Prof. Champagne can be reached at 442-4192 or by e-mail at kachamp@nycap.rr.com.
