They play in the background for many SMSU football, basketball, and volleyball games, but on Monday, Nov. 20, the Mustang Pep Band was centerstage. The band held their annual free concert in the Fine Arts Theatre, and there they played a selection of their newest and favorite tunes. Songs included popular music, such as “Allstar,” “Radioactive,” and “Pompeii,” as well as some older hits, including “Rock Lobster,” “Come On Feel The Noize” and “Thriller.” The band’s director, Dr. John Ginocchio, told the audience that the band was not used to playing this much, a reference to the fact that the band only plays for short intervals during sporting events.
The band consisted of roughly twenty members, ranging from flutes and clarinets to percussion and brass instruments. I was playing first trumpet during the event, and I really enjoyed being able to perform in a more formal setting. It’s not that sports fans are unappreciative of the pep band’s presence, but it was nice to have an audience that was there with the intention of listening to the music that we were performing.
As is to be expected, there were a few mess-ups and missed notes, but overall, the concert was a lot of fun for everyone involved. Lasting only around forty-five minutes, it wasn’t hard to sit through, and a lot of the music that was played were things that people knew and could sing along to. Because the band wasn’t huge, it was important for the quality of the playing to be high, and thankfully it was. I would definitely recommend this event to anyone who enjoys listening to the Mustang Pep Band at sporting events, or to anyone who just enjoys listening to live music.