The Bryn Mawr pep band is a student club which was founded at the beginning of this academic year. The club plays a variety of marching band and pop music during events, for example at varsity sports games and, most recently, the Superbowl pep rally hosted by the college in support of the Philadelphia Eagles. The club comprises of approximately ten members and has a mixture of instruments, including but not limited to trombone, horn, trumpet, clarinet, xylophone, and drums.
When speaking with Sofia Vinci ‘25, the founder and president of the club, they expressed that the club was started to provide the opportunity to play music at Bryn Mawr, as the college does not have its own music program. Instead, students usually go to Haverford or Swarthmore to showcase their instrumental talents. Vinci herself plays French horn in the Swarthmore wind ensemble, but nonetheless felt that something was missing.
With an embarrassed chuckle, Vinci said that they founded the club because they missed band. “My high school had a really large marching band… It was very disciplined. It was very competitive, and it was also a lot of fun. And Bryn Mawr lends itself to a very different type of artist, I think, and so there’s a lot of acapella, a lot of theater, but we don’t even have a real music program.”
Haverford and Swarthmore only offer orchestral ensembles with a classical repertoire. Vinci, however, wanted to play more contemporary music. “Pep music is just fun, and it’s silly and lighthearted and not super challenging,” Vinci stated. Most of all, she wanted to have fun and provide a low-commitment, low-stakes environment where students could come together and play their respective instruments.
Vinci described the process of starting the club as harrowing. “I wasn’t sure how much interest there would be,” she said. “And in order for it to get off the ground at all, there needed to be a certain amount of people in it who could play various types of instruments. Like, I think we’d be up the creek without a paddle if we didn’t have a trumpet player, for example.”
Luckily, things came together as various students expressed interest, and the group was able to recruit others over time. Even Mia Harvey, the student engagement coordinator at Bryn Mawr, offered her services as a conductor, since she has a background in music.
Rehearsals are once a week and involve practicing previously chosen pieces a couple times and having fun. “I just love rehearsing with them… Everyone is so sweet and funny.” Vinci’s favorite songs that they have learned so far include “Bad Romance” and “Hooked on a Feeling.”
The highlight of this semester for Vinci was the Superbowl pep band rally. The band played a variety of songs, including “Fly, Eagles, Fly,” and “Bad Romance.” The atmosphere was electric, and the crowd loved the musical accompaniment with the event, and sang along to many of the songs, especially “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”
Moving forward, the club will continue to play at at Bryn Mawr home games, hyping up school sports teams and providing a cheerful and fun mood to the games.
As of right now, there are no concrete plans for the club after Vinci graduates this spring. “Even if the club dies and some other band nerd comes along in the future and is like, ‘I wanna start pepping,’ then they won’t have to start from scratch,” they remarked. “So even if people are are too busy or have other things to do, it can be revived if they want.”
Vinci emphasised that the pep band is open for anyone who plays an instrument and wants a fun, low-commitment club where they can play fun, contemporary music for the community. The pep band not only gives students the opportunity to play music at Bryn Mawr, but also provides cheer for the entire campus.
