Curious about how band camp works? You’re in the right place! Everything to know about band camp should be here, but if not, please reach out to us at pepoff@wpi.edu and we will be happy to help!
We are so excited for the season ahead, especially due to the enthusiasm of all of our future marchers! We had 95 marchers in our 2024 season, and we can’t wait to see all of you at band camp this fall. To returning members, welcome back and we are so excited to march with you all again! To new members, welcome to the start of your marching band experience at WPI!
If you’re interested in learning information about the band, fill out this interest form to be put on our emailing list over the summer! If you’ve made up your mind and you’re 100% certain about joining, please fill out this committal form. This form must be completed by July 1st.
Liability and Concussion
To participate in a club sport, you MUST complete the Release of Liability and Heads Up Concussion Training. Even if you filled these forms out last year, you have to fill them out and complete the training again. Stay tuned for these; we will send them out sometime in August. There will also be a confirmation form for these.
Band Camp Move-In & Dates
Our officers are actively working with Residential Services to prepare for our move-in. If you are living on campus, expect to move in will be moving in on Saturday, August 9th from 9AM to 3PM. You will be sent an email from Residential Services containing further information related to picking up your keys. If you are flying to campus or have some extended travel and cannot make it to campus for the 9th, please reach out to pepoff@wpi.edu, and we will work to find a solution. The activities on the 9th will not start until 3 pm, and will include food and some fun opportunities to meet the rest of your section and the other band members.
Show Shirt Contest!
Every year we have a fun contest for show shirt designs! Show shirts are black t-shirts, worn under our uniforms and connected to our show! Designs should be submitted as JPEGs, include a back and front design, and must be approved for copyright.
As an example, in the past when we did a ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ show, we got copyright struck because we tried to include an image of Groot. Instead, we went with a picture of a cassette tape to symbolize the show. Try something like that!
To submit a design for our show, please email our president, Emily, at egdoten@wpi.edu. Designs will be accepted until August 27th, voting will be opened afterwards, and then ordering will be made available on myWPI.
Band Camp Schedule
Be sure to check the Schedule page for the band camp schedule to see the daily theme and fun activity (“Pepfun”)!
Band Camp Meals
For the week of band camp, it will cost each member $100 for:
- FOUR Lunches (Mon-Thurs) in the Rubin Campus Center Food Court
- Options include subs, pizza, chicken fingers, salad, burritos, and more! There will be plenty of options for all dietary needs.
- TWO Meals (Sat+Fri) from Boomer’s Pizza
- We will have wraps on Saturday night and pizza on Friday afternoon.
- SIX Meals (Sun-Fri) prepared and served in upperclassmen’s apartments
- Meals will include Sunday brunch, Stir fry, Tacos, Chicken Patties, Pasta and Meatballs, and Rice Bowls.
- ONE Section Dinner (Sun) from Subway
- Subway boxes!
- 6-Inch sub options consist of tuna, turkey, ham, cold cut, roast beef, and vegetable.
- Also comes with a bag of chips and a cookie.
We have done our best to accommodate for gluten and lactose allergies, as well as vegetarians.
Please note:
- THIS IS NOT AN OPTIONAL FEE FOR FIRST YEARS. By living in a dorm, you will not have access to a full-service kitchen or the dining hall until the start of New Student Orientation.
- Upperclassmen may choose to opt out of meals in favor of bringing your own from home. If you would like to opt out, please contact our treasurer, John, at jadooley@wpi.edu prior to the start of band camp to receive an adjusted price. Be aware that everyone will still be expected to join the rest of the band for all meals.
We will be sending out a form over the summer to sign up for lunches and indicate allergies. This form is REQUIRED for everyone attending band camp! You will be required to enter an email address so that you will be emailed your response.
If you have any questions or concerns about food, feel free to email our treasurer John!
Music
The main way that music is maintained in the pep band is via our Sharepoint. This contains our show music, stand tunes, and student arrangements. Please keep in mind that you will not need to print out your own music for this music – we will have it ready when you go to band camp. However, you will need to buy a lyre and flipbook for your instrument.
- Sharepoint!
The Pep Band has a Sharepoint drive that stores all our music and drill for our current flipbook and marching season, as well as an archive of older shows and retired flipbook songs, and student arrangements. This will be the spot to go to whenever you find yourself missing a song or without your flipbook for any reason. Once available, we will upload all drill documents and dot sheets as well.
We ask that everyone please become familiar with this site, bookmark it on your phone and laptop, save the link in your notes, etc, as you will likely need to use it at some point.
You can access the Sharepoint at this link (must be logged in to WPI Credentials): https://wpi0.sharepoint.com/sites/gr-pep-band
- Printing Policy
Every once in a while, a drum major will send out a form to fill out to request a reprint. If you need a reprint, you should fill it out before the specified deadline. If you realize you need music after the form closes, you will have to print it out yourself.
Note that this does NOT replace the initial flipbook printing – every member (marching and stands) will still be provided with a full flipbook’s worth of music and any required marching documentation at the beginning of band camp (or at the first music rehearsal for stands-only members).
- Flipbook Purchasing
All members of the band are responsible for purchasing/providing their own physical flipbook and flipbook windows (around 40 of them, we have a lot of music), which can be done through a form that will be made available closer to band camp. Keep your eye out! If you already have one, that’s perfectly fine! Just remember to bring it. As a reminder, having one of these is REQUIRED to be in the band. As for lyres, those are specific to instruments and are not required but highly recommended for certain instruments. If you have any questions about whether or not we recommend a lyre for your instrument or where to find one, feel free to reach out to the DMs or pepoff@wpi.edu.
- Show Music Preview
Our show this year is music from various Pixar movies! The list of songs and the arrangements are down below if you want to give them a listen before band camp. You can find them wherever you stream music – Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc. Note that the keys are not always the same between this music and ours.
- Part 1: The Incredibles
- Part 2: Life is a Highway
- Part 3: Remember Me
- Part 4: You’ve Got a Friend in Me
There is also a Spotify playlist made by Martin, one of our wonderful former members, that includes every song in our flipbook. You can find it here!
Uniforms and Apparel
On top of the traditional marching band and color guard uniforms that we provide, there are a few additional pieces that we ask our members to purchase from us or on their own. Here is the breakdown of what you will need for marching and guard:
- Black t-shirt
- Black socks that go ABOVE the ankle (except for guard)
- Black gloves (with an exception for percussionists)
- Black matte marching shoes/guard shoes (dinkles)
Of the items listed, the only items you will be expected to find on your own are black socks and a black t-shirt. In order to maintain uniformity (no pun intended) we ask that you order gloves and shoes through us! All marching members (with the exception of percussionists) are required to buy gloves each year (guard included). If you have marched previously either with us or in high school, you do not need to buy new MATTE BLACK marching or guard shoes unless you feel you need them. If you are a new member and you have matte black marching or guard shoes (such as Dinkles, Drill Masters or DSI Starlite 2), please send a picture to pepoff@wpi.edu so we can approve your shoes and waive your requirement to purchase a pair. As a warning, Dinkles sizing can be a little strange, and it is not uncommon for people to go up half a size because it’s a little more comfortable. If you have any concerns about sizing, please feel free to reach out and we can try and help you!
In addition to the uniform pieces listed above, every member needs a pep polo! Pep polos are the required uniform for stands members as well as for all members during basketball season and any events the band chooses to participate in around campus. For guard this is optional, but highly recommended if you plan on participating in any performances around campus other than football games or joining stands for basketball season.
To order these apparel items, you will need to fill out the 2025 Band Camp Form (Sent out through email after July 1st) by August 1st so we can place the order in time for these items to come in by our first game!
Every year we, as a band, design and vote on show shirts! If you purchase a show shirt, it can be the black shirt to go under your uniform! See above for more information about submitting a design and voting. Cost will come with the order form at the end of the July.
The breakdown of the costs of band camp food and apparel items are:
| Item | Price |
| Food (includes 6 lunches and 7 dinners) | $100 |
| Matte Black Marching Shoes | $32 |
| Black Marching Gloves | $3 |
| Color Guard Shoes | $36 |
| Color Guard Gloves | $14 |
| Pep Polo | $15 |
| Flipbook | $6.50 |
| Flutists’ Friend (Flute Flipbook) | $14 |
| Flipbook Windows | $0.50/Window |
Payments will be accepted through our myWPI store. The link will be sent alongside the Band Camp form!
Borrowing an Instrument?
If you need to borrow an instrument for the season, please indicate such inside the 2025 Band Camp Form (Sent out sometime after July 1st). Instrument borrowing is on a first-come/first-served basis, so please fill it out as soon as possible!
Stay Connected!
There are many ways that you can stay connected with the Pep Band! The main way that we will keep in contact with you is via Slack. If you have not used this app before, it’s a great way to talk to huge groups of people so it works out well for a group our size. You can download Slack from your phone’s app store or from their website.
Our slack can be found at this link. This will get you connected to the whole band! If you have issues signing up, check out this how-to guide or feel free to reach out to us.
To get in contact with the pep officers directly about any questions or concerns, please use pepoff@wpi.edu.
You can find us on social media too! Feel free to check out the rest of our website; we are also on Instagram and TikTok. You can also check out some of our past performances on our YouTube.