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 103 marchers in our 2023 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!
To sign up as a new marching or stands member, please fill out this committal form. If you are a returning member, fill out this form. These forms 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 10th from 9AM to 3PM. If you are flying to campus or have some extended travel and cannot make it to campus for the 12th, please reach out to pepoff@wpi.edu, and we will work to find a solution. The activities on the 10th 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!
If you purchase a show shirt that can be your black shirt for under your uniform! The cost will decrease depending on how many shirts are ordered, so the more people interested in a shirt, the cheaper it will be! Cost will come with the order form at the end of the month.
In addition, we also need a name for the show. Try to make it punny! To submit a design or a name suggestion for our show, please email our president, Rachel, at rmgealow@wpi.edu. Designs will be accepted until July 21st, designs will be voted on from the 21st – 28th of July, and ordering will be open until August 12th.
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 boxed sandwiches on Saturday night and pizza on Friday afternoon.
- SEVEN Meals (Sun-Fri) prepared and served in upperclassmen’s apartments
- Meals will include Sunday brunch, caesar/ranch wraps, tacos, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken patties, quesadillas, and chicken noodle stir fry.
We have done our best to accommodate for gluten and lactose allergies, as well as vegetarians. We realize that this is a large increase in cost from previous years, however we will no longer be using help from our legacy fund (if you don’t know what that is, don’t worry about it). Additionally, we are now providing 2-3 meals more than previous years.
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, Jay, at jehokkanen@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 Jay!
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 I guarantee you will 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
If you are missing a piece of music from your flipbook at any time, there will be a form to fill out to request a reprint. Each week, pepoff will view that form and print out any requested parts to be delivered at our weekly Monday music rehearsal. All items must be requested by 11:59 PM the preceding Saturday for printing on Sunday and Delivery on Monday. If you realize you need music on Tuesday for a performance on, say, Thursday, at that point you will be responsible for printing that out.
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).
The link to the form will not be active until after band camp – be on the lookout for that!
- Flipbook Purchasing
All members of the band are responsible for purchasing/providing their own physical flipbook and flipbook windows, as our flipbook budget is quite small and does not allow for purchasing for the whole band. The required materials are listed below and provided is a link to what we are looking for, but these are by no means the only options – if you are able to find better deals or already own similar items, feel free to use those. 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.
If you have trouble paying for a flipbook, please email pepoff@wpi.edu and we will do our best to help you out.
Flipbook (Quantity needed: 1): https://www.amazon.com/Grover-TR9400-Trophy-Flip-Folder/dp/B00065LM2E/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=flip+folder&qid=1566911693&s=gateway&sr=8-2
Flipbook windows (quantity needed: ~35 windows): https://www.amazon.com/Grover-TR9412-Music-Stand/dp/B001TOI5QM/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=flip+folder+windows&qid=1566911853&s=gateway&sr=8-1
- Note that this is a 12pk of 8”x6” windows – you would need to order 3 of these packs for a full flipbook.
The total cost is ~$40.
- Show Music Preview
Our show this year is music from Disney’s Fantasmic! 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: Mickey the Sorcerer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46bNLM663yk&t=5s
- Part 2: Princess Medley – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbegTBvI-MQ
- Part 3: Finale – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha0A2psloVs&t=1s
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.
This year we are offering the option to purchase flip book pieces through us. This includes the black plastic backing and the flip book windows. Whether you already have some, buy from us, or buy from somewhere else doesn’t matter, as long as you have it ready for band camp!
To order these apparel items, you will need to fill out this survey 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. The cost of the show shirt will decrease depending on how many shirts are ordered, so the more people interested in a shirt, the cheaper it will be! 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:
- Food: $80 (includes 6 lunches and 7 dinners)
- Matte Black Marching Shoes: $32
- Black Marching Gloves: $3
- Color Guard Shoes: $35
- Color Guard Gloves: $13
- Pep Polo: $15
- Flip book cover: $4
- Flip book windows: $0.50/window
You will not get your keys to move in if you have not paid for meals! Payments will be accepted through our online payment system Fusion. More details will be sent out as soon as the Fusion page is set up, so keep an eye on your email!
Borrowing an Instrument?
If you need to borrow an instrument for the season, please fill out this form. Please note that even if you have borrowed an instrument in the past, you need to fill out this form again. If you are part of the pit or drumline sections you do not need to fill out this survey. 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 Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. You can also check out some of our past performances on our YouTube. The Pep Band has a Discord server as well, which may be quiet at times, but is a good place to connect with current members and alumni!