Hey Alumni!
Hi, my name is Abbott, but most people call me Pidge. I’m currently a sophomore majoring in Chemistry and minoring in ASL & Deaf Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences! I play the trumpet, horn, and saxophone. Last year, I was on Bandstaph as a member of the 2024 Show Committee!
Hello, I’m Max, which is what most people call me. I’m a freshman majoring in history and government, the liberal arts’ number one defender, and a saxophone player with the heart of a trumpet. Last year, I was in high school in the greatest city in the world, Boston!
We are very excited to be your 2025 Alumni Relations chairs! Be sure to keep an eye out for upcoming announcements about Giving Day and other spring shenanigans!
If you ever want to reach out, feel free to contact us at ams896@cornell.edu and mt857@cornell.edu. We look forward to meeting you at Reunion and Homecoming this year!
Peace and heel clicks,
Abbott “Pidge” Sherlock ‘27
Max Troiano ‘28
And now…presenting the only REAL Band Notes in the Ivy League!
Notes from the Ladder: Introducing Your 2025 Drum Major!
Notes from the Office: Introducing Your 2025 Head Manager!
Notes from Lynah: Introducing Your 2025 Pep Band Manager!
Introducing Your 2025 Pep Band Conductors!
Indoor Drumline Cuts the Strings!
Time Flies: A Senior Perspective
Hey everyone!
We are Catherine and Lauren, and we are your Spring ‘25 Pep Conductors! Both of us have conducted the Pep Band in the past, and we are more than honored to do it again this semester. We are seeing a lot of familiar and new faces at weekly rehearsals, which works well for our future as we have a large senior class graduating but a large class of dedicated first-year students as well!
While we are still early in the semester, we have been on two away Men’s Hockey trips so far to SLU/Clarkson and Brown/Yale. The games against Brown and Yale included a much-needed weekend sweep, boosting the men’s chances of making it to the ECAC playoffs. This has been an enormous morale booster going into our final Men’s Hockey games at home for the regular season as we continue the tradition of fancy hockey within the band and get ready to honor head coach Mike Schaefer in his last game from the home bench at Lynah.
Speaking of playoffs, our Women’s Hockey team has been doing OUTSTANDING! They are currently ranked 3rd in the nation, along with winning the Ivy and ECAC regular season titles. After a well-deserved bye week, the women host the quarterfinals at home the week of Feb 28. Speaking of winning Ivy titles, our wrestling team just took home their title at home with the band in attendance on Feb 9th. We have loved playing at these events this semester and can’t wait to go to more!
We have also been to a few basketball games for both the Men’s and Women’s teams, and we hope to follow our Men’s team to Ivy Madness in Providence as they are currently in the final qualifying spot. Looking ahead, we are excited to start attending lacrosse games as their seasons start up this semester! Our men’s team won the regular season Ivy title last year, and we hope to see them carry that momentum into this season.
Peace and many victories ahead!
Catherine “European national anthem connoisseur” Frank
Lauren “Convinced my entire family to go to Fancy Hockey” Noll
Hey Alumni!
My name is Josh Faber and I’m super excited to be your 2025 Drum Major! I’m a Junior trombone player from Livingston, New Jersey, studying Computer Science and Operations Research with a minor in Math in the College of Engineering. When I’m not at a football game or music rehearsal, I work on the Cornell University Autonomous Underwater Vehicle project team helping to build and code a submarine that can compete in unmanned challenges.
As 2023 and 2024 Bone Section Leader, it’s been a blast watching the band grow and seeing underclassmen find their home here in the BRMB. I can’t wait to meet a new class of freshmen and new members in the fall and help them become a part of our amazing community. Recruitment and retention are so important and ensuring that the band is a welcoming, exciting, and uplifting place to be is crucial. Head Manager Emily Mawhinney and I, along with the rest of Bandstaph and the rest of the band, are already hard at work to keep it that way and I’m confident that, come fall, we’ll have a great new group joining our ranks.
I’m equally excited to watch our current members continue to flourish. This year, our awesome Section Leaders have been hosting a number of sectionals, instruction sessions, and workshops to help members of the band learn instruments they might be interested in but unfamiliar with. The enthusiasm members have brought to both learning and teaching has truly embodied the spirit of the BRMB.
The Spring season is getting underway with the start of music rehearsals in preparation for Giving Day, Admitted Students Days, Dragon Day, Spring Concert, and more! I hope to work on a number of songs we haven’t played in a while and bring our Big Red energy back to them. The Show Committee and I are also very excited about our new repertoire. They came ready with some fantastic ideas for show themes and songs and I can’t wait to rehearse them and see them come to life.
Looking ahead, this upcoming football season promises to be a great one. There’s tons to look forward to, including trips to Yale, Harvard, and UPenn. I’ve never been more excited to get back out onto Schoellkopf! I can’t wait to see you all and meet even more of you at Reunion this summer and Homecoming in early October!
Go Big Red!
Josh Faber ‘26
Hey Alumni!
My name is Michael “Mike” DiGrado, and some of you may know me as one of the 2024 Saxophone Section Leaders, while others may know me as a junior transfer student. I am currently a senior graduating in May 2025, which is both exciting and scary, to say the least. Senior year approached with no hesitation, and now all I reminisce about are the fun and sax(y) shenanigans of the past two years within the Big Red Bands. While I have only been at Cornell for two years, I genuinely have felt like I have been here for all four; as a first-year (and junior), I was particularly nervous about finding a community that would essentially accept me. Additionally, as an only child and coming from a community college, this was the first time I would be alone for months. However, once I entered the band center for auditions, I knew this community would empower my maturity and lifelong friends.
Memories such as going on trips to Yale and UPenn and then seeing Men’s Hockey win at Lake Placid, my first year was filled with joy and ambition. Even as my senior year and term as section leader began, I wanted to foster the same community that once welcomed me to new members. From Homecoming to away trips to Columbia (and my first Sy Katz parade), I assembled new memories with new members and current friends. Even during winter break, when a couple of us went to play with the alumni band, I knew I had made the right decision to join both the band and Cornell. As the months to graduation keep shrinking, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is to always be your true, authentic self. I wouldn’t be in this position without the band or finding great people with whom I can engage in deep conversations. Thank you, band, and I will continue to cherish these memories everywhere I go (even though I will be at Cornell until 2027 for my Master’s, which means I have two more years with the band)!
Holding onto the memories forever,
Michael “Mike” DiGrado
Hey Alumni!
My name is Tommy McFarland (also occasionally referred to as Gator, Thermos, Grass, Tommy tommy tommy tommy, and many other nicknames most of which have failed to stick) and I am your 2025 Pep Band Manager. I’m a Junior Trumpet player from New Rochelle, NY and I’m a Computer Science major with a hopeful Physics minor.
I’m lucky to inherit a band in great shape. Our first rehearsal of the semester gathered close to 90 people in Fischell, plus another 10 who got a suck point. All of our signups have been jam-packed, even with 7 or 8 outside tickets for home games. I’m hoping to keep fostering the growth of the band and make sure that we allow as many people as possible to play along with us. The freshmen are as tenacious as ever, as even I’m struggling to stay above them in points.
Sitting here writing this in North Country on our first away trip of the year, I’m mixed with excitement and anticipation. Our hockey team has certainly taken us for a ride, and for the second game of 2025, we had that newsworthy massive brawl. But, I’m excited for where the road takes us: We have at least two more hockey trips: one to Brown/Yale and one to Union/RPI. Our Masketball team has been doing exceptionally well, so assuming no major surprises (supposedly there’s a 93% chance so I feel safe saying this) we’ll be back to Providence for Ivy Madness. And, if Schafer can get the team together for his last season we might be able to squeeze in a couple more trips to end out the season.
At home, WHockey is showing themselves once again to be one of if not our best team, having won the Ivy League without even playing two of the teams. We’ve also upped our attendance at Wasketball and later this season we’ll be making our way to Wrestling and to both MAX and WAX.
We have a great Pep Board this year, so I also want to give a shout-out to them. Our social chairs are cooking up a ton of fun events (hopefully even a meet and greet with some of the teams). The librarians have been hard at work digitizing the entire folder, turning printing from a 30-minute job into a 1-minute job. Our secretary is writing spectacular emails, and all of our Pep Board is hard at work making people feel welcome and included.
Here’s to a million and one away trips!
Tommy McFarland ‘26
Hey Alumni!
My name is Patrick Thieblemont and I am president of Indoor Drumline. I’m a senior MechE with a minor in Policy Analysis and Management, from Harrisburg, PA, and am a proud member of the drumline in Marching Band, Pep Band, and Indoor. For those of you who don’t know, Indoor Drumline at Cornell University (CUID) is a student-run competitive percussion ensemble that performs a marching floor show featuring both a front ensemble and a battery in the New York State Percussion Circuit, with competitions taking place over the spring semester. Last year, we took 1st place at the NYSPC Championships, and we hope to continue our success this season!
This year’s Indoor Drumline’s show, titled The Puppet Master is an exploration between freedom and oppression. The performers are puppets brought to life, with big marionette string props and masks symbolizing control. Keep an eye out for Kit West, on cymbals, acting as leader of the puppet rebellion, breaking free from the oppression of The Puppet Master, played by Kamili Fernandez, also on cymbals! We are so excited to perform at our first competition at Liverpool High School on March 1st!
If you are interested in learning more about CUID or would just like to see what we do, check us out on Instagram at @cuindoordrumline or at blogs.cornell.edu/indoordrumline!
Come see our show:
Show 1: Sat 3/1, Liverpool HS Competition, 4338 Wetzel Rd, Liverpool NY 13090
Showcase: Sat 3/8, Indoor Drumline Showcase, Barton Hall
Show 2: Sat 3/15, ESM HS Competition, 6400 Fremont Road, East Syracuse NY 13057
Champs: Sun 3/30, Championships at Gates Chili HS, 1 Spartan Way, Rochester, NY 14624
Wish us luck!
Patrick Thieblemont ‘25
Hey Alumni!!
My name is Emily Mawhinney and I am excited to introduce myself as your 2025 Head Manager! I’m from Cape May, NJ and a Junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, majoring in Environment and Sustainability and minoring in Entomology. Outside of the BRMB, I am involved in the Cornell University Indoor Drumline where I am one of the Show Designers and I am a member of the McArt Lab where I study bees and how they are affected by antimicrobials and pesticides.
Within the band, I am a proud member of both the Drumline and Clarinet Section. Last year I was the BRMB Treasurer and the year before that I was a Special Events Coordinator and Philanthropy Coordinator! I hope to use those experiences to guide my term as HM. For example, we are continuing a tradition that started during my term as Philanthropy Coordinator by volunteering at the Science Center for a third year in a row, allowing us to give back to the wider Ithaca community. In the same vein, I am excited for our Spring Concert, which will take place in Ithaca Commons on April 27th, sharing our music with the Ithaca residents who would not otherwise hear us play!
In the Fall, I hope to recruit and retain as many new members as possible to help fill the hole the amazing group of seniors will be leaving behind! To do this, I will focus on ensuring that orientation week and new member events have a welcoming environment and lots of energy! To help with retention, I will be encouraging the upperclassmen and bandstaph to bring as much passion and positivity as they can during the season! This year we have an amazing group of people on our Bandstaph and I have no doubt that they will do amazing things for the growth of this group! I also have no doubt that our new Drum Major, Josh Faber, will bring that same energy and enthusiasm, and I am very excited to work with him and lead this group to a successful season together!
During the marching season, we will be going to Yale, Harvard, and UPenn! We are looking forward to playing at Faneuil Hall during our Harvard trip and hopefully returning to playing at Herald Square during our Yale trip. We hope to see you there!
Here’s to a great season!!
Emily Mawhinney ‘26
Hey Alumni!
The 2024 BRMB season has come to an end, and we can now look back on our experiences with fondness as well as sadness at its conclusion. We performed at 8 football games in total, and we made trips to Brown, Princeton, and Columbia to show them what a real marching band looks like. On November 16th, we had a long senior concert to say goodbye to the large class of 2025, and then we finished out the season with the Sy Katz ‘31 Parade the following week. We loved getting to see so many of you that came to see us at Homecoming, Sy Katz, or an away game.
As Alumni Relations Chairs, we did our best to provide hospitality to all of you who came to visit us at Reunion and Homecoming, and we thank all of you who attended and cheered us on like crazy or even played with us. You guys are the best fanbase we could hope for. Many of the memories which we will cherish the most are the away trips, bus rides, parades, and relationships that we build in the process. None of this would be possible without the support of you, the alumni, and for that we are forever grateful.
Finally, we would also like to thank our wonderful head manager EJ, for doing her job extremely well, and for providing us guidance and assistance in carrying out our responsibilities.
We have been privileged to serve as your 2024 ARCs, and with the publishing of these Band Notes we pass the torch to those who will hold this position next year.
Peace and we ALMOST got 50,
Erin Baum ‘24
Bobby “Duck” Haig ‘25
Kelly “Komet” Leiby ‘26
Dina Nabavian ‘27
P.S. This year we were able to celebrate wins at both Homecoming and Senior Day for the first time since 2013! Let’s hope that Cornell Football is due for a resurgence in coming years under new head coach Dan Swanstrom.
And now… presenting the only REAL Band Notes in the Ivy League!
Notes from the HM (Emily’s Version)
Once more around the block, Jeeves! Notes from the DM after a two year stint
Dub after Dub: Notes from the PBM
Overtime: Pep Conductors’ Notes on the end of the 2024 Season
2024 Section Shenanigans
Hi Alumni!
My name is Emily Jones, or EJ, and I served as the 2024 Head Manager of the BRMB. I am a senior majoring in Biological Sciences, and minoring in both education and infectious disease. I learned so much as head manager this year and I made so many amazing memories along the way! We started the season off in August playing at the Big Red Welcome Fest and New Student Convocation. We met so many new members at these performances, and we’re so glad that so many freshmen decided to join us! Soon after, we had First Night which included VP Lombardi and Touchdown. This was truly a great way to kick off the semester. In the coming weeks we had Special Rehearsal on North, followed by Stewart Park Picnic, then CU Downtown, and finally the annual scavenger hunt. All of these events allowed us to continue building a community here in the BRMB.
As the semester progressed, we looked forward more and more to Homecoming and welcoming back all of our alumni. We were so excited that we saw the football team defeat Yale at homecoming; it made for a very special moment. The team had a new coach this year, Dan Swanstrom, and he was very supportive of the band. Our Quarterback, Jameson Wang, got on the podium to conduct Cornell Victorious with Pauws, and watching it all happen right in front of me is a moment I will never forget. This year, there was a big emphasis placed on fan engagement at football games, so the band’s playing time was significantly increased, especially in between downs. It was a blast getting to play so much and bringing back cheers that had not been played in a while.
In the weeks that followed, we played at home against Albany and Harvard, and then on our week off we played at the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the Meinig Fieldhouse that is being built on Alumni Field. Then, on the last weekend in October, we went on our first away trip to Brown University. We had a lot of fun playing with Brown’s Band during our post game performance. The week after we went to Princeton, and we loved seeing so many of our wonderful alumni cheering us on. After a few weeks on the road, we finished off our home games with Penn and then our senior game against Dartmouth. We saw the Big Red defeat ranked Dartmouth, which was the perfect way to close out our final time marching on Schoelkopf this year. Our season came to an end at Columbia, but we couldn’t have been more excited for the Sy Katz Parade. The parade was two blocks longer than it was in 2022, and I feel so lucky that I got to be a part of this tradition. The parade truly encompassed the spirit of the BRMB, and it is a moment many of us will never forget!
This year brought a lot of unexpected challenges our way, and I am so grateful that Pauws was there to navigate them with me. I am thankful for her endless support and all of the encouragement she gave me over the course of the year. She has been a fantastic Drum Major for the past two years and is an incredible leader. Thank you, Peej! I also want to thank all of Bandstaph for making this year so successful. Last but not least, thank you to all of our alumni, none of this would be possible without your support.
I have grown so much over the past year, and I look forward to seeing all that future leaders accomplish.
Thank you, Band!
Emily Jones ‘25
HEY ALUMNI!
I am SO thankful to be writing to you for the last time after our incredible season. This past year, we continued to work diligently on improving our sound, marching, and maintaining a positive energy in the band! We faced unexpected challenges this year, including a VERY rainy Homecoming, but our upperclassmen have played a huge role in keeping spirits high! Our new member class has been making the most of the band’s loose time commitment, and it’s been so nice seeing familiar faces pop in and out over the course of the season!
Our Show Committee Chairs this year were amazing; I consider them very dear friends and am so proud of all the hard work they did. Abbott “Pidge” Sherlock (‘27), Catherine Frank (‘26), and Sabrina Sheridan (‘26) made shows that were creative and reflective of the band’s diverse interests! Our first show, The “Road to the 80’s” Show, was a journey through the decades: starting in the 1960’s and ending in the 1980’s. It included “Eleanor Rigby” by the Beatles, “We Go Together” from Grease, and “Call Me Al” by Paul Simon. We performed it at our Homecoming game against Yale and our home game against Albany. Our second show, The “Motown” Show, was a tribute to Motown records, performed at our Friday night game against Harvard and at Brown. We played “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” by Stevie Wonder, “I’ll Be There” by The Jackson 5, and “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross, arranged by our very own Bobby “Duck” Haig (‘25)! Our third show was The “Headbanger” Show, including “Uprising” by Muse, “Uma Thurman” by Fall Out Boy, and “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister. “We’re Not Gonna Take It” had a drum break written by senior drumline member, Patrick Thieblemont (‘25), and a dance break choreographed by Hannah Blank (‘27), a member of ShowComm^2! Our headbangers took the field at Princeton and our home game against Penn. Our final show was our “Found Family” Show, a sentimental goodbye to the senior class. The songs were “Home” by Phillip Phillips, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day, and “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay. Our senior show was performed at our last home game against Dartmouth and at Columbia.
There were many wins this year, including the first Homecoming game victory since 2016! Feeling the energy of the team, the band, and the crowd in the middle of a pseudo-downpour was electric! We collaborated again with student organizations around campus this year. We spent a lot of time working with the Black Student Majorette Ensemble: The Scarlet Dolls! After many music rehearsals and sectionals (thank you section leaders!), we performed “Can You Stand The Rain” by New Edition with them at Homecoming. I hope this is something we can continue as a new Cornell tradition! Getting to return to Princeton, Brown, and Columbia as a conductor was an incredibly heartwarming experience for me. This was the first time we’ve gotten to perform a halftime show at Columbia since I’ve been in the BRMB! I loved meeting the other bands, and most of them joined us for our post-game concerts to show us some of their repertoire!
Conducting at the Sy Katz (‘31) Parade was unreal. I was so impressed with the band’s ability to quickly adapt and easily take direction in preparation of our performance. Having the opportunity to lead the band while watching the city lights go by, hearing the songs of Cornell, and surrounded by people I care about was once in a lifetime. Feeling the band’s musical power and unwavering support in the middle of New York City was unforgettable.
I am so grateful for Emily Jones; none of this would be possible without her, and I would not be the person I am today without her love and support. I’m also thankful for the Show Committee, section leaders, Bandstaph, and influential upperclassmen. They did a LOT of heavy lifting, playing an enormous role in the band’s enthusiasm, acceptance, and trust. Watching the band play their hearts out from the sideline was an extremely emotional experience, and I could not be more proud of what I’m leaving behind. I want to thank all of you, as well, for your help on trips, at events, your advice, and your many, many stories of oooooooold band! I can’t wait to join you all for the Alma Mater at Homecoming next year!
GO. RED. DAMMIT!!!!!
~ Nina “Pauws” Ellison ‘25
Hey Alumni!
It’s your Pep Band Manager, Dubs, coming to you with some updates about the year in the Pep Band!
When last y’all heard from me, we were gearing up for the whirlwind that is playoff season, and what a whirlwind it was. After withstanding the many jeers from fans up in the NorthCountry, we split the band between the men’s hockey ECAC Quarterfinals at home and the men’s basketball Ivy Madness tournament in NYC! Although our basketball team fell against Yale, the hockey team swept Harvard right out of Lynah, earning us a spot at Lake Placid. On the women’s side, we cheered on our hockey team as they swept Quinnipiac in the ECAC Quarterfinals, and made the trip to Hamilton as they fell against the Colgate Raiders. At Lake Placid, we pulled off a tremendous comeback against Dartmouth before sealing our ECAC championship against St. Lawrence. The band going absolutely nuts as the clock hit 0:00 is something I’m sure I and the rest of the band will never forget. We then pulled off a gutsy upset against Maine before falling to the eventual National Champion, Denver, to round out our season. Overall, it was a tremendous, albeit a little crazy, playoff season for the band, and created memories that will stick with us for a long while.
After the conclusion of the hockey season, things cooled down noticeably, although the pep band was still pretty active. We went to some men’s and women’s lacrosse games, had some fun social events, and played for both the vet school and MBA school exhibition hockey games! In the summer, we made appearances at Reunion, the Racker Rivals charity hockey game, and the Matterhorn Fit prospect showcase way down in Florida!
Going into the beginning of this year, I really wanted to maintain the massive amounts of enthusiasm for pep that had emerged last year. I’m proud to say that the enthusiasm has not just been maintained, but has even increased! Seeing 40 to 50 people show up to things like soccer, field hockey, and volleyball has made me very proud of how strong the band has become. I’m excited to see how we continue to grow over the next year!
As for this fall, we hit the ground running by going to various soccer, field hockey, sprint football, and volleyball events. Our hockey season began with an incredible sweep over highly ranked North Dakota, but the team has unfortunately faltered since then. However, a thrilling shootout win over Quinnipiac in the Frozen Apple was a nice way to cap off my term.
As I find myself staring at retirement, I find myself extremely proud of the state and strength of the pep band, both in musicality and raw enthusiasm and spirit. As we venture into 2025, I’m very excited to see how the band continues to grow into the best form it can be. It has truly been an honor and a privilege to be the Pep Band Manager.
Thank you all for a truly incredible year!
David “Dubs” Kaprielian ‘25
Hey Everyone!
Our names are Ryan and Lauren and we are your Pep Band’s conductors for the Fall 2024 semester! We have been fortunate to attend various events this semester and engage with school spirit while keeping up some super fun traditions and having a great time with the people we have grown to consider family. We have watched some of our fall sports teams make leaps and bounds in playoff runs such as our men’s soccer team who made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament and our women’s volleyball team who made it to the Ivy League tournament. Along with these teams, we have seen some exciting games from the women’s soccer, field hockey, and sprint football teams.
Our men’s hockey team has been off to a successful start with a 4-2-3 record as we are writing this. The home games we have attended have been exciting and we recently went to the Frozen Apple game where the team completed a shootout win over Quinnipiac University. Our women’s hockey team has been outstanding in this semester’s game play with a current record of 8-3-2. We were fortunate to attend their 5-1 win versus Harvard in the comfort of Lynah Rink and are excited to see what they can do in 2025!
Rehearsals this semester have been super fun and dynamic. We’re adding a couple of modern cheersheets to the folder, and we even organized the first ever (probably) cheer arrangement competition! It was amazing to see everybody get involved with arranging, and we hope the Pep Band spirit continues on!
Peace and cold hands,
Lauren “Floves to befriend rink staff” Noll
Ryan “Hloves to apologize to rink staff” Pinard
