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
FLUTES
2024 was absolutely, positively, FLOVELY for the Big Red Flutes! For the fifth year in a row, the section put on a Flalentine’s concert to raise money for charity – this year’s choice was the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. In the fall, we had one of the largest classes of new members the section has ever seen, which has made for a super fun and exciting semester for us all! We had 20 (!!!) flutes march at Homecoming, and with so many high-scoring football games, we have done so many flute-ups that we have lost count. We had such an incredible year because of all of the dedicated members of our section who showed up to games and rehearsals and special events and we literally could not have asked for a better group of people to eat our little treats, play the koomcha game, and sing annoying songs with. It’s been so amazing to see our section grow and to see our new members come out of their shells! Thank you flutes for such a great year and for allowing us to be your section leaders through it all!
Flove Flalways and Florever,
Isabella “because i knew you…” Zahl
Ari “…i have been changed for good” Schor
CLARINETS
We can’t believe how fast this season went by! This fall, we had the joy of meeting a remarkable number of new members at auditions and First Night, and it’s been a blast getting to know them while sharing our traditions! Despite a rainy homecoming and some chilly home games, we created so many cherished memories traveling to Princeton, Brown, and Columbia for away games. Marching at Sy Katz was a highlight, especially seeing so many of our members experience the parade for the first time! It was also fantastic to reconnect with many of our outstanding alumni at homecoming, away games, and the Sy Katz parade.
Beyond the football field, we carried on beloved traditions and started new ones—baking pies, making pudding bags, bingeing Lord of the Rings, and creating memories with other sections. A huge thank you to our seniors, who have been part of the Nets since 2021, and a warm welcome to the new members who will continue to make us proud for years. We are thrilled to have led this incredible group of people through an unforgettable season.
For the glory of the pack,
The Nets
SAXES
The Big Red Saxes had another fantastic year!
We had nine new members join in 2024, and they have all been extremely dedicated to the band! We continued our saxy traditions, while forming new memories by losing our voices from parading and new sax cheers (we added the HOT-TO-GO!, a now fan favorite). From practices to home games, we created new, but continued traditions within our three ranks: #, $, and JL. Forming new hand movements to having minty cocoa to playing sax tag, we were never not doing anything! Having traveled to Brown, Princeton, and Columbia, the sax section has seen attendance rise to heights not seen since before the pandemic! Heck, we can’t even make a full sax pyramid, but we still tried countless times! At Sy Katz, we paraded around New York City with our shiny new sax hats with fancy new rank buttons! As we close out a fantastic year, we want to recognize all of our new members for their dedication and continued spirit. Meanwhile, we also want to recognize our amazing current members for being inclusive and welcoming!
To more saxy shenanigans,
Mike & Vivian
TRUMPETS
What’s up old folks! We are so excited to share with you an update on yet another remarkable year for the Big Red Trumpets — which I am sure you have all been eagerly anticipating. This year, the Trumpets have welcomed an incredible group of new faces who have enriched the section with their high spirits, unforgettable kindness, and passion to create beautiful music. We are very lucky to have them! And with them, the Trumpets have been able to continue sharing their unwavering positive energy, exuberance, and undying love for the band and Cornell not only far above Cayuga’s waters but also far beyond the reaches of Ithaca, all across the Northeast! Whether we’re moosing Drum Major Pauws in the middle of Welcome to the Black Parade, shaking hands during Dr. Worm at the Sy Katz Parade, or even going on adventures during Pep Band away trips, we have shown that the traditions of the Big Red Trumpets and the excitement that comes with being a Big Red Trumpet is everlasting! Oh, and Trumpet bus culture, filled with playful songs and friendly games, is strong and better than ever! This past year also marked a moment of learning as Trumpet 101 sectionals offered the opportunity for beginners to explore the Trumpet and improve their playing skills. Overall, the section is alive and well and no matter what, we will continue moosing, footballing, crumpetting, push-upping, playing loud and high, and most importantly, we will continue being a supportive community for one another! We are thankful for all of the support that we’ve gotten from Alumni and are always excited to see your faces.
HORNS
The Horns had a fantastic season this year! We were thrilled to welcome a new member to our section and she has contributed so many happy vibes to our ever-growing 8-mile wide section. This season was jam packed with amazing memories, from winning our first homecoming game in 8 years to winning our first homecoming game in 8 years and to winning our first homecoming game in 8 years! It was great to see our retention and all the other sections that were eager to try marching horn. This year we continued to fuel our fun little traditions and even added some extra repertoire to our parading routine! We’ve made sure to continue things like Jractice (Shoutout Olive for the JLasses), chicken wings, pickling, buying ducks (we were low in stock though), Hornsgiving, and ultimately having the bestest of the best parading routine. It was so great to see so many alumni at each game; we all have truly missed you guys. This season has been nothing but a blast, and it truly flew by way too quickly. With absolute bangers like Call Me Al to soft, emosh songs like Home, we’ve been constantly showered with compliments about our sound. This year, we also had the honor of marching in the Sy Katz parade. It was a bittersweet moment, but it was without a doubt the performance to cap off our season. To our 3 seniors, Ryan, Owen, and Nathaniel, we will miss you all dearly, and we will carry on the laughter and love you have all brought to our section (#mushroom pizza). Thank you to all the alumni for your continued support, and we hope to make you proud as we carry on the traditions and spirit of this incredible section. GO H* AND HLOVE
<3
TROMBONES
2024 was a great year for the Bones! We welcomed an amazing class of new young Bone and Tone players and taught them our loud and proud ways. Our ranks were packed, with as many as 8 marchers in each by the end of the season. Pep attendance is also way up! A full row of Bones in Lynah blasting in the ears of the trumpets a row in front of us is always a great sight. On top of all that, we got to do suicides at a whopping 4 shows this year, including at Homecoming! Somehow, we managed to get through all of them with no casualties or injuries. Bone cheers are sounding great, and we even managed to get a sectional together to practice them! This year included super fun trips to Brown, Princeton, and Columbia. The Happy Bus song has never sounded better and the Tetris featured some elite levels of packing. Other highlights from this semester include a first place scavenger hunt victory, extreme bone piling, and a mysterious visit from the Unknown Bone. We ended the season strong with plenty of bare feet in Schoellkopf for a spirited Hawaii 5-0, followed by our signature Thanksgiving feast in the stands. We’re also excited to have brought back Bone Brunch on North and Bone Baking on West this semester. We had so much fun this year and are looking forward to a fantastic spring semester and 2025 season!
TUBAS
The Tubas had an unforgettable year filled with music, laughter, and plenty of spirit! We were thrilled to welcome a talented group of new members, some of whom brought skills on other instruments, adding even more versatility and energy to our section. At rehearsals, we embraced the chaos, playing as loudly as possible and experimenting with creating our own Tuba dance moves. On Halloween, we delivered a bone-rattling performance, with ELEVEN tubae blasting 13 times in front of the clock tower before delighting an enthusiastic crowd with classics like In the Hall of the Mountain King and Sonic Boom. Despite the rainy games, our spirit never wavered—we danced in the puddles, blocked traffic with joy, and kept the most dedicated fans entertained with our favorite tunes. We can’t wait to see what next year has in store for us!
DRUMLINE
We know what you’re thinking. WOMEN???? In MY drumline leadership?!?!? Well, let it be known that this year, the year of 10/24 for a whole month, the drumline coincidentally fell into the hands of all-women captains & subsection leaders, and we are THRIVING (with a feminine touch!) We welcomed a HUGE group of 16 new members, with experience ranging from ‘never marched before’ to ‘Texas High School Marching Band’. Some highlights from our frolics this year: taking over Goldwin Smith Hall on a Saturday night for a Nerf gun fight, running it back at the Stoughton Farm corn maze (and for some of us, getting lost in the corn for upwards of an hour), and (a recent development) playing with our brand new BOOMWHACKERS! This season, we visited Brown, Princeton, & Columbia, and had Harvard visit us so we could bond with our favorite drumlines across the Ivy League! We continued the Sy Katz tradition in NYC and actually got to march in the road this time! Also a notable mention: winning our homecoming game for the first time in seven years! Overall, we’re in an awesome spot: a group of excited members and immaculate vibes all around. We’ve had an awesome time ‘bringing back the old’: putting retired cheers in our folders and retired traditions in our lives, but also ‘making room for the new’ by letting new members incorporate their own music/ideas! Our newbies are truly so incredible and inspired, and although the year of the Big Red Femline may have come to its end, we are so proud of the spot we’re in, and can’t wait to see where the youngsters will take us in the future 
GUARD
This season was another great one for the Big Red Color Guard! With the exception of homecoming we had glovely weather which allowed us to bring our moves to the next level. In many ways this was literal because we started tossing parallels in shows (shout out Uprising). We also–as promised–brought back rifle in Show 4! This was a great experience and we hope to do the same next season. The rest of the routines this year were amazing as well. We managed to add new moves to the repertoire, we lovingly refer to these as Ola 1, Ola 2 and Ola 3, in honor of our 2024 Captain. In other news, we doubled the size of the guard through brainwashing (jk everyone is realizing how awesome we are. Better late than never:)). This year’s Showcomm had us front and center, so the band finally can understand who the real stars are (thank you 2024 Showcomm!!). Much to our delight we were also FINALLY able to perform Dr. Worm in its entirety thanks to our wonderful 2024 DM, Pauws (we will miss you so much). Outside of guard, half of guard has been learning to play the flute (beating the non-musical allegations one B-flat at a time. That is definitely not the only note we can play). Outside of Fischell, our guard snacks have been extremely tasty this year, ranging from baklava to crepes, so if you would like a piece, feel free to attend our games. Anyone is welcome in the Guard
