Hey Alumni!
New year, new head manager (it’s not too late to use that right?). Well anyway, my name is Becca Rodell, and I have the pleasure of being your 2018 BRMB Head Manager. When I am not trying to orchestrate events from the top of Kite Hill, you can probably find me in my lab in Biotech (which provides quite the nice view of the band room) doing research on C. elegans. That’s right, you guessed it- I am a biology major, concentrating in cell and molecular biology because what is more interesting than figuring out the mechanisms behind this beautiful system of life? I’ll be graduating in December of 2018, so that makes me either a second semester junior or first semester senior, depending on your perspective. After graduation, I’ll be heading off to a different (to be determined) university to work on a PhD, because I just really love learning a lot. Almost as much as I love the guard, my home section, where I had the privilege of being Captain in 2017. Now I get to run the whole band, and I cannot be more excited for what this year has in store.
We’ve had a slow start this year, as it normally happens with the spring semester. You probably heard from us a lot between Phonathon and Giving Day, which were MAJOR successes by the way! We set a new record for Phonathon, absolutely smashing the previous one. Giving Day was helped by the new fundraisers campaign, which brought in more donors than ever before. Thank you to the 411 donors that participated in Giving Day by helping to raise the bands nearly $25,000, money that will help fund our travel, instruments, and good cheer throughout the year! As always, none of this would be possible without your gracious gifts to the Big Red Bands and any other way you show your support. We are forever grateful for every last bit of time, housing, or funds that you’re able to give!
More events started to kick-in during March, as potential rank leaders and show committee members marched forth on March 4th (I’m not sure who picked the date, and I’m not sure if I like it) to dust off marching skills and prepare for taking on active roles in the fall. Our learning then continued with a Bandstaph meeting, where a presentation from Cornell Health was given, entitled Notice & Respond: Friend 2 Friend. We learned about how to recognize mental health struggles in our peers and ways to support them through rough times. These valuable skills will hopefully not only make us better bandsmen, but better people too.
March also featured our annual performance at Hotel Ezra Cornell, where we kicked things off with a Wednesday parade through Statler Hall. Even though it was the middle of March, Ithaca weather still decided to snow on us! On Saturday, the trumpet section had a featured performance, leading a second parade through Statler Hall. Thank you to Bethany Angeliu ‘18, Spot Ellert-Beck ‘20, and Patrick Bem ‘21 for being our performers featured that evening.
Now we are in April, looking forward to the true gems of the spring semester: Cornell Days and Spring Concert. We will be performing on Ho Plaza on April 13th, 16th, and 19th to indoctrinate and recruit prospective students, convincing them that they need to come to Cornell just for the Only REAL Marching Band in the Ivy League™ . Our Spring Concert will be held on April 21st, where we will be returning to the Ithaca Commons. Band members are just itching to get back to proper parading and concerting, and I cannot wait to begin my term as ladder and mace holder for Katherine Curtis ‘19. We will wrap up the month of April with Bring a Child to Work Day, where we will get to educate the youngins on the fundamentals of being part of a marching band.
The spring semester will then slowly drift off into summer, where we will see some of our wonderful alums at Reunion on June 7th – 10th. Hopefully we will all make it through the dog days of summer until band returns in August. It’ll be a tough time waiting for the band’s return, but thoughts of an extended O-week, a new football schedule, and new members of the BRMB family will tide us through.
I cannot wait for all that this year still has in store. Hopefully Reunion (June 7-10) and Homecoming (Sept 22- mark your calendars!) will bring many of you back to Cornell and the BRMB. If not, catch us on the road to Brown, Princeton, and Columbia this fall.
It sure is going to be one fun, incredible adventure of a year!
- Becca Rodell ’18.5