Hey Alumni!!
My name is Bella Burgess and I served as the 2022 Head Manager
of the Big Red Marching Band! I am a senior majoring in Global and Public Health Sciences, and minoring in Health Policy and French in the College of Human Ecology. It has been an honor and a joy to lead the band this past year and contribute to the magic of the BRMB.
We kicked off the season with three performances for Big Red Welcome Fest in Ho Plaza, and welcomed many wonderful new members that make me very excited for the future of the band. This year, we held First Night in the Big Red Barn and enjoyed some pizza from the always delicious Pudgies. Shortly after the semester began, the band had the honor of playing at two different weddings. Ahead of the football season, we also performed at CU Downtown which was hosted again this year for the first time since 2019. Before the first football game, we joined the football team at their practice and rehearsed Cornell Victorious with them at the request of Coach Archer.
We had an incredible football season this year and the Homecoming game against Yale was a wonderful way to kick it off! We were so excited to welcome everyone home and onto the field with us for the first time in three years. In the following weeks we played a friday night game against Harvard, and a Saturday game against Lehigh. At the end of October, we traveled to Brown and Princeton for the first time since 2018. Our victory against Brown and the sunny weather during both of the trips were highlights of the season. The next two weeks we played at home against UPenn and Dartmouth. The weekend before Thanksgiving, we traveled to NYC for the game against Columbia and the Sy Katz parade. We unfortunately were not permitted to perform on the field during pregame or halftime at Columbia but luckily the excitement of the Sy Katz parade more than made up for it. Since the last Sy Katz parade was held in 2018, none of the current undergraduates had performed in the parade before. It was truly a magical experience and one of the most special things I have been part of during my time at Cornell. The Sy Katz parade was a wonderful way to wrap up the season and celebrate what being at Cornell, and being in band means to all of us.
We kicked off our uniform pillow fundraiser this fall after a few years of hard work by many bandstaph members and alumni. We have continued to center creating a friendly and inclusive environment in everything we do to foster a warm and welcoming environment. We have strengthened our relationships with the Cheer and Dance teams and are excited to continue working with them to foster spirit in the Cornell community.
As I look back over the year, I’m surprised by the number of “firsts” I’ve had during my last year at Cornell. This year has been our first full “normal year” since 2019, and I’m happy to say the band is as strong and energetic as ever. We would not be where we are without the persistence of previous band leadership, and the support and guidance of many band alumni. A huge thank you to Zack, Zakir, and Seven for being incredible leaders and advocates for the band this year. I am so grateful to have been part of such a supportive and dedicated team.
Being in the BRMB and being Head Manager has truly shaped my time at Cornell. I am so excited to see future leaders take on this role, and watch the band grow and change.
Thank you band!
Bella “not because we have to, but because we care” Burgess