Hey Alumni!
I am beyond proud to be writing to you all as the season comes to a close to report that the band is doing great. We had an incredible year, welcoming a large, enthusiastic class of new marchers while the upperclassmen continued to keep up the hype and excitement. We’re having so much fun on and off the field, preserving old traditions and making new ones, and strengthening the sense of community that makes the BRMB so special.
The band put on 8 fantastic performances of 4 amazing shows this year, including some more challenging music and drill that really pushed the band to grow. If you’d like to read more about those shows, I encourage you to check out the Band Note written by our Show Committee! We sounded and looked great on the field and received a number of compliments at all our games, including from fans of the opposing team!
This season, the band joined the team on trips to Yale, Harvard, and Penn. We were proud to have full buses for all of those trips, which is a reflection of the band’s commitment and dedication, as well as a testament to our great recruitment and retention over the past few years. At every game, we kept spirits high and brought the Big Red energy to all of Schoellkopf (or opposing stadiums) and the greater Cornell community. The football team had a great season too, including its first four-game win streak since 1999. Cornell Victorious has never sounded so good!
Playing at Quincy Market was an especially meaningful moment for me and for the band. The day after a Friday night Harvard game, we were able to continue our tradition of performing a concert at the historic site before heading back to Ithaca. Conducting in front of the landmark steps and drawing in a huge crowd of passers-by was surreal to me. It was also very exciting to see all of the amazing alumni from the Boston area and beyond who came to join us. Hearing you all join in as we played your favorite songs and watching you dance along with us made me so happy and brought a huge smile to my face.
As my term comes to an end, I’m incredibly grateful to all of the people who help make the band so special. To Emily, the section leaders, the show committee, bandstaph, and the band at large, thank you all for all of your hard work, for your energy and enthusiasm, and for playing every note with the spirit of the BRMB. And, of course, a huge thank you goes out to all of you, the alumni. Your constant support makes all of this possible and helps ensure more generations of music and memories.
Being Drum Major has been a great honor and I’m so lucky to have all of these amazing experiences and memories from the past four years that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I am so proud of the band and I have so much faith that they will continue to do amazing things in years to come. I can’t wait to see you all at Homecoming next year!
GO RED DAMMIT!!!
~ Josh Faber ’26