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Organization Spotlight: Wright State Pep Band

WSU vs. Kent State | Photo by Daniel Delgado | The Wright State Guardian

WSU vs. Kent State | Photo by Daniel Delgado | The Wright State Guardian


“We’re a smaller band than most colleges but our sound is loud, proud and just as spirited,” said senior pep band member and social media manager Kelsey Bogash.

Small but mighty

The pep band plays at select sports games during fall and spring semesters and is responsible for playing music and hyping up the crowd.

“I am a firm believer that the Wright State Pep Band is the culmination of passionate student musicians,” said junior low brass section leader Nathan Reiner. “As someone who’s experienced the growth and evolution of this group firsthand, I can assure you that we are different than the rest.”

‘Spreading Raider Pride with my friends is by far my favorite part of the whole experience’

Raider Pride

According to Reiner, a majority of the pep band are not even music majors.

“The kids in the pep band are in it because they want to play music and they love to play loud and they love to be at the games,” said student director Matthew Weaver. “None of them have to do it. Every one of them is purely volunteer-based and I think that’s great.”

Reiner refers to the intense passion for music and support of Wright State’s talented athletes as “Raider Pride” and believes that this is what separates WSU’s pep band from anyone else’s.

“Not only does it create an exhilarating atmosphere of its own, but spreading Raider Pride with my friends is by far my favorite part of the whole experience,” said Reiner.

A new plan

The pep band typically receives all of their money from WSU athletics but they are now looking to launch a fundraiser and open up a foundation account.

“We are working on getting a website and getting our own links, so if people hear us at the game and they want to give, they can,” said Weaver.

The pep band has their own graphic and will soon sell bumper stickers in order to raise money for themselves. They plan to put the funds toward accomplishing some ambitious goals.

New goals

One of their goals for the year is to buy new instruments.

“We are playing on instruments that are older than you and me,” said Weaver. “They look it and they play like it.”

Aside from new instruments, they would also like to invest in purchasing travel stands that will enable them to travel easier and more often.

According to Bogash, the pep band currently travels with sports teams if they make the playoffs, but they also take part in other outside activities such as playing at the Airforce 5k and playing for the Shoes for Shoeless fundraiser at the Dayton Mall every year.

With travel stands, the pep band hopes to participate in more events like this and be a bigger part of the community.

The pep band has many more goals, including;

  • expanding in size
  • growing their repertoire of songs

As well as starting new traditions and becoming more of an established presence at games and in the community.

“We want to be a feature, rather than the pep band happens to be at places,” said Weaver.

For those looking to help the pep band, the new fundraiser is set to go live in December.

“We, as a pep band, thrive on seeing the crowd show their raider pride,” said Reiner. “So, if I were to tell the student body one thing, I would tell them that: we want to see you all at the games. Forget your worries and just immerse yourself in the passion that is raider pride.”



Photo provided by Matt Weaver

Makenzie Hoeferlin

Editor-in-Chief

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