Pep band brings energy, music to Panthers, fans

The Panthers’ pep band fires up the crowd during a recent home basketball game. Photo by Lance Masterson.

This school year began like any other for members of the Central High pep band. They received sheet music to songs they would soon get to know very well.

“I usually go with a shotgun approach as to getting sheet music out to the kids in the fall,”band leader Ed Propst said. “I hand out 40 to 45 songs. We usually perform 25 to 30 songs.”

Extra tunes are needed because whittling occurs.

“There are songs that I hand out in the fall that, for whatever reason, are not the right fit for the class,” Propst said. “It’s either too easy, too difficult or the band doesn’t gravitate toward that kind of music that year.”

Songs that do make the cut provide enough diversity to ensure an eclectic playlist that includes “80s hair metal, 90s pop punk, some pop hits, some funk classics from the 70s," Propst said. "We’ve also got street band stuff that’s only hip in New Orleans.”

Perhaps no ritual marks the end of summer more completely for a high school musician than the delivery of a stack of music.

“In the beginning a lot of people hadn’t played their instruments over summer break. And then we have all these hard songs to play,” clarinetist Jean Coffey said. “But it’s fun once you get back into the groove and get used to it again.”

Sophomore trombonist Keagan Korbe agrees.

“I quite enjoy it, because it’s nothing but super fun songs that get you going and ready for the school year,” he added.

Rehearsals are impacted by one truism: So much music, so little time.

“When rehearsing, I don’t like to spend an entire 90-minute class period working on one song. I prefer to cover a lot of different material,” Propst said. “Thankfully, pep band songs are 30 seconds to a minute and a half long.”

Criteria are in play when Propst compiles his initial song list. For example, priority is given to songs that have passed the test of time.

“I’ve learned the hard way that you shouldn’t go out and buy a $70 piece of sheet music for a song that was a flash-in-the-pan number one single for a summer. Which is why there’s classic rock mixed in with modern stuff which is mixed in with all different styles,” Propst said. “I try to put something in those pep band folders so that every generation can go, 'hey, I know that song'.”

Korbe added many of the older tunes were already familiar to him

"My dad actually listens to a lot of the stuff that we play. So, I was like, wow, that's really cool," Korbe said of his initial review of the playlist.

Another criteria is an honest assessment of the band’s ability.

“There's an element of ‘can the personnel I have this year handle this tune?’,” Propst said. “The third criteria is, ‘can I get my kids through this and still sound good at the end of it?’.” 

Pep band is made up of jazz and symphonic band members. Participation is mandatory. Its rehearsals are given priority in September and October.

“We’re working exclusively on the pep band then because we’re getting ready for the football season,” Propst said. “I try to get it established so that the songs feel like a habit throughout the beginning of the year.”

Pep band rehearsals again take priority the week following winter break, and then every other Friday through the basketball seasons.

All the work is worth it when the band finally comes together.

"It's really a fun experience, and I enjoy playing music with my peers," Coffey said. "It's great. The pep band is in-between our big concerts. We wouldn't have much else to do than play our concert music."

Propst says the pep band's looseness, which is clearly evident at games, is not forced.

"It's a bit of a unique (environment). When we're in a symphonic band rehearsal, I try to keep it relaxed, but we're still this style of music, and we have to approach it this way," he explained. "Pep band is a little looser, a little harder edge to the sound. Students try to have fun with their friends."

In the pep band repertoire is perhaps one of the least peppy songs of all time, The Star-Spangled Banner. The national anthem is played before each home game. It’s the one time on a very busy night, one that also features athletes and the cheer squad, when the spotlight is completely on them.

“It’s definitely nerve-wracking,” Coffey said of playing the anthem. “It’s a pretty song. It’s fun to play once you get out of the nervous-head stage because it’s slow and steady. You have to actually pay attention to everything because people are going to call you out if you get it wrong. It’s such an integral part of America.”