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UConn Pep Bands

The UConn Pep Bands are an outgrowth of the University of Connecticut Marching Band Program and exist to raise spirit and support for UConn Athletic teams–primarily Men's and Women's Basketball and Men's Hockey and on occasion other sports. Playing for these sports home games alone means over 60 pep band performances a year. All Hockey games are played at the XL Center in Hartford as are half the games for Men's and Women's Basketball. Post-Season play in Conference and NCAA Tournaments adds to the activities and often provides opportunities for travel by the pep bands having been involved with many NCAA Tournament games and approximately 20 Final Fours. 

There are often schedule conflicts between the Marching Band and the Hockey Schedule so a Fall Pep Band is selected from non-marching band members for that semester to play at Hockey Games. Basketball games in the Fall are covered by sign-ups by volunteers from the Marching Band (many of whom played in the Pep Band in the previous year) and from the Fall Pep Band. Auditions for the Spring Pep Band are held in November for interested members from the Marching Band and the Fall Pep Band. Three 29 piece bands (named McMullen, Gillespie and Maker after former UCMB directors)  of equal quality are selected from those auditions. Those bands are assigned the remaining Men's Hockey, Men's and Women's Basketball games on a rotating basic. In addition to the three selected bands a group of about 50 additional players form the "Husky Band", students in the Husky Band are able to sign up for the approximately 25 spots in addition to the scheduled band for every home game so that there are just over 50 members playing at every game. With the solid core of the assigned band instrumentation can vary slightly allowing players of the more populated sections to participate more frequently yet alway have an excellent product.  

Tournament trips are decided by lottery. Each of the three equal bands are capable of presenting a superior representation at this national events. There have been numerous years when two bands have been "on the road" at the NCAA tournament simultaneously.