An Introduction to Pep Band Trumpets
What does it take to be a trumpet player in the Virginia Pep Band? Well, like any good trumpeter, you need balls. Big brass ones (and for the ladies, metaphorical ones). It's a scientific fact that hot chops are fed by a plentiful flow of ball juice. That's obscene but a hard fact of the business.
To stand out as a trumpeter in the Virginia Pep Band, you need to be an asshole. It's not that we're assholes to start with, but the combination of screamin' demon licks, badassery and rebelliousness that come with being a trumpeter and being in the Pep Band become a crucible of dickdom. The rebelliousness is a natural side effect of a student governed band like the Pep Band, but when nobody's in charge, you're all in charge. So, while there's no trumpet section leader, you might say each and every member is the section leader. This only adds to the assholery. When you're this good, how can you not be pompous?
We may not have the organization of the GSPOT, but we don't need it. We have pure laser chop power. Solidarity? Unnecessary. Every time a trumpeter plays, he's alone, naked over a wash of sound that's there to complement his magnificent form. To play trumpet is to be alone.
So who really carries the band? The trombones have long claimed that title. The truth is, a band is an ensemble effort, and every instrument is vital. To find out who carries this hodgepodge group, you really have to look to the top. Look for the melody. Still don't know where to look? Just look for the guys with their eyes popping out and their faces red and dripping with sweat; the banders with all the solos and none of the hype; the fellows with the smallest brass horns, but the biggest brass sound. That's right. It's us.