The AU Screamin' Eagles Pep Band will perform at the Tidal Basin during the last day of National Cherry Blossom Festival - April 12 - after a long and competitive process.
"We're thrilled to [be] performing at the National Cherry Blossom Festival," said Carl Seip, Pep Band president and AU affairs columnist for The Eagle. "One of our big goals this year has been to expand our reach outside of Bender Arena sporting events, and this is a great step."
In order to qualify for the opportunity to play at the festival, the band had to go through a competitive audition process.
"At the end of last January, we sent in a video of us playing the "AU Fight Song" and [Stevie Wonder's] "Superstition," as well as a brief history of the Pep Band," Seip said.
The band was contacted mid-February and told they had been selected to play at the festival.
The band will perform most of the songs they usually play for men's basketball games, so they do not need a lot of extra practice, according Joe Patterson, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs and member of the Pep Band.
"I haven't really been putting extra time in practicing," he said. "We've played the music so much, it's almost like it's ingrained into our fingers by now."
The band is not going to go through an extensive practice schedule, but that they will still practice the Thursday before the festival, according to Seip.
Around 35 members of the Pep Band will perform - similar to the number of band members who perform at men's basketball games.
"We're expecting 35 band members to attend the performance - it's a little tricky because April 12 is also Easter Sunday," Seip said. "Still, during basketball games this year, we were averaging that many members at games, so I'm quite happy."
Toni Rask, an alto sax player for the Pep Band and a senior in SPA, said she is excited about the performance because it allows the band to get out into the D.C. and represent AU.
"By doing events outside of campus, I really hope that the band will become more active in the D.C. community and hopeful gain AU some rep against the - you know - big name schools in the area," she said.
Patterson said he is excited about the performance and that it is a great way to end a very exciting year.
"This will be one of the biggest things the Pep Band has ever had a chance to perform at," he said. "With the NCAA tournament just ending, it's quite the encore to a great year."
It is difficult to say how large of an audience will be in attendance during the performance, but that he hopes members of the AU community will attend the event at the Tidal Basin, Seip said.
"We encourage members of the AU community to come down and support us - it's always great to see friendly faces in the crowd," he said.
The Pep Band's performance will take place between 1 and 1:45 p.m. by the Jefferson Memorial.
You can reach this staff writer at atuman@theeagleonline.com.
