Dillard University’s Pep Band is stepping up to bring culture, community and a ceaseless legacy to campus in partnership with McMaine Secondary School.
“Everlasting culture,” said assistant band director Terry Fryson. “We want to build something that will last and restore the pride back into Dillard.”
Fryson helps coach Dillard’s pep band and McMaine’s band. The full band staff from McMaine is helping to found Dillard’s band.
They practice twice a week, preparing for the performances ahead, and they’re searching for new members. Scholarships are available for each student who participates and shows up regularly. They receive $1,000 each semester.
The band has around 20 members, 10 of whom are Dillard students. The high school students who play with the band have the opportunity to earn college credit and scholarships from Dillard if they choose to attend.
Together, they’re hoping to bring a new light to the campus. Even though they’re small in number, they’re high in energy and plan to bring the hype to games.
“It’s about 10 people. We’ve got to act like it’s about 100 people. So we’re definitely bringing that energy, that driving force,” said band member London Williams, a senior film major. “We’re trying to get everybody hyped up, especially when basketball season comes around.”
They want everyone to participate with them, since the band isn’t just for the members, but more so for the campus, she said. Williams wants to encourage engagement and a more active campus at Dillard.
People highly neglect what music can do to a person, said band member K’mon Washington, a sophomore biology major. He said he hopes to find incoming members who are actually committed to music.
“People who actually want to see the band flourish and are not there just for a scholarship. People who really want to sit in the seat,” said band member Malaysia Willis, a sophomore psychology major, about the type of members the band is searching for.
The more the band develops, the more attention it’ll get from the student body, which will motivate them to continue to grow, so Williams hopes to improve their sound before their first performance, she said.
“I always wanted to have the feeling of being a part of something that came from the ground up, and that’s what I want to be a part of,” said Washington.
Starting from the bottom is nothing new for Williams, though. She was a part of creating a band at her high school and wants to leave Dillard with this same impact, having built something for future generations.
