Civic Pep
Civic Pep
Sophie Estep (PC/IS, ’20) is a proud member of the Syracuse University Marching Band (SUMB): the epicenter of pep at SU. Performing for multiple social and sporting events on and off campus, the main purpose of the SUMB is to bring music and love of all things orange to the public. Most do not realize the strenuous nature of their rehearsals and game day/travel rituals, but they are one of the hardest working organizations on campus.
Not all civic engagement is tiresome and monotonous! Sophie has had the time of her life in the Syracuse University Marching Band: she has been able to share her love for music, develop her own technique, and make new friends. At the same time, however, she gets to see how something she loves affects the public. Students and strangers alike smile and clap along with their sets, sports fans complain when they take breaks from playing for pep, and people love to take pictures of the Pride of the Orange in their uniforms.
Her favorite part: talking to kids while in uniform. They are amazed by the instruments, the sound, the love for Syracuse. When she asks them if they’re going to learn an instrument some day, she loves to see them excitedly nod and say, “Of course!” She loves to share her love with the world, and there is no better place for that than with the SUMB!