Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, parents, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The CAA Tournament tips off in Washington, DC, next week and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD will be covering all the angles so you can look forward to an abundance of articles in the week ahead. Jon Teitel commences our coverage with an interview of Monmouth Pep Band Manager Lincoln Pereira.
You are from Springfield, NJ: how did you choose Monmouth? One of my childhood friends committed to Monmouth and introduced me to the school. Coming out of COVID, we both wanted to have someone familiar with us on campus, so we decided to become roommates.
You are a junior History and Education major: how did you choose those subjects, and do you have a post-graduation plan yet? I have wanted to teach for as long as I can remember. I had the amazing opportunity to attend a vocational-technical program for teacher education during high school, and I figured that if I still liked the career after four years of learning it for free then I would pay to get a degree in it! I hope to get a full-time job as a high school history teacher while pursuing my master’s degree at Monmouth for history.
You play bass drum in the Monmouth Pep Band: how long have you been playing that instrument? I have been a percussionist since fourth grade, which is when every American child must make the lifelong decision about what instrument they want to play. I became a bass drummer specifically in my sophomore year of high school during marching band, which means I have been playing bass drum for 7 years.
You are also Band Manager: what kind of duties does that involve, and what is the hardest part of the job? As the Band Manager, I serve as the liaison between my band director and the rest of the band. That typically involves making sure that everyone has the information on practices, games, uniforms, and other technicalities. The most involved (and most fun) part of the job comes during conference season when I help my band director keep track of band members, hotel rooms, and instruments.
You are a member of Phi Alpha Theta (the National History Honors Society): how do you balance your work in the classroom with your work in the Band? The balancing act gets tough on occasion, but the best thing that an involved student can do on campus is develop positive relationships with their professors. If I ever need to miss class for a band-related event I make sure that I build a reputation in the class as a punctual/engaged student, which tends to make professors more forgiving of absences. I am also familiar with doing homework assignments while on the road with the basketball team.
You are a big Dungeons & Dragons player: have you noticed an increase in the game’s popularity due to its appearance on TV shows such as Stranger Things/The Big Bang Theory and the Honor Among Thieves movie that came out last year? Absolutely. The recent popularity of D&D has been exciting to watch, as I always thought the game could be fun for every type of person, and many more people who had previously never heard of D&D are now trying it out!
What kind of music does the Band play at games, and do you have a favorite song to perform? Our band likes to play a variety of songs, ranging from recognizable classic rock and pop tunes to big band jazz pieces. We also make sure to play some Bruce Springsteen to represent New Jersey. My personal favorite song to play is Trombone Shorty’s “Hurricane Season” because of both my love for jazz and my love for complicated drum breaks.
How does the Band decide who gets to go to the CAA tourney, and will your group be doing anything special for the postseason? The silver lining of being a small (maybe 30-piece) band is that everyone can travel to the tournament! Typically, when the band season ends, we like to get together in a conference room, order pizza, and play Jackbox games.
The Hawks only won 7 games last year but have already doubled that total this year: was last year as rough as it sounds, and can I assume your Band experience has improved this year now that the team has improved? My favorite part of this season has been seeing the student section slowly fill up with every subsequent win. Last year, the spirit squad had to make the noise-equivalent of a whole stadium of fans since nobody was interested in going to on-campus games. Since the team has improved, I often find myself getting invigorated by the energy of the fans.
Any predictions for your conference tourney opener vs. Campbell next Saturday? I have intense sports superstitions so I cannot give you a prediction out of my fear of Karma!