The cheering and screaming of a packed house won’t be the only noise coming from the Den this season.

On Nov. 19th, students from the Loyola Music Department started a pep band which will perform for every home basketball game this year.

Jason LaHatte, biology freshman, is optimistic about the 23-man band but he is unsure of how successful it will be with the student body.

“We probably will have the student’s support just because we have so many good musicians here. The fans should love it just because I don’t think we have had a pep band here for a while,” LaHatte said.

LaHatte is also a member of Tulane’s pep band the, Soundwave.

According to LaHatte, it was during one of the home games that he was first presented with the idea of creating a pep band for Loyola. From the start, he was interested in the idea and is now looking to incorporate multiple instruments to this year’s pep band.

“I basically open it up to anyone who plays instruments. Mostly we just have regular band instruments so far, but we do have one guy who will be playing the electric guitar,” LaHatte said.

One of the driving forces behind the creation of the new band is Kenneth Weber, University Minister.

“I thought it would make more sense for Loyola students who wanted to play in a pep band to play in one at Loyola instead of having to join Tulane’s,” Weber said.

According to Weber, the band has already gotten off to a good start due to the fact that it has played in a home game. He also said that this presents a great opportunity for students at the university.

“This is a completely voluntary band, so the students who play in it really love doing it, and it’s a great service to the Loyola community,” Weber said.

In order to make the idea of the Loyola pep band a reality, LaHatte said that he had to consult Heather Seaman, director of Student Involvement. Seaman said that it is encouraging for students to take the initiative and start their own programs.

“Students have come to us in overwhelming numbers this semester to pitch new ideas. We really don’t solicit new organization ideas out to students. It’s typically the other way. If students have mutual interests with other students, they will typically propose those organizations to the campus,” Seaman said.

Seaman said she is always supportive of the development of new organizations because it gives the students a variety of options to
get involved.

“I think student organizations are absolutely integral to student involvement on campus,” Seaman said.

The band will also look to perform outside of the Loyola community. They hope to play in the Krewe of Tucks, a parade run by Loyola alumni.