The Leopard Pride is composed of two divisions: Football and Basketball.
The Football Division performs in the fall semester. We start with a week of band camp prior to the fall semester; all students (freshmen and returning) move in the Monday before classes start and rehearse with the band Monday through the start of orientation.
Camp includes a wide variety of activities beyond just rehearsing. We tend to have a movie/pizza night, go out for ice cream, have a barbeque, and go bowling. It provides ample time for freshmen to get acclimated to the college environment as well as for the members of the band to develop a sense of camaraderie.
Once the semester begins, the Pep Band meets on Saturdays for either 1.5 hour rehearsal or a performance.
Standard instrumentation includes: flute, clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, bari sax, trumpet, mellophone, trombone, baritone, sousaphone, snare drum, bass drum, quad toms, and bells.
The Lafayette College Pep Band performs at all home football games. In addition, we perform at the Lafayette vs. Lehigh game regardless of location. (It alternates between the two sites each year; Lehigh is only 20 minutes away.) The Lehigh game is usually the last game of the regular season and falls the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
The LCPB usually does not travel to away games, but sometimes makes arrangements to do so if the school is close, if no major conflicts present attendance issues, and if we have the funding to travel. Schools where travel would be possibility would be the University of Pennsylvania and Army West Point due to their close proximity.
Lafayette is a member of the Patriot League, which is Division I FCS football. (FCS stands for Football Championship Series; the opposite would be FBS, which stands for Football Bowl Series.) We are not in the same series as the “bowl” games seen on national television in the winter, but we are in the top athletic division otherwise. Our scheduled opponents are other members of the Patriot League, members of the Ivy League (since it is also D-I FCS and the closest non-Patriot League conference), and other FCS eligible schools.
Should Lafayette win the Patriot League or have a record worthy of an at-large bid, Lafayette football would enter the FCS tournament (which is the equivalent to NCAA March Madness for football, a.k.a. our playoff system). The LCPB would potentially travel with the team on trips for the post-season, assuming the members of the LCCB are on campus.
Members of the Pride tend to have so much fun that they make up silly rituals and chants that help cheer on our team (all while following good sportsmanship). Below is a video of our first down cheer. Go Pards!!