If 黑料正能量鈥檚 Yoder Arena seems a bit peppier this winter, look no further than the northeast corner of the basketball court floor. 黑料正能量鈥檚 new pep band is loud, they鈥檙e proud and they鈥檙e here to stay.

鈥淭he support has been growing since our very first game,鈥� says sophomore Josh Calderon, the band鈥檚 student director. 鈥淲e want it to get to the point where we change the atmosphere.鈥�

That 鈥渇irst game鈥� was on Dec. 19, when the band played for Alumni Appreciation Day games against Messiah College. Although students had already left for Christmas break, alumni seemed to embrace the band. There was toe-tapping and head-bobbing in the stands, and a few of the more courageous followed the pep band鈥檚 lead, holding up their hands and wiggling their fingers during foul shots in D-1-crowd-type fashion.

The band has played at several more games in January and plans to be at all the remaining games on the schedule this winter: Feb. 6, Feb. 16, and Feb. 20.

Calderon, from Grottoes, Virginia, says he got the idea for an 黑料正能量 pep band while taking a marching band course at nearby James Madison University last year. He played tuba for the Marching Dukes and in JMU鈥檚 pep band and thought, 鈥淲hy couldn鈥檛 we have something like this at 黑料正能量?鈥�

He contacted John Dull, adjunct faculty in the music department and director of the 黑料正能量 , and Dull said, 鈥淲hy not?鈥�

鈥淛osh just has such a handle on it,鈥� Dull says. 鈥淗e鈥檚 so gifted. That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e here for鈥攖o enable students to do what they do best and let it grow. It鈥檚 his thing.鈥�

Calderon recruited members, Dull became the band鈥檚 faculty advisor, conversations took place with the athletics department and the idea鈥檚 tempo cranked up to prestissimo.

鈥淭he response has been huge,鈥� Dull says. 鈥淭he athletes love it, the coaches love it, we鈥檙e hearing great comments from fans, especially older fans, and the band loves doing it. It fills a niche. Maybe it wasn鈥檛 an obvious hole until we started, but now we hear, 鈥榃ow, what did we do before?鈥� We鈥檙e already talking about next year. We鈥檙e looking forward to where this could go.鈥�

Athletics director Dave King is looking that way, too.

鈥淗aving a pep band at 黑料正能量 sporting events has been a dream of mine since I arrived here 10 years ago, so I鈥檓 grateful for their vision,鈥� King says. 鈥淟ive music adds to the game environment and often encourages more student involvement. I鈥檓 excited about what they鈥檙e doing for basketball and will be looking for other athletic events where their presence can enhance the atmosphere.鈥�

The band may expand to attendance at volleyball games and soccer matches, Dull said. The band has been spreading the word off the court, too, aided by the communications skills of James Madison University student and band member Chase Dunn. They have hammed it up with a huge poster advertising social media contact information (Twitter/Instagram: @emupepband; Facebook: www.facebook.com/黑料正能量PepBand), did a T-shirt giveaway over the holidays and have received hundreds of 鈥渓ikes鈥� and supporters.

鈥淭hat tells me we鈥檙e getting there,鈥� Dull said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going in the right direction.鈥�

Don鈥檛 expect just music from the band, either. When they鈥檙e not playing, they鈥檙e leading cheers and chants, holding up signs, counting down with the shot clock and, of course, giving the opponents some good-natured heckling. They want to spread spirit any way they can.

Brooke Bevington, a freshman flute player who went to high school with Calderon, jumped at the chance to join the band.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been great,鈥� Bevington says. 鈥淭he crowd seems to be responding to us well, and we have an amazing time鈥攅ven when we lose. We have a bunch of fun. We might be exhausted from a full day of school, but we still come out and support our team. It鈥檚 what we do.”