Student Perspective: UNM Athletic Bands
By Madison Charleston, UNM Music senior undergrad student
April 2026
When thinking of sports and bands, does your mind instantly go to athletic bands? Mine certainly does. I want to give you an insider view of what it’s like to inhabit the world of college sports as a musician.
I recently had the opportunity to travel with our Soundpack to the Mountain West basketball tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada to support the UNM men’s basketball team with thirty Soundpack musicians who made the journey with the team. During the trip, I was able to observe the community that surrounds UNM Athletics from the perspective of a band member.
I am a senior music student here at UNM. I have been a part of athletic bands throughout my schooling, and for all four years at UNM, participating in the UNM Soundpack as well as the marching band, where I was the drum major for two years. These experiences have been incredibly formative. I enjoy being a part of the games where I can spend time with friends and play my instrument (saxophone).
Athletic bands initially stem from military traditions. In the late 19th century such bands were added to collegiate sporting events to boost the school spirit and add entertainment. In today’s increasingly digital world, the band coordinates with pre-recorded house music to provide creative entertainment. This is still unique to college sports: professional sports, with very few exceptions, don’t have live bands at their games.
The Soundpack and Spirit teams traveled on the same bus to Las Vegas. It was a relaxing journey, with everyone enjoying themselves on the drive, talking, playing games and sleeping. Once we arrived at the hotel, we shared a feeling of excitement when we saw the lights from the strip. We were given time to explore the city before our schedule of events began.
The first UNM event of the trip was a fan event. It was amazing to see so many Lobos sports fans and how excited they got when we performed. Even strangers on the strip stopped watching and listening to our sets. Feeling this level of support was really special as we got to see all the Lobo fans come together. I was surprised at how many fans were in attendance. It was an amazing experience, and we could feel the support and pride from band members and fans. When strangers stopped and watched us, I realized just how many people are intrigued by live music from a band and want to be part of the fun.
The next event we participated in was called “Goodie Two Shoes”, a shoe drive fundraiser for those in need. This was a unique event as it has not happened in a while for previous trips. We got the chance to perform with other athletic bands like Nevada’s Wolf Pack Marching Band and San Jose State’s Spartan Pep Band. When our repertoire overlapped, the bands performed together. It was interesting to see the different dynamics of these other bands in performance because each band had their different traditions. For example, the Wolf Pack had specific horn movements and chants during their pieces. Our sections were able to talk and share those different traditions with each other between bands. It was so easy to talk to them and had felt like we had known each other for years. The cheering and laughing during these events is universal; we all had a good time playing music together.
Later that day we attended another fan event for Mountain West Fan Fest. This one was a bit shorter; we performed again to get the crowd hyped up for the game later that night. Before the game we cheered on the team as they walked to their bus. At game time we waited in the tunnel for the previous game to conclude. The energy in the tunnel was exciting and nervous. I was conducting Soundpack for this game, which meant that I was on headset with the Mountain marketing team. It was a fun experience, and I could tell that the band was excited to play. Once the game started, everyone was cheering and shouting. Conducting this game was different from my prior experience because it was at a bigger scale in the media, size, and event coverage. Running the game is exhausting but worth it as I got to represent the band to the marketing team (on headset) and to the spectators. We were on national television and had to coordinate with the opponent’s band when playing. And yes – we won the game!
On Friday we had another game as the time got closer, we could feel a collective mood shift towards excitement. For this game, I had the chance to play my instrument. It was a different type of excitement compared to conducting. Being there as a musician, I was able to let go and fully watch the game unlike conducting where I had my head in the script. My favorite part is playing the crowd interaction pieces where they get to cheer along. In the musician role you feel a sense of spirit and want to cheer so loud that you lose your voice. The band has a voice in the games energy we help encourage the team by being there and uplifting them to success. We hype up the crowd and as musicians you feel all that energy when playing together at these games. Although I love both, I am happy I got the chance to play. The Lobos ended up losing this game; I could feel our energy wind down on the way back to the hotel.
As a musician, it was fun to perform and use my skills to bring spirit to the game. Sharing my musical talents with my school and performing with the Soundpack adds an intensity to the experience where, though not an athlete, I am integrated into the experience of the game to an extent that viewers can’t imagine the game without the music. Through these experiences I have been able to make friendships and connections with other great musicians as we make music together. When the outcome is not exactly what we had hoped for, I can still feel proud that I was there to support our athletes and their hard work. If the outcome is not exactly as planned, we still cheer on our team because we are all in it together.
The team lost, but Soundpack was there to support them. We will always get back up to cheer on the Lobos.
What of the band members? I asked the Soundpack what makes the pairing of sports and band music such a hit. Most of the musicians talked about the community the band brings to the games and to their own lives in the way of allowing them to continue playing the instrument they love. Band members look to bring energy to the court and to rally the team both in times of success and in times of struggle.
I had the chance to interview the Director of Athletic Bands, Dr. Geoffery Harman. Dr. Harman has been part of athletic bands since he was a child and knew he wanted to be a band director when he was in marching band. His teaching clearly communicates how passionate he is about athletic bands. Bands create a fun experience where spectators can take something away from the game day experiences. For the Lobos, we have our Fight Song Hail New Mexico, Spellout and chants, these are all things that bring traditions to the game days, and the band helps to uphold the culture. Between fans and players, he says:
“Band is there to bind…I want [all of] the people who participate to walk away with an appreciation for the band.”
After all this whole experience as well as my years of marching band, I can say that the thing that brings the two together comes down to three things. One is the community it builds and how it allows us to be a part of it. Second, the binding culture we feel in athletic bands and what it allows us to represent during our time. Lastly, the spirit and pride we will feel looking back at our accomplishments during our time in band. It’s not easy, but at the end of the day it was worth it. Coming up to my final weeks at UNM, I can strongly say that being a part of these bands I was able to grow and find a community to be a part of. Thinking back to college, I can remember all the memories of my athletic bands’ experiences. I hope that all UNM students have ways to engage which bring them the same sense of pride and community, as players, performers, observers, or any way they find belonging.
(Photo credits: Gabriella Rivera and MayLi Bachand)