The Sound of Spirit - Inside UNC Charlotte

Before marching band practice begins, the sound is clamorous. Arriving in a steady stream, musicians huddle in instrumental groups — trumpets with trumpets, flutes with flutes — under the shade of large trees on the front field of campus. There is laughter and chatter and a cacophony of warmups, the baritones overpowering the piccolos, the colorguard flags snapping in the air.

The drumline parades from the Johnson Band Center down Mary Alexander Boulevard, sticks and beats flying. The sousaphones — giant horns wrapped around bodies like mammoth-mouthed snakes — bring up the rear.

At precisely 4:15 p.m., the Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band spreads out across the lawn.

“We are a hodgepodge of people who come together to make something beautiful,” said mellophone musician Anna Murphy ’16.

Murphy was on the field 10 years ago, when the Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band played its first home game on Sept. 12, 2015.

“We got a standing ovation,” she said. “It was a forever, amazing moment.”

Then, Murphy was an undergraduate student majoring in psychology. Now, she is a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision. She returned to UNC Charlotte in 2023, and once again, she is marching.

“The first thing I did was register for band,” she said. “I was only going to do it the first year, but I have stayed the whole time.”

Murphy said she gets a lot of energy from her fellow — younger — mellophones (they call her “mother”). And marching with the PNNMB offers a refreshing contrast to her graduate studies. But above all, it is “feeling the warmth of this community, no matter where you come from on campus” that brings her back to the field each year.

2013

The 49er Drumline plays at the very first Charlotte 49ers home football game on Aug. 31. “It’s been really cool to see how it’s grown from just that drumline to now a 200-person band and two drumlines,” said Nick Nichols ’11, who has served as marching percussion director since the drumline’s inception.

2015

The “Pride of Niner Nation” Marching Band plays its first home football game on Sept. 12.

“We got a standing ovation,” said mellophone musician Anna Murphy '16, who was on the field that day and now plays with the PNNMB as a graduate student. “It was a forever, amazing moment.”

Construction begins on the Johnson Band Center, named for band champions Vickie '71 and Gene '73 Johnson, whose generosity launched the band. "The band wouldn't exist without the Johnsons," said Director of Athletic Bands Brian Taylor. "I couldn't be more grateful to the two of them."

2014

The PNNMB travels to Normandy, France, to officially represent the U.S. at the 74^th anniversary of D-Day.

“The experience of Normandy was once in a lifetime,” said Nichols. "It was a somber experience to be on the beach, to play at the memorials and just to see all these things – where the bombs blew up, the barracks. It makes me thankful for what we do have.”

2018

“We are a hodgepodge of people who come together to make something beautiful.”

Anna Murphy ’16

P-R-I-D-E

A third-generation band director, Director of Athletic Bands Brian Taylor came to UNC Charlotte in 2023 and has grown the PNNMB into its largest ensemble yet, with 227 members. For the first time ever, the PNNMB has two drumlines: a green line for football games and a white line for soccer games.

“The community of music is the reason I wanted to teach music and make music a part of other people’s lives,” Taylor said. “Music provides community.”

But that community doesn’t just develop magically. Taylor, the other band staff, and the students themselves all intentionally create it.

“We’re building community at the school, building traditions, making this place feel like you’re part of a unified group, rather than just a place where you go to school,” said Taylor.

227

Total PNNMB members

756

Total PNNMB alumni

Total football games

Unique halftime shows

102

Unique music charts

624

Total PNNMB donors

The Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band has awarded $86,750 in scholarships this year. Empower the students behind the sound of Charlotte.

Support the Band

When learning a new piece of music, the band sounds more like a crowd than a chorus. The clarinets are too fast; the trumpets are too slow; and all the while the metronome blasts an uncompromising pulse. But as the musicians work together, the sound coalesces.

“In music, it’s a place where you’re constantly listening and trying to make something positive with other people,” Taylor said. “You have to be willing to adjust what you are doing because you are listening to others.”

The band will perform five different halftime shows this season, each with multiple pieces of music and complex choreography that turns a wilderness of moving bodies into cultivated patterns. They put together each show in just two or three rehearsals, Taylor said.

“It’s crazy the amount of music they’re able to learn so quickly. I’ve been incredibly impressed with them.”

“We have the acronym, PRIDE,” said Murphy. “Passion, respect, inclusion, discipline, excellence. You can’t be in that band without some discipline. It requires a lot of you, commitment, and zeal for what you are doing. You are representing this University. How do you want to show up to the world?”

Because of marching band I have been a part of a large community, made friends for life and have gotten to do things that I never thought were possible before. Most importantly, it has made me feel at home."

Axel Constantino

Business Finance, Belk College of Business

Everyone loves music, and I like to think of the PNNMB as the school’s game day soundtrack. Yeah, they have big speakers, and they can blast anything they want, but you just can’t beat the ambiance that live music adds."

Thomas Copeland

Computer Science

College of Computing and Informatics

Marching band is an activity that requires intense focus at all times, and there is no room for just showing up. Whether it is working to quickly learn drill, memorize choreo or working on our overall musicality, PNNMB members are held to a high standard."

Rebecca Cotrone

Music, College of Arts + Architecture

The Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band is important to UNC Charlotte because it raises the spirit and morale of the school, especially at football games and other events that the band performs at."

Dallas Craven

Engineering

William States Lee College of Engineering

Pushing yourself past your limit is the most rewarding thing. Whenever you are having a hard time with the music, marching or even the heat outside, and you push yourself past what you think you are capable of, you grow the most."

Lexi Heath

Psychology

College of Humanities &

Earth and Social Sciences

Beyond the field, we’re the heartbeat of campus events, supporting athletics, connecting with the community and creating a shared energy that brings students, alumni and fans together."

Chloe Kasnick

History

College of Humanities &

Earth and Social Sciences

Some of my happiest memories in school involve marching band because of how many opportunities that I have been given. It has also taught me how to be more of a leader, which has helped my confidence in myself."

Kiana Jacobs

Nursing

College of Health and Human Services

The PNNMB is important because it carries the energy at games and always gives support to the team no matter what. Because of band, I have had the opportunity to travel, play on big stages and meet some pretty amazing people."

Tevin Jessup

Theatre, College of Arts + Architecture

Because of marching band, I have developed my skills in leadership, teamwork and time-management that have directly contributed to my success at UNC Charlotte and my dental school applications."

Robbie Richmond

Biology, Klein College of Science

Continued Connections

At the Homecoming football game on Oct. 18, 66 band alumni will join the PNNMB in the stands to play the tunes that cheer the team and rally the crowds.

“When you march together, you want to stay connected,” said Jenn Gherardi ’17, who played trumpet in the PNNMB’s first two seasons.

Last year, Gherardi and Madelyn Palko ’18, a flutist and one of the PNNMB’s first drum majors, founded the Charlotte Alumni Marching Band Association, a 501 (c) (7) social club organization. Its mission is to “provide a unique network of UNC Charlotte athletic bands alumni by fostering lifelong participation, vivifying philanthropic support, celebrating musical excellence, and cultivating an enjoyable community dedicated to growth.” Palko is the CAMBA president; Gherardi is vice president.

When they put out the word about CAMBA to former band members, alumni “were really excited that it was happening,” Palko said. There are 47 dues-paying members, with hopes for more.

In addition to performing at Homecoming, CAMBA organizes social events and encourages alumni to support the PNNMB by showing up at games and parades or donating to the band during Niner Nation Gives. The goal, Palko said, is “a continuity of community.”

We’re building community at the school, building traditions, making this place feel like you’re part of a unified group, rather than just a place where you go to school.”

Brian Taylor

Charlotte Refrain

When the PNNMB performs a halftime show, the members fan across the field, leaving their tight-knit sections to create a dynamic design and a balanced sound.

“That first note on the field is so exciting,” said Palko.

As a drum major on the podium, Palko saw and heard the ensemble from above. It was gratifying, she said, to “see people helping each other, working together to blend together.”

Murphy has one more marching season before she graduates. She has already joined CAMBA, but said she will miss the PNNMB and “being part of this whole that’s able to show the world something great.” There is something special, she said, about that sound.

“It gives voice to the University’s soul. I think people feel that.”