Marching band to perform at Indy 500

Performing at the Indianapolis 500 is a cherished appearance for Purdue’s All-American Marching Band, and a tradition that has stood for more than a hundred years.

Since the Indy 500 isn’t during the school year, marching band members flock back to campus from all over the globe.

“They’re paying for their travel out of their own pocket,” director of bands Jay Gephart said. “That’s how committed the students are to this tradition. So this year, I think we have 314 of the 391 students returning to play at the 500.”

To prepare for the racetrack on Sunday, and Saturday’s 67-year-old downtown Indianapolis AES Parade, members of the band will rehearse the night before.

“We regroup and make sure we’re on the same page, and then we kind of find our stride again,” said Drum Major Valerie Minnick, a graduate of Chemistry and a conductor of the band.

For seniors of this year’s band, performing at the Indy 500 will be a callback to their freshmen year, when the 500 took on special significance.

“We had a very unique entrance starting in fall 2020,” said trumpet player and executive team leader Andrew Nguyen. “We didn’t have a season, and we never performed for a live crowd. The first time we did any of those things was at the Indy 500.”

One of the traditions of performing at the racetrack is Jim Cornelison’s singing of “Back Home Again In Indiana” right before the engines start, where select members of the band will accompany him.

“I feel at the Indy 500 more than anywhere else we play, that people can come together and support us, Indiana, and the Indy 500,” Minnick said, “Music is one of those rare things that you can do for your entire life simply because you’re passionate about it.”