You’ve seen them at the basketball games — they’re the  entertainment during the media breaks and the providers of the fight song — but who are they really?

They’re the Golden Grizzly Athletic Band and they’re made up of student employees, with or without a music major. They play at all the men’s and women’s basketball games and the new student convocation at the beginning of the year.

“Anybody can join, and I recommend it. There is a lot of good stuff going on,” said drummer Matthew Dudek. “It’s fun to be a part of the environment at games and if you haven’t been there, you’re missing out. It’s a lot of fun to be in the area during games. Our student section is crazy and the band is definitely a part of that. You get to go and enjoy it which is fun.”

Pep band players are typically paid $35 per game they perform at. Students can also apply for a band manager position which requires extra responsibility, including moving equipment as well as playing music.

All students can join the band, but in order to get paid, students must be able to perform the school’s fight song from memory without mistakes and get cleared from an instructor with the band.

“There is that process of checking off, that you know the fight song and you are doing your part to get paid for it,” Dudek said. “You can’t just stand there with an instrument and get paid … you have to make sure that you are able to contribute to the band.”

The pep band is also considered a registered class for students. The class meets once a week, except during basketball season and every Friday to rehearse music.

“A lot of times it turns into ‘show up early at a game because we have a new piece of music to work on,’ ” Dudek said. “It meets substantially less during the season once the pep band is pretty solid and we have everything in place.  If we have something that is not going well, they’ll call a rehearsal and that is a required meeting.”

Band members are required to arrive an hour before games to set up and warm up. As a drum player, Dudek must carry his equipment and set up his drum set, which is located in the stands before the games.

“It’s your own responsibility to make sure you’re there on time,” he said. “An hour before the game we are starting to warm up and 15 minutes before tip-off we start playing some music. A lot of our responsibilities before a game is getting there early enough to set-up and be ready to play on time.”

Band members are not required to attend every game, but before the season begins they must sign an agreement sheet listing what games they can and cannot attend. If a band member cannot work a game, they are responsible for finding a sub to cover their position.

“You don’t necessarily have to be at every game, but you can do as many games as you want … there’s a good core of people who are almost always at games, but then for everyone else it’s whenever it works into their schedule,” Dudek said.

Nick Pichla, a sophomore majoring in secondary music education, has been playing the trumpet in the band for four semesters. He said that members are given some perks like permission to go to the Summit League Tournament in March, free of charge.

“We don’t have to pay for the trip, which includes the whole bus ride there, free hotel and meals, but we don’t get paid for the playing,” he said.

Working for this job, students are able to be a part of a roaring crowd and the campus culture.

“It’s a great group to be a part of and it gives you a chance to not only be with students, but be in the middle of the basketball culture on campus … this is something that can really bring the school together,” Dudek said.

The pep band performs at every game, playing songs by Lady Gaga, Ozzy Osbourne and The White Stripes.