Music echoes from inside the high walls of the meeting house. Instrument cases and bags line the walls. A thick, multicolored binder filled with sheet music lies open. Meet the Foggy Otters, the newly founded campus pep band.
Right now, the Foggy Otters are a smaller club. All of their members bring their instruments from home. The seven or eight of them barely fill the center of the room. During their first break, the club’s musical librarian hardly has to move to pass out new sheet music.
“Right now, I’d say we have about like eight or so consistent members. And then on MyRaft, I think we have like 25 or so registered,” said club president Melany Martinez. “I’m hoping for like 15. I feel like that’s good. Like for a beginner.”
The Foggy Otters are a tight-knit group. They meet for an hour every Tuesday and Thursday to rehearse. Many of them share the experience of doing band in high school and find joy in bringing that experience with them to Cal State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB).
The Foggy Otters have already performed at one campus event–the recent “ Dive Into the Kelp Bed” game against San Francisco State. For Darcy Stein, a freshman human communication major and club’s vIce president, that experience was a rewarding one.
“I did band, all throughout high school and middle school and I always loved it. I was in the marching band and doing music in the stands at football games was always so much fun because it got you hyped, even if it didn’t get everybody else in the crowd super hyped,” said Stein.
The Foggy Otters only started this fall, but they are already planning for expansion. The club is currently unofficial, but they see themselves eventually becoming an official organization to hold practices and perform at games.
“We’re helping to advertise, get the word out to incoming freshmen that there is a musical community on campus, even if it may not seem like it at first,” said Stein.
But before that, they need to grow. That means securing instruments, playing space, more opportunities, additional members, and, most importantly, insurance. Insurance would allow them to provide instruments to members who no longer have access to those they played in high school.
“There are lots of players who, when they were in band in high school, played instruments that were provided by the school,” said Stein. “And so when they left, they lost those instruments. But they’re still great players. They just don’t have access to insurance”
That drive for growth does not just come from within the club. The Foggy Otters have support from campus administration as well. Back in February, they received a special shout-out in the “Otter Be Involved” campus-wide email. Vice-President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Ben Corpus has expressed his support for the club and CSUMB President Vanya Quinones.
Nicholas Kramer, director for student conduct, has gone as far as collaborating with local band directors to explore potential resources.
“He’s talked about what might be helpful for our band and even talked about possibly going to local high schools,” said Stein, “Really, our number one objective right now is to get more people and get more instruments and just get insurance.”