Best Student Organization: Carolina Band

FOUNDED IN 1920, the Carolina Band or “The Mighty Sound of the Southeast,” spreads Gamecock spirit wherever it goes and helps unite the USC community through its performances both on and off campus.

The 360-member band can be found performing at every football game, at home or away and captivating the crowd with their pregame and halftime shows, which are unique to every game. During games, the band can always be found in the stands, leading the crowd in singing the alma mater and various chants to help cheer the Gamecocks to victory.

The band has performed at various tournaments, such as the 2013 Duke’s Mayo Bowl, the 2018 Belk Bowl, the 2022 Gator Bowl and most recently, the 2025 Cheez-It Bowl. They also performed during the halftime of a Carolina Panthers game in the fall of 2015.

In November of 2024, the band took their Gamecock spirit to one of the biggest stages of all, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The group originally learned they were going to Macy’s during a practice in September 2023, but the news was announced to the public after the band performed during halftime at the Furman University game.

Drum major and trumpet player for the band Brayden Russell said that finding out that they were performing in the Macy’s parade was “surreal.” “It honestly felt like they were joking,” he said. “But ever since it got announced, it’s just been pure joy and excitement.”

In order to prepare for the parade, the band had to undergo several vigorous rehearsals. They would set aside time during specific practices to work on parade tracking, which is when the band would assemble in their parade formation to make sure their lines stayed straight. They also had to practice their performance in Herald Square, which had a different setup than their parade formation.

“We had a minute and 15 seconds (in total) to perform at Herald Square, as everybody does,” Russell said. “We had to practice walking in at a super fast tempo, do our little drill, and then play the fight song, marching out.

The band decided to perform their own rendition of the traditional English folk song, “Greensleeves” for their performance. Once they got to New York, they only had two practices left to ensure that they were parade-ready.

“We had one practice on Tuesday out in New Jersey where we basically ran through everything we’d been running through at home,” Russell said. “And then we had a rehearsal at about two in the morning, and we had to go into Herald Square with every other band, and we had 10 minutes to practice.”

As a drum major, Russell got the opportunity to lead the band by twirling the mace that they perform with during every football game as they marched through the streets of New York City and by conducting the band in the square during the performance. Russell said that performing in the parade was “the experience of a lifetime” and that he was “super grateful to take it all in.” He also thanked the USC
community for all of their support.

“We see their support, and we appreciate all of the love we get from the student body,” he said.