CL: I was in the marching band [Trojan Marching Band], and it’s this big, big thing, especially being a first year, to have two sort of rights of passage or hazing or other traditions to kind of make your way fully into whatever section or whatever instrument you’re a part of. So the first one would be for trumpets, as I am a trumpet. Um, it would be a night called Carne, in which there would be this big feast, and then afterwards, um, all of the first years would go in, answer a couple of trivia questions, and then come out one by one, and effectively answer a few of those questions, and get water balloons thrown at them, completely drenched. And I remember at some point, there was like a slip and slide, a handful of other things, but it’s also, this is a place where you would either get, like, your name for the band, or you would get it at a later. This would be like the first time where you would actually get your name for the band or your band name in that sense.

Interviewer: What is a band name?

CL: It’s just kind of like a nickname for each of the other band members that you get your first year, either in that section or as part of the band, that then it’s like a thing that for your next year, the first year is try to guess everyone’s band names or try to figure out whose band name is whose, because in all the group chats, no one uses their actual name for like the first half of the semester. They just use their band name. But then, in addition to that, there is the every year there is the USCxUCLA game, and then the entire week, that’s called Fuck The Week. Um, every section sort of has this tradition where they go to Tommy’s chili cheeseburgers, the original Tommies, at least for us, it has to be the original Tommy’s. Every single time. And concoct a very vile brew. Um, then the first years would have to drink. And of course, there’s like a little bit more leniency now, but when you did do this, it was like, now you’re part of the section. Like, before it was like the first step that, like, welcome to the band, but then now you’re part of, like, this intersection family.

Interviewer: And it’s just a drink mixed with a bunch of different things?

CL: It’s root beer and chili…It’s not great.

Interviewer: So, do you have to drink the whole glass or just a sip?

CL: Uh, the whole glass. Um, but it’s bad because it gathers on the bottom…It’s not great. But it has been done for as long as I’ve known it, as well as my brother, who was in the band before me, and then everyone before him, like almost everyone’s done it.

Context: Discussing rights of passage in class, CL was able to describe to me their time in the Trojan Marching Band as a trumpet player. Then, going on to describe how one acquires a “band name,” as well as different initiation/hazing rituals that truly make one a part of the TMB family. These are generational traditions – and while they are less harsh and strict now, they are rooted in traditions that have been happening for years and years prior. AN experience shared through many past and current members.

Analysis: This interview shows how group tradition ( in this case, the USC Trojan Marching Band) is used to create a strong sense of belonging, even if they involve a bit of discomfort or embarrassment. Events like “Carne,” getting a band name, and drinking the chili/root beer mix at the original Tommy’s chili cheeseburgers act as rites of passage that separate first years from returning members and mark the moment someone fully becomes part of the group. Despite some of these traditions seeming closer to hazing, they’re framed more as bonding experiences, where everyone has gone through the same thing and can relate to each other because of it. The idea of band names is especially important because it creates a shared identity within the group. Overall, these traditions show how organizations build tight communities through repeated rituals.