The Making of the Green Machine: The Pep Band’s Popularity

It was just four short years ago that George Mason University’s pep band wowed the nation with its rendition of “Living on a Prayer” during Mason’s Final Four run in 2006. The pep band has always been a hit with student and alumni audiences but it became an even bigger hit with its triumph in the 2006 Final Four Battle of the Bands competition as well as its increased publicity during coverage of the NCAA Tournament.

Since Mason’s journey to the Final Four, the university has been making changes all
around campus, including the pep band, better known to the Mason community as
the Green Machine. To start things off, the music department at Mason felt the pep
band needed a new look, a new identity and a leader to get the crowd pumped as well as be the face of the band.

Dr. Michael Nickens was brought to the Mason community in August 2006 after the Final Four competition as the new director of the Green Machine.

The addition of Nickens to the Mason music department was a perfect match.

Nickens, originally from Alexandria, was !nishing up his musical arts doctorate from the University of Michigan when he came across the job opportunity as pep band director at Mason.

Right then he knew it was the job for him. “It was exactly what I was looking for,” Nickens said.

Former pep band, clarinet player Melinda Wildman explained the band was student run until Nickens, better known and loved to fans as “Doc Nix” was hired. Prior to the famous Final Four run, students did not receive scholarships or class credit for their work in the band. Wildman, who is now the Academic Affairs Assistant in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Mason, said the band was comprised mostly of a bunch of music students who were avid basketball fans. “You can’t beat the seats,” Wildman said. Band members were also paid during Wildman’s years at Mason. However, because of limited funds, only 30 people made up the Green Machine back in the day.

Since his arrival, Nickens has made a few changes to the Green Machine. “I’ve been
taking what’s there and doing my best to enhance it,” Nickens said. Nickens added
a booster organization to the band where various volunteers, individuals and businesses can help out and donate to the Green Machine. Money from the booster organization helps the band with travel expenses and added performances. The band has been doing a lot more traveling since Nickens became director, going to San Juan, Puerto Rico and Disneyworld.

However, some features of the band have been consistent. As far as choosing the
songs goes, the goal of the band has always been to choose songs that translate
well, show off the instruments, and make the band sound balanced. “We pick through details until we’re happy with the way it’s sounding,” Nickens said.

Nickens has big plans for the pep band in the future. He is constantly trying to expand the band. When it was a student-run group, students had to audition for spots but under Nickens’ guidance, if students can play an instrument, they have a chance to be a part of the Green Machine. His bigger plan is to bring a marching band to the Mason campus.

“It’s a great recruitment tool,” Nickens said. As of now, the pep band does not have
a drum major so Doc Nix conducts the group during performances.

In addition to bringing more experience to Mason’s Green Machine, Nickens brings a
whole new persona to the pep band. During games, Nickens’ character is a pimp who gets the crowd going with great music. For the role, Nickens decks himself out in phenomenal costumes laden with glitter and glam. His biggest goal for the costumes is to heighten school spirit. “I want to wear school colors,” Nickens said.

Since George Mason University’s adventure to the Final Four tournament four years
ago, it has been improving all aspects of life around campus. The changes made to the Green Machine are an example of the direction that Mason is moving towards: bigger and better.

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The above piece was published in Mason Nation: Four Years After Final Four, a magazine released this April documenting and analyzing the university's development since the Patriots' historic run in 2006, aiming to shed light on what's connected to the Cinderella story--and additionally, what's not.

Led by senior history major and Student Media veteran Rachael Dickson, the magazine's other topics include changes in men's basketball to effects on other athletics, and from player profiles of the Final Four team to the rise of the Chesapeake residential neighborhood. Gunston and the pep band also receive shout-outs.