Were you ever in marching band? It can be a great time if you like music, and it is a great way to make friends
Yes. I played trumpet. We had a great band teacher. Marching bands have a lot of brass, woodwind and percussion instruments in them most of the time it seems. 
I was never part of marching band but knew a lot of kids who were, I always thought the drums were very cool
Most of them wear military style uniforms with the schools name or symbols, and they are hot if you're outside. 
That does not sound fun, I do not remember uniforms, that would be enough to turn me off form it
rifles, and sabres.
Marching bands are generally categorized by function, size, age, instrumentation, marching style, and type of show they perform. In addition to traditional parade performances, many marching bands also perform field shows at sporting events and at marching band competitions. Increasingly, marching bands perform indoor concerts that implement many songs, traditions, and flair from outside performances. And in some cases, at higher level competitions, bands will be placed into classes based on school size. According to BOA Music For All
pep band is the same as most marching bands, using mainly woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. Pep bands typically don't use primarily orchestral instruments (double reeds, strings, etc.), but this is not a hard set limitation.
Pep bands have been in existence for a very long time, however their origins are vague and hard to find. The concept of pep band most likely sprung from marching band (a band during sporting events with choreography while they play music, normally with uniforms).