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Date Posted: 11:43:59 04/19/07 Thu
Author: Chad B
Subject: If You Had A Marching Band...
...would you prefer it to be a competitive or just for "show?" For example, would you rather have a marching band program that is more strict, focusing on precision and discipline for the purpose of competition, or have a program more laid back and focused on playing, generally, more contemporary themes and performing for local events? Each have their merits and prove to be a great deal of fun for students. Which would you prefer and why?
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Re: If You Had A Marching Band... -- Beth G., 14:23:42 04/21/07 Sat [1]
If I had a marching band, it wouldn't matter to me what type. It all depends on the students. If they are a bunch of kids who are very focused on just marching band, have some talent, and are willing to put in the time I would try out competing. But if they were more focused on their other sports like football, then I would stick to just a show band where I think it requires less time for the students so they can participate in other things as well as band.
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Re: If You Had A Marching Band... -- Nickie, 20:18:16 04/24/07 Tue [1]
I agree with Beth. I also think it depends on the school-- for example, if you're teaching at a small school, it might be difficult to get enough students to even HAVE a marching band, let alone have one that's focused and disciplined enough to be competitive. Also something to think about... it depends on the football team! Is the school more focused on music or football? This will influence the decision about the marching band.
Well, that's my opinion for whatever it's worth... and it's probably not worth a lot considering I know very little about marching band!! :o)
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Re: If You Had A Marching Band... -- Amanda M., 18:03:25 04/25/07 Wed [1]
I think that I would leave it up to the students whether they wanted to be competitive or entertainment; not by actually voting but by how they respond to certain stimuli. If there is a lot of talent and dedication, then perhaps competition should be tried, but not half-heartedly. I came from a small school that did not have a "real" marching band, but we marched for fun in a couple of parades. That in itself was enjoyable.
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Re: If You Had A Marching Band... -- Jayme Orians, 08:51:05 05/02/07 Wed [1]
If I had a marching band I would focus heavily on precision and the look of the ensamble. I would want really flashy movments and tight formations. I feel it shows off the band more to be precise and playing comes into play as well. I would only choose music that I felt my band could play well and still be able to perform agressive drills.
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Re: If You Had A Marching Band... -- Amanda Jasko, 17:58:29 05/08/07 Tue [1]
I think that it depends on the school and on the students. At smaller schools, it is harder to get funding for things like that, and so it would be all for entertainment. I think at a bigger school it would be up to the students whether or not they wanted to compete, and I would cater the program to that.
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Re: If You Had A Marching Band... -- Brian B, 18:11:52 05/08/07 Tue [1]
Both Beth and Nickie have a great point, it all depends on the students and the schools needs. I came from a school that had NO football program, the only kind of marching we did was during the halloween parade. We had no chance getting into competative marching because there was no outlet for our band. However, probably one of the only reasons I can play a french horn with any bit of skill and enjoy it was the fact that we had a pep band for our home basketball games. Looking back I wish we could have done mroe because there was a real possibility that I could be much better skilled at french horn had any of our instrumental sections been taken seriously.
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Re: If You Had A Marching Band... -- Chris Beach, 09:43:27 01/27/08 Sun [1]
I also believe that the type of Band that is desired depends on the school. Generally, bigger schools have more opportunities than smaller schools. In my High School, we focused on precision, however we were more contemporary style based, but never really competed for anything. Coming from the spectator view, they just want to see a good band that knows what they are doing, and to hear the music. They do not want to see a sloppy band that plays excellent music, and they do not want to see an out-of-tune, that marches excellently in line. They want to see a band that has the grasp of what they are doing, and be able to know that the band has a chance for improvement, which is what any ensemble can wish for.
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Re: If You Had A Marching Band... -- Nikki M, 16:51:23 01/28/08 Mon [1]
I definately think there are many things that should be taken into consideration here. First of all, the size of the ensemble obviously will be a factor in determining opportunities for the ensemble. Along with this comes instrumentation. I came from a marching band of approximately 55 members, grades 8-12, including color guard. We had 10 percussionists, 8 trumpets, and about 3 low brass TOTAL. Obviously in our situation, we were not going to be able to compete seriously. Our band director did everything that he could to accomodate our size and instrumentation, and focused more on the sound and the entertainment factor. He made sure we sounded good AND looked sharp, and all music was memorized with no exceptions. The crowd complimented us during and after almost every game.
There is also the problem in small band programs of those students who just take it for an easy A and couldn't care less about the ensemble, and won't cooperate no matter what's at stake. With students like this, competition preparation is even more difficult to achieve. If you have a band program in a huge school, you could require auditions for a competition band, ensuring that all students would be willing to put in the time and effort.
Although it would have been awesome to be a precision-oriented competition band, it just isn't an option for most small schools with little funding and limited resources. I think everything depends on the school system, the funding, the opportunities, and the students themselves.
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Re: If You Had A Marching Band... -- Jeremy Bowersox, 16:36:18 01/28/08 Mon [1]
I think that I would rather have a competitive marching program, mostly because that is the type of program that I came from. However I also agree that your program should also depend on the type of students that you have to work with.
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Re: If You Had A Marching Band... -- Allison, 08:31:35 01/29/08 Tue [1]
I would love to have a show band! I was part of one in high school and absolutely loved it! I think that it is more entertaining to watch a show band, and while yes competitions are fun and exciting, the main purpose in my eyes for a marching band is to entertain the audience. Another thing, the show style band, especially the dance band, seems to be a dieing breed. Very rarely to I see a true dance show band anymore, or at least one that is good. It takes a lot of work to do all the extra little things in shows and parade cadences, but in my mind it would totally be worth it.
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Re: If You Had A Marching Band... -- Aimee L., 08:55:32 01/29/08 Tue [1]
While I'm a choral emphasis, I would prefer to have an ensemble that was capable of performing in shows. I know that personally I love watching bands at various shows, especially marching bands. Also, going to shows would give the students more views and give yourself new ideas for songs, formations, etc.
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Re: If You Had A Marching Band... -- Jeremy Bowersox, 15:39:37 01/30/08 Wed [1]
Well, I have to disagree. The purpose of a marching band is not only to entertain an audience. It should be used as an educational experience before it is used as an entertainment experience for others. Just my personal oppinion.
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