Klarinet Archive - Posting 000894.txt from 1997/04

From: "Lisa K. Clayton" <clayton@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: marching bands
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 14:23:14 -0400

<snipped>
>Btw, we don't do stupid things like playing outdoors in the cold or the
>rain. Also we put a lot of effort into tuning and, contrarily to many
>marching bands, into playing SOFTLY. We also teach instrument care and
>minor repair.

This is what I think separates the GREAT marching bands from
the mediocre ones. I didn't have very good marching directors in
high school save one, and her greatest gift to us was the fact
thatshe emphasized intonation and musicianship, and she made damn
sure that the dynamics were paid attention to. When we'd
compete we'd get average marks for marching skills, but
boy-howdy, we were damn near perfect in music. It was the
only time in my marching life that the clarinets could be
heard, and not because the altissimo notes were a quarter-tone
sharper than the rest of the band. So it is possible, if rare,
to find a marching band that can teach you about music.

------ Lisa K. Canjura-Clayton * clayton@-----.edu
/ http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~clayton * http://www.jonsimsctr.org
/ "Sex education causes pregnancy the way driver's education causes
/ accidents" -- Mike Peters