Klarinet Archive - Posting 000950.txt from 1997/04

From: Dennis J McLoughlin <dmclough@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: marching bands (fwd)
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 15:38:43 -0400

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 03:57:39 -0400 (EDT)
From: Anne P Curley <acurley1@-----.edu>
Subject: Re: marching bands (fwd)

YEAH!!!!! Baldwinsville!!!! I graduated from there in 1994 and was in
marching band for one year, unfortunetly I'm a bassoon player and I had to
march on tenor sax and hated it, thus ended my marching career.
Anne Curley

On Wed, 30 Apr 1997, Dennis J McLoughlin wrote:

>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Tue, 29 Apr 1997 17:29:26 -0400 (EDT)
> From: AnneVacca@-----.com
> Reply-To: klarinet@-----.us
> To: klarinet@-----.us
> Subject: Re: marching bands
>
> Well I have worked with the Baldwinsville, NY marching band for the past two
> seasons. After reading many trashings of marching bands, I have decided to
> write out in defense of the program.
> In Baldwinsville, Marching band is an extra currculiar activity- it is
> treated like a sport. The rehearsals are all after school. The marching
> band is open to any instrumentalists in grades 8-12. In fact, this year
> during band camp, we had a walk on! This person had come to some rehearsals
> to watch his friends and decided that he wanted to join. He performed with
> the pit. (he had never played an instrument before)
> During the school day, the kids are in regular concert band. They do not do
> marching band music during the day. In fact, not everyone in the HS band is
> even in the marching band. The marching band was not very large about 70
> kids total, but the kids were really willing to perform well and play
> musically for the various judges. The kids were willing to work hard in
> rehearsals. We spent time on intonation, dynamics, phrasing & musicality.
> How many people do you know that would be willing to practice drill & music
> in all weather conditions?? (At least we didn't have any snow this fall!!!)
> : )
> All of the clarinet players used school clarinets. They were plastic. That
> way the kids did not have to bring their good clarinets outside in the rain
> and hot heat of August's band camp. As for biting down and using too much
> pressure, much of that can be allievated of the kids are marching correctly.
> If they are rolling their feet properly, the clarinet won't be bouncing
> around in their mouth and they won't have to bite down to hold it in place.
> It's all in the fundamentals. In fact, the new kids don't even march with
> their instruments until the second or third practice.
> I think that marching bands vary depending on where you are located in the
> United States. In some schools, the marching band may be the only thing that
> happens for 3 or 4 months of the school year. But that is not true
> everywhere. In Baldwinsville, the importance is with the concert band.
> Marching band is just an extra, that does provide some positive publicity
> for the school's music program.
>
> Anne Vacca
>
>
>

"A child without courage is like a night without stars, Hum HAHAHAHA"
-Punjab