Klarinet Archive - Posting 000784.txt from 1997/08

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Marching Band
Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 23:09:08 -0400

Marching band is designed to:

a) entertain the home crowd at football games (rare)
b) provide an avenue for the band director to showcase his band to
parents, community and judges who might give him a trophy
c) prove (by way of a 3rd place trophy or honorable mention) that his band
is really worth keeping in the program
d) provide PE credit
e) keep students who might otherwise quit band in the program in order to
give them purpuse (non-musical) and social opportunities. As Revelli
once said, kids join band to ride a bus!
f) support the athletic teams
g) prepare the band for pep band...which still supports the basketball
team.
h) provide secondary incomes for computer whizes and coreographers in
terms of show design.
i) provide leadership skills for students who may not have great musical
skills.

These are just a few ideas. Basically, marching band is fun for the
student who may not be athletic but craves a social outlet. It also
provides opportunity to become a leader in an area that the student may
not excell musically. BUT - it is not a musical outlet....that is...it
does not teach: creativity, aesthetic apreciation, spontaneous
expression, etc. And...if advanced students get unhappy with the
monotonous, continuous, never-ending rehearsals that just repeat the same
old drudgery...no wonder they can't stand being in the marching band.

RGarrett