Klarinet Archive - Posting 000830.txt from 1997/08

From: Jacqueline Eastwood <eastwooj@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Marching Band
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 1997 18:58:54 -0400

On Mon, 18 Aug 1997, Roger Garrett wrote:

> 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
>
>
I agree -- being a staff member at the School of Music here, this week I
have been subjected to "Marching Band Camp" taking place in our building.
Maybe drill shows are visually exciting, but as far as musicality goes,
they are sheer volume and not much else. Perhaps Marching Band is a fun
social outlet, but don't try to equate it with a *musical* performing
ensemble.

My favorite part of this whole nightmare is when the drumline begins to
practice in our large performance hall, which happens to be right outside
the main office.....remember the song that goes "I don't wanna work; I
just wanna bang on the drum all day"? Well, SOME OF US HAVE WORK TO DO!!
(Sorry to have to shout over all that noise...)

BTW, this group gets about 5 times the funding that any other area in our
department does...

Jacqueline Eastwood
University of Arizona/Arizona Opera Orchestra
eastwooj@-----.edu