Klarinet Archive - Posting 000038.txt from 1998/03

From: DEvans6896 <DEvans6896@-----.com>
Subj: Re: marching band
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 07:06:12 -0500

Marching Band is a sport, and a darned expensive one at that. A town adjacent
to mine has been stste Champions a couple of times in their class. Being
retired from a different industry, I became a charter bus-driver. Since I'm
also a musician I was offered the "trip" to take this band to some of their
competitions.

My impression was that there was not a lot of real musical ability in many of
the players. There was a lot of "team" spirit, obviously a lot of work and
time spent learning the moves: more-so than learning the notes in some cases.
But what really impressed me was the incredible amount of taxpayer's money it
takes to put this "show" on the field. Between uniforms, Instruments, Flags,
costumes, and chartered transportation, a LOT of money has been spent. The big
concern among the kids and many of the parents is to bring home the trophies.

Yes, disciplines are being learned, but at what price. And don't confuse it
with music. I know all the kids and the parents of those kids think it's worth
it. But to me, it's a very small step from a Drum& Bungle Corp. Just my
opinion.
Dave