Klarinet Archive - Posting 001149.txt from 1998/09

From: "Harlan Landes" <spike@-----.Edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Marching band
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 15:50:26 -0400

To offer another point of view:

Marching band is (read: "can be") about more than music and music education.
To name a few, it's about learning how to work as a unit; learning how to
solve problems creatively; learning how to be a leader in life -- not a
follower; learning how to put together a show involving so many different
aspects; and the great feeling of performance, of course. There's a lot of
learning that can happen in marching band, and it's not all about music.

Of course, when you're in a band that has a great sense of musicality, it's
a plus. And many bands are extremely musical.

And for top level marching bands and drum corps, the shows they can produce
are not only musical, but they are often as moving and emotional as any
symphony orchestra can be, and often moreso because it's on a larger scale.
(I've never heard one orchestra that had a range of dynamics as large as a
better marching band or drum corps, and I'm talking about both ends of the
spectrum.) It can incorporate visual art, dance, music performance, all
while "marching." Quite extraordinary, when it's done right.

Don't sell marching band short -- it can be a great learning experience.

Harlan Landes
Music Educator

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