Klarinet Archive - Posting 000909.txt from 1999/07

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] school music programs(kinda defending corps too)
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 20:02:46 -0400

At 04:40 PM 7/24/1999 -0500, Roger Garrett wrote:
>Is it listed in the time schedule as marching band or as band? If the
>latter, than it is not mandatory by the curriculum - just by the director.
>If it is the former and it is in lieu of the concert program - this is a
>deficient program curricularly.
>
And just how else would you do it, when you are the sole band director in a
small school in charge of both high school and junior high bands, and the
administration, school board, athletic department, etc., insist that you
have a marching band? I'm sure there are large, rich schools out there
with multiple directors who can field marching and concert bands at the
same time, and I envy them. But I have never seen one. If the director
has the time and resources to do only ONE band in the fall, facing the
above listed pressures, he can either do marching band or they will find
someone else who will. Does that make the curriculum deficient? Maybe, if
you are teaching in a performing arts academy devoted to turning out
symphony musicians. Otherwise, you are doing the best you can to produce
the maximum benefit for the maximum number of people while retaining your job.

>Competition with a marching band is unecessary. It is a tool or a crux
>used by music teachers who strive to earn a tropy rather than teach their
>students the fundamentals of music. Very few programs do both well
>(although there are a few - Marion Catholic, Sam Barlow, etc.) - and most
>great marching programs who win trophies have very few good musicians in
>the ensemble. I deal with those when they get to my school, and I have
>good friends throughout the nation who say the same thing. Sorry - these
>are facts.
>
I'm not much of a fan of ANY band competition, marching or otherwise. I
think bands should, instead of preparing endlessly for one single
competition performance, rehearse and perform completely different
concerts/shows as often as the availability of a stage/football field will
allow! One local school district, a fairly affluent one with two high
schools, does not participate in competitions, but fields fine marching
bands anyway. The hold an invitational exhibition each fall where bands
perform for stands full of people (not a football in sight!) and receive
critiques from judges, but no grades.

>
>>I marched in junior high, high school, and college. I liked it most of
>>the time; it helped pay my way through college; and it didn't keep me
>>from practicing the "real music." I traveled to places I never would have
>>gone otherwise, and I cherish all those experiences. I also met my
>>husband there, and we now have two marching daughters--one goes off to
>>high school band camp tomorrow; the other goes to college band camp next
>>month on band, music department, and academic scholarships.
>
>You were a lucky person. Great you had the experience! However, that
>isn't what I perceive the list to be discussing.
>
Actually, this is EXACTLY what the list is discussing, as I see it.
Marching band is not the world's greatest good; neither is it, except in
the wrong hands, an evil in and of itself. Many of us have had very
positive marching band experiences, recognize marching band for what it is,
appreciate that, and would like to respectfully suggest, to those who
insist that only the development of more symphony-calibre clarinetists to
compete for the few potential openings is important, that they back off!
As you said yourself in an earlier part of your post:

Then there are some who recognize its value for what it is, but also
recognize it is not a great way to learn music. They tend to believe that,
if properly done and balanced with a strong music learning curriculum, MB
is a good, healthy event. I also fall into this category.

Also:

There are some who just know it was a warm fuzzy for them when they came
through school and that it does address some issues of human development
(not necessarily musical).

Even though the musical value of marching band can be questioned, the
overall value is frequently great. Let's just leave it at that. Besides,
how many of those people in the stands at halftime have ever even HEARD
"Carmina Burana" much less SPELLED it? The exposure to even an arranged
and choreographed version is better than no exposure at all!

Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
Essexville, MI 48732 http://members.wbs.net/homepages/z/o/o/zoot14.html
ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.

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