Klarinet Archive - Posting 000228.txt from 2002/10

From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Marching band --- not what I expected
Date: Sun, 6 Oct 2002 12:14:04 -0400

Aside from Frederick Fennel's influence
with his concept of the wind ensemble,
DCI is the other influence that has had
the most impact on public school band
programs. In short, this influence has
not, in my opinion, been good for
instrumental music education. DCI is all
about show, entertainment and visual
effects. The influence has been very
detrimental to developing BALANCED band
programs. It is interesting that this
subject should show up, of all places,
on a clarinet list serve group. DCI has
made playing brass even more popular and
clarinet less popular. We could also
mention that all woodwind pursuit has
taken it in the shorts when the band
directors' emphasis is
disproportionately spent developing a
DCI group at the expense of having a
balanced wind band and concert band program.

Watching DCI competition might be fun
and entertaining, but it ain't what
music education should be all about.

Karl Krelove wrote:

>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: William Wright [mailto:w9wright@-----.net]
>>
>>First of all, the competition did not include even one Sousa march or
>>football fight song. One of the winning bands (they won every award in
>>their class, a clean sweep) performed a "Flamenco Suite For Marching
>>Band", and they were accompanied by a flamenco vocal and two flamenco
>>dancers. Other bands played opera overtures, symphonic and ballet
>>excerpts, and the sort of music that you'd expect to hear at a "pops
>>orchestra" concert.
>>
>>The show included an extended French horn solo, several flute solos,
>>several trumpet solos, and a very strong clarinet solo that never left
>>the chalumeau register but maintained concert quality tone throughout
>>and ranged from 'fff' to 'ppp' without wavering or going flat (or
>>sharp).
>>
>>
>
> But here's my problem with all of the arguments that, essentially, offer
> these kinds of exhibitions up as proof that marching band can provide
> rewarding musical experiences. Was there anything in the musical content
> that you heard (and found so impressive) that couldn't have been done at
> least as well in an indoor venue or, at least, on an outdoor stage with
> creature comforts like chairs and some degree of acoustical support? That
> marching bands can approach concert groups in precision of execution and
> range of repertoire doesn't, in my own view of things, improve the logic of
> making them the central focus of a great many high school (and probably
> college) instrumental music programs for nearly half the school year. It is
> the stranglehold retained by marching activities on school music programs,
> not the character of marching competitions and exhibitions themselves, that
> causes a great deal of the "I hate marching band" syndrome you hear popping
> out so often.
>
> The participants in CDI competition are, presumably, involved because they
> enjoy doing what they are doing. Many students in school marching band
> programs have either been conscripted because marching is required for
> participation in the rest of the program, or they've been bribed (at the
> college level) by stipends that approach making the activity a salaried
> position. My question, as an educator dealing with marching band as an
> essential part of the school music program, is whether or not the students
> actually get *more* in musical terms from the marching band than they would
> from a concert ensemble, given the same rehearsal and performance schedule
> and financial resources for equipment. Or, put another way, do the marching
> and the stadium contribute anything *musical* to the experience of playing
> all that music you've described?
>
> Karl Krelove
>
>
>
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