 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: William
Date: 2011-07-08 15:12
Welcome to the state of our nations economy. School music programs throughout our nation know the feeling of cut budgets, reduced classtime and music staff reductions. Let us all hope that our national bands like the Presidents Own do not have to resort to holding bake sales, car washes, or sponsering fund raisers to pay for instrument upkeep, new music and transportation costs.
Imagine the Pentagon having to sell a stealth bomber to repair their roof....
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2011-07-08 18:16
Cut the music programs but increase the budget for war by US$17 billion (c.f. House bill passed today). Great. I thought about digging out my 1960s-era button that says, "What If They Gave A War and Nobody Came?" but the human race has got way too many killer ape chromosomes swimming around in the gene pool to make that sentiment even vaguely realistic.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2011-07-08 19:03
This is a cut of the band expenditures from last year by ONE THIRD. Trimming the "waist-line" is one thing but this seems to be the first salvo in getting rid of the band program entirely.
Besides the ridiculous obsession over holding bands up as wasteful spending there is NO mention of the fact that BESIDES the D.C. bands, many of us actually deploy and do soldierly things in Iraq and Afghanistan. I personally know five members who earned Combat Arms Badges for receiving enemy fire in an armored convoy. Pincus doesn't seem to mention these folks in any of his articles.......... sad.
.................Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2011-07-08 21:49
On the one hand, the military bands cost a miniscule amount compared to the real big-ticket items in the budget. This threat is just another effort to pick the low-hanging fruit while ignoring the real (and difficult) issues.
On the other hand, despite my own musical inclinations and all the friends and acquaintances I have that formerly or currently play in the military music world, I personally don't believe that eliminating the military bands will make much difference to anyone, except to the players themselves. If they want to keep playing, they can just get out there and scrape for the few civilian opportunities to perform, just like I've been doing all my life.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: FDF
Date: 2011-07-08 22:29
I don't agree. As an ex-infantryman, I can say that hearing the bands play at ceremonies and at bases when we shipped in was part of what made me proud to be in the Army. Keep the bands. Oh, anybody remember Glenn Miller?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Blake Arrington
Date: 2011-07-17 00:11
Please note, the USAF Band did NOT go to Japan last year. Believe, I would have been there.
Thanks,
Blake
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarinetist04
Date: 2011-07-17 16:47
I have a hard time believing that they would entirely cut the military band/music programs. But yes, it is easier for the president and congress to say, "Cut the bands!" then to say, "Reform social security!" Likely, though, they'd say neither and do the former. It is sad.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mary Jo
Date: 2011-07-18 02:19
If they cut the military bands, it will help fund new health programs, like the one to remove obese children from their families and give them foster parents who will feed them right.
In the past, young'uns joined the army, where they marched to military band music and ate a diet of chow hall food to trim down to healthy weights.
Me, I marched with them and I know it's a mistake taking away military bands. That music they play helps build the kind of citizens our country needs.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
