Re: orchestra players in marching band


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Posted by Doug on January 29, 2002 at 22:40:28:

In Reply to: orchestra players in marching band posted by Tom on January 29, 2002 at 14:53:54:

I'll ahve to admit as the local "band geek" at my high school that i enjoy marching band. However, both sides here make some reasonably good arguments and i want to see what i can do to add to this discussion.

First of all, anyone who thinks you cant play well marching has never seen DCI or the Redcoat Band or Ohio state or any of those amrching band that blow your socks off.

If you play a "non marching" instrument and dont want to learn something else in order to march, and you understood going into the program that marching is required, then leave. It might make you mad, but hey, thats life and ive learned quickly in other things that life WILL make you mad and youve gotta deal with it.

Requiring all students to march and then making a special exception NEVER EVER helps the situation. All it leads to is complaining a hurt morale in the rest of the band. Especially if your band is like mine, where maybe 8 people WANT to be there, out of the 25 who care if we're any good, out of 140 marchers. Ive seen quite clearly what special exceptions can cause. (Im a real tightwad about rules: I, as seciton leader have run folks off because they didn't follow the rules. Thankfully our director backed me up)

Like i mentioned in an earlier post, I'm not what you could call an "active" individual. Marching band provides certain physical activity that has kept me from getting TOO large these past four years.

I think marching while playing teaches you just how important your air is, and then once you are in a concert setting you appreciate what you can do even more. I never leaned proper breath support until i was in marching band.

Money does not grow on trees in Georgia (maybe in other places, i dunno). The marching Band provides at least half of the revenue gained from football games, as well as generating a large protion of the band's bank account. Translate: no marching band=no money=no band program.

Some people dont like the sound of marching music. It is a style all its own. (two words: Tom Wallace). But marching music has certain elements not found anywhere else in music, but are equally important in developing as a musician.

Well, I'm sure there's more, but i can't remember it all right now

Doug "BAND GEEK" G


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