1. Should high school bands be completely
original, or is okay for them to be themed after University bands and why?
2. Should competition shows differ from your
halftime shows, why?
3. Should all high school bands resists the urge
to crank if they are patterned after a band that does?
4. What makes one style/sound more superior than
the others? (BCU vs. SU)
5. Do you think showbands were created for the
purpose of entertainment or musicality?
6. Should directors that graduate from the SWAC
stop patterning their high school groups off of the University bands, and if
so, what is the suggested format of high school groups?
7. Should high school band directors stop showing
clips of certain bands? It seems like the more my band members watch band
clips, the more they watch JSU , SU and FAMU [surprisingly]
and the more they listen, the more they practice their little hearts out for
that sound . I
encourage my kids though, because hell, if they are off the streets and
actually practicing then hell yeah...go for it...just make sure you play that
45 minute warm up I gave you. (Practicing
whatever is better than no practice at all, but the kids actually do it 20
minutes of lip slurs, priceless).
You know what I tell my kids? "Yeah JSU
sounds great, yeah SU sounds awesome, yeah FAMU sounds amazing...but you know
what? If you want to get into those schools, I need you to learn to count, I
need you to learn how to sight read, I need you to learn your 12 major scales,
36 minor scales, arpeggios, marches and concert music, this marching band music
isn't going to make you a good musician."
You know what? It works!!! They like to crank, and
I love to hear them try, so when it's time to get down...it's time to get down,
when it's war time, the dammit it's BLEEP war time. But hey, when it's concert
season, it's concert season. "Stop playing that BLEEP BLEEP SH77 (MFIN
SH77 ) in my
band hall!"
8. Why, do we crank when we face other bands? All
bands play pretty strong when we face an opposing band, why?
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Replies
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1. if they CAN, then yes I say go right ahead. that will definitely set the apart from any other.
2. Competition shows are for COMPETITION aka the judges approval. Halftime shows are for the crowd's and bandheads' approval
3. Don't resist the urge....if you can't do it cleanly, then by all means yes, resist. Play full and with passion/intensity, but don't just go haywire and sound like fresh bullcrap
4. It's all preference....what I may like and be accustomed to can be eons different than your preferences.
5. They were created to Musically entertain our audience.
6. I think they should use their band that they came from or are accustomed to mold their high school band, if and only if, the high school hasn't had an established tradition of marching style
7. No, it gives them something to strive for. Not saying copy what the college kids are doing, but it can give them motivation to be better musicians and better marching bandsmen
8. Plain and simple, when a band is across the field, its WAR TIME BABY
1.I believe high school bands should be completely original....I understand the band director wanting to use their style when they marched in college, but they should create a style or trademark that maybe, other high schools can see and their directors can use as well...
2.I think that competition shows should be completely different then halftime shows. I remember in high school we had a county exhibition and we performed one of our halftime shows and the next day the county was at our necks saying that the show was raunchy and we did not get invited the next year. You just don't know the type of crowd you will have at competitions. I agree with TBone.....competition shows are for the judges approval...
3. This is kinda confusing....if a hs band is patterned after a college band then yes it is expected, but if it sounds bad then cut back, you will sound much better in tune at a medium volume then straight crankage....
4. It all depends on your preference of sound and bands you like to hear. I like to listen to SU play, but at times they can be overboard and out of tune. I also like to listen to FAMU play but at times they can be boring with the song selection....its really what ur prefer...
5.Showbands were created to entertain the people....
6. Same as TBone's response
7. They should continue showing clips but the directors need to make sure the kids know their scales, counting, playing in tune, and sight reading. They also need to let them know that its not all about cranking too....
8. The other bands are part motivation,also the schools may be rivals whether it be in sports or band....