Denver Citywide Marching Band Analysis

This can be seen in the small town of Lapel, Indiana. When Nicole Flora, a member of the Lapel High School Marching Band and the Lapel Concert Band, was interviewed about her experiences with Lapel’s arts education program, she said that Lapel has a strong, long-standing arts program and that it unites their community (Flora). The community of Lapel takes much pride in their show choir and bands, resulting in much support for the musical groups. In one instance, Flora was in a marching band show performing at the Indiana State Fair Band Day. The crowd began cheering as soon as Lapel’s name was announced, even before the band took their place on the field. The cheering only got louder as the show went on, especially during the famous Lapel Funky Chicken dance step that is the band’s traditional exit (Flora). Not only does this unwavering encouragement instill a sense of pride in the students associated with such a unified and supported group, it strengthens the community as a whole.

Amanda Ard, freshman, is involved in the Red White Brigade band at Fort Osage High School. She plays the clarinet, and has been in band for four years. During her eighth grade school year, she got to participate in two festivals, one held at Blue Springs South and one held at Worlds of Fun. “It’s kind of nerve wracking because there are a lot of people and schools, and you don't get to see the judges, but I can shut them out. Being with the team and knowing we’ll do good helps,” says Ard.

In 1995, DSU’s band traveled to England to perform for the Queen and the people of England for the New Years day parade. It was a wonderful performance to be remembered forever. Since then, the band has performed at many more major venues across the world. They performed in the inaugural parade for President Barack Obama, as well as the MLK parade. The band is conducted by band director Randolph J. Johnson. Mr. Johnson is 61 years old and has 13 years of experience as a college band director as well as 11 years as a high school band director. He has lead the band through many great performances.

The Evergreen Marching Band and Colorguard (EMBC) has stewed in accomplishment, success, and hard work, for more than two decades. People don’t know, that we 're not just a normal halftime marching band--we are a competitive marching band. Like any football, drill, or soccer team, EMBC strives to compete amongst the greats. For a couple decades, EMBC has marched to success and we don 't want to stop now; however, the competitive program was close to being slashed this year, due to lack of funds. Students and parents raged at the thought of no competitive season. Competing is the best part for everyone in this program. If we lost that it wouldn’t be as much fun. We were so far in debt that if we couldn 't raise enough money, it would 've been game over.

While participating in marching band, I have also gained many new experiences, friendships, principles, and musician skills. Deciphering music can be a challenge year to year, and each year the music has continued to expand my capabilities as a musician. Apart from the musical component, marching band has taught me true meaning of teamwork to achieve a common goal. Specifically during the last marching season, I learned the importance of

The achievements of the Edgewood drum line has lead my transition from childhood to adulthood in many ways. My director has shown me how to be not only a good percussionist, but also a good leader. From these leadership qualities, I was able to lead our drum line to success in 2016. The the indoor drum line finals at the MEPA finals in 2016 where the Edgewood Drumline was awarded first place for our performance. This accomplishment was many years in development after getting third and second place for 3 years in a row. This achievement meant a lot to me and my peers at Edgewood, as it is one of the most major endeavors that Edgewood's music department has accomplished.

      Let me take you back to the good old days of high school; Going to the football games, also known as “Friday Night Lights”, were a hit. Watching the football team either win or lose, listening to the marching band play your favorite songs just transposed into a band version. But do you remember when the marching band performed during halftime, or were you too busy talking to your friends, or not even caring and just want the football team to get back to the field? Not a lot of people actually pay attention to how hard the marching band works to put on a show at halftime. Barely anyone notices how hard the band has to work to get and eight and a half  minute show onto the field. Adding in the percussion, color guard and the props is a lot of work that

In a small recreational center in Charlotte, North Carolina came together a group of individuals with immense talent. These accomplished individuals not only shared a love for the performing arts, but a profound love for their grieving community. The Listen Up! semi-annual showcase was put together in the wake of the Keith Lamont Scott incident which shook up the Charlotte community. Tyrone Jones and the Charlotte Symphony wanted to give the people an outlet for expressing their emotions about current events, and so, they put together the Listen Up! showcase. Expertly crafted, Tyrone Jones and the Charlotte Symphony were profoundly effective at blending various forms of performing arts into one cohesive show that addressed current events,

It was a misty day on the way to contest. What seemed like an average day for the Davis Marching band would turn into a spoopy tragedy. Almost all quiet, upon the band bus that early morning. Not an instrument was tuning, not even Issac was listening to music. (As he usually was) Meanwhile, those in the back laughed and chatted all the way to the Marching contest at ECU, while others kept to themselves with music or low conversations. Then all of a sudden on their ride, the bus was filled with screams of the name “MATT!” in the of a Broken Bow bus; which had the memorable Matt inside. Though all the other Broken Bowians were in confusion, Matt was in utter joy while smiling at Ben.

I started playing the marching baritone my freshman year of high school and it has been the symbol for a lot of the change that has happened since. I’d played the trombone all through middle school and switching to the baritone meant I almost had to relearn a new instrument. It was heavy, awkward, and I was the only girl who played it, so I almost felt like I wanted to prove myself in a way. But along with the baritone came the whole concept of the marching band and all of the commitments that came with it. Everyone was so outgoing and social that it almost became stressful for me. I was known for my shyness and always being quiet around people, so an environment like that was not exactly my preferred place to be. But, I soon found that it

“In the Marching Band and Proud of It” by Debra Nussbaum followed the story of the marching band from Pennsbury High School in Philadelphia. In the second paragraph, Nussbaum claimed that band can be “cool”. Marching bands travel across the US, are becoming increasingly competitive, and perform more interesting shows. The Pennsbury marching band has a respected reputation in the school because they gain national recognition and have a certain prestige within the school. The prevalence of band is growing as the number of band directors and sales of sheet music grows. The author states that the prevalence of band is growing, too. Many students are involved in multiple activities while also participating in marching band. The music the band

All I have lived for this autumn was watching you grow in ways that nobody had ever expected. You may never understand how many expectations you surpassed or how many limits you broke. You grabbed each possibility for success by its handle and ran with them. As you look back on these past six months, I hope you realize your hard work was appreciated. All the blood, sweat, frustration, joy, and tears that were poured into every rehearsal, competition, and after hours have made this program into what it is. Without your dedication, sassy remarks, and strong leadership, the Alta Marching Band would not be what it is.

This year, Harrisburg High School’s Marching Band put on a spectacular performance of “Rain.” They preformed at six different competitions and at

Sophomore year of marching came. This year was a surprise for everyone. With our show being named ‘Masterminder.’ The band members marching were under control by the color guard soloist; the puppeteer. This show was pretty exciting, too. The judges also thought that. We made it past regionals AND semi-state. What? Yeah, we all thought the same thing. We had made it. We had FINALLY made it after so many years of just trying to get past regionals for once. It was a bitter-sweet feeling waiting for placement awards at Lucas Oil Stadium. The instructors went around to each band student one by one. The congratulated us on an amazing season. I started tearing up, but that isn’t surprising. As we marched our way out of Lucas Oil Stadium that night, I knew that this was only the beginning of a new generation for the Marching Marksmen.

Previously in the year, it was typical for me just write what is on my mind at the time and later go back and organize it. This paper is a stupendous presentation of that obsolete format. It was common for me to leap from one paragraph to another without soundly blending my ideas into the narrative. Despite this, however, many outstanding developments appeared in this essay. This was the essay that helped me further develop my ability to write sensory details, which immediately shows itself in the introduction: “Lights blare down from above. To my left, I can see the crowd cheering as the previous band charges off the field, and we prepare our grand entrance” ( 1). I also highlighted the negative aspects of the band, such as leadership problems: “Aside from inexperienced and uncaring managers, some people are just wholly opposed to taking orders from their peers. This causes an avalanche of tension between them and their section. Arguments will typically break out as to who is right and who is wrong-- especially during marching season ( 3).” Each paragraph, despite flowing strangely, outlined a specific aspect of the band in increasingly detailed methods. One section describes the methods band members use to communicate with one another while another tells of its hierarchy. Overall, this paper, despite its shortcomings, laid the base for which I would later improve upon in following essays.