Drum Corps : From The Battlefield Of The Football Field

In court music, the violin was a new instrument and was commonly used. Keyboard instruments were also used when it came to court music. It included the instruments like the spinet and the harpsichord. Believe it or not, but in the courts, they would sometimes have groups of people perform almost like an orchestra. Combinations of instruments would be played in front of the court and play certain music for them to impress them (Elizabethan Music, 2015). Court music also included court musicians to help lead the instruments that were being played.

Drummer Boys played a valuable role in the war. They supported the troops by: 1) completing camp chores to free the men for more difficult tasks, and 2) They played duty calls and signals to tell the soldiers what to do during combat and played marching music to boost troop morale. 3) They helped sustain order and discipline. The drummer boys were from the thirteen colonies. They were often enlisted by their parents or if they were a slave by their master. Some slaves volunteered so that they could earn their freedom. The drummer boys also enlisted because they were very patriotic. The age range of the drummer boys was sixteen to twenty although there younger drummers who were twelve to fourteen years old.

Most schools offer a variety of activities, classes, and clubs. I personally was never interested in school or anything to do with it. Then I came across band and was instantly hooked. Band has concerts, marching band, and you get to meet new people. Band is my favorite class and here are some reasons why.

In a marching band, the idea is to utilize copious amounts of micro-organisms and turn them into a singular macro-organism. However, our voices do not become lost in the cacophony of noise, simply strengthened and enforced by the foundation that each section provides to make the larger creation- a show. My understanding of myself became clearer as I learned to give myself to a larger cause without losing myself among the chaos.

Many inspired and encouraged the young boys to join the army as drummer boys. These drummer boys were all under 18 and too young to be considered men, but still members of the army. They were officially said to have never partaken in any battles, but many felt compelled to toward the end of the war as Union soldiers invaded the South (Articles). All young children attended school and were taught to have massive amounts of patriotism by their teachers, being the main reason they were all so eager to take part in the fight

The book Following the Drum Women at the Valley Forge Encampment gave a very good incite to not just what it was like for the men at Valley Forge, but what it was like for the women who were there. “In the winter of 1777-8 at Valley Forge there were about one woman of every forty-four men” (Loane 133). I think book stressed that these women were incredibly helpful in the effort to rebuild this army through the rough winter, no matter what their job were. Although “ Washington did not think much of the women with the army; he once commanded every woman to leave camp, no matter what her contribution or marital state. The General’s unfavorable attitude toward the common camp women did not extend to all women Valley Forge” (4). To me it’s interesting that General Washington said this about the women there, because throughout the book I felt Washington enjoyed the presence of his wife and the other troop’s wives at the encampment.

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.

Many people believe marching band is not a sport because it involves people playing music. Since people are playing music, they think it is more of an art than a sport. It is true that we people in a marching band are playing music, but there is a lot more that they do besides playing music. I have so far participated in marching band for six years, five in middle school and high school and one year in college. Even though not all marching bands compete, it should still be considered a sport for the ones that do.

We march on out to the stadium, the percussion player taps on his snare every so gently, with the flick of his rist he plays a beat and our feet roll in time against the pavement. The band looks uniform, like marching soldiers. People line up against the curb, moving their eyes with our steps, as they bend a curve on their face in joy.

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.

      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

"When you're out there partying, horsing around, someone out there at the same time is working hard. Someone is getting smarter and someone is winning" by Evan killham. I enjoy this quote because it teaches me how to use my time wisely, and to work hard in everything I do.

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.

“Put on a show!” The director’s command echoed across the field as the drum corps began its routine in front of thousands of spectators. What attracts people to be involved in such a demanding and strenuous activity? The concept of drum corps has changed drastically over the last 200 years. Tracing its origins from before the American Revolution through the Civil War and into the modern era, today’s concept of drum corps has evolved from a military necessity to a major form of entertainment.

As a music history major at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance, for the past three years, I have been formulating an interest in the almost undocumented subject of music in relation to the U.S. Revolutionary War. There is little information available on this topic and, in fact, many universities, including Temple University, do not offer undergraduate courses that cover American Music of the Revolutionary War. This period in