What is your stereotypical marching band geek? Weak, thin, and clumsy, having broken glasses and always seem to be holding their instrument? Well if you think that, then you are probably right. Many band kids seem to appear that way to the general public, but if you take a more in depth look at your band kids, it may surprise you what you will actually see. What even is marching band? Marching Band, as described by Merriam-Webster's Dictionary as ¨a group of musicians who play instruments while marching together at a parade or sports event" is much more then that definition. There are many more types of marching band then a typical football halftime show. Parade marching, are bands who will march in parades (duh) generally down the …show more content…
Being beautiful and athletic are not mutually exclusive, in fact, in our modern society if you are not athletic and fit, you are not seen as beautiful. So why can they not be put together? Or can they? Is Marching Band an Art? According to a poll sent out to a group of 10th grade students at Elk River High School asking if Marching Band is seen as a Sport, Art, or Both, 47.6% said they would only consider it an Art. So is it an art? Marching Band is an Art. This is true. Much time goes into making a show, and getting every detail and set practiced to perfection. A Marching Band's main goal is to provide entertainment to the people who choose to watch them, through the combination of peppy music and jaw dropping drill sets to get the crowd going. Or is it a sport? But could it not be considered a sport as well? In the same poll given out to 100 10th grade students at Elk River High School, 71% said they had seen a marching band, 44% said it could be considered as both a sport and art, but only 2.9% considered it just a sport. Does
Marching band is a social and collaborative effort at its core. As fun as it would be, a one-person marching band would consist of an exhausted player trying to trapeze across a football field carrying a bass drum, trumpet, tuba, snare drum, flute, bells, and cymbals in a contraption reminiscent of the life-draining machine in The Princess Bride. Every time I walk onto the grass in front of a crowd of semi-apathetic high school students and devoted band parents, pushing an array of wooden blocks and twine sticks, I realize how much of band is a group effort. I have no ability to march or play a brass instrument, which is where marching band started. I cannot throw a flag and guarantee that it won't hit A: myself, B: someone else, or C:
Marching band is hands down one of the biggest influences in my life. It has only impacted me in a positive way. From friendships that I know will last a lifetime to experiences i could never forget. My junior year in band I was baritone section leader and my senior year I was low brass section leader and brass horn sergeant. Having to be the leader of 60+ people has really
Even though the process of writing was long and difficult, I am really happy with how it all came together and how much it has evolved from the beginning. Being in a marching band is about more than just playing music in a large group or building life-long bonds and friendships. It is also about the way of life for many people who have dedicated hours and hours of practice and exercise to ensure their performances are perfect. Marching bands are a part of life where many good or even bad things can happen. It's where you experience new things and maybe even emotional feelings.
To me, the sky-high levels of devotion, energy, focus, motivation, coordination, and difficulty are not the reasons this sport is my favorite--they’re simply added bonuses. I love this sport because it is not a mainstream activity and many people laugh at any attempt to call it a sport, especially high school students. They have no idea how much effort, dedication, and motivation go into being part of a marching band and they
We have been in band since the fifth grade and gained a tremendous amount of music knowledge. In the middle school years we sought out more experience by starting a jazz ensemble. After middle school, We joined all aspects of band and participated in every event possible. Through our three years of marching experience we led the our respective sections. We focused on making sure our rows and lines were straight. Keeping in step was also a very important
The definition of a sport is “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.” According to that description, marching band should technically be considered a sport (Bielewicz). When a person thinks of sports, marching band is not the first
Marching band was one of the most difficult/challenging activity systems that I have ever done in my life. But at the same time it was an inspirational and motivating aspect of my life. The very first thing it taught me was the definition of hard work. This was because I spent hundreds of hours to my dedication and devotion to band marching around the field in the hot sun every day. Even though there were times when I wanted to quit; one such instance was when we were out performed by another school, other times it was becuase of the teacher being a little too hard on me when I first started. Despite setbacks such as these, I had an ardent attraction to marching band, mainly because in middle school I was a part of concert band, which made me love music. The biggest, reason why I chose to do marching band, aside from my enjoyment of music, was because towards the end of my eighth grade year my middle school band director told us about a huge opportunity that we had coming up to become a part of the high school across the street marching band. They were called the Titan Regiment. She told us the difference between concert and
“Drum major is your band ready?” if you haven’t heard this you must not be in marching band, and you most definitely haven’t lived in the color of music. Music has brought color in my life like you wouldn’t believe! I finally realized this at state. Crowds roaring for their home band, band moms screaming their lungs out for their kids, it’s where everyone gets to participate no matter how good you are, and you finally find meaning through music. Yeah it’s pretty great, and I’ll share my wonderful experience with you.
Marching band is considered to have a part within popular culture for many reasons. Mostly for the music and formations during performances. Other reasons may be branches of these two ideas such as dancing, singing, advertising their band and many more. Marching bands started off with classical music and at colleges, they would mostly perform their alma mater and their school’s fight song.
NO! Marching band is not easy. There are many things you have to do for like: Band camp, Multitasking, Teamwork, and ECT. There are at least 13 reasons why marching band is not easy. I Believe that marching band can get easier in time but at the beginning, it's tough and very hard.
But for some reason or another, it isn’t considered a sport. Watching from the stands, a marching band in performance doesn’t seem to be doing that much work. But it takes a lot to perform a show that may be up to twelve minutes long, while marching in time, and playing an instrument,
Some will say that the primary focus in a marching band is the music, which would be considered a performance or art. Others will ask why marching band is not in the Olympics if it is deemed a sport? Most people would even assume marching band requires no physical strength at all. However, most people are not accustomed to marching band. The majority of the people who do not believe marching band is a sport are the ones who have never played an instrument. Playing a sport, such as football or soccer, is more common because marching band requires two sets of skills which most people do not have, which is playing music and marching. As a result of most people never being in a marching band before, they tend not to realize that a marching band requires: competitions, physical exercise, and discipline. If an activity uses those particular set of skills, then the activity, such as marching band, is considered a
A Drum Major is someone dedicated to the music program in all of its aspects. Marching Band must be that person’s number one priority outside of school and their core values(family, religion, etc.). A Drum Major has leadership abilities and is able to work well with others and is able to convey the needs of the Band Director on the field. Communication is key as leadership are the ones keeping the flow of information within the
I have grown up in a family where music is a very important part of our lives, but I only really became interested in march music and marching band at the beginning of my freshman year. The different style of music, directing, and marching in general, was all very new to me and it was also very interesting. I still enjoy putting on marching band shows at football games and competitions, as well as playing march-style music for concert band. One very well-known person who influenced marching band and its music is John Philip Sousa. Because of his involvement with theater orchestras, the Marine Band, and eventually his own band, John Philip Sousa composed many famous marches, along with other music, and took the Marine Band to new heights, earning him the title “The March King.”
However, people argue that marching band is not a sport. What is a sport? According to Wood the definition of a sport involves physical activity and skill where an individual/team competes against another individual/team and has a set of rules or customs. Marching band is a sport because it involves a lot of physical activity, rules and competition. The argument against categorizing marching band as a sport is the typical conditioning a ‘normal’ sports team would are slightly different.