<p>Just curious, BandTenHut--from your user name, I would assume you are intimately familiar with the marching band experience. True?</p>
<p>I was drum major of my high school marching band. Best experience I had in those years.</p>
<p>So, what are the main differences between the HS marching band experience and college? Anybody out there actually involved in college? I get the impression it's not a large part of the experience of many people on this board, though I do know some of the parents here are music educators themselves.</p>
<p>My son is a freshman in marching band at a Big 10. He's a music education major, so it's required at his school for at least one year (this is not true at all Big 10's). He's having the time of his life - loves the whole experience and atmosphere, and as BandTenHut said above, he was able to enter a school (as a way-out-of-stater) and instantly have a large group of friends.</p>
<p>In our search and application process over his junior and senior years, we encountered a variety of opinions about marching band from studio professors. At one school (another Big 10), the professor was so anti-marching band, she scheduled studios during marching band practice to make it pretty much impossible for her students to join it. At other schools it was optional, with indifference from the professor, and others still required it for music ed majors. </p>
<p>That being said...while my son is loving marching band, he also has said he probably would not do it again. Mainly for the time commitment, but also because he does think it's hurting his embouchure. </p>
<p>P.S. I think if his team ends up going to a bowl game, he may change his mind!</p>
<p>P.P.S. No, he's not at Wisconsin, whose marching band is in some serious hot water.</p>
<p>The difference between HS marching and College marching is that High School marching bands can be extremely competitive and demanding. College marching bands don't have competitions, so it's more something fun to do in your spare time. And you get to play in front of tens of thousands of people and travel across the country and be on national TV sometimes. College marching bands are mostly about supporting the football team (and other sports for pep bands) and having a good time. High school marching bands are a serious musical activity with an obligatory halftime performance every other friday. If the high school has a strong program, anyway... some can hardly be considered serious. Many demand quite a bit of focus and discipline.</p>
<p>Our high school marching band is extremely busy and competitive. The school is large (D's graduating class this year is over 800 kids) and the band has 3 drum majors. They always choose serious musicians for the drum majors. Only problem is that getting to drum major usually requires 2 or 3 years of trench work, which, as has been stated (!), is not real easy for a musician who cares about tone quality, practice time, etc. But the vast majority of our high school's better musicians usually go into music ed. And they usually go to UGA. And they all do marching band there.</p>
<p>jkazoo: Any more info on the band at Wisconsin? Did the director's aerial stunt equipment get damaged?</p>
<p>I would mostly agree with post45 noted by BandTenHut; however, I would like to add that, at least at my daughter's college marching band, there are a LOT more tunes that they need to play and memorize. In fact, after half the year, they changed the tunes for the half time show. This was not true for her high school marching band, which was well-regarded in our state.</p>
<p>Also, her college marching band was at least double or triple the size of her high school marching band.</p>
<p>I am appalled at the arrogaence, not to mention the ignorance displayed by some regarding their attitude towards marching band. It appears to me that some musicians, with their condescending attitude towards marching band, are actually disguising their inability to perform in a more complex medium where coordination and endurance must be coupled with musical talent.</p>
<p>My daughter attends a magnet school for performing arts (would you say these children might be serious musicians?). Marching band is by far the most challenging, and rewarding part of the year. And my daughter LOVES marching band. Does that imply that she is not a serious musician? </p>
<p>Sorry for the rant:) It just get my goat when "some" folks try and turn the arts into some pretentious crap with their pinkies in the air. Time for some ExLax.</p>
<p>Regardless of the musicianship issues surrounding marching band for serious music students, there is still the issue of time requirements. From reading these posts, it is clear that there is a great difference in what is expected from marching band students in different high schools. Commitments seem to run the gamut from a fun activity requiring minimal time, to a pervasive year-long activity involving parents, fundraising, numerous community performances, extensive competitions and travel.</p>
<p>Music aside, I'm sure that some grades have suffered for very busy marching bands.</p>
<p>Oh, and not to be contentious (or arrogant), but our marching band performs at a level far, far below the level of serious musicians. They need to play music that can reasonably be performed by the average student who may never practice their instrument except for band class. Perhaps your marching band is different.</p>
<p>When I have listened to high school marching bands, and then listened to HS honors ensembles, I can't say there is any comparison whatsoever in level of play. It really is apples and oranges, and not pretentious, just an observation.</p>
<p>I am certain there are some good, serious musicians in marching band. As a whole, however, I think that LKF's impressions about the "average student who may never practice their instrument except for band class" would be more the norm.</p>
<p>But, yes, maybe BigAl's DD's school is different.</p>
<p>Frankly, I don't see what the big deal is here or why people are complaining about marching band. </p>
<p>Yes, maybe many band doesn't play the amount of sophisticated music that a "semi-professional" orchestra would play. </p>
<p>Yes, maybe most of these kids only practice in set practice sessions and not usually at home</p>
<p>Yes, maybe the band, especially college bands, take a fair amount of time to participate in. HOWEVER:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The students do get to play additional pieces that they wouldn't have played otherwise.</p></li>
<li><p>Many marching bands do play some pieces of good quality and complexity</p></li>
<li><p>They do provide enormous social value and many times leave a lasting impression on the student forever. </p></li>
<li><p>As noted above, marching band does involve, "more complex medium where coordination and endurance must be coupled with musical talent."</p></li>
<li><p>Marching band provides some great exercise for the kids and helps keep the "freshmen 15 (pounds) off." </p></li>
<li><p>They usually do provide high school or college credit, which gives a nice boost to the GPA and in some colleges provide scholarship money.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thus, what's the problem? I too don't understand the condescending attitude toward marching band.</p>
<p>Our high school, which has seriously competitive marching and concert band components, has had the same time committment issue with marching band and the students who intended to pursue music performance at the college level. In my son's experience, it was very difficult to spend 3 hours every day after school and all day on Saturdays during marching season playing and marching in sometimes sweltering heat, and still having time and energy to prepare for youth orchestras, concerto competitions, college auditions, etc. Until recently, our band director was very inflexible about this, requiring all band students to participate in both marching and concert band. After losing several top musicians (including my son) during their senior year, they're attempting to solve the problem this year by having two marching bands: a "football band" with 350+ members that does a big showy halftime performance at football games, requires minimal practice after summer band camp, and is open to any level of musician; and a "competition band" with appx. 200 members (they are also members of the football band) selected by audition that practices intensively for local, state, and national marching competitions. I think this sounds like a great solution with options for everyone, including the purely social musicians, serious musicians who love marching, and serious musicians who don't.</p>
<p>Allmusic--</p>
<p>In the original post you wrote:</p>
<p>"My kid doesn't think highly of the form of music, since he says it is mostly horns blowing too loud, and that you don't have to be a very good musician to play in a marching band."</p>
<p>I think you answered your own question. It's not for your kid. </p>
<p>Every student is different. Every school's marching band is different. Do what works for your family.</p>
<p>Absolutely, Librarian. Perhaps the question sounded snooty or pretentious, but that wasn't my intent. Obviously, marching band is a different experience and of different levels for different kids in various schools. Good to know.</p>
<p>Big Al there is no arrogance. </p>
<p>The question was not is Marching Band a fun and worthwhile activity. The question was about serious musicians which we defined as those on track to be a performance major at a conservatory or major university music school with the intent of being a member of an orchestra or performing as a soloist for a living. I am a serious tennis player but I am not on a track to play at Wimbledon.</p>
<p>Also I am very well aware of arts HS. Very tiny percentage of students at the Arts HS I have known meet the definition of serious musician we used. Probably 5% or less.</p>
<p>All the positives about marching band may be enjoyable to your child and help her in some future activity. But marching band will not help her become a serious musician any more than being in the chess club or reading Harry Potter. Other opinions vary, but from it seems fairly clear for us, the fun of marching band is not possible because that many hours are not available for a non music activity. Learning to march and spin a rifle in jr ROTC also meets the benefits. </p>
<p>I also disagree that playing the music is beneficial by expanding the pieces they have played or any other reason. If anything it is a negative and if my daughter had to do marching band it would not be in her primary instrument.</p>
<p>This is not about arrogance, sorry you felt that way.</p>
<p>I think I should mention that occasionally music majors are given full-ride scholarships to universities on the CONDITION that they participate in the marching band.</p>
<p>BandTenHut: You're exactly right, and this is the main reason my son was not interested in attending our state flagship U. All brass players (performance, music ed, and even jazz majors) who accept any amount of financial aid from the music department are required to participate in the marching band and (I think) a basketball pep band. The fact that it's a major SEC university makes it very time consuming in terms of rehearsals and attending out of state games, not just during football season, but just about all year long. My son has no disrespect for marching or pep bands, he just prefers to spend his time in other music activities.</p>
<p>That is something I have not run into. Maybe I missed it.</p>
<p>Again much of the misunderstanding here maybe "serious music student".</p>
<p>Man, the condescension is reeking in here. In order to be a serious music student you must plan on making your living in an orchestra or as a soloist? I would bet your kids college music professors would be offended by that comment. Better keep that one under your hat.</p>