Please rate / categorize the Georgia Tech marching band for me

Colleges and Universities A-Z Georgia Institute of Technology
1

<p>My HS son, who is a good student and passionate about playing snare in the marching band, is interested in looking at selective universities that have strong marching bands. In order to help him assess the marching band programs at various schools, I'm asking CCers familiar with those programs to categorize their band on the following five-point scale.</p>

<p>Which of these styles of bands - listed from least to most intensive - most nearly describes the Tech marching band?</p>

<p>0 No on-field performing band</p>

<p>1 A largely student-guided "scramble" band that plays loosely and performs satirical shows (e.g. seven of the Ivies, Stanford, Rice)</p>

<p>2 A largely student-guided marching band that performs as a fun extracurricular (e.g. Cornell)</p>

<p>3 A professionally-directed but non-competitive marching band that is open to all participants regardless of skill level (e.g., Duke, where the main draw of the marching band is that it's a prerequisite to getting into basketball games as a member of the Pep Band)</p>

<p>4 A serious performing band with membership by audition (most bands at schools with major college football programs might fall in this category)</p>

<p>5 A band that is nationally-recognized as one of the top marching band programs in the country (e.g. Michigan, Ohio State)</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>It’s a 4. You have to try out for membership, they have a week long camp where you audition, and the band travels to perform (other than for sports events), but they aren’t up there with schools like Ohio State. </p>

<p>OSU and the other “top band schools” have Music Performance majors, where your whole life is the Marching Band (similar to how most top football programs have a Football or Sports major). The best you can do at Tech is to minor in Music. Then again, people don’t go to Tech to become high school music teachers (which is what a Music Performance degree from OSU qualifies a person to do).</p>

3

<p>Thanks G.P. - that’s very helpful.</p>

4

<p>gadad - glad you asked that question. Your opening statement…“My HS son, who is a good student and passionate about playing snare in the marching band, is interested in looking at selective universities that have strong marching bands.”…could have been written by me if you substitute “trumpet” for “snare”!</p>

<p>G.P. - thanks for the answer.</p>

<p>oh, and gadad - I love your #3 category. My DH is STILL kicking himself for not even THINKING about joining the Duke band when he was there many years ago!!!</p>