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eskarina
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The Joys of Marching Season
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Jul 26 04:35 UTC 1996 |
I guess this is probably the most appropriate place to put this...
I think we should have an item dedicated to many people's pet
peeve: Marching Band. Just yesterday I bought a Michigan Marching
Band T-shirt at the art fair. Lets face it, even when we're not in it,
we feel like we are. If you are in band, you know what I'm talking about.
Even though marching band happens for less than a quarter of the school year,
looking back, most of my band memories that I remember vividly are from
marching season. Love it or hate it, if you've been in it, you have an
opinion. (I am attemting to recreate an internet club that I was in last
summer, BNOA (Band Nerds of America) where we talked about marching,
how many drum majors everybody has, and stuff.) So, lets hear it!
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| 24 responses total. |
srw
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response 1 of 24:
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Jul 26 05:57 UTC 1996 |
I was a marching band parent, and I know exactly what eskarina is talking
about.
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albaugh
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response 2 of 24:
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Jul 26 20:51 UTC 1996 |
Well, depending on what your school's marching program is like, how well it
does in competition, etc., you may be involved from August thru November.
That's more that less a quarter of the school year...
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eskarina
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response 3 of 24:
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Jul 29 06:17 UTC 1996 |
We spend a week at Interlochen teaching freshman how to march, having 4-6
hours of marching drills on the tennis court every day. Then we go to school
usually the next day, and march a game every other week or so til November,
when we stop, turn in uniforms, and play real slow, quiet stuff.
Yeah, its about a quarter of the year. 2 out of 9 1/2 months... less.
And its fun, by golly!!!!
Anyone else in marching band, or do I get to sit here tooting my mellophone
alone in this item?
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doll
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response 4 of 24:
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Aug 6 15:21 UTC 1996 |
i loved marching band....i was a flag....
i went to interlochin band camp too...:)
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srw
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response 5 of 24:
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Aug 9 05:18 UTC 1996 |
My kid played trumpet in Pioneer Band. So I went to interlochen as a band
parent. That too was awesome. In fact, Pioneer Band is awesome.
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eskarina
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response 6 of 24:
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Aug 9 16:34 UTC 1996 |
Thank you, Steve.
Hmmm... I wonder how many old Pioneer Band members I can dig up and give to
Mr. A at homecoming... this could be interesting.
Heh, band camp's in just a little over 2 weeks! Excitement! Joy! Rapture!
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birdlady
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response 7 of 24:
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Aug 15 15:37 UTC 1996 |
Doll -- I was in Color Guard too! =) Actually, I still am, just not 'til
next fall when I transfer from NMU to WMU. I loved Band Camp because it was
always the hottest week of the summer, and we'd go cliff diving afterwards.
The flags were also like a big group of sisters (NOT sorority sisters), and
my two best friends and I were in charge of the group last year. I'm going
to miss it when I graduate. =(
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srw
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response 8 of 24:
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Aug 17 17:39 UTC 1996 |
Cliff diving?! Where was your band camp held? Sounds cool.
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eskarina
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response 9 of 24:
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Aug 17 22:19 UTC 1996 |
I'd like to go cliff diving after band camp... In 3 days I'm gonna be a rank
leader!!! I'm gonna have to teach freshman how to march and stuff...
And then, come the fall, I'll organize snacks, get us some decent food during
the games, etc!
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birdlady
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response 10 of 24:
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Aug 19 14:31 UTC 1996 |
Being rank leader was *great*!
Steve -- I went to NMU in Marquette, MI. Lots of overhangs in to Lake
Superior. We *did* have to monitor the temperature of the water closely,
though.
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srw
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response 11 of 24:
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Aug 20 16:38 UTC 1996 |
Oh, cool. Yeah, I guess the Lake Superior shore would offer opportunities.
The AA kids go to Interlochen, which is way too level (but very nice in its
own way.)
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krj
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response 12 of 24:
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Aug 21 01:25 UTC 1996 |
I heard the MSU Marching Band practicing off in the distance today
when I left work.
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srw
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response 13 of 24:
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Aug 25 04:55 UTC 1996 |
The U-M band practices on Elbel field, which is on Hoover between Fifth and
Division. You can hear them over an amazing distance. Both U-M and MSU are
practicing for the opening day, which is Satuurday (8/31) for both of them.
Elbel field is named for the guy who wrote "Hail to the Victors", btw.
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chelsea
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response 14 of 24:
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Aug 25 13:49 UTC 1996 |
You are right, Steve, the music does go a good distance. I can
often hear them practicing from my home near the Dexter-Jackson
split.
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eskarina
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response 15 of 24:
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Aug 26 20:20 UTC 1996 |
My parents stayed at a state park near Interlochen, and took a spot in a clear
area... before finding out that it was right near a tennis court where
different marching bands played all day between the hours of 8am and 6pm.
Then they understood why it was such an unpopular place to pitch a tent.
I had fun at Interlochen. We had a grexer counselor this year (power). It
was a funny rank that I was in charge of. I play mellophone, and I had 4 of
them who already knew how to march. The ones I had who didn't know how were
two flutes and a clarinet. I had some trouble telling them how to hold their
instruments/lyres, but it was all in all a good experience. I've never really
been a "leader" of any kind before, and once again, I think band managed to
bring out a new part of me. Our first football game is next friday!!! We
get uniforms in 2 days.... I'm so excited!
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srw
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response 16 of 24:
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Sep 6 02:16 UTC 1996 |
How was the game? Or more importantly, how was the halftime?
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birdlady
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response 17 of 24:
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Sep 6 14:43 UTC 1996 |
I just <bounce> found out <bounce bounce> that even if yu didn't graduate from
NMU <bounce bounce bounce> you are considered alumni to the marching band if
you were in marching band at any time and completed a season. Since I was
in the Color Guard for two years, they are letting me, my friend Debbie, and
my other friend Theresa march in the alumni band at Homecoming. Yippee! We
get to wear our old uniforms, use last year's flags (they got new equipment
this year). It's going to be like old times...we were the captains last year
and created havoc at every practice for Chaz (our marching band prof). It'll
be like old times for at least one weekend. Debbie and I are in tears 'cause
we aren't part of the Pride anymore and miss it terribly. It'll be nice to
do it for at least once a year. =) I still miss it, though...I can't relay
to you how much my heart breaks when I think about rushing to game-day
practice in pajamas at five a.m. with twelve flags in my arms and Debbie tryig
to distribute drill sheets at the speed of light while Theresa screamed for
everyone to "Stretch out, dammit!!!...you wanna pull a muscle???" <bg>
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eskarina
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response 18 of 24:
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Sep 8 21:48 UTC 1996 |
Turns out our first game was not the first week we got back from school...
it was the sixth. The scoreboard was out all game, and after I saw how much
bigger the guys on East Lansing's team were than the ones on ours, I didn't
really want to watch them get creamed. As a band, Mr. A was really
disappointed with the way we carried out the halftime show... but I think my
rank showed a lot of improvement as far as attention span and the ability to
get and stay in straight lines. There are 8 people in my rank, and 5 have
never marched football games before, which means that just last week was the
first time in their lives they've ever marched a pregame. I think in the
limited time we had, my rank did a lot of improving.
The flag ranks pulled a big no no, though. At half time they all took off
their uniform coats, and Mr. A took us back from the game early and took off
on them, not only for that, but they didn't do the half time show very well.
I have 5 mellophones and 3 saxophones in my rank... which is odd for me. I
guess its better than freshman year, when the rank I was in had 5 mellophones
and 2 piccolos. Now there aren't any piccolos in the marching band. 3 of
the mellophones have never played mellophones before (being french horn
players) and 2 of the saxes have never played saxophone (being flutes). The
new mellophones don't play very loudly, and haven't learned stuff like
fingerings, and how to get piston valves not to stick. I really don't know
what to tell them, other than just blast their brains out. I've thought about
calling sectionals, but I don't know how much that would really help.
Our next game is on the 20th, if anyone cares, at 7:00, and we'll be playing
a swing show at half time, with the Theme from New York, New York :-) and
Sweet Georgia Brown. Come on down!
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birdlady
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response 19 of 24:
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Sep 9 21:36 UTC 1996 |
Sectionals have never been over-rated...trust me. We had required sectionals
for every section, including flags. Some of the problems in band is that hte
sections *themselves* can't work with each other. Once you get the sections
to work together, then you can work on the band as a whole at regular
practices.
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srw
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response 20 of 24:
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Sep 29 19:17 UTC 1996 |
Too bad it was a rocky start, but all these newbies have to learn somehow.
Things will definitely get better, and you may be really surprised by the end
of the season (if I remember Mr. A, he gets results). I hope the second game
(halftime) went better.
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eskarina
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response 21 of 24:
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Sep 30 20:16 UTC 1996 |
It did. People are getting the hang of it, and he's threatened enough tests
and grades that people are practicing the music, learning to march, etc. Its
nice watching my rank pull together FINALLY, after several sectionals,
lectures from me, and getting yelled at by Mr. A. Hey, steve, stop by a
football game sometime and say hi! The ones we have left are October 4th
(homecoming) and November 1st, when we will play Huron.
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srw
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response 22 of 24:
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Oct 5 17:47 UTC 1996 |
Tempting, especially the Huron Game. No promises.
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eskarina
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response 23 of 24:
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Oct 25 20:30 UTC 1996 |
Come one, come all! Pioneer's final game of the season, before we stop the
marching madness and go back to pure concert season (which I will personally
love, being 1st chair and all)! We will be playing Huron in the football
game, and the halftime show will be a combined show with Huron. We've lost
the football game pretty pitifully as long as I can remember... come anyhoo!
We haven't gotten marching formations, but the songs we're playing are Phantom
of the Opera, Jacob and Sons, and Memory (from Cats) on an Andrew Lloyd Webber
theme.
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srw
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response 24 of 24:
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Nov 4 20:43 UTC 1996 |
I hope that the band did a lot better than the football team.
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