Marching band in large and small schools...

[rsb3]

I love band. I think it's a great activity for anyone to experience, but I want to know how ya'll feel about marching band today. I'm a member of a small school, with a great tradition of excellence. My band is in the same boat as many 3A's and below. I love the productions that these larger bands do, with fantastic music, amazing guard work, crazy cool sets to march, and even props.

 

My question is: How do you feel after watching small school bands, who don't have shows written for them and often use stock shows, or a large musical staff to assist, props, etc? I don't want to give off the impression that I'm critical at all, if I could be a part of any of the bands most of you are, I'd do it in a heartbeat! What your bands successfully accomplish is amazing, and something to be admired. I guess I'd just like to know what the general opinion is of small school bands like mine that love band just as much, and work just as hard. I'll say right off, when we watch videos of bands like L.D. Bell or Westfield (and so many others that I can't think of off the top of my head), my band is just amazed and complimentary. Many small schools just don't have the resources to pull off a show like Duncanville, but how do those of you who have been in the 4A's and 5A's look upon the shows like those of Holliday HS, Sundown HS, or even Canton HS and the small schools just like them?

 

Again, I don't want to give off the idea that I'm trying to expose some sort of flaw within BOA or even 4A and 5A marching bands, it's not my intention at all. I just want to know how small schools are perceived by the big dawgs! Thanks for the insight!

[whitewing09]

haha wow im like in the same boat as you. like im kinda intimidated to say that im in a 3A band. after watching these really good 5A bands that do gnats and what not its kinda like ya... youd probably talk crud if you saw us

[hhscctrombone]

I personally really like the smaller bands. Its more indv based. Anyone can put 200 people on the field and sound loud, but for a smaller band its takes more.

[TRtrumpet]

Yeah I'm in the same boat too. I'm in a 2A and my bands about 35 people... so yeah I'm pretty interested in hearing what yall think too.

[DesertWind]

A small marching band is... a small marching band. Just that. Just because you don't have 150+ members doesn't mean you're not worth anything. Those of us who went, or currently do go to, 5A schools are not worth any more than you guys are. There ARE bad 5A schools out there...

 

The biggest difference that I see between the sizes has already been mentioned; resources. Being 5A doesn't mean anything but more resources, and having those doesn't necessarily mean you're going to have a good show. It just means you can make the show a little flashier compared to what you could do without the gimmicks.

 

On an interesting side note: my HS head band director used to be the Director of Bands at Holliday.

[Lustra.exe]

  hhscctrombone said:

I personally really like the smaller bands. Its more indv based. Anyone can put 200 people on the field and sound loud, but for a smaller band its takes more.

im going to have to strongly disagree with you on this point.

 

the organization it takes to run a band of that size requires a tremendous amount of work. not anyone can do it. and sounding loud is not the only aspect of large bands. it's harder to clean drill and it takes more attention to each form. the show design is also a little bit more complicated due to the fact that you have to have 200 people buy what you're doing so that they can sell it to a judge/audience effectively.

 

it doesn't "take more" for a smaller band. im sorry. i think it takes equal amount of effort on the individual who's marching. not matter how big the band.

[whitewing09]

actually in some cases is does take more effort.

 

first of all alot of smaller bands dont get as much time as bigger bands. i mean almost every 5A takes advantage of the 8 hour weekly rule. well alot of us smaller bands cant cuz a chunk of the band is in football the other part is in volley ball or any other part. and when i say a chunk i dont mean 10 people i mean 20 to 30. and come on now it would be very hard to practice with 20 to 30 holes.

 

second not all 3A bands are itty bitty we have like 152 marching i know thats not 200+ but thats not really small either. then half the band is in this the other half is in that so ya out of the 8 hours we can do we can only do 4 hours. 3 hours full band.so ya we dont get much time and we have to be visually and music good as a bigger band is suppose to be

[TRtrumpet]

  whitewing09 said:

actually in some cases is does take more effort.

 

first of all alot of smaller bands dont get as much time as bigger bands. i mean almost every 5A takes advantage of the 8 hour weekly rule. well alot of us smaller bands cant cuz a chunk of the band is in football the other part is in volley ball or any other part. and when i say a chunk i dont mean 10 people i mean 20 to 30. and come on now it would be very hard to practice with 20 to 30 holes.

 

second not all 3A bands are itty bitty we have like 152 marching i know thats not 200+ but thats not really small either. then half the band is in this the other half is in that so ya out of the 8 hours we can do we can only do 4 hours. 3 hours full band.so ya we dont get much time and we have to be visually and music good as a bigger band is suppose to be

Yeah... I totally agree with you on that 8 hour rule thing. We almost never have a practice where it's the full band. We have one on Monday (or Tuesday) night. We base it on where the vollyball games are because about 90 percent of the girls in my band are in vollyball. We also have about 6 football players and 4 cheerleaders... which might not sound like alot but when your as small as us (35) it makes a big difference. It might sound like i'm compaining but i'm not... i'm just staing the facts.

[hhscctrombone]

ok so about what i said earlier, i still think it is much easier for a band to produce a sound that is need to win a major title, Boa regional, super regional, Gnats, whatever. On another point that someone else mentioned about larger band = harder to clean, yes it is much harder but larger bands can also do more form wise than alot of the smaller bands

[rsb3]

  DesertWind said:

A small marching band is... a small marching band. Just that. Just because you don't have 150+ members doesn't mean you're not worth anything. Those of us who went, or currently do go to, 5A schools are not worth any more than you guys are. There ARE bad 5A schools out there...

 

The biggest difference that I see between the sizes has already been mentioned; resources. Being 5A doesn't mean anything but more resources, and having those doesn't necessarily mean you're going to have a good show. It just means you can make the show a little flashier compared to what you could do without the gimmicks.

 

On an interesting side note: my HS head band director used to be the Director of Bands at Holliday.

Was your director the guy who made Holliday the powerhouse 1A that it's been for the past decade or so!? That's awesome. Holliday has been one of the most recognized 1A marching programs for a loooong time, they're excellent. Mel Hadderton is doing a wonderful job with Holliday now. They've been absent from SMC for the last 2 or three years. Mel helped get them back in the top 5 @ the SMC within her first year. They were ranked 3rd in the state last year! It's really interesting to see just how small of a world it actually is, finding a student under a former Holliday director! You're very lucky. Working under a director with large AND small school experience is so invaluable.

[aoyana]

I remember the first time I saw Jackson Academy, I was amazed at what they did! So few people, but they all did EVERYTHING. I'm assuming from the "academy" part that they have the resources (money wise) to do many things, but they really used everyone they can make shows the way they do.

 

I'm from a large school, so we often have people who don't get to do things. Practices can be inefficient if people aren't really focusing, because a couple of people talking can turn in to a disaster. Large bands and small bands have difficulties with different things, but they both have difficulties.

[TRtrumpet]

True.

[DesertWind]

  rsb3 said:

Was your director the guy who made Holliday the powerhouse 1A that it's been for the past decade or so!? That's awesome. Holliday has been one of the most recognized 1A marching programs for a loooong time, they're excellent. Mel Hadderton is doing a wonderful job with Holliday now. They've been absent from SMC for the last 2 or three years. Mel helped get them back in the top 5 @ the SMC within her first year. They were ranked 3rd in the state last year! It's really interesting to see just how small of a world it actually is, finding a student under a former Holliday director! You're very lucky. Working under a director with large AND small school experience is so invaluable.

Well; he WAS my director. I graduated and am at UNT working on a BM in Music Education now.

 

Just to be sure... We're talking about Holliday, 2A state marching champions in 1999 and 2001, and the same that attended the Midwest Clinic in 03, right? Haha, I think I answered my own question... /slap self

 

Stan Mauldin and Mike Ary are the names. Both are at my old high school and have been doing very well, especially considering they came from a school as small as Holliday. Isn't it a 2A school? /shrug

 

Perhaps I didn't give Mike enough credit; he does as much as Mr. Mauldin...

 

My old HS was... not very good freshman year. Mr. Mauldin came sophomore, Mr. Ary the next year. Percussion directors had switched early in the Sophomore year season. It got a lot better... way better. In fact, they just won the De Soto Marching Festival. =)

[rsb3]

  DesertWind said:

Well; he WAS my director. I graduated and am at UNT working on a BM in Music Education now.

 

Just to be sure... We're talking about Holliday, 2A state marching champions in 1999 and 2001, and the same that attended the Midwest Clinic in 03, right? Haha, I think I answered my own question... /slap self

 

Stan Mauldin and Mike Ary are the names. Both are at my old high school and have been doing very well, especially considering they came from a school as small as Holliday. Isn't it a 2A school? /shrug

 

Perhaps I didn't give Mike enough credit; he does as much as Mr. Mauldin...

 

My old HS was... not very good freshman year. Mr. Mauldin came sophomore, Mr. Ary the next year. Percussion directors had switched early in the Sophomore year season. It got a lot better... way better. In fact, they just won the De Soto Marching Festival. =)

Yep, Stan Mauldin's the guy I was talking about.

[barisaxy08]

well i dunno about small bands...but im in a band program that's rollin 200+ deep...

 

it's one of those things that is something like family. You don't wanna take yourself out of it because everyone in there is like family to you. I honestly think that that's mostly the reason why kids find such an attraction to marching band because it gives u that unconditional connection with other peers that u can't get from any other program in school.

 

I go to one of the most ghettoist schools in texas and we get knocked down a lot for being in band...gettin boo'd at pep rallys and things like that. We are working on that though (pep band lol). It's kinda bad but behind the scenes...it's prolly one of the most best experiences for a teenager to have. We jus stick together thru everything...rather it be drama, people hating on us, rough rehearsals, or whateva. We might not like it at times but overall we can't just up and leave because that's where most of our life belongs to.

[TRtrumpet]

  barisaxy08 said:

it's one of those things that is something like family. You don't wanna take yourself out of it because everyone in there is like family to you. I honestly think that that's mostly the reason why kids find such an attraction to marching band because it gives u that unconditional connection with other peers that u can't get from any other program in school.

I love that about band.