killer9705@yahoo.com Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 ive been thinking...since some schools get their PE credit through band....the band must do some kind of physical activity such as running or just plain marching For example at my school, whenever our director says to take a couple laps around the field, the PIT NEVER runs with us. They just sit next to their keyboard talking and enjoying the shade. So how DOES the PIT get their PE credit????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snaredrummer54321 Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 ive been thinking...since some schools get their PE credit through band....the band must do some kind of physical activity such as running or just plain marching For example at my school, whenever our director says to take a couple laps around the field, the PIT NEVER runs with us. They just sit next to their keyboard talking and enjoying the shade. So how DOES the PIT get their PE credit????? it is the exact same thing at my school..the pit just sits there looking at the band like ...but all the pit people are going to answer...WE HAVE TO MOVE EQUIPMENT AROUND!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftwdrummer Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Well, we do, you know. Our practice field is 3 blocks away from our band hall, uphill both ways (literally...it's not much of an uphill going to the field, but the uphill back is killer). The tires on our cart refuse to stay inflated. That's one 50-pound or so cart (4 timpani, plus multiple stands, plus cymbals...) with flat tires. Add to this the fact that marimbas are just plain unwieldy. And then there's loading, where we basically end up lifting everything into the truck because the ramp isn't wide enough. And, for specialty athletic feats, there's what I had to pull off last year: pull on a space suit, over a band uniform, in a minute or less, without anyone seeing you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danpod Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 With the way the credit system works in Texas, you would see a massive absence of pit players if they weren't considered part of the "marching band" requirement for the P.E. Credit. Those players would have to pick up an extra class just because they play a keyboard instrument and I don't think that is really fair. Besides, pushing equipment back and forth from band hall to practice site is a pain in the rump! Very few people have the physical patience to do that. Therefore, pit players can have as many Physical Education credits as they want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westar39 Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 well i'm in the pit at my school (on marimba) and I actually agree, we don't do that much other than moving equipment I'm not complaining... but we don't really do much other than load the trucks and stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaverickBand15 Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I was PIT captain for 2 years, and we ran with the band and did all the physical training with the band in the morning. + we pushed all our equipment uphill. I dont know about most bands, but we did tons of physical work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenon Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Most pits that I know of do a massive amount of loading and unloading of anything that is on the truck and moving all of the pit equipment too and from the bandhall every practice. A lot of labor that other band members don't do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killer9705@yahoo.com Posted March 28, 2009 Author Share Posted March 28, 2009 this is exactly what i was talking about when i posted this......most (which means not all) Front Ensembles just move equipment...and to be honest there is no way in heck it even compares to marching a battery instrument. Especially bass 5!!! in all reality all the front ensemble does is move equipment...now try marching with it on your shoulders. Or practicing in the intense Texas heat...in my school we only get one water break for every hour and a half. and that water break lasts about 1 to 2 minutes. im just trying to prove my point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westar39 Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 i completely agree. moving equipment uphill is really hard, but it's NOTHING compared to what the battery does. even if you run along with the battery , you're still not doing much other than playing hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westar39 Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 yeah... If you want to lose weight DON'T BE IN PIT you burn about just as many calories as walking to the store It's frustrating sometimes, but not very physically demanding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fata1 Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 this is exactly what i was talking about when i posted this......most (which means not all) Front Ensembles just move equipment...and to be honest there is no way in heck it even compares to marching a battery instrument. Especially bass 5!!! in all reality all the front ensemble does is move equipment...now try marching with it on your shoulders. Or practicing in the intense Texas heat...in my school we only get one water break for every hour and a half. and that water break lasts about 1 to 2 minutes. im just trying to prove my point Your original question was whether pit earns their PE credit. As such, comparing them to battery is irrelevant. As has already been stated, pit earns their PE credit through loading, unloading, hauling, etc. Comparing the physical requirements between sections is fruitless because each section is different. On a side note, bragging about only getting one water break every ninety minutes is rather dumb, in my opinion. It's not healthy by any means. kmarimba 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snaredrummer54321 Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 i completely agree. moving equipment uphill is really hard, but it's NOTHING compared to what the battery does. even if you run along with the battery , you're still not doing much other than playing hard. YES!i could not agree with you any more!you are completely correct young squire...your ideas and message was amazing.you conveyed this in a phenominal way! PS:i love the pit !!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenon Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 this is exactly what i was talking about when i posted this......most (which means not all) Front Ensembles just move equipment...and to be honest there is no way in heck it even compares to marching a battery instrument. Especially bass 5!!! in all reality all the front ensemble does is move equipment...now try marching with it on your shoulders. Or practicing in the intense Texas heat...in my school we only get one water break for every hour and a half. and that water break lasts about 1 to 2 minutes. im just trying to prove my point This is like saying that a Trumpet doesn't earn their PE credit because a Sousaphone/Contra is heavier. kmarimba 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danpod Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 this is exactly what i was talking about when i posted this......most (which means not all) Front Ensembles just move equipment...and to be honest there is no way in heck it even compares to marching a battery instrument. Especially bass 5!!! in all reality all the front ensemble does is move equipment...now try marching with it on your shoulders. Or practicing in the intense Texas heat...in my school we only get one water break for every hour and a half. and that water break lasts about 1 to 2 minutes. im just trying to prove my point Your point is what exactly? Pit percussion players do not deserve a Physical Education credit? And here I thought that people in the same program were supposed to be one entity. Besides, I've seen some programs that have more activity going on with their pit players than with their colorguard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyboard_Countessa Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 Although I was in pit for 4 years in high school, I can (sort of) see where the original poster is coming from, at least in regard to the part about running laps. If the rest of the band must participate in a mandatory activity like lap-running, the pit shouldn't be excluded just because they don't march. For example, my high school pit practiced outside with the rest of the band, had the same number of water breaks, and we even marched in the homecoming parade every year. But as others have said, the pit/battery comparison doesn't hold up; with all the different instrument sections, it's impossible to hold everyone up to the same standard. Heh, maybe the Pit deserves their Fine Arts credit more because they play more often than the battery. That reminds me of my "pit-mantra": since we don't march, we can work twice as hard on our music! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takigan Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 If a school district that chooses to issue P.E. credit for marching band cared enough to start an investigation of the physical demands and expectations of every band member in their program to see if they're all receiving the proper physical development that the P.E. credit is supposed to provide, and in the process discovered that the kids in the front ensemble weren't doing enough to "earn" that P.E. credit and decided to deny those pit kids that P.E. credit (unlikely, as making exceptions like that just clutter up the system), I guarantee you that the "They move equipment around" argument would not hold water in defense against the school board's decision. There are holes in every system, and some people just slip through the cracks....I'm sure the 90 pound weakling water/towel boy on the JV football team who rides the bench most of the season isn't getting nearly the physical education of his much more athletic peers. You just roll with it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebellbrass07 Posted March 29, 2009 Share Posted March 29, 2009 If a school district that chooses to issue P.E. credit for marching band cared enough to start an investigation of the physical demands and expectations of every band member in their program to see if they're all receiving the proper physical development that the P.E. credit is supposed to provide, and in the process discovered that the kids in the front ensemble weren't doing enough to "earn" that P.E. credit and decided to deny those pit kids that P.E. credit (unlikely, as making exceptions like that just clutter up the system), I guarantee you that the "They move equipment around" argument would not hold water in defense against the school board's decision. There are holes in every system, and some people just slip through the cracks....I'm sure the 90 pound weakling water/towel boy on the JV football team who rides the bench most of the season isn't getting nearly the physical education of his much more athletic peers. You just roll with it... I dunno...some of the schools we stay at over summer have fields that are half a mile from their band hall. Moving all the equipment really is a huge workout...especially the timpani's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simply2937663 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 (edited) Meh I did Timpani for three years moving a cart about half a mile with flat tires... I admit the pit doesn't do much marching, but I'd also like to add that we do provide a valuable role for the band. The pit has the power to clearly define an arrival point in the music. Regardless of their physical contributions to the program their musical additions are vital to almost all shows. My senior year I marched snare in which I was probably in the best shape of my life, but the argument should not just be limited to pits physical ed. I've seen some schools with some shows where each band member covers only one square part of the field, or shows where the band plays and marches the fastest of 140 clicks a minute (Note I've seen LD bell do marching block at 240). Why isn't there an argument about the difficulty of drill? Consider this if an argument is made about how much a section of the band exercises there should be another argument about the distance traveled by each band member divided by the time it takes for them to get there to truly merit their PE credit. The point I'm trying to make is the argument is arbitrary the pit may get their PE credit but you need them, and if anyone here truly feels that they deserve their PE credit just because they marched for a semester then continued to sit in a chair for the other, I recommend you get off your high chair and look at the difficulty of other high schools or the duration of their season in comparison to yours and then truly re-evaluate the amount of work you did. If there is any one else who's program has placed consistently in the top 12 in BOA and State I will be happy to hear your argument about why the Pit should not earn their gym credit, but as long as I continue to see posts with programs I've never seen at State Finals of BOA San Antonio Finals, I will regard their arguments as being unaware to what other programs are doing. Edited March 31, 2009 by simply2937663 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danpod Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 People's opinions aren't any less valid whether they went to a certain school or not. Quick story: I've seen several programs that have paralyzed students in their program. For the most part, these students are allowed to play but they are limited to sitting in the pit. I'm sure these students are allowed to have the same physical education credit as the students who get to march. As long as you're part of the program, you get the credit. I'm sure that the rule is in place partly because of those who may be handicapped. The original poster seems to be nitpicking a stupid credit issue. It's simple: You get a physical education credit for being in marching band. The pit is part of the marching band. I think we've answered the original question but if something still seems unclear, contact the Texas Education Agency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebellbrass07 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 (Note I've seen LD bell do marching block at 240). When was this....? The dr. beats only go up to 250... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socaldrills Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 (edited) Hey! Blueballbrass07! That very fast! Edited April 5, 2010 by socaldrills Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socaldrills Posted April 6, 2010 Share Posted April 6, 2010 Hey! Blueballbrass07! I got my PEE credit by dong PIT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K3v1n Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 At my previous high school, the pit simply has a loading dock on which to roll their equipment, so in this case especially, even to and from contests or games, they have to easiest job, simply, rolling, rolling, rolling. No broken equipment to deal with or anything. Just laid back laziness. But I suppose they have to deal with the emotional stress of being a poor, poor pit member, so it converts into physical labor for the credit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PercussionGirl Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Different high schools have different systems for doing this. At my high school, we move marimbas with flat tires uphill. We also load and unload the truck with our equipment on it every Saturday. The emotional stress is there, however. With microphones, you mess up and *everyone* hears it. Not counting getting teased by wind players because "ya'll can't keep the beat". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guardie518 Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 My pit runs with the band when they do laps. And they have to carry all their equipment upstairs b/c our band hall is underground. And they have to load all their stuff and the guards props(I'm in guard, so I feel bad for them) And they run a lot of laps b/c their instructor is fair and decides that since they like to sit at practice when they don't play, then they must have the energy to run a lap after. My only problem was that they never went outside during summer band for fundamentals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.