From: beckham@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Jeff Beckham)
Subject: Re: Best marching band
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 15:37:51 GMT

plucky@ais.org (Chris Adamson) writes:

>BIAS ALERT:  Member, (truly incomparable) Leland Stanford Junior
>			Marching Band, 1986-90

>	No, seriously, I know some friends in the Michigan band who
>loudly extol the agony and pain they go through in their practices and
>the sheer hell they live through having to defend their positions in
>band against challenges from younger would-be members and how they can
>never drink, smoke, swear, etc. in uniform and their incredible
>commitment and...

I hear that the members of the Michigan DO go through hell in band camp.  Have
you ever seen Michigan's band?  Thier pre-game show is EXTREMELY sharp.  They 
have thier 'Michigan step' which is incredible.  The only problem is that they
can't really play and march at the same time.  But back to the pain... I'm 
sure that they do go through a great deal of pain during the drilling of this
step.  As for drinking, smoking, swearing, etc.. in uniform, we (at University
of Illinois) don't do these things either.  What's wrong with that?

>	Why do so many members of "traditional" marching bands seem to
>need so badly to express their toil and effort?  Just a hypothesis,
>but I think they feel unappreciated.  People GO to the football game
>and may ENJOY the band, but don't GO TO ENJOY TO THE BAND.  Too many
>bands I've heard play boring period pieces:  Sousa marches, Broadway
>musicals from 30 years ago, yet another tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber
>and "West Side Story", and tunes from this year's Disney movie.
>Excuse me, but just how many people are really interested in this
>music?  And as for formations and other things that bands do:  are
>straight lines and disappearing diamonds THAT interesting?  C'mon, the
>crowd can do the wave and that's more interesting to see than most
>things I've seen traditional bands do.

I'll have to disagree with you on this one.  I too know a lot of people who DO
go to hear the band play.  So, people do GO TO ENJOY THE BAND (stop yelling ;) )
A lot of people do enjoy Sousa marches, Broadway musicals, West Side Story, and 
Disney tunes... including myself.  Unfortunately for you, striaght lines and 
disappearing diamonds are also interesting for many people.  It's simply 
visually appealing.  As our director says: 'There's nothing that can be done
to take the crowd out of the game, that's quicker than the wave.'

>	I wouldn't put in 20-40 hours a week to perform something
>nobody gives a shit about -- that's why I did not and will not
>audition for the MSU band.  I've got better things to do than be a
>period piece.

Or was it because... you couldn't make the cut... or perhaps you can't stand up
to the pressure...???

>	When I was in the Stanford Band,

Enough said...

>DISCLAIMER:  MSU wishes it could be so erudite and clever...

Whatever...


  			   	   --------------------------------------------
								  Jeff Beckham
						      beckham@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu
 						 	       Marching Illini 
                                    University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
				   --------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.college