09/22/2023
New reason to pay attention to the halftime show! I maintain that marching band is highly athletic and complex and something to be admiredāthis breaks down part of why that is.
Borrowed from Robert Stocklas :
Why band ... here's why ... grab your coffee and read this ...
Letās assume, for simple math, we have a moderate to above average-sized marching band of 100 wind players, 20 percussion, 20 color guard, and two drum majors. Now, while it seems fairly straight forwardā¦just play your music and march to various spots on the fieldā¦ hereās what REALLY is facing them.
In an average production of 2 minutes duration, there will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 notes played per student (some parts will be less, some more). For each note played, the student must be responsible for:
Correct fi*****ng of note
proper tone quality
proper pitch
correct beginning articulation
correct release/ending
correct duration/timing
balance to other players
blend with other players
appropriate volume
This means at least 9 responsibilities per note times 300 notesā¦understand that sometimes the student will not play during segments, so this is an averageā¦2,700 responsibilities per studentā¦times 100 players = 270,000 musical responsibilities for the wind section.
Percussion will have more notes in snare/mallet parts, perhaps fewer in bass drum and accessory parts, but on average, about the same number of musical concerns ā¦substitute stick heights for pitch correctness, since it is not typical to tune drums as you go. This adds 2700 responsibilitiesā¦times 20 percussionists = 54,000 musical responsibilities for percussion.
Color Guard must be concerned with:
timing
hand positions
equipment angles
speed of spins
height of tosses
direction of spinsā¦not to mention holding on to or catching equipment
Number of counts roughly parallels musical notes, so assume 300 beats times 6 responsibilities, or 1800 items per guard memberā¦times 20 members = 36,000 more things to do.
So far, we are up to 360,000 responsibilities, and we havenāt touched marching. With marching, there are at least the following considerations:
posture
direction of facing
instrument position
staying in step
staying in form
size of step
tempo
style of movement (Toes up? Knees straight? Shoulders square?)
control of space between members
On average, there will be one step per beat of music, or approximately 240 steps. This means 240 times 9 responsibilities per member,ā¦times 140 members ā¦302,400 more things to think about.
The drum majors must be on top of:
tempo, beat pattern
dynamics
communication of style/energy to band
poise/showmanship
or approximately 1200 itemsā¦ times two majorsā¦2400 more responsibilities.
Keeping up so far? Weāre up to 664,800 things that have to be done correctlyā¦ AND WEāRE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE FIRST PRODUCTION OF THE SHOW!! Assume there are three segments in the average show, our grand total jumps to a staggering 1,994,400 responsibilities on the members for a single performance.
The next time you watch a marching band show, examine the level of expectation and delivery that occurs with each student. It is truly remarkable, and it will help you appreciate even more the feeling that comes from a well performed show. When they are done, stand up and cheer their effortsā¦they are truly at the top of the āresponsibility pyramidā when performing in marching band.
Why Band? That's why ...
