I've noticed for years now the local high school bands are lucky if they have 25 members marching. No wonder... the music stinks. Either band directors don't know how or aren't interested in catching up with the times. It seems to me a lot more kids might want to join if all these bands didn't sound alike with the stale old stuff. I think it also bores people watching on the sidelines. Same ole' stuff for decades. Sousa once made a great big change and it took off. Why not someone step up and take these bands to the next level?
I do realize not all marching bands can sound and perform like those in the video below BUT these are also H.S. kids. You mean to tell me teenagers in this nation lack the talent of those in Japan! That would be a shame. If not why not the same level of talent?
Just for once I'd like to see one marching band in the Lehigh Valley step it up. I'm sure a lot more then just me would as well. Can you imagine how many more would turn out for a parade to see this level of entertainment.
This is a topic in which I gave a great deal of direct knowledge. In reality, America is home to about 25 high school bands that perform at the same level of high achievement as shown in this video. Perhaps, a few even higher.
One sanctioning body of USA high school bands is named Bands of America (BOA). Videos from the annual BOA National Championships in Indianapolis can be found on YouTube. True, nothing like this can be found in our Lehigh Valley. There’s a reason.
The upper tier BOA groups are maintained by large, well-organized, Band Parent and Booster Groups. They raise and spend upwards of $400,000 per year to produce the performance of their own band. Parents are heavily involved, their children firmly committed to hundreds of hours of hard work. Some kids in those programs will actually receive full-ride college scholarships to play in a major college band program.
The money, the effort, the raw material (so to speak) is just not in place here in the Lehigh Valley. We have a few good bands here, but nothing like goes on some places across the country. Nothing that would even come close to making a BOA Finals event. Such requires a very heavy lift and several years development under more stable conditions.
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This is a topic in which I gave a great deal of direct knowledge. In reality, America is home to about 25 high school bands that perform at the same level of high achievement as shown in this video. Perhaps, a few even higher.
ReplyDeleteOne sanctioning body of USA high school bands is named Bands of America (BOA). Videos from the annual BOA National Championships in Indianapolis can be found on YouTube. True, nothing like this can be found in our Lehigh Valley. There’s a reason.
The upper tier BOA groups are maintained by large, well-organized, Band Parent and Booster Groups. They raise and spend upwards of $400,000 per year to produce the performance of their own band. Parents are heavily involved, their children firmly committed to hundreds of hours of hard work. Some kids in those programs will actually receive full-ride college scholarships to play in a major college band program.
The money, the effort, the raw material (so to speak) is just not in place here in the Lehigh Valley. We have a few good bands here, but nothing like goes on some places across the country. Nothing that would even come close to making a BOA Finals event. Such requires a very heavy lift and several years development under more stable conditions.