When did halftime get hijacked?

[Stu]

9 hours ago, MikeN said:

Honestly, depends on where you live.  They're a mostly accepted fact of life in Texas, and the DCI style has been pretty much integrated into "school spirit" without bloodshed.

Mike

I've contracted with many Texas hs bands to help construct their shows over the years. The shows designed for success at Uil contests tend to also do well in reception at halftimes performances, the shows designed for success at BoA contests not so much. At least that has been my experience.

[Stu]

19 minutes ago, Brass Lover said:

The other teams blow up helmet.

Good grief; you wrote helmet but my brain initially was expecting to read 'doll'.

[flammaster]

I do not participate in sportsball consumption.  Derp

[Florida Sun]

On Long Island i know of at least one high school where the band parents assc, payed  for a new astro turf field ,It was made clear it was done for the BAND not the football team .

 

[ibexpercussion]

17 hours ago, Stu said:

For halftime, does your band perform only things like the fight song/alma mater and all the various finger-snappin toe-tappin music; or does the band perform the 'contest' show which many times is self-service esoteric material with the fight song as you exit the field? The former is what football halftime is designed for which is exclusive school support and crowd entertainment; the latter is treating it like it is the concert stage for a dress run-through of the contest show and an educational platform for the audience.

We perform a very crowd friendly halftime show, and have a contest show as well. We are doing a Queen show for the football games, and the fight song as well.

Regardless of whether that is the case, or some "other type" of show, these kids should not be denied the ability to perform in front of family, friends, and other fans at the game. Nobody would tell the football teams that we are going to do a presentation during the 2nd quarter of the game, so you may only have 5 minutes left on the clock to play the quarter. Also, the musical support should be what's being played during the game. We even take requests from the football coaches and players (within reason, and the ability to find a good arrangement, or have permission to do our own arrangement) for songs they would like to hear us play. We've even added about 7 or 8 new songs this season to play in the stands during the game. 

[Tim K]

8 hours ago, Stu said:

I've contracted with many Texas hs bands to help construct their shows over the years. The shows designed for success at Uil contests tend to also do well in reception at halftimes performances, the shows designed for success at BoA contests not so much. At least that has been my experience.

I think you're correct. My weekends from September to June are usually hectic so I do not get to many high school,football games and only do so when a relative or close family friend is playing, whether it is football or the band. If I do see the bands, it's in a separate competition. I did attend a game a few years ago that featured two bands. One was large, performed their music reasonably well, but the overall show was mediocre as far as colorguard and movement was concerned. The crowd loved it. A smaller band followed with a rather sophisticated show that was well performed and did well competitively but didn't rouse the audience in the same way as the other band.

[Fracker]

HS band teachers have some responsibility for choosing artistically and technically challenging music to perform at halftime.  Their students are working on that music for a solid chunk of the year, and it needs to be educationally nutritious. 

If their marching show is Symphonie Fantastique, what's the problem?  It IS for the students.  They are students, not entertainers.  Let them play Lady Gaga in the stands during the time outs and let them play their hearts out during halftime.  Its about education.  No need to apologize to the crowd.

[ranintothedoor]

44 minutes ago, Fracker said:

HS band teachers have some responsibility for choosing artistically and technically challenging music to perform at halftime.  Their students are working on that music for a solid chunk of the year, and it needs to be educationally nutritious. 

If their marching show is Symphonie Fantastique, what's the problem?  It IS for the students.  They are students, not entertainers.  Let them play Lady Gaga in the stands during the time outs and let them play their hearts out during halftime.  Its about education.  No need to apologize to the crowd.

This is a great point.  

Honestly, I philosophically have issues with sports, especially football (too dangerous), marching band, etc. being part of a school system at all!  I think concert ensembles maybe have a place, but if you have something that the community values for entertainment that that community could provide (parks and rec, travel teams, etc.), then it shouldn't be in the school.  

Everything schools provide should be primarily educational experiences.  Football games? Nope... you're just entertaining the community and sacrificing the kids' health on that altar.  Want a band for parades? Fine, have a community band (or... dare I say a drum corps?!?!?! lol).  

I can't finish my thought process on this right now, and I know I'd be out of a job if my views were enacted, but there it is.  :-) 

[Sideways]

Band I taught for years, in Michigan, has 8 more state championships than the football team.  No issues with respect there.

[Stu]

2 hours ago, ibexpercussion said:

We perform a very crowd friendly halftime show, and have a contest show as well. We are doing a Queen show for the football games, and the fight song as well.

Regardless of whether that is the case, or some "other type" of show, these kids should not be denied the ability to perform in front of family, friends, and other fans at the game. Nobody would tell the football teams that we are going to do a presentation during the 2nd quarter of the game, so you may only have 5 minutes left on the clock to play the quarter. Also, the musical support should be what's being played during the game. We even take requests from the football coaches and players (within reason, and the ability to find a good arrangement, or have permission to do our own arrangement) for songs they would like to hear us play. We've even added about 7 or 8 new songs this season to play in the stands during the game. 

So you are meeting them half-way with your half-time show; great!!  So to me, if this type of thing happens at all the games where the band is deprived of performing at halftime each week there would be a huge problem; or if the athletic department said that the band could not go away to contests on Saturday but must construct all of the shows based around football support, that would also be a very huge problem. 

But lest we forget this is a Football Game we are talking about here; a Friday Night activity for the sake of a few kiddos in protective gear knocking each other around and scoring some points in hopes of eventually winning the scholastic Football State Title, it is a night for the community to rally around school spirit and support the football team; a competitive activity for the sake of football where all else, even the band, should fall in line behind that endeavor, and for those few hours, all should support the football team.  HOWEVER..... Saturday, on the other hand, now Saturday is all about the Band!!!  Saturday is the day to have the activity for the sake of artistic and musical competitive endeavors of the Band; a day for the community and school to rally around and support the Band; a day for the sake of Band where all else should fall in line behind that endeavor; and for that day, all should support the Band.  And for the schools that I have contracted with all around the nation where Friday is ‘all about’ football and Saturday is ‘all about’ the band, a very healthy balance exists between the athletic departments and the music departments.