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When did halftime get hijacked?


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53 minutes ago, Cappybara said:

My point is that whether the performances are artsy fartsy or not is irrelevant. What matters is education of the participants

Friday night social events like football games are about many wonderful things, but 'academic education from atop the ivory tower on the finer arts of musical edification' is NOT one of those friday night things!!!!

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2 hours ago, Cappybara said:

My point is that whether the performances are artsy fartsy or not is irrelevant. What matters is education of the participants

Educate them on your time. Entertain on ours. See, this is the problem. Somewhere along the way we decided ars gratia artis was the way to go, and turned up our noses at entertainment. 

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2 minutes ago, HockeyDad said:

Educate them on your time. Entertain on ours. See, this is the problem. Somewhere along the way we decided ars gratia artis was the way to go, and turned up our noses at entertainment. 

The best performance I have ever attended of an Airforce Airmen of Note performance was 'not' the formal concert and clinic at my University in the auditorium; it was them grooving hard at a downtown club they went to later on that night to just have fun!!!!!!!!

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Last time I checked the high school experience was about them. I lately choose not to respond two some of these discussions for many reasons but I felt at least in my own opinion that were losing sight of the fact the high school experience is about the students experience. With all that said I'm looking at the broader picture .Personally to think that the band program is there merely to entertain and be a byproduct for any other program is the very reason in my opinion that there's been such a low regard from decades gone by of not only band programs but the students involved.

I do believe there is a variety of all types of bands which is a good thing if one program chooses to be nothing more than a Chopin that's great if another program chooses to be highly competitive and their students enjoy that then that's equally that's great

Not getting into the debate just throwing my two cents out there thanks

 

 

 

 

Edited by GUARDLING
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2 minutes ago, GUARDLING said:

Last time I checked the high school experience was about them. I lately choose not to respond two some of these discussions for many reasons but I felt at least in my own opinion that were losing sight of the fact the high school experience is about the students experience. With all that said I'm looking at the broader picture .Personally to think that the band program is there merely to entertain and be a byproduct for any other program is the very reason in my opinion that there's been such a low regard from decades gone by of not only band programs but the students involved.

Not getting into the debate just throwing my two cents out there thanks

 

 

 

 

No one said that. There's a time and place for education and a time and place for entertainment. Both in totality create the experience for the students. 

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16 minutes ago, HockeyDad said:

No one said that. There's a time and place for education and a time and place for entertainment. Both in totality create the experience for the students. 

And there's a way to do both in whatever way one chooses. One can choose what they wanna be and there isnt any wrong in my opinion

 

Edited by GUARDLING
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So last night I closely watched the crowd during the halftime performances for my school and the opponent. The opponent played Shake it Off for the drill team and 1,000 Airplanes on the Roof for their contest show. Crowd applauded about equally for those two. Our band played The Final Countdown for the drill team and New World Symphony for the contest show. Crowd applauded about equally for those two. Band parents probably more than most, I must admit. Nobody fell asleep during the halftime that I could see. 

Then the football teams came back out and everyone went back into pep band mode and all was fine.

Mike

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1 hour ago, GUARDLING said:

... Personally to think that the band program is there merely to entertain and be a byproduct for any other program is the very reason in my opinion that there's been such a low regard from decades gone by of not only band programs but the students involved....

But what you describe here is mostly what rock bands, jazz bands, pop cover bands, all do in the world of music outside of academia; these bands play gigs as a byproduct to entertain wedding guests; they play gigs as a byproduct to entertain social drinking at clubs; and the list goes on, and on... that is the reality of actual gigging!!!  And there is nothing wrong with that (as long as they are paying gigs of course)!!!

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40 minutes ago, MikeN said:

So last night I closely watched the crowd during the halftime performances for my school and the opponent. The opponent played Shake it Off for the drill team and 1,000 Airplanes on the Roof for their contest show. Crowd applauded about equally for those two. Our band played The Final Countdown for the drill team and New World Symphony for the contest show. Crowd applauded about equally for those two. Band parents probably more than most, I must admit. Nobody fell asleep during the halftime that I could see. 

Then the football teams came back out and everyone went back into pep band mode and all was fine.

Mike

There is a saying that goes something like this, "It was a performance that a Mom loves."  Point being is that band parents will support their kid in band with equal applause whether it is Kazoo Town Clown or Ionization.  It is the rest of the folks in the crowd that you need to be concerned with entertaining.

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10 hours ago, GUARDLING said:

And there's a way to do both in whatever way one chooses. One can choose what they wanna be and there isnt any wrong in my opinion

 

Unstated in this discussion is that it isn't the kids deciding, it's the band director. So, my criticism here concerning halftime performances is really directed at the band directors who are so self focused they forget the broader picture that it's okay to bring out the cheese to entertain sometimes.  You and I may want to slit our wrists (metaphorically) if we hear Seven Nation Army one more time, but their high school classmates eat it up. And isn't that what it should be about, at the football game?  Sure, play your festival music at the district band competition. Demonstrate your ability to handle that simultaneous demand by showcasing the contorted awkward body movement that's so necessary at the marching band competition. Time and place for everything. 

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