Musical_Spinner Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 (edited) ATX -- To me that's manipulative and again, anti-educational. Musical Spinner -- School Marching Bands are still SCHOOL. If you are on the softball team, and you decide to try out for Tennis, and your softball coach prevented you from doing so, or let you do so and then pulled you back on to the softball team when that wasn't where you wanted to be, then there would be heck to pay. This is ridiculous. Why should a marching band be any different? I have to say, given the attitudes I'm seeing here, I thank my lucky stars that our band and guard was a place that was welcoming and encouraging, not cutthroat and vindictive. What Margie is going through is not only discriminatory in my eyes (preventing from being on guard because she plays an instrument) but teaches her that she needs to accept her lot in life and doesn't get to change her own destiny. Great lessons from a TEACHER. Band Director or not, he is a teacher FIRST. Your example is faulty. If you don't want to be on the team, then quit. How is that so hard to understand? Just like on any sports team, if you don't get the spot you want then you can leave. No one is forcing the performer/athlete to perform in/on another section/sports team! Once again, you are NOT entitled to perform in the band just because you want to, especially if it is a competitive band. Edited October 18, 2008 by Musical_Spinner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Your example is faulty. If you don't want to be on the team, then quit. How is that so hard to understand? Just like on any sports team, if you don't get the spot you want then you can leave. No one is forcing the performer/athlete to perform in/on another section/sports team! Once again, you are NOT entitled to perform in the band just because you want to, especially if it is a competitive band. Yes the coach/BD is the boss. But if the reason given is "Because I said so, end of discussion" then the coach/BD is showing no respect to the participant and needs to find another line of work. Not sure if that is the case here but seen too many examples of "I'm in charge... shut up" which has killed more than a few groups. Sidebar on tennis/softball post: Back in the late 70s my HS added soccer with the caveat that kids couldn't play both football (schools big sport) and soccar. Rumor was some of the board members thought soccer was a "sissy" sport and was trying to kill the program. Backfired as the smaller fast kids who could run chose soccer and the football team went 3-26 the next three years. Yeah, being heavy handed can hurt a program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musical_Spinner Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Reason given in bold below. At my school only band students can be in CG. There are no rules. Anybody can try out for guard. Even tho he let me try out and I've made the team (twice) the band director won't let me because of the instrument I play. He says he needs me to play during marching season. Without rules, is he allowed to keep me from being in guard? I'd like to hear from color guard instructors or band directors about how you handle these situations. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinmomma Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 (edited) The reason the BD gives is faulty. IF it is so important for Margie to play her instrument in the fall, then WHY LET HER AUDITION FOR CG? And his rules ENCOURAGE this behavior. If only band kids can try out for CG, then basically what he is saying is only crappy instrumentalists can be CG members. This makes no sense. As for the point from Musical Spinner about not being entitled to perform in band just because you want to - that's where your philosophies and mine diverge. My band history is based on the fact that ALL who wanted to were accepted in band (and often in CG we accepted all who auditioned). EVERYONE performed. Sure were some years more competitive than others? Absolutely. But the lessons learned in the organization I was with were about teamwork, common goals, supporting one another, and creating family for many kids who had no family. I wholeheartedly subscribe to the philosophy that building the team is the means to the competitive end. Cutthroat has NO PLACE in education. Edited October 19, 2008 by twinmomma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bdon15 Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 "At my school only band students can be in CG It doesn't make sense to me that only band members be allowed in the guard, when the band seems to be needing it's musicians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 This is where I get confused. I don't know that much about school musical programs because I never belonged to one, but when I marched EVERYONE was considered part of the Corps. It didn't matter what your specialty was. Our corps had an all female winter guard for three seasons and they were all members of the corps - they were "our girls". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted October 19, 2008 Share Posted October 19, 2008 The reason the BD gives is faulty. IF it is so important for Margie to play her instrument in the fall, then WHY LET HER AUDITION FOR CG? What I missed in my previous post... thank you.... Have a guess on that but..... why guess.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinmomma Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Just wondering if there's been an update or an explanation given by the BD.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rifleboypa Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 At my school only band students can be in CG. There are no rules. Anybody can try out for guard. Even tho he let me try out and I've made the team (twice) the band director won't let me because of the instrument I play. He says he needs me to play during marching season. Without rules, is he allowed to keep me from being in guard? I'd like to hear from color guard instructors or band directors about how you handle these situations. Thanks i had this same issues when i was in high school.. i was not allowed in the color guard for marching band because our classificatoin was based on number of musicians.. not total number of memebers in the band. color guard didn't count... the answer is.. yes they can... unless ur school board or principle makes the decision for him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry S Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 No good can come from trying to discuss this further. Your rhetoric is clearly over the top and tends to support my earlier statements. Debate over. You were the one who gave the BLAH BLAH BLAH emoticon to the other person. That's pretty much a dis IMO. ANYWAY, I called Mr. Tim, a close friend and BD at a high school here in my area, and asked MY wife, a special education teacher (Pre-K- 5th grade for her 11th year now) and they both said that the BD is not even obligated to let someone march much less let someone else besides the BD make the final call on how the talent he has is spread around. That's why you have to "tryout" for marching band. When I marched, I had to tryout again every year throughout high school. It's no different than a football coach holding tryouts and deciding who can be on the team or not, and what position they play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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