Is Marching Band good for you?

remnantpark · Post by **remnantpark** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:27 am

I have heard that Maching Band can ruin your playing...True or False?
I take up Marching Band and I'm worried if it does ruin my playing..
I'm not so sure if it's ruining my flute either. we practice with our instruments in the rain too

FltnPicc_David · Post by **FltnPicc_David** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 10:48 am

Marching Band doesnt ruin your playing. Music during marching season is MUCH easier in my opinion and you can keep up with your plaing ability by doing some side studies during the season (working on etudes, solos, trying out for All-State and other honors groups..)

Marching season does, however, give instruments a beating. Make sure you clean the instrument thoroughly after every practice, football game, and performance. And why are you practicing in the RAIN!?! The other day, my piccolo was ruined because my director neglected to tell us to run and put our instruments away when it started to rain heavily while we marched. Hmph. Now it's in the repair shop with some rust problems. Rain can cause severe damage to the mechanism and pads.

remnantpark · Post by **remnantpark** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 11:36 am

Okay, thanks.
Yeah, they make us play in the rain. I remember last year, it was 54 degrees in October and it was raining hard. IWe had the march and play in the rain!

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 1:12 pm

I have to say that I slightly disagree with FltnPicc_David. Marching band ruined my technique, and only after about 6 months of intensive practice and training, was I able to bring it back up to par. Practicing outside of marching band helps, but not a lot. In marching band, you are more worried about your position on the field, and not your musical technicalities. Also, the flute is not designed to march. It puts your body in an even more unnatural position than it already does. So, this additional strain can cause future shoulder/ back problems.

I know it sounds like I am really bashing marching band, but I have made a lot of wonderful memories in M.B. I don't regret it, but it caused me a lot of trouble. So, you can choose to march, but put in a lot of extra work in the off season, or just not march and preserve your technique. I chose to do the first option. you may choose otherwise. But if at all possible, keep your flute in good condition. Dont put it on the ground/grass/ concrete. Dont bring it out in the rain. Clean it VERY WELL after every practice. IT would be very helpful I think to buy a really cheap flute (doesnt even have to be a name brand---- like a cheap import flute) to use in marching band. That way, if it is ruined, it isnt a big deal.

flutepicc06 · Post by **flutepicc06** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 2:36 pm

Obviously the experience varies from person to person. I agree with FltnPicc_David that marching band does not ruin your playing. I did it for four years (5 now), and even marched with groups outside my own band, and never noticed any decline in playing ability. My primary suggestion to avoid hurting your playing is to regard marching band as a concert group on the field. Don't overblow, or play in a way you wouldn't if you were inside, and your playing should be fine. As for the instruments, my experience shows me that instruments are not necessarily damaged by marching. I took a Yamaha 581 (now the equivalent of a 674H) through marching season my sophomore year, and then used it for the Rose Parade, and it came through both completely unscathed. However, climate, the care with which you treat the instrument, and any number of other factors will play into this. Make sure you're not playing your best flute/picc on the field, and accept that the possibility exists for damage to occur. Then be sure to take the best possible care of it, and don't worry too much if something happens to the instrument....In most cases it can be fixed.

fluteguy18 · Post by **fluteguy18** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 10:41 am

Also, a lot of the affects on your instrument vary by climate. Here in KY, it is very humid, and hot, and when the seasons change, it rains, and floods..... Very hard on any instrument. If you are in a dry climate, it should be fine, but the climate here, regardless of how well you take care of it, causes quite a bit of damage.

I do acknowledge that everyone has different expieriances with marching band. I liked it, but because I was the only one who could play loud enough in my section to be heard up in the top of the stands, my director really pressured me to project for the entire woodwind section. This really helped my projection, but because I was so focused on that alone, my technique went downhill (I did everything to project, rolling the flute outward affected my hands, and I have hand problems anyway, so it just murdered my technique). You might not have the same expieriance. Give it a shot, and if you dont like doing it, or think it is bad for you, then dont do it anymore. Just do your own thing.

MeLizzard · Post by **MeLizzard** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 7:39 am

I don't think, overall, it ruins your playing. Some of my students, because 1)They're playing their junker instruments that don't get much/very good sound, and 2)They're trying to play so loud, sometimes have to do some extra tone work to remember how to get an attractive tone, not just a forceful one.

Also, somebody posted a coupla videos of MY old marching band, from the early '80s, on YouTube recently--I found them yesterday. Here's the link:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5G461tkRBeE
There's a field show (that got them to the World's Fair!), plus a parade. It's a military band, so it might look a little different than some of the drill you're accustomed to seeing. Considering the primitive audio quality of cam-corders in 1982, this high-school band playing in a 40,000-seat stadium sounds not-shabby!