Oct 2017
Texas State Military Marching Band Contest
24/10/17 17:16
The Texas State Military Marching Band Contest has been scheduled for NOVEMBER 4, 2017.
https://www.facebook.com/GSBaileyDesigns/photos/a.477596659070488.1073741828.378210469009108/880888832074600/?type=3 for the picture. As soon as RapidWeaver and I can play friendly with Facebook images, I will post the pic. For now, click the link and I apologize. However, know every link from here opens in its own tab.
At some point, there will be a schedule. When that happens, I will post a schedule for the day.
https://www.facebook.com/GSBaileyDesigns/photos/a.477596659070488.1073741828.378210469009108/880888832074600/?type=3 for the picture. As soon as RapidWeaver and I can play friendly with Facebook images, I will post the pic. For now, click the link and I apologize. However, know every link from here opens in its own tab.
At some point, there will be a schedule. When that happens, I will post a schedule for the day.
Comments
Pageantry vs Marching? (opine)
14/10/17 17:01
I know I'm dragging on and rambling through multiple posts, but I did make a reference to the current state of the concept of "pageantry" vs "marching band" that really got me thinking. Then I remembered how Jim Jones with NAMMB said this exact same thing back on Marching Roundtable. This was back in 2015, well before my current epiphany.
We're not at the point (yet) where we really need to separate a Pageantry Band away from a more traditional Marching Band. The edge of the cliff is getting awfully close, though.
There is a growing divide between a Pageantry Band that would compete at Bands of America (again, not disparaging them) and a more marching oriented group that BoA would just annihilate on judging sheets. It isn't that the more traditional marching group isn't viable. It just means that under BoA-type judging rubrics, the more traditional groups are so severely handicapped that they might as well not compete at all.
So what is a good solution? It's pretty clear that DCI and BoA-type groups are not going to budge. They think it represents the future of the activity (it's really just uncharted waters, but I digress). Going genre-neutral, as Texas tries with their UIL system, is an option, but where does the UIL system go from this point?
It's pretty clear that Pageantry Bands have been here to stay and have been developing into what is essentially their own style. The system behind it all for adjudication purposes isn't adapting at all. If it is adapting, it's adapting to favor the Pageantry Band more than anything else.
This is an overwhelming problem for anyone that isn't a Pageantry Band. How can you compare a Texas military band to a five to ten minute stage play on the field? Or how do you compare a more traditional Marching Band with a five to ten minute stage play?
The short answer is that you simply cannot. The short answer isn't "Well, if you don't like change over," because that simply isn't happening.
The easy answer is just to separate Pageantry Bands from everyone else, and they do via Bands of America (again, not disparaging BoA) to a small extent. However, this isn't feasible in many states, because of the fact that
I know of many in California, tons in Texas, and several in Ohio that still march in a more traditional style, which may or may not be military styled. Perhaps we in the more traditional world of Marching Bands, which includes the military bands also, should form our own league. That is something that could be looked into, but the question then becomes "How do you start it and how does it keep going onward?"
We're not at the point (yet) where we really need to separate a Pageantry Band away from a more traditional Marching Band. The edge of the cliff is getting awfully close, though.
There is a growing divide between a Pageantry Band that would compete at Bands of America (again, not disparaging them) and a more marching oriented group that BoA would just annihilate on judging sheets. It isn't that the more traditional marching group isn't viable. It just means that under BoA-type judging rubrics, the more traditional groups are so severely handicapped that they might as well not compete at all.
So what is a good solution? It's pretty clear that DCI and BoA-type groups are not going to budge. They think it represents the future of the activity (it's really just uncharted waters, but I digress). Going genre-neutral, as Texas tries with their UIL system, is an option, but where does the UIL system go from this point?
It's pretty clear that Pageantry Bands have been here to stay and have been developing into what is essentially their own style. The system behind it all for adjudication purposes isn't adapting at all. If it is adapting, it's adapting to favor the Pageantry Band more than anything else.
This is an overwhelming problem for anyone that isn't a Pageantry Band. How can you compare a Texas military band to a five to ten minute stage play on the field? Or how do you compare a more traditional Marching Band with a five to ten minute stage play?
The short answer is that you simply cannot. The short answer isn't "Well, if you don't like change over," because that simply isn't happening.
The easy answer is just to separate Pageantry Bands from everyone else, and they do via Bands of America (again, not disparaging BoA) to a small extent. However, this isn't feasible in many states, because of the fact that
I know of many in California, tons in Texas, and several in Ohio that still march in a more traditional style, which may or may not be military styled. Perhaps we in the more traditional world of Marching Bands, which includes the military bands also, should form our own league. That is something that could be looked into, but the question then becomes "How do you start it and how does it keep going onward?"
Odds and Ends (opine)
14/10/17 16:48
MBAW is still on the horizon, but not on the current horizon. Perhaps after this horizon, it will be seen on the next one.
Over at NAMMB, they are working on a drill design program! I'm a bit excited to see the final result. I have seen screen shots, though, and felt like it might work. So hopefully, when it's done, we'll all give it a try.
I'm going to work on a Pyware tutorial series for military band directors in the meantime. One of the things I've heard a lot is that the software is simply so off-putting. So maybe a tutorial where everything that isn't needed is X-ed out or something is necessary. I'm not trying to take anything away from NAMMB's exciting project, but we do need something and Pyware is the best software out there at present.
Everyone this week seems to be getting reviews on copyright. I really, desperately want to make an opine on it, but it would likely be such a hot-button topic that it would break Disqus! Needless to say, it affects us in the world of military bands also.
HOWEVER…the NAMMB Contest will still be live streamed and I will be live Tweeting/Facebooking for the duration of the event! Directors will have to bring signed forms stating they have acquired the necessary permissions to live stream their music and drill. The live stream WILL NOT BE RECORDED. It will also not be recorded by me.
In another HOWEVER…I will be live Tweeting and live Facebooking during the event. Use the hashtag #NAMMBContest to keep track of me and hopefully everyone at the event. Can it become a trending topic? Only time will tell.
Over at NAMMB, they are working on a drill design program! I'm a bit excited to see the final result. I have seen screen shots, though, and felt like it might work. So hopefully, when it's done, we'll all give it a try.
I'm going to work on a Pyware tutorial series for military band directors in the meantime. One of the things I've heard a lot is that the software is simply so off-putting. So maybe a tutorial where everything that isn't needed is X-ed out or something is necessary. I'm not trying to take anything away from NAMMB's exciting project, but we do need something and Pyware is the best software out there at present.
Everyone this week seems to be getting reviews on copyright. I really, desperately want to make an opine on it, but it would likely be such a hot-button topic that it would break Disqus! Needless to say, it affects us in the world of military bands also.
HOWEVER…the NAMMB Contest will still be live streamed and I will be live Tweeting/Facebooking for the duration of the event! Directors will have to bring signed forms stating they have acquired the necessary permissions to live stream their music and drill. The live stream WILL NOT BE RECORDED. It will also not be recorded by me.
In another HOWEVER…I will be live Tweeting and live Facebooking during the event. Use the hashtag #NAMMBContest to keep track of me and hopefully everyone at the event. Can it become a trending topic? Only time will tell.