Wait…what again?
If I told you that you were going to something that had music, acting, and dance, your first thought would probably be that you are going to a Broadway show. In fact, you would be wrong. This past week I attended all of that, for a measly five dollars. If you are still confused, I am not surprised.
What I went to was a marching band performance by High School students. It was not the scrawny little children with braces, struggling to keep up their instruments. It was also not like the high-powered and deftly skilled marchers in Drum Line with Nick Cannon. The last time I saw a marching band performance was when I was in marching band myself. This was four years ago; that was the introductory year of marching band at my school so the performance rough and not that polished. My marching band experience was not fulfilling, in fact it was part of the reason I decided to quit band.
Coming into Hofstra, I did not know exactly what to expect. I had not seen a marching band performance since I was a freshman in high school so I still had negative view of marching. Despite my prejudices, I attempted to come in with an open mind. Even if I ended up hating the performance, my main purpose of coming was to support my sister.
Although the performance was amateur, I was treated to a different sort of art all together. Everything seemed to be able to mesh together. The uniforms each band had were like costumes in a play. The color guard seemed to trot across the field with their elaborately colored flags. Music chimed in like a Broadway performance. The formations were beautifully timed like an intricate dance number. They ranged from simple letters of a school, to a winding snake that stretched throughout the whole field. It contained all the components of the performing arts yet packaged them in a completely different way.
One school, from Roslyn, really caught my eye as they created a whole skit that. Roslyn had won second place in all of New York last year, so it was not a surprise that they had such an enjoyable performance. It played off of a woman trying to get through her morning exercise. Each song would record her struggles and triumphs as she went through her early routine. Finally, as she races to get to work, the upshot is welcomed with a jubilant ending. However, it was noted that this performance was an expensive one for them. They had about six different types of exercise equipment, all of which looked new. Money seemed to have fueled their creativity. Nevertheless, I was definitely treated to an unique performance.
Overall the quality of the performers was about average. The festival was not a competition, so it was not imperative that each school’s performance be perfect. However, Newsday did come to tape the event for TV coverage for an obscure local channel. There was at least some pressure to succeed. To sum it up, the children performing treated marching band like a well-liked hobby.
My opinion of marching band seems to have changed from this past performance. No longer do I associate it with the torturous hell that I had do endure years ago. It is now a graceful performance that I now see as an art. If anyone is looking to go to a cultural event, try a marching band performance. It is a lot more than you would expect.
October 31st, 2007 at 1:30 pm
The whole concept of being in a marching band seems weird to me, but if you are musical inclined it could be a great experience.
October 31st, 2007 at 7:03 pm
It is awesome how you experienced music, acting, and dance in the same event. I have never been to any marching band performances but after reading your review it seems like it is something I would enjoy too. I would probably enjoy the skit very much.
October 31st, 2007 at 11:58 pm
I do think watching and listening to a marching band is quite an experience! The way a marching band can hype up a crowd and engage people is incomparable. I remember going to football games in Michigan where the marching band’s performance during half time was always what everyone was looking forward to. It must have been very interesting to see a marching band acutally incorporate acting into their performance as well. I think it is a very interesting fusion of different “types of performing art”.
November 1st, 2007 at 7:03 pm
YO, I performed at Hofstra for Newsday the last 3 years. I know exactly what your sister was going through. But don’t hate on us marching band kids, like Anna said we’re the ones that hype the football teams and the kids during pep rallies. But I must say that when i performed in 11th grade, when we were chosen to perform for TV, I was pretty nervous. You really don’t know how much time and effort goes into this, especially all the individual time and effort it takes. Memorizing music and movements for 3 songs is harder than one could imagine. So join VH1 and Save the Music in high schools, b/c music really does help kids appreciate and develop a different attitude towards life
November 2nd, 2007 at 3:24 pm
Like i said I did this Freshman year. I hated it. I think i just didnt enjoy the whole band experience when I was performing. But I know how much time goes into this. We started like 2 weeks before school. Then once schoo lstarted, everyday we’d go out for 40 mins and then on Saturday we would have 3 hour practices. It’s a lot of work. It also didn’t help that it was like mid-October and the weather was below freezing. It even started snowing. The reason I hated it so much was probably because after all the hard work, I didnt feel satisfied with the outcome.
November 3rd, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Your introduction is quite catchy. I could not resist to read it.
I agree with Anna Maja that the marching bands electrify crowds as well as teams. Your review reminded me of the movie American Pie: Band Camp. It is an awesome movie about marching band and teenagers.