The Nonsense Thread

Haven't seen this before, but I suspect the British Zoochatters have. I quite enjoyed it.


:p

Hix
 
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I've actually seen that before. I like the whole "Day time! Night time!" thing. I remember that part being longer however.

~Thylo:cool:
 
I saw one of these videos before. I thought it was hilarious! This one, however, seems to have other clips I haven't yet seen. This one had me crying a few seconds in... :D

"GATHER 'ROUND BRUTHAS AND SISTAHS - JOIN ME. ARE YOU READY TO RECEIVE THE HEALIN'?!"

"...And I can hear my heartbeat in my ears, I don't get it!"

I like the laughing baby storks and "ALAN!", too.
 
Exhibitry is an art, marching band is an art, so I give you one of the greatest marching shows ever done by a high school band: JOAN OF ARC
 
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I disagree. Marching band is the most vile thing to happen to music since (and probably even before) the awfulness that is boy bands and teen pop.
 
What do you play and how are people in marching band not real musicians? The only people that are in competitive marching bands that aren't musicians are people in colorguard nowadays. College marching bands are a different matter of course. :( (Another thing Ohio State had to go and ruin)
 
JBZvolunteer said:
What do you play and how are people in marching band not real musicians? The only people that are in competitive marching bands that aren't musicians are people in colorguard nowadays. College marching bands are a different matter of course. :( (Another thing Ohio State had to go and ruin)
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I have two degrees in music (performance and composition). I won't say that some people aren't musician who once played in a marching band, but it takes years of therapy and private music lessons to cure the faults created by the "ensemble."

When I use the term musician, I reserve it for only those people who create true art through the idiom of sound.
 
JBZvolunteer said:
What do you play and how are people in marching band not real musicians? The only people that are in competitive marching bands that aren't musicians are people in colorguard nowadays. College marching bands are a different matter of course. :( (Another thing Ohio State had to go and ruin)
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He plays the Bassoon, that's what the 'bsn' in jbnbsn99 stands for.

*Sorry if you didn't want that posted, jbnbsn. Just delete it if you don't want it up.

~Thylo:cool:
 
That makes sense, now that I know your background, I must ask though if you watched the video? Marching band has changed a lot over the years, approximately 10% of the members in our marching band/concert band go on to recieve degrees in music. The only reason why some kids in our school do marching band is because we have only one band in our high school. A lot of the members in marching band at my school do quite well in concert band, with about 50% of participants get a 1 at district solo and ensemble and movie onto state, some members even composed solo's for classmates that moved onto state. A lot of the difference though comes between competitive and extracurricular marching, my school and the school in the above video take part in competitive where they aren't just playing the stereotypical pop htis like gangnam style (THANKS AGAIN OHIO STATE!!) but actaul difficult pieces of music. I know in our division one of the top schools played dies irae fro verdi's reqiuem. Also you added in the visual art piece and it becomes even more beautiful but at the heart of it all lies thte music. Our band director is always preaching to us that the marching is their to compliment the music and that the music is the core though, and we still need to play with proper tonality, dynamics, and style/emotion. This is my personal view though on why I think marching band is music and an art form but, I will respect your opinion.
 
JBZvolunteer said:
That makes sense, now that I know your background, I must ask though if you watched the video? Marching band has changed a lot over the years, approximately 10% of the members in our marching band/concert band go on to recieve degrees in music. The only reason why some kids in our school do marching band is because we have only one band in our high school. A lot of the members in marching band at my school do quite well in concert band, with about 50% of participants get a 1 at district solo and ensemble and movie onto state, some members even composed solo's for classmates that moved onto state. A lot of the difference though comes between competitive and extracurricular marching, my school and the school in the above video take part in competitive where they aren't just playing the stereotypical pop htis like gangnam style (THANKS AGAIN OHIO STATE!!) but actaul difficult pieces of music. I know in our division one of the top schools played dies irae fro verdi's reqiuem. Also you added in the visual art piece and it becomes even more beautiful but at the heart of it all lies thte music. Our band director is always preaching to us that the marching is their to compliment the music and that the music is the core though, and we still need to play with proper tonality, dynamics, and style/emotion. This is my personal view though on why I think marching band is music and an art form but, I will respect your opinion.
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The fact that a band "attempted" Verdi's Requiem is exactly the reason I find marching band abhorrent. The band plays an 8 minute, watered-down version of an 80 minute long work, void of emotion and meaning only because there is a freakin' huge bass drum hit in Verdi's original. Now if the band actually attempted the Quid sum miser movement, and did it with delicacy and grace, I might listen to your argument.
 
If you watched the video you could see though that there is emotion in though. The beginning everyone feels nervous as they try to softly play while gathering into groups and not be noticed. In the second movement the band gains the bravery and confidence need to go into battle against others will. In the third movement you hear the single cry of a french horn showcasing the agony of joan of arc. The final movement shows the band playing out in jubilation and exaltation as the spirit of Joan of arc returns to the heavens. The great thing about marching band is that you also have the second medium to help backup and further the emotion and style of the piece. Would you also please answer my question if you watched the video?
 
Alright, at your bequest, I listened to the show. Intonation in the opener was quite bad, some of the mellophone passages in particular. Many gaps in the front line, uneven spacing. Many miscues in the flags. The brief respite of Ravel's Pavane pour une infante défunte was the only moment in the piece that approached musicianship, but it lasted less than 30 seconds, just enough time for me to recognize the tune. While I love the Dies irae and the symbology that it holds, the constant overuse in this production took away from the effect. The final climax was lacking in build up. In order to prepare for a "park and blow" the music must be doing something 1/3 of the way from the ultimate note of the music, in this case about 2:30 from the end. Instead, we were still being introduced to new ideas. What I did notice was over use of a synthesizer to bolster the sound of the band and not as a new musical element. If the band can't produce enough volume, do you think a synth can cure it?

In short, if this is what passes for a good marching show in Michigan, never come to Texas. We take our marching band seriously. Here that would have gotten a solid 2nd division at contest.
 
Trust me this isn't the highest rated marching show this year, the came from the medium sized school division, large schools dominate the field but they normally have strict no youtube policies. Trust me all low budget small schools hate how big schools use synthesizers to further their performannce by making the sound bigger. Also, remember this is a low quality recording from youtube so the sound will sound terrible. Another thing is no school ever gives mello's enough attention to fix all the problems so most likely this will always be a section that will be griped about. Most michigan bands are quite intense with high ranking bands having all day practice starting in June. My school's daily regiment at band camp is Wakeup at 7 am, run a half mile, 3 hour practice, lunch, three hour practice, dinner, 4 hour practice, bed.

What did any other zoochatters think of the video?
 
JBZvolunteer said:
Trust me this isn't the highest rated marching show this year, the came from the medium sized school division, large schools dominate the field but they normally have strict no youtube policies. Trust me all low budget small schools hate how big schools use synthesizers to further their performannce by making the sound bigger. Also, remember this is a low quality recording from youtube so the sound will sound terrible. Another thing is no school ever gives mello's enough attention to fix all the problems so most likely this will always be a section that will be griped about. Most michigan bands are quite intense with high ranking bands having all day practice starting in June. My school's daily regiment at band camp is Wakeup at 7 am, run a half mile, 3 hour practice, lunch, three hour practice, dinner, 4 hour practice, bed.

What did any other zoochatters think of the video.
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It isn't about how you compare against the bigger schools, it's about how you compare against yourself. I disregarded the video quality, I understand how poor those can be. There "will always be a section that will be griped about," while this is true, you are only as strong as your weakest link. Having taught in band programs for well over a decade now, I'm quite familiar with standard band camp days :)
 
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