We use these words interchangeably, but in the cinema at the DCI Quarterfinals I leaned they are not. During the gap between the Blue Devils and the final two scores there was a presentation on the Field Band Foundation in South Africa. I didn’t get the reason for this promotion at first, but by the end I was hooked on the mission and goals of this organization. When I was with Carolina Crown and we were applying for grants, we were often asked how many underprivileged or disadvantaged kids we were serving. This is a hard question for any world class drum corps to answer, but I was comfortable (albeit not politically correct) when I said our focus was helping ordinary kids become extraordinary through demanding education programs. Even most school marching bands are solid extracurricular programs that can do lifechanging things, but they ultimately respond to their community needs.
The Field Band Foundation is not about this at all. It is, we all learned, about giving some kids the skills to survive. To make it out of extreme poverty and life situations to even attempt at what we probably consider a normal life. Their focus is far beyond music and personal excellence - it is about saving lives. Those are words we don't often used when we talk about music education.
Go to this website and learn more for yourself: www.fieldband.org.za
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