Multiplication by Division?

Let's do a countdown, shall we, starting with ...

6 - USSBA groupings, based on total band size.
5 - The State of Texas UIL (school size)
4 - Band of America (school size), TOB (winds), Cavalcade of Bands, ISSMA
3 - WGI (World, Open, A), a possible expansion from ...
2 - classes based on ability (DCI, USSBA*)

1 - "champion"?

How much is ... too much? How do you compare "like" bands, especially in contests where too many cuts make for too few competitors, leading to watered down championships? When does a band (and school - and face it, sometimes directors need "wins" to satiate principals and boosters and to justify ongoing investment in the marching program) start to break away from seeking quality, constructive and educational evaluations, and move in the direction of self-esteem contests?

I believe in the value and values of a marching program, to the kids, school and the community. The marching band is the one music education entity that touches the community, not just the parents.

Maybe in starting, or immature, programs some self-esteem is necessary. But this isn't life, and it isn't music education. Music education means the kids get scholastic adjudication. That being said, what does that mean?

One of the things I often wonder is what is the right balance of music (and the validity of percussion sub-captions), visual (with or without the color guard sub-caption), and effect (music and visual). Consider this:

... TOB weighting is 40% music, 20% visual (performance), 40% effect
... USSBA weighting 40% music, 30% visual, 30% effect
... BOA weighting is 20% music, 20% visual and 60% effect (although 2/3rds of that is music effect, upon which arguments that they are 60% music can ensue)

TOB and USSBA use other classifications based on ability, which I think is appropriate. But when you get to large bands, are you just watering it down? Some large bands can be thought of as "developing" marching programs, no doubt, but by breaking them into ability classes are you rewarding their achievement or encouraging their mediocrity?

Does "over"-weighting effect put too much emphasis on design (or, "the adults"), or is this a reward of how much the kids learn (or how well the teachers teach?).

I'm not an educator. I'm a band geek ... and band parent. I believe the scholastic programs should be education based, not design based, rewarding the teaching and the student.

Little wins do matter and they are necessary. (I use the term "little wins" from the business lexicon). But we need to encourage development and growth of the program and the kids.

So if it was up to me ... Two classifications ... two "5 Box" scales ...

Classification I - for the "leading bands":

* Music Performance - 30% ... 20% music, 10% percussion
* Music Effect - 20%
* Visual Performance - 30% ... 20% ensemble (which is an outgrowth of individual), 10% guard
* Visual Effect - 20%

It is "marching (and) band", after all. With this scale music and visual performance are balanced (50/50 on this scale), and performance is given greater credit than design (60/40 in this case).

Classification II - for the "developing" bands:

* Music Performance - 40%, with no sub-caption
* Music Effect - 20%
* Visual Performance - 20%, with no sub-caption
* Visual Effect - 20%

Here performance and music are given greater weight, and music outweighs visual, because from what I have seen developing programs are weaker in fundamentals and music, and this encourages development and growth in those areas.

Program growth - more kids, more bands - is the multiplication effect of this division!

This, of course, will be debated among circuits, among states, among regions ... but I am optimistic it will be settled soon. In fact, I'm told that the experts will get right on it!

After NCAA Division I Football Playoff's implemented. And Texas high school football goes back to A-AA-AAA-AAAA-AAAAA playoffs. And Indiana returns to one high school basketball state champion.

What's it worth to you?

Is it five bucks? Six?

After a season of local shows, this past weekend I sat in a ticket booth for a while watching band parents and grandparents are expressing sticker shock as we get to large finals competitions in major venues, where ticket prices jump to $20 ... or more. (In some case, much much much more - to the point where $10 is the deeply discounted low corner seat!)

Not to mention those stadium operators often do relish the opportunity to stick you with high priced hot dogs and parking fees - fees that are not the fault of the organizers of events, for sure, unless you blame them for choosing the stadium in the first place. (Not that they haven't offset some of with sponsors and exhibitors.)

And pretty much, expressing shock is what we do. I've heard variations on this melody: "What?! That's a outrageous price to pay to see my kid for 15 minutes! I mean, its four times what I've paid all season, not counting the parking rip off!"

Well, for one, just in case you missed it during the last ten or twenty or so years, prices have gone up. Except, perhaps, band competitions. While the costs to put them on go up, ticket prices have held steady. This means less profit for show operators, leading to a lower return on the investment of time, and maybe reducing the costs of the program they are supporting.

And there is a lot of cost to supporting a kid in a band program, no doubt - I have two (and some families I know have three!). Can we squeeze another $20, $40, plus plus plus?

Well, what's it worth to you? To see your kid perform? To give support to the other band kids out there performing?

I understand that it is not the best economic world out there. It's hard to raise money, it's hard to deal with increasing expenses and flat or declining incomes. (Probable case in point: The once dominant Lancaster Catholic HS band.)

Major National Championship events allow the kids the experience of performing before in a "high value" venue. I've seen high school football stadiums in the northeast they are ... not Texas (or Ohio or Florida).

Major National Championship events also all the kids and the directors to get feedback from "high value" judges. Like any sport, there are people who dabble, and there are names we respect. How often does quality educaitonal feedback come to a band?

And, beside, for $20 - stay. Stay and grow the crowd. Give the kids from ALL bands the biggest audience of their season. Give all the kids the most spectatular feedback they will probably get all year. And be surprised. Yes, in most cases there are band that are better than yours.

By the way. $20 to see the USSBA Group 6 Champion Roxbury HS again? Yeah, probably worth it, if you watch them from the moment they step on the field to the moment they step off. Funny that even though they didn't win visual, to me they had the trifecta - great design, great teaching, great execution.

National ChampionS

Plural.

Nazareth Area HS Blue Eagle Marching Band won the USSBA National Championship. (As they say, "Wahoo!")

Avon HS Marching Black and Gold was crowned Bands of America Grand National Champion. (LD Bell, last year's champion, was second, leading to the following IM comment: "Ding dong. Avon calling.")

There are countless state champions, too - divided by various classes - and other associations such that award "super-regional" championships such as the Tournament of Bands Atlantic Coast Champions and the Western Band Association and others I know I've missed. (Note: The TOB link will take you to a high school band site that is generally more up to date that the TOB home page).

In a way, crowning a National Champion in band is like crowning a national champion in college football. Lots of divisions, lots of bowl games or playoffs, lots of polls - er - scoring methodologies and philosophies. And not everyone competes at a certain level, even if they could. Witness the debate about non-BOA appearing Flower Mound (TX) Marcus HS band! A national high school football champion is nearly easier to award (witness the USA Today weekly rankings).

Professionally I work in medical practice management with a focus on anesthesiology. Finding the "right" and "best" is about as hard. Is the care team best or not? (Band speak: Do we count the guard in the members or not?) What is the optimal way to determine a band class - experience, band size, school size? (Anesthesia speak: Is medical direction best at 1:3? 1:4? 1:10? Or does it matter?)

Besides, how do we weight General Effect and Music? (Anesthesia speak: What is good vs. excellent vs. superior anesthesia care? Well, yeah, they wake up and are pain free, but the bedside manner was a mess and the case is always delayed, so ...).

I wrote before, I think, on one of the best bands I saw - a relatively small band from a relatively small Texas border town winning Class 5A, where then big boys and girls play. It hasn't happened since then.

Lately I have wrestled with the concept of excellence, especially personal sustained excellence. It is not easy, nor is it easy to do in everything. We succeed. We fail. We fail at previous successes. We succeed at previous failures. Sometimes we fail a lot and figure out that maybe we shouldn't play that game, or use that particular scoresheet. Sometimes we succeed and own the game. Sometimes we succeed and forget to check to see if the rules changed.

So are we all champions? Well, clearly we cannot be. But we can at least give our best in the field of play, whatever it is, and we can give our best at each "game".

I guess all of this is to say what a National Champion really is (six words?): Singular performance in a singular time.

Wind, Rain, and some Thunder

Wind and rain canceled today's performance. I feel bad for the kids, who missed the chance for performance and adjudication (but they got in some quality time on the bus and at McDonald's!). I feel bad for the host band, too, because having been there on the drum corps show side, a shower can sometimes cause you to take an unneeded (financial) bath.

Hopefully this weekend was it for rain - at least until bands start to move their performances indoors! It's ironic that most "indoor" marching venues are not in the mid-Atlantic, but in places like Indianapolis, Atlanta, St. Louis, Dallas, Phoenix, or Tampa. So, for the next two weekends, we need some clear skies for a series of band events coming up ...

- TOB Chapter IX Championships at Broadneck HS (near Annapolis) on November 1
- County Marching Band Exhibition at Annapolis HS on November 4
- USSBA National Championships in Annapolis on November 7-8
- USSBA Anniversary Celebration in Baltimore on November 9

Who would have thought Annapolis is the alternate center of the marching band universe! We have everything Indianapolis has ... well, except a retractable roof stadium.

Speaking of Thunder, I heard from my good friends at the Carolina Thunder Percussion Ensemble. About 10 years ago this group took some very innovative shows to the WGI World Percussion championships, one of my favorites being Leonard Bernstein's "Overture to Candide", played and marched forward - then backward.

After a hiatus, the group has re-emerged as the official percussion ensemble of the Carolina Panthers. I've noted before that other NFL teams have bands or ensembles - it's good to see the Panthers have connected with some great people to bring some fun to the pre-game!

2007 Season ends on a "high note"

Seems like I just started, and it's over. I know this because corps are hosting open houses (good news) and DCI announced its major event schedule for 2008 (good news!), and Annapolis isn't on the list (boo).

I celebrated the end of the season at the USSBA National Championship two weeks ago - Friday night, or "small band" night. I missed the first Group 1 (sorry, Central) and had to leave before the last half of Group 2, but I enjoyed all the bands in between!

Sayreville War Memorial game me a great welcome with a great sound, and Cumberland Regional brought back orange and white memories of my, er, younger days. Unfortunately, USSBA can't stop planes - well, helicopters - trains and automobiles, and so the were drowned out from time to time. Timber Creek projected well for their size and added a not of nice kinetic movement. North Carroll wrapped up the set.

Criticisms are difficult, my impression was that Southern Garrett had a great concept (pirates) and props get away from them. The show just didn't have a popular feel to it. Haddon-Heights was ambitious but not clean.

Gateway brought the 60s and 70s to life, followed by a band I commented on when I first started this blog: Deptford Township HS and their "In the Spring" show. Well, the Group 1 champion stepped it up, and being in the wonderful M&T Bank Stadium venue gave me a new perspective on the hats, set on the ground in the shape of a cross. I knew what to expect, but still anticipated it! The Iwo Jima and yellow ribbon was quite moving!

My favorite in group 1 did not place in the top 3 and they were challenged by trains and helicopters again. Fluvanna County's show, "Simplicity" was just that, but more! Sure, they did "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Alphabet Song", demonstrated a marching block, and literally counted - and formed - numbers 1 to 10 (I think), they executed well and in an entertaining fashion. For 20 musicians, 10 percussionists (about evenly split between pit and battery), and 12 guard members, they were engaging and worth the price of admission. (The photo is from their website and their 2006 national championship award!)

My favorite Group 2 band didn't place high, either. Honestly, I scratched my head over Collingswood's Japanese themed show, found the Middletown (MD) band doing a nice job but overreaching all the same, and liked the "fire and ice" visuals of West Windsor-Plainsboro South, the band I put at the top of my chart was John F. Kennedy HS. No, they weren't a top scoring band, but they were a very confident band. Why? Well, start with what words fall short of doing - describing this, um, unique and fun band! A blend of traditional corps and traditional HBCU styles, with some high stepping and jammin' squeezed in for the show! A blended identity but not one where they were looking for who they were. I would pay to see these guys again! They also brought back memories!

What does this all mean? Well - creativity, knowing who you are, and playing confidently make a difference!

I wish I didn't have to leave (had to fly off to Texas the next morning) - I'd have loved to seen more of the night and the next day (a post on one of those bands that performed on Saturday will be done soon) - but at least I left with a good feeling!

Kudos to USSBA for a fantastic show, by the way - a great venue, nice seats, lots of vendors, and the big screen to boot! I hope you grow the show here in Maryland!

I "LUV" Band!

I've got a few posts I've got to get to - a review of the USSBA National Championship for one (a Dad and son field trip) and thoughts on a band on a mission - but until I get those ideas together ...

A few posts ago I wrote about the book American Band. If you still have not purchased this book (Christmas gift, anyone?), Southwest Airlines excerpted a chapter the book as its cover story in the November issue of "Spirit", its inflight magazine.

Hey, Southwest - I LUV you! (And the fact that your HQ is in my Heart-Q of Dallas has nothing to do with it!)

By the way, if you need another thing to read to tie you over until the summer drum corps season, check out Halftime Magazine, with a great issue this time out covering events around the country. I tip my hat to Christine Ngeo Katzman, CEO and Publisher, for daring to leave warm southern California to promote her magazine at the USSBA event in Baltimore! (I took a picture of her all bundled up, but the camera is cheap, so I borrowed this from her website!)

Oh, and by the way, Congratulations to the 4 Texas bands making the Bands of America Grand National Championship Finals, including champion L.D. Bell HS Blue Raider Band of Hurst-near-Fort-Worth-but-Dallas-will-claim-you-now, Texas!

Bye Bye to Bye Weeks

This weekend is a bye week. Not just for my son’s band, but for my Dallas Cowboys, too. Ugh. But I lucked out! The USSBA was holding their PA/DE State Championships just 45 minutes from my conference in Philadelphia. Some people like to go to conventions to run up great food bills – I went to a band show!

Coatesville is a great venue – turf field – and a great greeting to fans. As far as the bands, here are a few notes …

Whitehall HS had a nice look and a great sound from 25 winds and 7 percussionists. Their New World Symphony was well executed musically and visually, earning them first place in their class. Right behind them was North East HS (MD). What fun! They started the show right from the warm up, setting and keeping the jazz club feel. This was one of my favorite shows of the night, well done and enjoyable not only for the audience but apparently the kids as well.

Methancton HS had some fantastic mallets in the pit. Rustin HS had a great cheering section, probably the best of the night! Great fans make for a great performance.

Hatboro-Horsham HS brought their theme together visually (although I didn’t quite get it musically) as they celebrated transportation – rail, sky and auto. Their marching was well taught and make the visuals sharp.

Dowingtown West HS Whippets get my best mascot name award, and could “whip it good”, especially the percussion! The drum line enjoys playing together!

Easton Area HS (PA) brought "Bond, James Bond" to the field. I heard a judge say this band bought a college band type show to the field; for me it was like watching some of the bigger Texas high school bands when I was growing up. It was retro, but well done! When was the last time you saw twirlers on a competitive band field? The entire band had a great time with fantastic music selections: Bond Theme, Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice, the ballad For Your Eyes Only and the driving closer Live & Let Die.

My favorite band of the night was Central Bucks East HS. While the host Coatesville Area HS performed strong, and won the class, the CBE band is one I would definitely want to see again. They were clean and kept pushing through!

Thanks for a great bye week!