“All the worlds a stage …” William Shakespeare once said and to a marching band that football field is their stage, and that green field is the canvas which the members paint upon. But should this type of entertainment be considered a sport or just musical art? There has been a discussion in the past few years questioning if marching band should be considered a sport or left as an art form. Marching band in its essence is simply a concert band placed on a field in which the players move sequentially in time with one another. Wayne Markwork says in his book The Dynamic Marching Band that “Marching band needs to be approached as an athletic activity” (78). Agreeing to this statement I push to outline under what circumstances this musical entertainment …show more content…
On the extreme end of the spectrum there is Drum Corps. Each summer the members burn thousands of calories a day. The Drum Corps International webpage states, “On days the corps doesn’t play a show, the group rehearses all day, logging as many as eight or 10 hours on the field (DCI.org).” This activity logs many hours full of rigorous musician ship and physically activity. Much as a football player does at practices. Also as a comparison to the weight room of many sports are the weight of the instruments. Holding up an instrument for a ten minute show at attention requires more strength than one would …show more content…
Marching band is an expression of musical art. At the moment marching band is musical entertainment. If a concert band is placed on a football field are they a marching band? No, for the one fact that they are not moving they are simply playing. Yet just adding a synchronized step they become a marching band. “…one director even refers to it as a cross between a Broadway musical and a marching band show” (DCI.org). Performing a concert take many hours of practice inside and outside rehearsal to put on a show, much like a Broadway performance. Depending on what you are playing also deems how physically cautious a musician must be to play a piece. Ballet is another form of musical entertainment that uses more physical activity than many sports. In comparison to ballet, marching band falls under the same category as just an entertaining art form. Both use music to express form in unison, both commit to physical activity, both are used for simply entertainment. Yet, both are physically and mentally taxing. So marching band is literally marching arts in many cases if not labeled under a sport, it’s an expression. The musicianship is the front runner in any marching ensemble. They are a musician first, which then embodies a performer. Just because it has physical demands in it doesn’t deem it a sport, just another music
To restate, marching pompously within The Pride of the Devils band for the first time was an immortal moment that still lives fresh within the many young minds of the Greeneville High School Marching Band. Doubtlessly, the snappy yet fluid motions of fluently glide stepping over the looming fifty yard line is etched into memory. Moreover, the straight spines and served as a solid spur that is as high held as the chins of the band members. It is without uncertainty that the succinct, precise heartbeat of the band was the consistent rhythm of the Drum Captain’s invariable marching tempo. This perpetual rhythm was tapped out on a snare drum and ensured the comprehensive accuracy of the firm, sure footfalls of the band members. Arguably, the supremacy of the marching band is shown within the straight, unyielding lines and the control of movement on the illuminated field. Because of this precise marching, the band displayed a strikingly uniform and professional demeanor that was as intimidating as it was a testament to their supremacy. The precise skill in marching possessed the influence to convince any teenager in the exalting student section to don a hunter green band uniform without
People only have passion for something they enjoy. Marching band needs to become more enjoyable for students. When you watch other bands perform, you can really tell which bands are enjoying themselves because the majority of the time they are better than the ones that just meander around playing their instrument with no real emotion. Now know that I am not saying we should just goof off more and not really do marching band, but we should make the marching show more interactive instead of just marching from one place to another. We should do more stuff like the poses at the beginning of the Batman show or how in the 80’s Show we did that lung thing during Don’t Stop Believing. Students enjoy
When it comes to the topic of whether cheerleading is a sport, some of us will readily agree that it is. Where the agreement usually ends, however, is on the question whether cheerleading is a sport or not. Whereas many are convinced that it isn’t a sport, other maintains that it is a sport because cheerleaders are athletes, they need to train and be in shape in order to be able to do all the complex maneuvers safely. I agree that cheerleading is a sport because cheerleaders compete against other teams and competition is part of every sport.
It is general consensus that marching band is one of the furthest things from a sport; in fact, most people believe that band is nothing more than a group of nerds that were too unathletic to play sports. Contrary to this popular belief, marching band is much more physically taxing and demanding that many people are aware of. Based on the amount of physical exertion it entails and the similarities with other sports that are present, marching band should most definitely be considered a sport.
“An athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.” According to dictionary.com that would be the definition of a sport. Let’s look at the definition of a sport from Cambridge Dictionary, “a game, competition, or similar activity, done for enjoyment or as a job, that takes physical effort and skill and is played or done by following particular rules.” Marching band has been around for many years and still to this day is underappreciated and there’s been a lot of controversy whether or not it should be considered a sport. If we were to follow the guidelines of these definitions, then why would it not be. Marching band is an exhausting sport and takes an immense amount of physical power and will to be done. Not only that, but it takes an almost impossible amount of skill. Finally, marching band is a majorly competitive activity. Most high schools have a competition about once a week for a season that lasts about fourteen weeks (or about three months). So why is it not considered a sport?
Marching band is a very broad field to participate in. High school and college band both have specific criteria they have to meet during marching season. But what are the differences and likenesses between high school and college band? In high school band, there is one show to perform and there are many long, grueling hours spent perfecting and fine tuning it. The show is not only for halftime spectating at football games, but also band festival and regional contests. High school band has a more stern outlook because the entire season is spent working for placement, whether it be superior or not. Some bands have a more difficult time working considering obstacles such as size. Bands can range anywhere from only thirty to two hundred. With upperclassmen
A community is a group of people who share something in common whether it be location, interest or a common goal. Communities are what bring people together and that is exactly what happens in marching band. Marching band is a way for people to find their place and make friends. It is very important not only for growth in music, but also for growth in character and friendship. There is only one requirement for marching band and that is to be able to play an instrument and be willing to practice hard. The people who join marching band do not need to have similar like and dislikes, majors, or even anything remotely in common.
I love marching band because, while it is so challenging and physically draining, it is also an amazing and rewarding experience. To me, band is more than a class. It’s more than an extracurricular activity or a summer pastime. Band is a way to express who you really are-- a way to find your true character. I’ve met some of the most influential people in my life through band programs, and they’ve helped me shape myself into
There is two things in this world that you should be scared of. The first thing is spiders, and the second is a cheerleader who has just been told cheerleading is not a sport. There are approximately 400,000 individuals in the Unites States in this day and age that participate in high school cheerleading (www.varsity.com). If you ask, most of them would tell you that they work their butts off, and they would say that cheerleading is a sport. In some cases some cheerleaders are fighting for their right to be called athletes because their school districts tell them that they aren’t. By doing this the school districts are portraying the message that cheerleading is a joke, and that it isn’t a real sport. It sets stereotypes for cheerleaders, and they have to work to overcome those stereotypes everyday. The school districts all over US not classifying cheerleading as a sport are in the wrong. For several reasons, all school districts should recognize cheerleading
Football is possibly too dangerous of a game for young boys and girls to be playing. I am not talking about all forms of football, but more specifically tackle football. Yes, football may possibly be one of America’s loved sport because of the brutality that it consists of; although I believe that there should be an age where kids should start playing such a horrific game. At the age of ten young boys, and girls, should be worrying about who they are going to be playing with outside at recess. Kids should not have to be worried about their friends having to miss school because of a concussion, or worse him or herself.
The first reason why marching band is a sport is it involves physical exercise. There is more physical activity in marching band than in bowling or golf, and they are sports. Students are basically
Most people assume that being in the band makes you non athletic. A lot of people don’t realize what it takes to be in marching band though. There is a lot of practicing involved in planning a show and getting it as close to perfect as possible. A lot of the time there is more practice involved in marching band than
“There are raw statistics that cheerleading accounts for two-thirds of all catastrophic injuries among female high school athletes. Honestly, cheerleading isn’t as safe as you might think, which was one of the reasons New York State - following 34 other states and Washington D.C. - reclassified it as an official school sport last month.”(Hickey, Walt) Competitive cheerleading is a sport. Many people were upset about this accusation because in their minds, cheerleading isn’t a sport. These people believe it’s a club or activity there to bring a spirit or entertain the men. Others say that cheerleading takes hard work, determination, and effort. To add to that, there isn’t a solid definition of an “official” sport, but there are some points
My older sister loved the marching band, so I always got dragged to their performances. I could not tell what was so appealing about it all; it consisted of walking on a field while playing instruments and flags being swung in the air. Participating in a marching band was never what I intended nor wanted to do. The idea bored me, but my mom insisted.
The five-hour practices four times a week, the hours of time spent conditioning, the tears, the sweat, the blood, the pain, and the injuries experienced throughout the season, all come down to the second your team walks on the mat. Only the best of the best will have what it takes to come out on top and prove that their hard work has paid off. Does this sound like a sport? Absolutely. Now, what if it was mentioned that there is only have two minutes and thirty seconds to give it your all, does this change your opinion of this mystery sport being an authentic sport? It should not. So if all of the above examples fit into the same amount of athleticism as other sports, why is cheerleading not considered a sport? If the courts were to rule cheerleading as a sport, how would they go about it? Should all-star and school cheerleading be voted a sport? Should none of it? The answer to this is all-star cheerleading should be ruled as not only a sport, but also as a varsity sport. Competitive and collegiate cheerleading should be ruled as a sport because of the danger, the rigor and the popularity that this athletic activity demands. Cheerleading is overall called an athletic activity which is practically no different than calling it a sport. Different name. Same meaning.