The article below was instrumental in my being able to appreciate the skill of marching bands. It seems to take as much practice and perfection as the football team’s efforts to win! I will never watch a marching band with the same eyes again. I hope it also helps you understand the art form of marching bands and encourage your children to take up musical instruments so that they might participate as well.

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Marching bands are categorized based on primary function, instrumentation, and style – although many organizations may fill multiple roles.

Military style bands

Military bands and Corps of Drums were historically the first marching bands. Instrumentation varies, but generally contains brass, woodwinds, and percussion. Given their original purpose, military marching bands typically march in a forward direction with (no variation of) straight lines. Music is performed at a constant tempo (120-140) to facilitate the steady marching of the entire military group with which the band is playing. The marching step size (interval) is consistent, and usually at a “6 to 5″, six steps per five yards. This style can include classic drum and bugle corps, pipe bands and fife and drum corps.

Active duty military marching bands often perform in parades with other military units and march in the same manner as other military personnel. Due to a lack of appreciation, competition venues, and military personnel, almost all military marching bands have disappeared from schools in the United States; four notable exceptions are the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band from Texas A&M University, the Highty-Tighties of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, and the Cadets of Norwich University Military College of Vermont, the oldest collegiate band in the United States and the nation’s first private military academy. There is also a pocket of about 80 high school military marching bands in East Texas.

Unlike in the USA, military style marching bands have a strong presence in Latin American countries, especially those that have strong military traditions, most importantly of Prussian and French origins. Such bands (military bands and Corps of Drums) are found in Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Peru. But in Ecuador and Venezuela, Corps of Drums are the main military style band for schools. Military style Corps of Drums are also seen in schools, colleges and universities in Mexico and in Mexican schools in the US merely using only the snare drum and the bugle (in some schools the instrumentation can be more larger). These bands also are present in Guatemala, Belize, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Panama.

Corps Style bands

Corps Style bands directly reflect the trends seen in modern drum and bugle corps of Drum Corps International (DCI). Unlike the military band style, drum corps style step sizes are constantly changing to accommodate the differing forms the band is creating on the field. Forms may be linear, curvilinear, or scatter. Music selections can include anything from symphonic music, film scores, to world music, jazz, rock, or pop music.

Unlike a Military band’s usage of baton twirlers, Corps Style bands may include the usage of a “color guard” which spin flags, rifles, sabres, and may also incorporate dance into their routines. Other visual elements unique to the corps style is the usage of props, backdrops, and even costuming – with the purpose of adding more theatrical elements to the show.

Other elements unique to the Corps Style bands are the incorporation of the “front ensemble”. This includes the usage of keyboard percussion such as: xylophone, marimba, and bells; and/or any other color percussion instruments such as: tympani, cymbals, conga, tambourine, triangle, drum set, etc. The front ensemble may also use sound amplification or electronic instruments such as synthesizers.

The “Corps Style” is constantly evolving, with contributions coming from college bands, high school bands, and drum & bugle corps throughout the United States. Typically, corps style bands are gearing their performances for marching competitions and marching festivals. Competitions featuring the corps style on the national level include: Drum Corps International; Winter Guard International; and Bands Of America.

Show bands

Show Band refers primarily to marching bands geared towards crowd entertainment, and perform on fields (for example, a football field). Typically, they perform a routine before the game, another at halftime, and sometimes after the game as well. Competitive show bands perform only one show that is continually refined throughout a season, while bands that focus on entertainment rather than competition usually perform a unique (and less technically challenging) show for each game. These shows normally consists of three to five musical pieces accompanied by formations. Depending on the band, though the show could be practiced and completed before the football season at band camp but mostly this is only done by competition show bands.

There are several varieties of Show Bands, the most recognizable would be the type depicted in the film Drumline. This is a band based on African American traditions, where the music selections are largely based on rhythm & blues and contemporary popular music. These types of bands feature a large amount of stand fast time where the band plays in place, and changes their forms to a drum beat. Band members also dance while standing in their forms. Many of these types of show bands have both a twirler line and a dancer line. Examples of these types of college bands include Grambling State University and Texas Southern University.

Other Show Bands are semi-military and semi-corps style, such as University of Texas, or Ohio State University. These bands perform a show that is designed to entertain the audience, but feature more traditional symphonic styles of music rather than contemporary music (marches, film scores, jazz, or older pop music). Typically these types of Show Bands don’t include a dance line (usually the drill team is a separate entity from the band, though may be featured during the half time show.) These types of show band feature more marching while playing, and limited amounts of stand fast time.

Most show bands of either type include the traditional milltary band instrumentation of woodwinds, brass, and battery percussion. Some also include the front ensemble keyboard percussion, and may also incorporate the use of a color guard for flag and rifle routines.

Carnival bands

Carnival bands are a UK variant of show bands. Carnival bands typically march in time to the music, and may also participate in parades and competitions. They contain brass and percussion, but may or may not use woodwinds. The main competition body for carnival bands is the Carnival Band Secretaries League.

Scramble bands

Scramble bands (also referred to as ‘Scatter’ bands) are a variation on show bands. They generally do not march in time with the music, but, as their name implies, scramble from design to design and often incorporate comedic elements into their performances. Most of the bands in the Ivy League use this style.^[4]

Instrumentation

The size and composition of a marching band can vary greatly. Some bands have fewer than twenty members, and some have over 500. American marching bands vary considerably in their instrumentation. Some bands omit some or all woodwinds, but it is not uncommon to see piccolos, flutes, clarinets, alto saxophones, and tenor saxophones. E♭ clarinets, alto clarinets, bass clarinets, and baritone saxophones are less common, but can be found in some bands. Bassoons and oboes are very seldom found on a field due to the risk of incidental damage, the impracticality of marching with an exposed double reed, and high sensitivity to weather.

The brass section usually includes trumpets or cornets, horns, alto horns, or mellophones, tenor trombones, baritone horns or euphoniums, and tubas or sousaphones. E♭soprano cornets are sometimes used to supplement or replace the high woodwinds. Some especially large bands use flugelhorns and bass trombones. Specially designed versions of the lower brass have been created for use while marching. These are typically wrapped in such a way that allow the bell to face toward the audience at all times. Bands may also modify their instrumentation to remove slide trombones completely and replace them with another instrument, such as a valved trombone or marching baritone.

Marching percussion (often referred to as the drumline, battery, or back battery) typically includes snare drums, tenor drums, bass drums, and cymbals and are responsible for keeping tempo for the band. All of these instruments have been adapted for mobile, outdoor use. Marching versions of the glockenspiel (bells), xylophone, and marimba are also rarely used by some ensembles. Historically, the percussion section also employed mounted timpani that featured manual controls.

For bands that include a front ensemble (also known as the pit or auxiliary percussion), stationary instrumentation may include orchestral percussion such as timpani, tambourines, maracas, cowbells, congas, wood blocks, marimbas, xylophones, bongos, vibraphones, tambourines, timbales, claves, guiros, and chimes or tubular bells, concert bass drums, and gongs, as well as a multitude of auxiliary percussion equipment. Drum sets, purpose-built drum racks, and other mounted instruments are also placed here. Until the advent of the pit in the early 1980s, many of these instruments were actually carried on the field by marching percussionists by hand or on mounting brackets. Some bands also include electronic instruments such as synthesizers, electric guitars, and bass guitar, along with the requisite amplification. If double-reed or string instruments are used, they are usually placed here, but even this usage is very rare due to their relative fragility. Unusual percussive instruments are sometimes used, including brake drums, empty propane tanks, trashcans, railroad ties, stomping rigs, and other interesting sounds.

A rare inclusion in a marching band that is becoming more popular is the use of Electrophones in a marching band. The most common electric instrument seen is a bass guitar, but some schools also use keyboards and lead guitar. To make the electric instruments usable, external power in the stadium is normally used, but some groups may use a car-battery mechanism that requires a car battery and a converter to give the instruments and amplifiers remote power. Most bands will have the guitars in the pit with keyboard and auxiliary percussion, but some guitarists do march in the field show. This is made possible by the use of wireless transmission systems that allow the guitarists to hook a wireless transmitter to their instrument, while a receiver is hooked to the amp. This allows free motion of the guitarists to a fixed range of distance between the transmitter and receiver. This implementation of equipment can also be used in parades. Some band scores have parts for bass guitar, but in the event that a score does not, the bass guitarist will normally play bassoon, baritone-bass clef, euphonium-bass clef, or trombone music. It is very rare for a score to have a part for electric guitar, but the guitarist may use oboe or flute music in this situation.

Auxiliary

Many bands have auxiliaries that add a visual component to the performance. For ceremonial bands, this could be a traditional color guard or honor guard. For drum & bugle corps and corps-style field bands, this could include Dance lines, majorettes, Auxiliary units may be collectively referred to as color guard or visual ensemble.

Auxiliaries may perform as independent groups. In the early 1970s, color guards began to hold their own competitions in the winter (after the American football season, and before the beginning of the summer drum and bugle corps season). These became known as winter guard. There are also numerous dance competitions in the off-season.

The color guard of a marching band or drum and bugle corps may contain sabers, mock rifles, and tall flags. In modern bands, other props are often used: flags of all sizes, horizontal banners, vertical banners, streamers, pom-poms, even tires, balls, and hula hoops or custom built props. The color guard may also employ stage dressing such as backdrops, portable flats, or other structures. These can be used simply as static scenery or moved to emphasize block drill, and are often used to create a “backstage” area to store equipment and hide personnel.

While military color guards were typically male, band color guards tend to be primarily female, though it is becoming more common for men to join as well. A few independent units are all-male. Guard members nearly always wear a special uniform or costume that is distinctive from that of the band, not necessarily matching in design or color. The men’s and women’s guard uniforms are usually designed in one of two ways: nearly identically, but with gender-specific parts (i.e. skirts) adapted for the use of the opposite sex; or complementarily, with the two uniforms designed similarly but with variations in color or form. The color guard uniform, especially in a high school marching band, need not be in school colors; in fact, they rarely are. These uniforms are designed to represent a certain aspect of the halftime show, characterize the guard members through costumization, or tell some sort of story, and can thus be in any design or color (a surprisingly common complaint among the high school audience is that guard uniforms and equipment “aren’t school colors”).

Personnel

A marching band is typically led by one to three or, occasionally, four drum majors, also called field commanders, who are responsible for conducting the band (sometimes using a large baton or mace, though such tools are used rarely in modern marching bands for conducting) and commonly referred to as the leader of the band. When there is more than one drum major, one may be the head drum major, who stands on the 50-yard line while conducting, whereas the other(s) often directs from convenient angles (should the marching block not be facing forward) and/or functions as an apprentice of sorts. The number of members in the band often determines how many drum majors are needed, based on the complexity of the show (in which case, in a three-person scenario, one stands on the 50-yard line while another stands on the 30-yard line and the third stands on the other 30-yard line), and occasionally, additional individuals may be asked to perform brief conducting duties if beneficial in a particularly tricky part of the show (more often, such people are those on the sidelines or in the pit). The modern-day concept of the Drum Major has been exponentially expanded upon by George N. Parks, often known as the “Dynamic Drum Major”, through his Drum Major Academy. Bands may also be led by a more traditional conductor, especially during field shows, where a stationary conductor on a ladder or platform may be visible throughout the performance. Aural commands – such as vocal orders, clapping, or a whistle – may be used to issue commands as well. Other leaders within the band may include field lieutenants and captains of sections such as brass, drumline, and woodwinds, and members that lead a section, squad, letter, row, etc.

The size of the band may not only determine how many drum majors there are, but how many section instructors are needed as well. Section instructors function like the music director, but are mainly responsible for teaching members of a given section. Because they are commonly previous members of the section they teach, they’re able to provide better instruction to combine the needs of the show with the characteristics of the given instrument.

As bands require leadership from within as well as from without, section leaders will usually be selected from among the members of each instrumental section (a “section” comprises all the band members who play the same instrument—flutes, trombones, etc. Saxophones can be split several ways depending on numbers). The section leader is always an experienced band member, and is usually selected by the band director (rather than elected or self-appointed) for his or her leadership skills and experience. The section leader is responsible for the minute-to-minute instruction of his or her section members, and reports to the drum majors and the band director.

The director provides general guidance, selects the repertoire, interprets commentary and evaluations from judges, and auditions and/or recruits prospective members. What content is not provided by the director may be contracted from arrangers (who compose original works or adapt existing works) and copyists (who reproduce the parts of the score), choreographers, and drill designers (primarily for field bands). With the assistance of section instructors, the director also teaches performance technique—musical, martial, and visual—and assesses the pool of talent, choosing leaders and soloists as needed. The director also selects venues for public performance and oversees the staff that help provide funding and equipment. Many opportunities for member improvement are present: the director may organize clinics with various professionals, send representatives to specialty schools or camps, and/or plan trips abroad for education or exhibition.

Large bands also require a number of support staff who can move equipment, repair instruments and uniforms, create and manipulate props used in performances, and provide food, water and medical assistance. Additional staff may be utilized when the band hosts functions such as competitions and reviews. In high school bands, these activities are usually performed by volunteers, typically parents of band members or the band members of the lower grades. These people are often referred to as “runners” or “boosters”. Significant support staff for college bands and independent corps are typically paid by the university or the corps organization, respectively.

 

–Wikipedia