Is Marching Band Good Music Education?

The age old question: Is marching band good for the overall health of a high school band program? If you asked me that when I was in college I would have said no. From the outside looking in I saw programs that spent thousands of dollars on their marching band shows, props, equipment, and the trailers to carry it all. Couldn't this money be spent on instruments and music for the concert groups? From the outside I saw students devoting six months—half of the year—to an 8 minute production. How could that be good music education? I saw students devoting several hours a week outside the normal school day from August to October working on that music and wondered how band directors could justify the lost individual practice time. I swore an oath that for the sake of good music education I would NEVER teach at a school that expected me to field a competitive marching band.

Then I had my paradigm shift.

I was assigned to student teach at a school that had one of the best marching bands in the nation, and in an unusual move did a large portion of my student teaching during their summer band. What I saw and heard truly surprised me. These kids were solid musicians. They played with good tone, had great technique, and displayed a great understanding of musicianship. The student leaders understood their roles, creating an environment that was fun and engaging for all. The parents were actively engaged in the life of their child, working as volunteers for the program. This didn’t look bad at all—in fact, what I saw from the inside was an opportunity to build a program, develop leaders, and provide opportunities for entire families to be involved. By the time I started my first teaching job my attitude toward marching band had completely changed, and for the next 30 years I ran a competitive marching band as part of my program. My program, like so many others around the country, benefitted greatly from marching band. Still, I often find myself defending the choice to spend thousands of dollars and invest hundreds of hours every year in the marching band program. Following are some of the most typical questions I get, and the response I give:

How do you justify the time commitment to 8 minutes of music?

First, marching band keeps students playing during the summer. That time on the instrument learning and memorizing parade tunes and field show music kept their chops in shape and helped us start the school year ready to play. Second, marching band provides the opportunity for entering students to rub shoulders with the upperclassmen. This was huge for our program, because those rookies experienced a huge jump in musical skill during their first year of marching band—second only to the jump they experienced when they started taking private lessons. Third, marching band provides an opportunity to focus on fundamentals that will be incorporated with all the other bands throughout the year.

The proof is in the pudding—particularly with percussion. As the front ensemble developed into a critical part of the marching band, we witnessed a huge jump in the technical skill of high school mallet players. Many are playing solo pieces now for festival that would have been considered upper level college literature just 20 years ago. Bottom line—constantly repeating and perfecting that 8 minutes of music creates practice habits that continue benefit both the students and the program for the long term.

How do you justify charging so much for marching band?

Let me start this response by saying that one of my primary goals was to keep individual costs down. I didn’t want marching band to be a place for only the affluent; I wanted it to be a place for everyone. Yes, I’ve seen the data showing that more money invested in a show equates to higher scores and placement, but I believe that you can have a fine marching band on a budget if you plan well. Regardless, we have to face the fact that marching band, like virtually every other activity our children participate in, costs money. We have to pay our staff. We have to pay for the music, drill, costumes, flags, props, equipment, entry fees, and transportation. We even have to pay for field striping paint, batteries, and trailer repairs. The money has to come from somewhere, and in most cases it probably isn’t coming from the school’s general account.

If you are going to charge a lot of money for an activity, the ends should justify the means. If the money is spent simply to achieve a trophy, it should not be spent. If the money is spent to improve overall musicianship, teach a solid work ethic, create a culture of excellence in the entire band program, develop a team, and provide memories for a lifetime, the money is well spent.

But wouldn’t that money be better spent if you put it toward instruments and equipment for your concert bands?

Believe it or not, I wouldn’t have had the inventory of instruments, equipment, and music I enjoyed during my career if I hadn’t had a marching band. Because of marching band we had a wonderful parent organization that worked tirelessly to raise money for the entire program. Their volunteer hours to our major events raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. Because of marching band we had a community that knew and loved our program, which in turn brought in thousands of dollars each year in sponsorship money. Because the marching band played at games and supported school events, my principals were much more willing to open the school pockets when I needed to replace or add instruments to our inventory. For example, one principal gave the band $20,000 for new mallet keyboards following a competition when he noticed that our equipment needed an upgrade compared to some other schools.

You say that marching band makes your other bands better. How?

I’ve already given several answers to this question, but in conclusion I will reiterate those and add other reasons to the list.

·      Students continue to play during the summer.

·      Young students rub shoulders with the best playing upper classmen, resulting in a jump in performance.

·      Students develop good rehearsal behavior.

·      Students learn proper practice habits, specifically that rehearsing small chunks repetitively results in the greatest overall improvement.

·      Students embrace their role as a member of the team.

·      Student leaders embrace their role and take a more active part in the success of all groups.

·      Students have a greater work ethic, providing the opportunity to explore more challenging literature.

·      Parents are more supportive of the concert groups.

·      Administrators are more supportive of the overall band program.

Marching band is good for music education. If you still don’t believe me after reading this, just ask one of the thousands of students who participate each year in the activity. Better yet, ask a former band members who are now engaged in their chosen careers. I’m betting that most will say that the lessons they learned in marching band shaped them into who they are now.