This topic may offend several people, but what is TRUE is TRUE. The title of this topic came from a retired collegiate band director who we ALL consider as a legend and simply means:
"In our world, the HBCU band world, the chain goes like this:
Middle Schools wanna be like High Schools,
High Schools wanna be like Colleges,
And Colleges wanna be like Southern!" ....a retired legend band director
Before everybody blows a head gasket with their "HATE" comments, let's evaluate.
1st: When you're watching clips on this website, youtube, etc., who is the first band you check out? Better yet, have you ever watched clips and NOT searched for a Southern clip?
2nd: How many band conversations you've participated in and Southern University has come up multiple of times? Better yet, how many band conversations you've participated in that you "HAVEN'T" mentioned something that Southern played or something they did?
3rd: How many bands you heard and/or played in whether its your former HS, an opponent/rival HS, former/current college, opponent/rival college, all star/alumni bands, etc. that played or attempted more than 3 songs that Southern played?
4th: The rap song format........ Southern's rap song format since the mid 90s turned out to be the standard format (Head, Tuba & Percussion, Band Crank Up Session, added Tuba & Percussion 4 measures later, and end.) Now, they have a format that's similar to that but they have added Trombones with Tubas and Percussion, then remaining format. Whose gonna tap into that first?????
5th: Overall band sound/identity. Southern has been known since the beginning of their program's existence to be a loud, brassy band. Instead of having and/or maintaining your band's identity, EVERY band has been trying to Xerox their sound, style, etc.
As the quote said,
"In our world, the HBCU band world, the chain goes like this:
Middle Schools wanna be like High Schools,
High Schools wanna be like Colleges,
And Colleges wanna be like Southern!" ....a retired legend band director
There are many band connoisseurs out there. If this statement is true, then voice your opinion. And to inform you all, I AM NOT A SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ALUMNUS.
Replies
If this was meant to be funny....it worked
yes it's true, its also where hazing was started. good ole Southern University. they invented everything.
I dont think every band wants to be like southern.....they are good and in a lot of cases overrated....but marching bands have been around for years have have their own identities...if you march or have marched for a hbcu, you know that ideas circulate throughout other bands and eventually become a part of a particular band... as good as the juke is, even they got an idea or two from another band...they just put their stamp on it and made it their own....but i dont care what band it is, if you march in the collegiate level, your band is known for something it does well....
yeah southern did teach the world how to be loud and nasty too.
Another point.... The facts are proven that Southern is that model band.
THEDOGISHERE said:
In all honesty...that lil flow chart is right. middle schools want to be like the high schools that want to be like SU or whoever their model HBCU school is. When I first started I only knew of PV because I grew up in the next town over, I get into the band and all I hear is SU, Southern, Human Jukebox....made me go look them up on youtube....7 hours later I finally called quits lol. and we got almost every one of our students going to youtube and looking up bands like SU, TxSU, JSU, VSU, BCU, and some of the old powerhouse high school bands here in Texas. to show them the possibilities of what we can be
1. I don't talk about SU that much, but when we do talk about bands in the chat, SU does come up a lot. I rarely search SU clips unless it's post game from the current season, or it comes up in my video suggestions.
2. My high school band played SU's arrangement of "Fall in Love" in 2010 (before SU actually played it lmao). And i know of a lot of bands who play SU arrangements.
3. True. I'm already tired of the "new" format.
4. FAMU doesn't try to emulate SU's sound. We have our own style.
Overall everything you said is kind of true. Most bands high school want to try and emulate SU in a way. (not including schools in the SU areas or have SU band directors). Most colleges, try to emulate SU's sound, but keep there own identity, so they get called a clone. Few try to stick to there guns, but get called "lame", or "boring" or "different". I didn't grow up in the 80's and 90's where most bands had there own sound, but it seems like the era of individuality is gone.
it's because Southern's way is simple and effective and it will work on all levels.
but you can apply that flow chart to all things with a hierarchy...
pee-wee wants to be like middle school-wants to be junior varsity/ high school-wants to be college-wants to be pro.
it's all about getting you ready for the next level.
maybe SU should stop giving out Music Degrees since their students are teaching everybody the SU way ....**sarcasm**
lol
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