Show Style vs. Corp Style: HELP ME!!

Ok... I am currently serving as Drum Major for my band. My band director (Who is white btw), is a corp-style type of man. However, the BAND is "show-minded". Our Rival school is a show band and we get looked down upon because we are corp. And whenever our rival game comes along, while they on the opposite side CRANKin away and gettin down, we playing "Flight of the Bumblebee" over on our side. (NOT REALLY, JUST AN EXPRESSION)... I am a black male and personally get more out of show band. I mean you do more and your energy HAS to be on point always.! 
So I mentioned going show to him, but he started talking jibber-jabber about why show bands were bad and stuff. But, Not all show bands have to "have sex" on the field as some would put it. And i try to tell him that ALL the time. Our band went to see SCSU and they didnt do all that stuff, so i used them as an example and that helped a little but not that much. I'm sure you all agree wit me that show bands give you more... SO, I GUESS MY QUESTION IS: What are your views on this and How can i convince him that  show is the way to go????

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  • Show him that a show style marching band can have great musical talent. Show him FAMU Marching 100. Compare FAMU to like Norfolk because FAMU you can hear the woodwinds and they have a great overall band sound. Then show them other really good bands like SCSU, Southern University, Cookman etc. If that fails go to another school that has show style. I know a few people in my band who did that. And when doing your argument try not to refer to it as show style. I like the term Traditional Style because that's what it is. "Show Style" uses the traditional military high step and traditional military bands were all about appearance and flash, which corps are not visually (in terms of uniforms, movement, use of instruments). But see how everybody else your band feels like first, you don't want to be the "jerk" to ruin things in other peoples eyes. I think It's a great idea because rival schools must keep each other in check. And there's no good band battle or competition (especially when dealing with rivals) when they can't exchange blows in the same style.
  • AMEN BRUH!!! I have even tried compromising it to just this game since its the rival game if we can buss em in tha head real quick. Nah sayin? But aye man your words have been appreciated!!!

    bman94 said:
    Show him that a show style marching band can have great musical talent. Show him FAMU Marching 100. Compare FAMU to like Norfolk because FAMU you can hear the woodwinds and they have a great overall band sound. Then show them other really good bands like SCSU, Southern University, Cookman etc. If that fails go to another school that has show style. I know a few people in my band who did that. And when doing your argument try not to refer to it as show style. I like the term Traditional Style because that's what it is. "Show Style" uses the traditional military high step and traditional military bands were all about appearance and flash, which corps are not visually (in terms of uniforms, movement, use of instruments). But see how everybody else your band feels like first, you don't want to be the "jerk" to ruin things in other peoples eyes. I think It's a great idea because rival schools must keep each other in check. And there's no good band battle or competition (especially when dealing with rivals) when they can't exchange blows in the same style.
    Show Style vs. Corp Style: HELP ME!!
    Ok... I am currently serving as Drum Major for my band. My band director (Who is white btw), is a corp-style type of man. However, the BAND is show-…
  • Corps style people won't direct show bands. Show style directors won't direct corps style bands. End of story. Honestly, ask him if you guys can crank in the stands after halftime or something. My band is similar, I just left a show style band that I marched with for three years (left because of the weak music program though) and I'm probably going to go back to show style after college, if I don't I'm just not marching.

    Anyway, try asking him for a little more freedom to play differently in the stands, don't let anyone blow their chops out before third quarter though, otherwise the show will sound bad. Try arranging stand tunes for the band yourself. I do some of my own arranging. Your director is more than likely to not only look at it, but will likely be impressed that you're taking a hand in writing music for the band.

    Remember though, there might be people in your band who also aren't interested in show style. I know that there are in my band, granted most of them are weak musicians who think everything louder than their corps style Fortissimo is "blasting". But there is at least one good player among them who can't see the difference, and that bothers me. But I get over it. Honestly, one of our drum majors calls anything I do that they couldn't identify "blasting". All I did was play really sharp and hang over for to long by accident on the last note of a song and then I get the speech,

    We are not "Rival School", they suck, stop blasting, don't play like "Rival School".

    Of course, I came from "Rival School" origionally, but it still ruins the drum majors point when you say "Rival school sucks!" and then point at your first chair tuba player, a transfer student who came in just this year and is already recognized as one of our stronger players.

    But yeah, I doubt you'd be able to change the feild show, but you can still play like a show band in the stands. Just play with good tones as well. Try to immitate FAMU, not SCSU or other bands like them. FAMU goes for tone quality and other bands just blow their faces off. You can play loud and still sound dark, it just takes practice.

    If all else fails, you can either continue to be in what is probably the better band, or you can try and transfer to another school. But I doubt that's a good idea. Marching band is a short season, but Wind Ensemble is year round.
  • A close minded band director may be hard to convince. However, a smart band director listens to his students. If every single band member comes to a consensus and says to the band director:

    "Mister Band director, we the entire band want to do something a little extra. We would like to mix in just a little bit of what we want into what you want to do, JUST FOR THIS GAME.!!! If we can do it for this game, for the rest of the time we will do whatever you want us to do."

    If he lets you do it once, then you got him. LOL
  • Yeah, but then you also have to consider the fact that very few directors know both styles. Homestly, if a Corps Style director doesn't know traditional style and has been marching in DCI his whole life, he's not going to allow it. That would be irresponsible. Only an incompetent director lets his band go onto the feild without him knowing what's going on inside and out. I love traditional style and all, but I'm in a supirior rated band now, and that's becuase my director knows what he's doing and can oversee it to a larger extent than he could if it were traditional style.

    That doesn't mean he hates the style, but would you expect the head of the music program to buckle under the pressure of his students? And if he did once, you'd probably pressure him more. Pretty soon, a supirior rated program starts going to evaluation abd getting fairs and poors because their director couldn't keep control. Because, in the end, the director makes a high school program good, not the students. My school is a perfect example of that.
  • I am sure he is just talking about playing a few modern pieces, not necessarily changing the marching style of the band. You don't have to change the marching style or even the playing style. Corp Style is only defined by the marching style, you can be a corp style band but still play some hip songs. Even our majority white corp style schools in this area are beginning to play modern songs. You can show him clips of LSU playing Neck, Halftime(Who Dat), and almost any song other song that their students hear Southern playing, show him Florida State playing Whatever You Like, show him Georgia Tech playing Big Ballin', and Texas Tech playing Southern's rap mix.
  • its gonna be hard for yall to switch ....everything is different and yall would need to start working out even know yall gonna have some people quitting
  • transfer
    • Yea thats what I would do.

      DARRICK(GREYSKULL) BOLTON(JUKE87 said:
      transfer
  • At everyone: I understand the dynamic difference in both. I have been practicing traditional style my whole high school career. And when I as drum major try to put a little more physical work in, i.e: Running, push ups, etc, to try and get ppl in shape and also shape discipline in the band, it never works cuz he just has his mind made up that being in corp style you dont have to be in shape. I dunno....
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