Is it me or


Raoul

Well-Known Member
Have HBCU bands gotten almost as boring as others? Has the Director of HBCU and high school bands lost imagination?
Over the last 5 years it has been rare that I have seen an interesting new prop, different marching style, or performance structure. At MCC at least the marching Hornets tried I magic trick it didn't go off too well but it was at least an attempt. Since I was a little bit disappointed at Magic City Classic 2018 I decided to look at band videos from 2018. Nothing stood out as great with us this year. Maybe I haven't seen them all but as of this morning I have seen a lot. And of course I did happen to watch the Ohio State band "floss" which really was amazing.
 
Personally I think these kids don't have the killer instinct of the years past. I think the internet killed the fire and desire of bands. We lived, slept and loved bands because we had to wait to see them at games or shows. Now you just click on a link and Bam!
 
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Also kids are not into marching bands like the past, Go look at band programs that in the 90s and 2000s that were pushing more then 145 to 200 students, band programs are getting smaller, I was shock, most of the ATL bands are NO where near the SIZE or the excellence that they once were
 
Also kids are not into marching bands like the past, Go look at band programs that in the 90s and 2000s that were pushing more then 145 to 200 students, band programs are getting smaller, I was shock, most of the ATL bands are NO where near the SIZE or the excellence that they once were
I think that is more of a funding issue. School boards are chipping funding away from the arts and instead are focusing more on STEM. That isn't just an ATL issue, that is happening in the inner-cities all over America.
 
I was just saying from what I have seen in ATL, but alot of band programs, from what I see on YouTube, Today, are not what they used to be. The same can be said for football,
Football leagues from pop Warner to high school has seen a decline
 
I was just saying from what I have seen in ATL, but alot of band programs, from what I see on YouTube, Today, are not what they used to be. The same can be said for football,
Football leagues from pop Warner to high school has seen a decline
Oh, I feel you. I'm in agreement with you. I was just stating what I think is causing the decline in numbers.
 
Have HBCU bands gotten almost as boring as others? Has the Director of HBCU and high school bands lost imagination?
Over the last 5 years it has been rare that I have seen an interesting new prop, different marching style, or performance structure. At MCC at least the marching Hornets tried I magic trick it didn't go off too well but it was at least an attempt. Since I was a little bit disappointed at Magic City Classic 2018 I decided to look at band videos from 2018. Nothing stood out as great with us this year. Maybe I haven't seen them all but as of this morning I have seen a lot. And of course I did happen to watch the Ohio State band "floss" which really was amazing.

Agreed...

The MCC halftime was underwhelming...

So much so we bounced and went to Pappadeaux...
 
I think that is more of a funding issue. School boards are chipping funding away from the arts and instead are focusing more on STEM. That isn't just an ATL issue, that is happening in the inner-cities all over America.
Not only that, the heavy focus on standardized testing is pushing a lot of inner-city and mostly minority schools to push kids out of elective classes like band, choir, art, etc..... and place them in test prep courses.
 
To add to that, the music today's not what it used to be. It's very hard to listen and much less dance to this nonsense they're playing these days.
Less passion and rhythm than there was in the past and nobody can't dance to no rap.
 
Not only that, the heavy focus on standardized testing is pushing a lot of inner-city and mostly minority schools to push kids out of elective classes like band, choir, art, etc..... and place them in test prep courses.
Yep. Absolutely right.
 
To add to that, the music today's not what it used to be. It's very hard to listen and much less dance to this nonsense they're playing these days.
Less passion and rhythm than there was in the past and nobody can't dance to no rap.

I must agree with you on this.
 
It's been like this for a minute. Halftime used to be special but The BOTB/5th Quarter culture has made it worse IMO. The focus now has shifted to "performing" for hundreds of post game stragglers as opposed to the thousands seated at halftime. Also, Promoters have found a way to profit off of HBCU bands to the point that it cheapens the brand. I'm at the point now where I just go take a piss at halftime because im not missing shit.I'm over HBCU bands
 
It's been like this for a minute. Halftime used to be special but The BOTB/5th Quarter culture has made it worse IMO. The focus now has shifted to "performing" for hundreds of post game stragglers as opposed to the thousands seated at halftime. Also, Promoters have found a way to profit off of HBCU bands to the point that it cheapens the brand. I'm at the point now where I just go take a piss at halftime because im not missing shit.I'm over HBCU bands

Bruh!! That’s my issue!! Halftime ain’t serious no more.
 
Perhaps you have just gotten older like everyone else here. Tastes change with time. You may feel you appreciate one thing from back then that you thought, back then, was the end all and be all. You thought it was swell. At least someone sitting next to you from THE OLD SCHOOL back then certainly didn't see it the way you did. In terms of music today, there are now so many more access points to quality music that you may not hear or see on the radio but is literally one click away. You can personalize these new, young, amazing artists and their artistry as well as your old favorites at the click of a button. Is marching band stale? I argue it was always stale because it is a somewhat lower expression of someone else's music more often than presented original music with the arrangement + visual effect, etc. Is what it is.
 
Every point that you all are making is very valid to me. I definitely was thinking am I getting older, have I seen everything? But what I realize it's not that I'm getting older and I haven't seen everything it's just that band directors are like sheep now. The first thing I see wrong with HBCU bands is the dancers have to squat and spread their legs every third move. Grant you back in my texas Southern undergraduate days I loved to see the motion of the ocean do this. But now I'm older and maybe I'm growing tired of it or realize I have three girls of my own and a granddaughter now that I don't want to see do that. Second 90% of bands Has a Precision drill that is not very complicated. Then with double-time movements as most of them do 15 seconds worth of a popular song, as the rest dance without playing music
 
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NONE of us are getting any younger including the young.
That being said, it just is what it is.

Also, after seeing decades of halftime shows, rarely are
we going to see very much that is new or innovative,
give or take a few exceptions.

Some editions of a band may be worse or better than
the previous edition of themselves.

I have my favorites which are mostly SWAC bands,
Tennessee State, FAMU, Bethune-Cookman, Miles College
and thats really it.

Even with that, I find myself not as entertained as I once was.
Its like a Seen-it-All-kind of thing.
 
I mean...

I’ve always enjoyed stand battles over halftime shows.

I’m in the younger crowd though. Unless its old FAMU, I don’t watch any halftime clips. The last good halftime show IMO was the show SU did at ULL the first game of the season after Michael Jackson died. Other than that I’d rather watch bands slug it out in the stands.
 
I did enjoy SU's halftime show for the BoomBox Classic. I know SOME said that SU was doing too much but I thought their show was very entertaining and a little out-of-the-box for the Jukebox. I give it a THUMBSUP.
 
Surprised, no one mentioned a decrease in practice time for the bands. You can't force kids to practice after midnight and beyond. Why practice long hours if only get about 7 minutes at halftime? Extended practices = quality halftime performances.
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So True; A lot of our Band Programs in the New Era, the Staff focus more on the Money that they are making. They are not getting paid Overtime but getting paid a Flat Salary. Years ago you had Staff that worked in the Music Industry who would work around the Clock for the Love of Craft. The Love is gone and the New Generation does not really understand how to work hard to try and get to that next Level of Showmanship. In this day and age; the Universities Administration have Allocated Rules and Regulations that govern the Student and is a Time Based Allotment. You have to love what you do and their are only a very few Directors that will qualify for this Category and I can only name two within the HBCU sector!!!!

"SHOWTIME" - "LET'S GO" - "CROWD CONTROL" - "ERROR FREE"
Quotes by one of the Greatest!
 
It's been like this for a minute. Halftime used to be special but The BOTB/5th Quarter culture has made it worse IMO. The focus now has shifted to "performing" for hundreds of post game stragglers as opposed to the thousands seated at halftime. Also, Promoters have found a way to profit off of HBCU bands to the point that it cheapens the brand. I'm at the point now where I just go take a piss at halftime because im not missing shit.I'm over HBCU bands

State fair classic get two good shows yearly
 
Surprised, no one mentioned a decrease in practice time for the bands. You can't force kids to practice after midnight and beyond. Why practice long hours if only get about 7 minutes at halftime? Extended practices = quality halftime performances.
confused0033.gif

the hell we look like practicing till after midnight for lmao
5-10 is ample time. if you need to practice till midnight or after your band is trash
 
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