Brass band

members of the brass family. It is not the hardest instrument to play but it is not the easiest either. I did not expect to play the tuba at any point in my life, however due to certain circumstances, I ended up playing the tuba for the Barlow band. The journey first started my freshman year of high school. I was playing the trumpet at the time. The band was preparing for the upcoming winter concert. The band director, Mr. Nickolas, realized that that band needed more low brass which consisted…

The first French horn was invented in July of 1814 by Heinrich Stoelzel. The original design was based on early fox hunting horns, and were first used as instruments during 16th century operas. During the 17th century, the bell was expanded and flared, thus creating the French Horn. As hunting grew more popular among the wealthy, the French Horn was experimented on with shape and size to try to accomplish a larger range of notes. In 1636, Marin Mersenne wrote of four different types of French…

Few people outside the marching band world realize the amount of time and effort that goes into assembling the perfect halftime show; months of preparation take place, and, then, rehearsals begin up until competition. Everyone involved, including band directors and band members, must contribute to the overall success of the marching band. Months before marching season begins, all materials must be prepared. This includes drill, coordinate sheets, and music. Usually, a drill writer is hired to…

the musical composition to produce a melody by arranging the piece in a certain way with each individual instrument in mind; this includes: brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments, or instruments that are used while walking. Essentially, the instruments are individually selected and placed in different combinations for performances. Because marching bands are working with several different types of instruments, instrumentation is an important consideration when developing the musical…

beginning of the school year, a lot of the first few days of school has involved work outside of playing music and rehearsing, including things such as organizing the band room, assembling music and folders, and going over handbooks and general classroom rules and regulations. Teaching at the school year really made me realize how much a band director has to do outside of actually teaching the students. A lot goes into…

theme of “Rock, Paper, Scissors”. Starting in July of 2016, the marching band rehearsed eight hours a day for eight days. During rehearsal hours, the band learned and memorized specially composed music written by Tim Stockman and Matt Shervey, along with drill and visuals. When asked what the strongest parts of the marching band are, Jason Groon, the High School band director, says, “I think the biggest strength of our marching band is the desire to get better each rehearsal. That desire is…

African-Americans turned into piano songs, and soon enough evolved into the Jazz we know and love today. In modern Jazz, there are pieces that are considered “Jazz Standards”, one major contributor to these standards is the trombone player and Big Band Jazz composer, Glenn Miller. Glenn Miller lived a short yet interesting life, he differed from his competitors and left a dazzling legacy on the Jazz community. On March 1st of 1904 in the small town of Clarinda, Iowa, Alton Glenn Miller was…

As a music education major at the University of Minnesota, it is easy to oversimply my life by saying that music is my passion Its cliché, and it is what nearly every music major says when they enter the school music. When I say “music is my passion,” I mean that throughout my entire life, music has been fundamental in the formation of my identity, and it has visibly steered my life towards the path of music education. I first found a love for music in my elementary school general music classes…

sat, and I’m surrounded by strangers. It was the first day of marching band. I man up to the problem, and ask another tuba player where I sat, she pointed with a smile. I put my stuff down, and with the equal beats of a wood block, this senior in the band says let's get set. I have no idea what any of that means. I am feeling self conscious, nervous, and clueless with what the day will bring me. I followed the rest of the band outside, and we started just walking with rhythm. For example if the…

Marching band has been the most enriching activity that I have ever been a part of. When I first came to high school I was scared, marching band allowed me to make friends and have a wonderful freshmen year experience. I was new to a school as a sophomore because my family moved across the country, marching band was able to make me feel at home in this new place and allowed me to adjust more quickly. As I grew older I received leadership positions in the band, junior year being a Uniform…