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A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who generally perform outdoors, and who incorporate movement - usually some type of marching - with their musical performance. In addition to traditional parade performances, many bands also perform field shows at sporting events or at marching band competitions. Marching bands are generally categorized by function and by the style of field show (if any) they perform.
Marching bands can be categorized based on primary function, instrumentation, and style.
This article will focus primarily on parade and "show" bands.
Marching bands evolved out of military bands. As musicians became less and less important in directing the movement of troops on the battlefield, the bands moved into more and more ceremonial roles. An intermediate stage which provided some of the instrumentation and music for marching bands was the modern brass band, which also evolved out of the military tradition.
Many military traditions survive in modern marching band. Bands that march in formation will often be ordered to "dress" their "ranks" and "cover [down]" their "files". They may be called to "attention", and given orders like "about face" and "forward march". Many marching bands' uniforms still resemble military uniforms.
Outside of police and military organizations, modern marching band is most commonly associated with American football, and specifically the halftime field show. Many U.S. universities had bands before the turn of the century, but the Purdue University band was the first to play on a sports field in a formation other than a concert shell or parade block (they formed a 'P' in 1907). The University of Illinois band was the first to march in a formation other than a parade block (sometime before 1910).
Another innovation that appeared at roughly the same time as the field show and marching in formations was the fight song. University fight songs are often closely associated with the university's band. The first fight song was Illinois Loyalty, written in 1906 for the University of Illinois.
Other changes in marching band have been:
The size and composition of a marching band can vary greatly. Many bands have fewer than twenty members. Some have over 500. But all share at least some of the same elements.
A marching band is typically led by one or more "drum majors", who conduct the band using a large baton or mace. Bands may also be led by a more traditional conductor, especially during field shows, where a stationary conductor on a ladder or platform may be visible throughout the performance.
Marching instrumentation nearly always includes some kind of percussion, typically snare drums, bass drums, and cymbals. Racks of multiple tom-tom drums, also called "tenor drums", may be used. The glockenspiel is another common marching band percussion instrument.
"Show" bands tend to have similar wind instrumentation. Woodwinds are optional but tend to include saxophones and piccolos in addition to flutes and clarinets. Double-reed instruments are rare, as are all string instruments. Brass sections tend to include mellophones instead of French horns, and sousaphones instead of tubas. Bb trumpets, trombones, baritone horns, and euphoniums are common. Eb trumpets and flugelhorns are also sometimes used.
For bands that include a pit, stationary instrumentation may include orchestral percussion such as timpani, wood blocks and chimes. More modern instruments may include synthesizers and electric guitars.
Instrumentation varies widely from band to band, so no generalization is completely correct. There are bands where members play string instruments, or bang on mailboxes and trash cans with drum sticks.
Large bands also require a number of support staff who can move equipment, repair instruments and uniforms, and manipulate props used in performances.
As mentioned above, many bands have auxiliaries who add a visual component to the performance. For ceremonial bands, this could be a traditional color guard or honor guard. For "show" bands and drum corps, this could include dancers, cheerleaders, or some type of drill team. Auxiliaries who are not cheerleaders or dancers may be collectively referred-to as "color guard", though the term correctly refers only to those carrying flags for ceremonial purposes.
Auxiliaries may perform as independent groups. In the early 1970s, color guards began to hold their own competitions in the winter (after the American football season, and before the beginning of the summer drum and bugle corps competitions). There are also numerous cheerleading and dance competitions in the "off-season".
The color guard of a marching band or drum and bugle corps may contain sabers, rifles, and tall flags. In modern bands, other props are often used: flags of all sizes, horizontal banners, vertical banners, streamers, pom-pons, even tires and hula hoops. While military color guards were typically male, band color guards tend to be primarily female, though it is becoming more common for males to join as well.
The goal of each band's performance is different. Some bands aim for maximum uniformity and precision. Others - especially scramble bands want to be as entertaining as possible. Many U.S. university marching bands aim for maximum sound "impact" on the audience. Some bands perform primarily for the enjoyment of their own members. However, there are some common elements in almost all band performances.
The traditional music of the marching band is the military march, but since "show" bands evolved from the concert and brass band traditions as well, music has always been varied. Often, music from other genres is adapted for the specific instrumentation of a marching band. Commercial arrangements that are tailored for the "average" band instrumentation are also available. Military and university bands typically have a repetoire of "traditional" music associated with the organization they serve.
Music may be memorized, or it may be carried on "flip folders" which clip onto the instruments. Having music memorized is usually considered to be an advantage for competitive bands.
Nearly all bands that actually march to music use some variation of the "roll" or "glide" step. This step involves bringing the heel gently to the gound with the toe pointed, and then rolling forward onto the toes before lifting the foot. Using a glide step is the easiest way for wind players to avoid bouncing the mouthpiece of their instrument on their lips or in their mouth, thus aiding in the production of a steady tone even when the band is moving.
Some bands also include some form of "high" step, especially in their field shows. In one common variety of high step, the band member rolls his or her foot out to the toe, bending the knee. The knee then locks, and the leg is lifted out in front of the marcher before it is put down in the new position. The height of the step, and whether both feet are on the ground at any one time varies from band to band, and some bands use several versions of this step. Another high step involves bringing the foot up the inside of the leg to the knee before coming down and forward. The bands of the University of Southern California and the University of Wisconsin-Madison are known for their unique high steps.
When a band is not moving, the members may "mark time", or march in place. The step used usually resembles the step that is used for marching forward, though mixing a high step mark time with a roll step march (or vice-versa) produces an interesting visual effect.
Even when marking time, it is usually considered good form for all band members to step with the same foot at the same time (i.e. staying in step).
Nearly all marching bands use some kind of uniform. Military-style uniforms are most common, but there are bands that use everything from matching t-shirts and shorts to formal wear. Many Ivy League band members wear a jacket and tie while performing. The University of Oregon band wears outfits that are designed to look like their football team's uniforms.
Common design elements include hats, capes, and the school or organization's name or symbol. It is also common for band uniforms to have a stripe down the leg and light-colored shoes to emphasize the movement of the legs while marching. However, competitive bands may opt for dark pants and shoes to hide members who are out of step.
Some auxiliary groups use uniforms which are more likely to resemble gymnastics or cheerleading outfits.
For parades, the band lines up in a marching block composed of ranks (rows) and files (columns). Typically, each member tries to stay within his or her given rank and file, and to maintain even spacing with neighboring musicians. It is usually the responsibility of the people at the end of each rank and the front of each file to be in the correct location; this allows other band members to "guide" to them.
Band members also try to keep a constant pace or step size while marching in parade. This usually varies between 22 and 30 inches (56-76 cm) per stride. A step size of 22.5 inches is called "8-to-5" because the marcher covers five yards (about 4.6 m) in eight steps. A step size of 30 inches is called "6-to-5" because five yards are covered in six steps. Because yard lines on an American football field are five yards apart, exact 8-to-5 and 6-to-5 steps are most useful for field shows.
A drum cadence is usually played when the band is marching, but not playing a song. This is how the band keeps time. Alternately, a drum click or rim-shot may be given on the odd beats to keep the band in step. Cadence tempo varies from group to group, but is generally between 112 and 144 beats per minute.
While playing music during a field show, the band makes a series of formations on the field, which may be pictures, geometric shapes, curvilinear designs, or blocks of players. These maneuvers are collectively called "drill". Typically, each band member has an assigned position in each formation. There are as many ways of getting from one formation to the next as there are bands:
Many bands use a combination of the above techniques, sometimes adding dance choreography that is done in place or while marching. Players may point the bells of their instruments in the direction they are moving, or "slide" with all the bells facing in the same direction. Bands that march in time with the music typically also synchronize the direction of individuals' turns, and try to maintain even spacing between individuals in formations.
Auxiliaries can also add to the visual effect. Backdrops and props may be used on the field that fit the theme of the show or the music being performed. In comedic shows, an announcer usually reads jokes or a funny script between songs; formations that are words or pictures (or the songs themselves) may serve as punch-lines.
In addition to staying in step and marching uniformly, one of the challenges with playing in large outdoor arenas is "phasing". This is when part of the band gets behind or ahead of the beat of the music. Phasing may be a subjective effect; due to the finite speed of sound, even if all members of a band are playing at once, the sound from their instruments may reach listeners at different times, or may echo off parts of the stadium or nearby buildings. Phasing can be reduced in several ways, including:
Some bands will perform the same field show at all of their appearances during a single season. Others will avoid repeating a performance in front of the same crowd. In either case, the amount of rehearsal required varies greatly depending on the number and complexity of the formations, and the difficulty of the music. Some bands do a new field show every week, but only practice drill for two or three hours right before the performance. Other bands can practice a single show upwards of 20 hours per week (or more, for some competitive drum and bugle corps) for an entire season.
Music for parade and "show" bands is typically learned separately, in a concert band setting. It may even be memorized before any of the marching steps are learned. When rehearsing drill, positions and maneuvers are usually learned before music is added - a common technique for learning drill is to have members sing their parts or march to a recording produced during a music rehearsal.
When learning positions for drill, an American football field may be divided into a 5-yard grid, with the yard lines serving as one set of guides. The locations where the perpendicular grid lines cross the yard lines, sometimes called "zero points", may be marked on a practice field. Alternately, band members may only use field markings - yard lines, the center line, "hash marks", and yard numbers - as guides (but note that different leagues put these markings in different places). In order for members to learn their positions more quickly, they may be given "drill charts", which map their locations relative to the grid or field markings for each formation.
Members may also group into sqads, ranks, sections, or (especially with scramble bands that primarily form words) letters. Instead of each member having an individual move, moves are then learned on a squad-by-squad (or rank-by-rank, etc.) basis.
March steps and traditional music and drill that are unique to an organization are often taught at "band camp", a time set aside for intense rehearsal before the performance season begins. Many U.S. university bands meet for a week of band camp prior to the beginning of the autumn semester. Other "band camps" exist for individual band members, drum majors, and auxiliaries to practice their skills and learn generic techniques in the off-season.
In competitions, bands are usually judged on criteria such as musicality, uniformity, visual impact, artistic interpretation, and the difficulty of the music and drill. Competition exists at all levels, but is most common in the U.S. among secondary school bands and drum and bugle corps. Performances designed for a competition setting usually include more esoteric music (including but not limited to adaptations of modern orchestral pieces). Drill may include more "sliding" moves than for other field shows, in order to keep the bells of the instruments pointing towards the judges (or the bells may be turned away to emphasize the dynamics of the music).
The Sudler Trophy is an award bestowed by the United States government on one university marching band each year. No school may win the award twice. The official description of the trophy follows:
"The purpose of the Sudler Trophy is to identify and recognize collegiate marching bands of particular excellence who have made outstanding contributions to the American way of life. The Sudler Trophy is awarded annually to a college or university marching band which has demonstrated the highest musical standards and innovative marching routines and ideas, and which has made important contributions to the advancement of the performance standards of college marching bands over a period of years."
The following are the recipients of the Sudler Trophy since its inception in 1982:
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