Self-Smacking and/or Criticism.....


mustardmanSU_04

mustardmanSU_04

Arranger/Composer
Be straight forward, and honestly make a list of 3 things that you think your schools' program could do better, improve upon, start doing or change to make the make itself better. To avoid BS'ing, and pussyfooting, each of the 3 items should be NO LONGER THAN 10 WORDS. You can explain your reasons for your listed items once the list is complete.

Southern University

1. Phrasing, and playing all notes for the correct duration.

2. Woodwinds.... MORE! Alto saxophones MOSTLY, 8 more piccolos, 15 clarinets.

3. Solo instruments more prevalent, EXAMPLE: trombones/trumpets, NOT baritones/mellophones.

Well, the obvious reason for holding the notes the entire duration is BECAUSE THATS HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYED... Combine that with proper phrasing techniques, and there will be one huge WALL OF SOUND (Where as now, sometimes you get a picket-fence of sound in places)

Alto saxophones....... They are a hidden jewel, especially how the music is written at SU. It would add more beautiful counter melodies to ballads, and jazzier chords to all other songs. Piccolos can be used to accentuate the trumpet section (Screamers), and a full clarinet section can add a-whole-nother:retard: inner voice to nearly any song. Not to mention, a FULL woodwind section will add a feeling of completeness to the marches

And <POINT BLANK>: Mellos and B-tones just ARE NOT solo instruments. Use that fatness to make some HUGE, CHUNKY chords, and let the much brighter trumpets and trombones pierce through the band.
 
No takers?! Wow.... This is AMAZING. Everyone is always saying to boot up and be real about your own program.... And now, nobody has the gonads to to it. USA Today, GSU #1 in MS..... Nothing to add about GSU?:noidea:
 



I'll bite..

In my opinion, the Sonic Boom can improve on the these three areas:

1. Marching fundamentals (need to return to a level of uniformity).

2. Proper phrasing and breathing (the 4th count is not the 'breathe' count).

3. Focus on being 'one band', not a collection of sections.


The first suggestion is pretty self-explanatory. We all have to march the same way. There's no 'I' in 'band'. We can't have the saxophones marching one way while the trumpets barely move at all. We can't have the percussion 'nodding' on every beat when everybody else is doing something else. We've got to get back to everybody marching the same way, so the 'picture' looks good. Nothing looks better than seeing the Boom swingin-n-swaying, every plume swaying in unison, nobody overdoing it, just grooving right along.. The Boom doesn't do that anymore.


The 2nd suggestion is meant to describe the way the band phrases as a whole. We kill whole notes but nobody breathes through count number 4 into count number 1 of the next measure. We don't practice staggered breathing (as a section). An example - if the trombones have whole notes for three measures, then we need to hear sound for 12 counts, not 1..2..3.4 (everybody snatch a breath - sound stops) 5..6..7..8(everybody snatch another breath - sound stops again) 9...10....11....12 (and so on).


The 3rd suggestion is really a continuation of the 1st suggestion. When the band is on the field in fanfare formation, why are the trombones dipping on the '4' count? Nobody else dips... (Them doing it) takes away from whole picture.... I never understood why that started (and when). To me, it looks raggedy.... But even in syaing that, if everybody does it, then fine (but it's raggedy then too :D:D )...


Just my $1.08 cents

:tup:
 
1. Halftime shows overall need to be revamped

2. There needs to be more love for the band overall

3. Better recruiting

1. The shows lack energy and creativity, folks are not marching 90's, the double-time looks awful and disorganized... etc

2. The Enthusiasm is not there, when you have about 80% of the band is Lukewarm then the overall appearance and effect is affected

3. We should never have the numbers we do and force sections to overcompensate to have a balanced sound...

I'm done
 
Agrees with T-Made!
They really, really need to work on marching and have energy on the field.
Trumpets need to stop hanging over.
They need to chart some new drills to incorporate the percussion section onto the field. Get the bandmembers off the sidelines.

And drum majors need to know when to play and when not to play during games.
 
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3 ways to improve the World Famed.

1. Students have pride for your organization, if you don't no one else will

2. Play what's on the music and play it well. Stop improvising.

3. New Blood on staff is seriously needed.

 
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Blankman2k5 said:
1. Halftime shows overall need to be revamped

2. There needs to be more love for the band overall

3. Better recruiting

1. The shows lack energy and creativity, folks are not marching 90's, the double-time looks awful and disorganized... etc

2. The Enthusiasm is not there, when you have about 80% of the band is Lukewarm then the overall appearance and effect is affected

3. We should never have the numbers we do and force sections to overcompensate to have a balanced sound...

I'm done
Click to expand...

Everything you listed starts from the top, therefore my 3 things are:

1. New Directors/Clean House

2. New Directors/Clean House

3. New Directors/Clean House
 
mustardmanSU_04 said:
So, what would the NEW directors need to do to improve the program? (Trying to play along with you)
Click to expand...

Tell the announcers to ANNOUNCE THE BAND and each song being played.
Then STFU so people can hear the music being played on the field. :tup:
 
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For SU I would only have to say...


Play every song like it's your last time playing it and as if that will the only record of it being played by your group..

:tup:
 
SUtrp96 said:
For SU I would only have to say...


Play every song like it's your last time playing it and as if that will the only record of it being played by your group..

:tup:
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That should be for EVERY ensemble. I know me personally, as a crab, I played every song like my life depended upon it (Because it did.....:scared:)
 
Well as for the Sounds of Dynomite:

1) More Aggressive Marching (Better Drill songs could help that)

2) More Balanced Sound

3)Wayyyyy More Pride in the Organization

Sometimes I don't like the drill tunes, they don't always have the drive needed to march, and the students have to have the pride to wanna march, And honestly across the board I'm seeing less pride in all of our bands but I'll speak on the Sounds they need to care more (which I think they are getting to but it needs to be an overall effort and not just a individual/section effort). I would also like them to play more but hey sometime's that's not in they're control. We also need to do more recruiting.
 
I would like to see UAPB M4:

1. Have more full-figured females as dancers

2. Feature other sections of the band other than the drum-line

3. Perform more!
 
96lioness said:
1. Have more full-figured females as dancers
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:xeye:


Well in that case, ya'll can have these heffas:


hpim0621.jpg



In fact, that's pretty much my response to the topic at hand. :lol: :tup:
 
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