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Mark, Mark, Mark...boy were you right! Having never experienced the OU marching 110 of crapage, I now understand your comments in the football forum. They have no musical talent what-so-ever and reminded me of the rival school in the movie Drumline (as in they play music people get into and sacrifice musicianship for it). With their style, it was basically a dancing OSU in my opinion and I was in absolute awe to see our whole BG section dancing to whatever they were attempting to play. I was trash talking their trumpet alumni as they were going out to the field because that's what trumpets do to each other. But after half time, one comes over to me up in the stands and goes, "Did you hear us?" My reaction of, "Yeah, but when you have 80 trumpets playing the same part as loud and crass as you can, who wouldn't hear you?" didn't go over to well with him as he turned around and left without saying a thing.

A football mom came up to me after the game as we were waiting for people to exit the restrooms and said wasn't their band just great? I think I shocked her as well by saying heck no! I explained why they are terrible and hope she understood.

What really upset me was when an OU fan sitting in the BG section starter telling me not to criticize their band. He said just because they are the band and not the football team doesn't mean I had to make fun of them. Even after I told him I was in BG's band, he still proceeded to say the same thing. I don't think it clicked since I was in a football jersey and not my band uniform. ::puke:: Terrible, they are just terrible!!!!

Everyone around me was standing up clapping like they were the best thing since sliced bread. My ass didn't leave my seat for 20 minutes

Now I know there were at least 2 of us who just sat there.

Ornithologist wrote:Now I know there were at least 2 of us who just sat there.

Yeah, you and I!

Don't forget kdog27. That makes at least 3.

I'm glad to see some things don't change with the OU band. For many people they are very entertaining. They're exciting. Great. But their musicianship sorely lacks. If you're going to call yourselves a musical group, doesn't it stand to reason that you should fulfill the customer's appetite for music? That's my opinion, of course.

To purge your system from this experience I have to recommend applying the antithesis of the OU band: Playing Yanni through a pillow.

Good luck.

If the purpose of a marching band is to add to the entertainment value of a football game, then I think OU's band does a very nice job.
You see, many of us don't know good music from bad music, but we do know what entertains us, and I thought OU's band did a good job of doing that.

That is the purpose of a marching band.... if you believe Dr Toney's schpiel from Homecoming 2002.

If it's just "good enough"... it's not good enough. Every group, EVERYWHERE, should always try for excellence. Even if nobody outside the group can tell the difference... YOU can tell the difference, and that will ultimately affect your entire attitude. Applause from the audience is secondary. Honest applause from yourself should always be most important, because while you can fool others, you can't fool yourself.

factman wrote:If the purpose of a marching band is to add to the entertainment value of a football game, then I think OU's band does a very nice job.
You see, many of us don't know good music from bad music, but we do know what entertains us, and I thought OU's band did a good job of doing that.

What I was talking about in my first post was Dr. Lee not wanting to sacrifice musicianship for showmanship in the movie Drumline. While yes, it is only a movie, a maching band should not do this...even just "to add to the entertainment value of a football game". If you can honestly say you don't know good music from bad music, that's sad but nothing I can change OU plays music that the fans will know but also music that any band kid could play in 6th grade. When you have every person playing the exact same thing (no difference between parts), the band will be loud, very loud. Sure it gets you going but why? I bet you liked the dancing too but did you notice it was almost the exact same dance they did at pregame?

If you want that type of entertainment, let me make a suggestion. Put a ringtone on your cell phone, set it on vibrate, leave it on a table where it can bounce around in a dancing manner, and have someone call you. You'll hear and see the same thing OU does every game.

while i know in your attempts to bash my alma you are just either A)trying to make yourself feel better or B) trying to make people think you know more about music than they do. The sad fact is i hope you are not a music major because if so, your not a good spokesman for BG's music program. I don't feel the need to argue or debate just felt i should say if your going to attempt to explain things to people like you have more of an understanding try to not be way off base. the music is far from basic and far from 1 part if you had any understanding of music you would understand this. anyways good luck with your year and try not to ever use drumline for your argument it's not very effective.

They we so bad, that I was at a toledo game instead of being there to listen to them

oualum wrote:while i know in your attempts to bash my alma you are just either A)trying to make yourself feel better or B) trying to make people think you know more about music than they do.

I was a music major for some time at BGSU.

I was not bashing your school. I was bashing your marching band. I was not even bashing your music program.

I do not know you so I cannot say I know more about music than you. I know what is pleasing to my senses and the OU band is not it. To each their own.

oualum wrote:while i know in your attempts to bash my alma you are just either A)trying to make yourself feel better or B) trying to make people think you know more about music than they do.

Actually, I wasn't trying to do either. I was just stating MY honest opinion about your marching 110. If you feel that me disliking your marching 110 reflects your alma or in some way tries to make me feel better, then I have to say that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I have no need to feel better by giving my opinion about your band. No where in my posts have I bashed OU. I understand many of you have more respect for your band than your football team, but your band is not your school.

Sheesh - I don't think ohio u.'s band is THAT bad. they give a TON of effort and do physically demanding marching (When they march)

I also enjoy the music. Contrary to popular opinion, most of their arrangements are very thickly orchestrated. I was trying to figure out the beginning of "Fat Bottomed Girls," and I just kept finding more and more chord tones in what I heard. I heard Long Train Runnin' in HS by the Berea Berea band in 1989 (an OU clone band) and was amazed. The energy was astounting, the music was great...I was blown away.

If I had to say anything negative about them, I would say the dancing gets old every song. Overplaying is a problem....and I can't listen to an entire CD of OU Marching band...they just get old after a while. I also think they were better 4-5 years ago. Don't know why, but the music seemed better.

I am a marching band director, have been for 5+ years. I throw a little stepout and groove in my show. If it is good enough for Division I DCI corps, it is good enough for me. But just a little bit. I haven't found ANYTHING that gets the energy of the band and fans up like that.

just my 2cents

You people that are disparaging the Marching 110 need to check yourselves. People want to be entertained by a band and they do just a fantastic job of that. I don't think you have any idea how hard it is to play while you march in that style. They were very good playing their music while not marching. You are a bunch of nitpickers. Are you trying to tell me that the BG marching band is better than the 110? The 110 is the best band in the MAC by FAR, and they're the best band I've ever seen. If you'd rather see a boring band who plays flawless music go see a concert band or something. That's not what a marching band is about. And for your information, 99.9% of people who see them think they're awesome.