Clark Bolding
Gibbons
US History
19 May 2016
History of Marching Band Marching band has evolved massively since the days where their sole use was to send signals to troops on the battlefield. Since then many different variants of the musical art form have been created including show bands, field bands, and drum corps. Every single form of marching band we have today can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire’s military in the 1200’s. Their band, called the mehter, was composed of many variants of instruments. Some of the instruments are even seen in today 's marching ensembles such as bass drums, cymbals, horns and wind instruments. The group also wore decadent clothing to intimidate the enemy by displaying their great wealth, as well as to
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Although we are not on their playing level we do take from their musical styling and visual performance. Our band is called a corps style band. We practice one show for our entire season striving to perfect it and create a work of art better than our competition. The competitions are judged on music, visual and genera effect.
The last type of marching band is know as a show band and is typically found in college and some high school marching bands. The purpose of a show band isn’t to compete against other groups, but to rather hype up the crowd helping build morale for their team. Their half time performances are catered toward a more general audience by playing familiar music for those who may or may not have much music knowledge. Although show band groups are seen mainly on the field at football games they are also present at basketball games and are called pep bands in that setting.
Marching bands are an integral part of communities and are the bases in which many musicians get their start. The athletic art provides an outlet for kids to express their creativity while being part of a
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