MMB,
Please explain MMB for the ignorant/uninitiated such as myself
Michigan Marching Band.
👍🏼Thanks
Million Mile Buick?
You'd have to prove that. Those bands are the shit, and have been forever.
Good point. Perhaps Revelli stole from them and I have it backwards. But I am pretty sure Revelli modified directly from the military bands (such as six steps per ten yards as used in the military and making it eight, as every band now uses, to improve playing, which is definitely a Michigan innovation, although not present in today's show) and the HBCU bands adapted from him/Michigan. But, fair enough, I have no proof. Just word of mouth from Michigan tradition.
Badly worded, post. But I think the point is there somewhere...
It's 8 to 5, MMBbones. You should know that.
Go read:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Revelli
Can you clue us in on what the HBCU MMB halftime show is referring to?
something today? The spring game yesterday? Any links to it?
my guess: historically black colleges and universities mens marching bands
so OP, did i get first prize or the boobie prize?
Yes on the historically black colleges part...
I was going to say, “Did anyone notice that we didn’t play the National Anthem to start the spring game yesterday?”
I'm personally kind of cool with less anthem at sporting events. The pay for patriotism stuff in sports has sort of soured me on the blurring of lines between genuine sincere patriotism and paid for jingoism.
Jingoism. Like it. Remember the Maine
Agree 100%. I mean, they don't play the anthem before a concert at Hill. Why at all sporting events?
And while we're at it, I despise the diva singers who take 7 minutes to sing a song that should be completed in 1:37, if played at the standard tempo.
I'm ok with them going long if we can start a genre of people trying to complete it faster than the others. The MMB are the sorts of whacky geniuses who can get this down to a tight 80 seconds or better. Better still lets get this speed drummed on a double sink by the stanford band.
This is likely a gross over simplification, but I've always appreciated the way people of the Muslim faith handle this. God is great, and they keep it moving. Least amount of words to the clearest expression of their truth. Can we all just communally say something like "We like America" and get on with it. If you want to add some Catholic calisthenics to it maybe stand up turn around and salute.
What halftime?
What elements?
Details my dude.
Oops! Sorry for the lack of context. Today was the Historically Black College all-star basketball game. The halftime show was a black marching band that was very good. Odd to have a marching band at a basketball game. They usedSlo many elements first developed by William D. Revelli with the Michigan Marching Band, such as the specific high step, drum major routines, and formations. Well done. They seemed justly proud of their work.
IDGAF LMFAO GHTY GDHDD JFDKHTR
Yes, as a Michigan band alum, I am very used to IDGAF being the response to our stuff. And I will admit I only joined the band so I could go to the games for free, so I do understand.
IGAF, I just didn't understand the lingo. Love our band.
included multiple elements first developed by the MMB?
Like basically every marching band in the entire nation does?
Ha! Yes. But certain elements, such as our particular high-step, have been historically Michigan distinctives.
Your posts kinda reminds me of the scene in Coming to America where they are describing the difference between McDonald's golden arches and McDowell's golden arcs.
Today must been the first time the OP actually watched a marching band perform EVER. Considering marching bands have performed this way like FOREVER.
Or maybe the user name does indeed check out? And maybe their are nuances in the way bands do things???
What type of Nuances should we look for.
You're right. There are no differences between bands.
It's like every football team is exactly the same. Why do we pay Harbaugh so much money? "Take ball, score touchdown." Every football team is exactly the same.
Basketball is the same way. We are throwing money away on Howard. Every basketball team is the same. "Throw ball in hoop."
And yes, you are right. Every marching band is the same. "Blow air in horn." It's been the exact same thing ever since Joshua and that whole Jericho scenario three thousand years ago.
I stand corrected.
Unfortunately you are a little misguided in your assessment because historically if you put Tennessee State’s Marching Band on the field you will definitely be able to tell the difference in approach. HBCU Marching bands particularly in the South have what you call a battle of the bands at halftime of each football game. Also they battle with drum lines before the game near each stadium. The halftime routines are diametrically exact opposites from our MMB and they have what is called a break in at least one song during the halftime show. Our drum lines are and this is no sleight,”no where near the same in terms of ability to,”move the crowd!” Thus, the movie “drum-line” with Nick Cannon was basically written in natural form and display of, how difficult it is to make each HBCU drum line. There are tryouts and from there each drum is decided and of course the Drum majors are picked from a crop of young men and women, that perform out front. They perform in every football game and event that the college funds or approves.
Yes. Thank you. And trace back several decades and look at the evolution of said bands. It will help us all appreciate what happens at halftimes.
I think you think everyone thinks what you're thinking. We're not, we have no idea and need your help.
Everyone just post the first letter of each word they are thinking about posting. I think it will really streamline the site and they can save on data storage.
Some general context and background on one of the most prominent HBCU marching bands:
Marching bands at many universities have been around as long as the MMB. In order to support your contention that specific moves by HBCU bands are directly traceable to the MMB, you need to provide more factual, source-based historical support than just your opinion as a MMB member.
Say, chums. Has anyone else noticed the extent to which Thelonious Monk has included multiple elements from Michigan’s own Glen Osser into his playing? Mr. Monk (I have my doubts as to whether “Thelonious” is his birth name) employs everything from sitting down on a “bench” while playing to striking the keys with one’s fingers - all hallmarks of Osser’s distinct style that he developed at Michigan. Imitation is the highest form of flattery?
Mr. Monk even seemed proud of himself! Good on him.
Thelonious Sphere Monk -- his actual legal name.
Hello, coming back to make a few observations:
1. Revelli was a great band director and the MMB has an important place in marching band development historically, but he wasn't the person who innovated most of this stuff. Michigan didn't invent the high step and it didn't invent precision drill, both of which are just variations of military drill styles. Just like basically everything about marching bands before Drum Corps International made curvy lines and walking around a thing.
2. A lot of Revelli's "innovations" were actually the work of his assistants, namely George Cavender and Jack Lee. I'd actually argue a lot of the things that we think of as "traditional" MMB styles (or what's left of it) are holdovers from the Cavender years, further refined under Eric Becher in the 1980s and Gary Lewis and Kevin Sedatole and others in the 1990s (i.e., less lockstep, more "traditional" step, for MMB alums in the room, the Cake, etc.).
3. It's more than a little uncomfortable to read a take on HBCU bands that amounts to "well, we need to acknowledge a dead white person I think came up with all of this stuff." HBCU bands have a really important place in their university and campus cultures, and Black artistic expression in general. Especially at HBCUs, which exist for important and historically complicated reasons. We don't need to try to "well, actually" their amazing band traditions to prop up William D. Revelli.
Yuba!
This. Especially point 3.
Wow. I was enjoying our shared heritage. I suppose you can make this into a black versus white thing, if hatred is your one priority in life. Revelli and his staff did some great stuff for Michigan. The HBCU schools do some great stuff within the same basic genre, and they too have a great history. Why can't we all appreciate those things we respect about each other and the things we have learned from each other? Why is race even the issue? There was a great halftime show on ESPN yesterday. But apparently enjoying it within a broader context is something we aren't ready to handle. That, to me, is the real problem.
I mean, it's really more about the fact that you really don't seem to know any of the history all that well and are trying to reframe generations of HBCU band innovations to prop up WDR and the MMB. It's not about "hatred." It's about pointing out a really, really weird take that you have been resoundingly negged for over the past 24 hours.
And with that, I'm out. Go Blue.
You're "out" because you can't deal with dialog?
Bando, you obviously need to heavily edit the history, since you seem to know it better than any of the rest of us. Please do:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Revelli
Maybe Bando means he's out as he has been most of the time as of late. A quick look reveals he hasn't posted in 4 months.