all of the people
PastorPaul
History
- Member for
- 3 years 38 weeks
Karma
- Current value
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Recent Comments
| Date | Title | Body |
|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks 6 days ago | Ridiculous... |
That's like saying the team is at its best the first game of the year because it's had all spring and summer to prepare for that opponent. To a lesser extent, certainly, (but the analogy still holds) the band is a progressively better unit each week. You have kids of all different talent levels, from all different high school marching styles, many of whom are petrified to be in front of 100k+ for the first time, putting on a show after only a week and a half or so together. Many of them are still trying to learn how to high step eight-to-five and play at the same time when it's time for "entry lines at the mouth of the tunnel." |
| 5 weeks 1 hour ago | I applaud... |
I applaud your tireless commitment to the band I love. But part of the M experience is exactly what we see here. No 5-star recruit is guaranteed a minute of playing time. No band member ( in a much lesser role, I'm not trying to equate a trombone player to Denard) is guaranteed anything either. Join the MMB, and you'll get an unbelievable, life-changing experience. You might, like me, have five unforgettable bowl trips in five years. Or you might endure the RR years. You might, like me, hear Harbaugh's leg break and have the whole season fall apart. But the M experience transcends all the crappy little details. You get the privilege of being part of the legacy if you join MMB. If an unprecedented extra trip materializes, fabulous. If it evaporates, like our trip to Australia, then fine, you put that on your T-shirts (like our percussionists did), you laugh about it, and you add it to the heritage. It's all OK. |
| 5 weeks 1 hour ago | Your point is well taken but... |
Your point is well taken, but this is business as usual at M. When I was in the band, we were promised a tour of Australia (I kid you not) that never materialized because one graduate assistant behaved unethically. All band travels, even those to minor bowl games, are tentative until you board the plane. That's always how it's been at M. That's part of what you get when you're part of the MMB. MMB is the best experience you'll ever have, but this is part of the ride. |
| 5 weeks 2 hours ago | MMB funding |
The MMB has always been a part of the School of Music, unlike most colleges where the marching band is part of the athletic department. Of course, the athletic department transfers monies to the School of Music for bowl game expenses for the MMB, and other expenses where appropriate. But I think the separation of MMB from the athletic dept has always limited MMB funding vis-a-vis other schools. |
| 5 weeks 2 hours ago | I mean this graciously... |
I was on the MMB equipment staff for three years, and all the MMB equipment, from sousaphones to piccolos, fits nicely in an average Ryder truck. You're right on that account. But M just doesn't send the MMB on road trips. Never has, apparently never will. This is absolutely business as usual. The band goes to ND, MSU, Ohio, maybe one other gratuitous game, the bowl game, and that's it. Most every student involved is content with current arrangement. |
| 5 weeks 3 hours ago | Well put. There's more |
Well put. There's more contention than outsiders realize, but in the end we all just want success for all things Michigan. |
| 5 weeks 3 hours ago | I love your sentiment, I love |
I love your sentiment, I love the band, but.... Bo hired a professional band to play The Victors at the early rounds of basketball tournament games instead of bringing the M BB band. Bo would have done what made financial sense. He wasn't terribly nostalgic. I love watching the band play anywhere, but let's not appeal to Bo on this one. |
| 5 weeks 3 hours ago | Let's see... Does M ever play |
Let's see... The band rarely travels anywhere else, except bowl games. |
| 5 weeks 3 hours ago | What to do with the MMB |
Let's think this through.... At this point, M gets no additional revenue by bringing the band. It's just an expense. The benefit to UM comes through exposure of the band to a non-B10 audience. But is this the best venue? Let's face it, as band insiders, admit that the band is not very good the first few weeks of the season. They pretty much suck until week 3-4. All band officianados know this to be true. By Band-o-Rama the band is world class. Not in week 1. So... That makes more sense than going to Dallas. If it were up to me, I'd send the band to every game. But let's argue for the next realistic step in the right direction. |
| 5 weeks 4 hours ago | Well, in spite of the |
Well, in spite of the negbangs for sharing actual history: when a group of us went (at our own expense) to a road game, Bo was mad that we played within earshot of the team when the team was supposed to be "quietly reflecting" before the game. I'm not complaining about Bo, I revere the guy. But I was in the band for five years, on band staff for three years, and Bo always, consistently, merely seemed to tolerate us. |
