Your 2016 Woman Up Front: New MMB Drum Major Announced
Nice. +1 to all the ladies out there.
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this is news?
Hopefully there will come a time when this won't be news, but until then, congrats!
Wouldn't it be news whenever a new drum major gets selected male or female?
Yes
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April 24th, 2016 at 10:22 AM ^
Yup. It's just that people like to find things to be offended about. Failing to realize it's news every year no matter the gender.
April 24th, 2016 at 10:53 AM ^
Exactly. Fake outrage is the new thing.
April 24th, 2016 at 11:15 AM ^
well, I never!!!!
April 24th, 2016 at 12:26 PM ^
WD's thing.
OUTRAGE!
April 24th, 2016 at 12:55 PM ^
Taking fake outrage lightly triggers me.
I mean either you're offended that it's news that we have a female drum major, or you'd be offended that it wasn't news worthy if nobody mentioned it.
I'm not offended either way. I agree with the OP's sentiment that it would be nice to live in a world one day where when a woman gets selected for a leadership position that it's not a press stopping event. That it would be as normal as a man getting selected for the same position. It's just that in this situation it would be news every year regardless of gender or race.
There was no outrage, so not sure where you got that from. Given the fact that she's the second female drum major ever, and the post clearly highlights that, was just stating that I look forward to the day when the gender of our drum major is no longer notable.
I apologize if my comment made it sound like I was upset about the OP.
I don't see the "outrage" in your post hence, at a loss as to why people have to neg you. We need to keep reminding ourselves that there is still work to be done.
As long as she can do the headstand no hat, I'm on board.
I would have thought that to be a prerequisite by now.
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It is
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arching back and rocking out. now that would be way cool.
I think she's got it covered.
Sax section!
(I primarily played tenor, but also did play some alto, soprano, and baritone sax (also occasionally the oboe and even a bit of trombone) back during high school marching, concert, and stage/jazz band.)
a fellow Hillsdale County native do big things!
born and raised in Hillsdale. HHS class of 1978. yes, that makes me old.....
Does anyone know what the selection process is like?
I do not.
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We'll know who to turn to if ever the question is does anybody not know the process....
I kid, I kid.
April 24th, 2016 at 10:16 AM ^
Early in the winter semester, all band members trying out for drum major interview and try out in front of the band staff. Eventually, the number of candidates is reduced to three or four. Those remaining candidates audition in front of the entire band at the Spring Meeting. After all of the candidates have performed, the band members vote for the best one.
For the tryouts in front of the whole band, each candidate must demonstrate: the position of attention, vocal and whistle commands, all three marching styles, their pregame entrance routine, strutting, and twirling. The hatless backbend and twirling sections are "optional," but all band members know that a candidate won't be elected if he or she can't do them.
April 24th, 2016 at 10:49 AM ^
I know it's a different kind of whistling, but your mention of it reminded me of what my wife's grandmother told her when she was little and trying to learn how to whistle: "Whistling girls and crowing hens, always come to some bad end." In looking up that saying, I found an even earlier version:"A whistling woman and a crowing hen are neither fit for God nor men."
I can only imagine what her grandmother would think of a young woman strutting.
My dad would have thought she was his kind of girl!
But then, he always was a freak for marching bands.
April 24th, 2016 at 11:16 AM ^
The Drum Major was selected just prior to the start of the season, at the end of Band Week. We had Guy Bordo for three years, but it was always a special treat when Bill Gage (may he RIP) tried out with his "English Professor" persona.
April 24th, 2016 at 11:31 AM ^
Oh, that's right! In '95, we still voted for the DM during Band Week. I'd forgotten about that. That's when we voted in Jason Wuellner.
Did we switch that next year to spring meeting tryouts? I remember one of Ramon Johnson's tryouts being in the spring.
April 24th, 2016 at 10:36 AM ^
Congrats to her! Great news!
As far as the process goes, when I was there in the 90's the candidates tried out in front of the entire band. So they did things like the strut and the back bend and baton twirling. Then there was an interview portion and then we voted. I don't think too much has changed since then but I'm sure a more recent member can comment.
for the band member with best strut.
April 24th, 2016 at 11:13 AM ^
way better than the electoral college
OP: When the required abilities are considered, I'd expect that position to be ... gender-neutral these days, I guess. Any thoughts as to why they're mostly male?
April 24th, 2016 at 10:01 AM ^
Because girls smell!
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April 24th, 2016 at 10:20 AM ^
they don't have cooties
April 24th, 2016 at 10:39 AM ^
prevent cooties.
nobody buys that whole, 'sugar and spice and everything nice' bit, not in the 21st century. that's equality for you.
April 24th, 2016 at 11:05 AM ^
Because they're less prone to bear attacks
April 24th, 2016 at 11:11 AM ^
cooties
April 24th, 2016 at 12:37 PM ^
Even the twirlers (and the cheerleaders) were all male. As I heard it from one of the early bandspersons of the female persuasion, the powers that be (or had been) had very good reasons for defending the status quo:
1. Uniformity is paramount in look of a marching band. Men wear pants, women wear skirts. So obviously.
2. The Rose Parade is really long. All that strutting for 5 miles would be too taxing for the ladies. (To say nothing of carrying those heavy instruments at the same time)
3. They'd have to build separate bathrooms.
I don't know how the bathroom issue was worked out, but apparently the other stuff was.
Not knowing anything about band, I would have assumed that you needed to be percussionist to be a drum major.
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I didn't know they had to play an instrument.
no real musical talent, but capable of high-stepping and keeping the beat.
Marta should try out for Drum Major next season?
Afer all, she's acrobatic, she has something similar to a tamborine on her arm, and she's capable of high-stepping and can keep a beat.
can you imagine how silly they all felt standing around in those costumes, filming that. i bet they some out-takes that were quite entertaining.
so she knows she has backup?
April 24th, 2016 at 10:50 AM ^
They don't. The flags and twirlers can be DM too. Most of them also play instruments though.
April 24th, 2016 at 12:01 PM ^
Waaaay back in the day, the DM was often a former twirler that just moved up the ranks. They came in as twirlers, never played an instrument. It wasn't until the 70s that the instrumentalist-turned-DM thing became the standard.