tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9617011.post2500857255151158886..comments2024-03-27T23:45:06.093+01:00Comments on Renewable Music: PrescribedDaniel Wolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093101325234464791noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9617011.post-65960754720243204292009-02-16T01:33:00.000+01:002009-02-16T01:33:00.000+01:00Well I don't have firsthand knowledge of what the ...Well I don't have firsthand knowledge of what the thinking behind this list is, but I will speculate on some of the possibly less sinister motives, having had a daughter in the local high school marching band.<BR/><BR/>Band here (SoCal) is more of a physical sort of activity than a musical one. The show rehearsals begin in summer band camp and continue through the competitions. The music for these shows isn't really the critical thing: it is more about the physical presentation - marching, flag waving, formations, etc. The same music is used from August until November, so it's not about learning music - it's about doing the show.<BR/><BR/>Maybe in Texas they want to make a more level playing field, where technical mastery of music isn't the focus. Why would they do that? Probably to make it easy to participate in a marching band so that even small schools won't feel overmatched by a larger talent base.<BR/><BR/>And if this makes more kids enjoy the experience, maybe that's not so bad. There is plenty of time later to concentrate on music...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9617011.post-34771800041822714082009-02-15T20:54:00.000+01:002009-02-15T20:54:00.000+01:00A glance through the tuba list, (the one I would k...A glance through the tuba list, (the one I would know the most,) tells me that this and some other lists probably aren't written by people who actually play the instruments being regulated. A couple of standards, followed by an avalanche of the cream of the crap. I also note some glaring omissions in the band rep., especially the exclusion of all but Alfred Reed's "Greatest Hits". Some other random omissions: most of Gesualdo's output, all but the tamest of Strauss' orchestral lit., most of Charles Ives' output, everything by Varese.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com