B Is For Band

in this case, marching band

The marching band is led* by a drum major, not to be confused with someone
majoring in drums. Because the playing is normally outdoors, the drum major
needs a baton about ten times the size of the one used by the orchestra conductor,
a hat about ten times the size of the one worn by the sousaphone player, and most
importantly, a whistle. This is the lanyard I made in preparation for being drum major
for a school whose name started with Y and whose colors were blue and gold.**

Step One: Get a lyre. So named because its shape resembles the ancient Greek stringed instrument.
There is a variety of attachment styles to accommodate a variety of marching instruments.

This one is made for a flute player. The hooked part goes around the player's neck.

Step Two: Get a flip folder. Designed to fit snugly in the lyre so that it doesn't slip.
It has clear plastic pages to hold small pieces of sheet music. (That is, clear when new!)

Step Three: Get the right size of music pages.
It's sold in individual sheets and in booklets.
Now you are good to go . . . hit the streets!

**Notice I did say, "in preparation for." I never actually served as drum major;
after I won the vote by the band members, the verdict was thrown out by the director.
(Oh well, at least whatever it was I had done didn't land me in jail.)

Before the blue-and-gold school, I "lettered" in band at a different school.

One More Thing:
If you weren't in band, maybe you can be a band booster
and wear a button honoring your favorite player.

~ FURTHER READING ~

When I moved to a certain city, I considered trying out for the local community band.
But before I acted on that thought, I heard them perform as the warmup act for a
professional horn-rock group. Later, after I was playing in a jazz big band,
I heard them play again. It seemed that all they played were marches written
by John Philip Sousa. (However, as far as I could tell, they never marched!)
Great music, but my personal desire was to perform a wider range of styles.

Then one time I heard them at a street fair type of event. At one point, the director
announced that they were going to play a medley of tunes from Broadway. I was very excited.
Broadway music! Variety at last! It turned out it was all marches from Broadway shows.

Later in the same show, the director told a story about John Philip Sousa being at a
street fair type of event and seeing the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. The
sight of her inspired him to begin composing music in his head, which be began putting
on paper as soon as he got home. I was very excited. Romantic music! Variety at
last! It turned out that "The Fairest Of The Fair" sounds like a typical Sousa March.