Marching to Different Drummers - Brief Article

Black Issues in Higher Education, April 27, 2000 by Laurie Dunivant Sneiderman

In recent decades, marching band traditions in the United States have evolved along decidedly different cultural tracks. Historically Black colleges and universities have developed flashy, dance-oriented styles that are popular among African Americans.

Georgia Tech Band Director Bucky Johnson explains that there are two main styles of marching band presentations, "show" style and "corps" style. Show style, which is identified closely with HBCU bands, involves the use of the high step, and incorporates dance, popular music and concert formations to achieve a crowd pleasing, community-energizing performance. Corps style utilizes a glide step, and, rather than a perpetually upbeat approach, uses motions that ebb and flow with the mood of the music. Corps style is more focused on a symphonic, controlled sound that utilizes dynamics and a range of mood Johnson says.

High school students who continue in college bands like to continue in the style they were taught, especially if it's culturally relevant to them, Johnson says. "It's like Southern churches," he adds.

"Even though segregation is illegal, there is voluntary segregation in many of our services down here, simply because people choose one style over another. A lot of that is personal style, ways of individual expression that are comfortable and preferable for any given community, "Johnson says.

"An African American student looking for a show band experience, as is available at Black colleges, would likely find the band experience at a predominately White university disappointing," he adds.

Georgia Tech has tried to diversify the appeal of its ensembles, particularly by varying the repertoire to include broader musical content, according to Johnson. Eden Elizabeth June, the only Black woman of nearly 30 women who participates in Georgia Tech's marching band's flag corps, says band members, flag corps women and majorettes were appreciative of band efforts to integrate both show and corps styles during this past football season.

"We did shows that had a more visually flashy style, and I think it invited a lot of student spirit," says June, who is a junior.

Scooping Up Black Talent

Still, the interest that Black student musicians have in African American-inspired marching band styles have given HBCUs an advantage in attracting Black talent, according to HBCU band directors. And HBCUs do a lot to capitalize on their appeal, including the recruitment of band members, according to Melvin Miles, director of Morgan State University's "Magnificent Marching Machine."

HBCU band directors actively recruit students to their institutions with band scholarships that are distributed regardless of whether a student majors in music or not. Miles says band scholarships at Morgan State range from $200 to $2,000 a year. Students also receive academic credit.

"At most universities--other than HBCUs -- the African American athlete is recruited and the qualified band member is not. Of the small number of Black students that are talented and who wish to be a member of an athletic band, most are recruited by the HBCUs and many have a great desire to attend those institutions to be a part of the Black college band experience," Miles says.