March Suggestions Needed :(

[GL Falker]

Marches not to do unless you have the horses (and I MEAN Seasbiscuit type horses):
Purple Carnival
Law & Order
Army of the Nile
Eagle Squadron
Purple Pageant
Washington Grays
Grandioso
Almost any Germanic march, including The Conqueror, Sontagg Ist, Through Bolts & Bars, etc.
General Mitchell
BB & CF
Solid Men to the Front
Stars & Stripes Forever
Gallant 7th
Sarafand

probably more..

JCYS

I guess RB has the seabiscuit-type horses you're talking about seeing that they've won the Mace at Arcadia (Music and Parade Band) five consecutive years with four of the marches you listed:

1999 - The Rifle Regiment, Sousa
2000 - Solid Men to the Front, Sousa
2001 - Stars and Stripes Forever, Sousa
2002 - Army of the Nile, Alford
2003 - Washington Grays, Grafulla

Does Royal Welch Fusiliers require horses as well or would that be considered an easier march?

[vore]

Yes, Rancho Bernardo has the musical horses... more importantly they have the musical director who makes the whole RB program go!

The very best band directors not only choose music that is appropriate to their band's abilities and instrumentation, but marches that are of musical worth that will build strong musicianship in the fall season leading into the concert season.

Every composer has their "gems" (compositions that are above many of their other works due to orchestration, harmonic structure and other factors such as melodic and counter melodic content). Many of the marches listed by Mr. JS have those qualities....

Also (and let me make this point very clear), smart band directors choose a march that none of the other "major bands" are playing or one that is over played. Since there are only a few "major bands" that can play many of the marches listed by Mr. JS, you will hear those "major bands" play from this elite list as most other bands don't have the musical horses to play from this elite list of marches.

RWF is a march that fits the musical demands needed for this year's RB Band as well as the fact that the RB Band has never played RWF. Mr. Cole gets very tired of rehearsing marches that he has already performed in his very long and illustrious career.

Lastly, it is the "Sterling Silver Sweepstakes Baton" award not the Mace Award.

It may look like a mace due to the extensions added over the many years. The Baton grew in length and stature but the name has always been the "Sterling Silver Sweepstakes Baton" - not a Mace. I have had the pleasure of having it reside in my band room at Magnolia HS for 5 Sweepstakes years...

It will be very exciting to watch those top 2 or 3 bands go for the "Sterling Silver" this year at Arcadia. I have always enjoyed this well run event.

vore

[shagadalex]

Oh dear... I seem to have stirred up quite a calamity only to bring the news later that the band tried Peacemaker and had it down in two days, so they're looking for something harder. They're probably going to stick to Invincible Eagle but they're trying Gridiron as we have it in the library, and also The Picadore if they can find it. I mean, I'm glad they got Peacemaker! Norwalk High School did it with a larger ensemble... Mayfair did it and got sweeps a few times... i just hope they can get ANY march completely memorized by Norwalk Halloween time :checks watch:

[GL Falker]

Lastly, it is the "Sterling Silver Sweepstakes Baton" award not the Mace Award.

It may look like a mace due to the extensions added over the many years. The Baton grew in length and stature but the name has always been the "Sterling Silver Sweepstakes Baton" - not a Mace. I have had the pleasure of having it reside in my band room at Magnolia HS for 5 Sweepstakes years...

It will be very exciting to watch those top 2 or 3 bands go for the "Sterling Silver" this year at Arcadia. I have always enjoyed this well run event.

vore

oooopppssss. Thanks for the history lesson about the "Sterling Silver Sweepstakes Baton" Mr. Hausey! (I've always been told it was the 'Mace'). You are a wealth of knowledge!

[Hostrauser]

Marches not to do unless you have the horses (and I MEAN Seasbiscuit type horses):
Purple Carnival
Law & Order
Army of the Nile
Eagle Squadron
Purple Pageant
Washington Grays
Grandioso
Almost any Germanic march, including The Conqueror, Sontagg Ist, Through Bolts & Bars, etc.
General Mitchell
BB & CF
Solid Men to the Front
Stars & Stripes Forever
Gallant 7th
Sarafand

probably more..

JCYS

The Trombone King
Nazir Grotto
The Melody Shop
Bombasto
Under the Admiral's Flag
Army of the Nile (worth mentioning again)
Voice of the Guns
The Vedette (heck, MOST Alford marches for that matter)
Carry On
Glory of the Yankee Navy
The Gallant Seventh (worth mentioning again)
The Gridiron Club
New York Hippodrome
On the Campus

[JCYS]

Considering RB has been one of the top 1 or 2 parade bands in the state literally since the day the school opened, yeah, its kind of redundant to say they have the horses. Most schools have horses, some have race horses, RB drives a Ferrari.

I like Phantom's list, but some of those are insane and no one would do them on the street. Melody Shop on the street? Thats crazy. I mean, it would be cool, and I'd pay money to see a band that could do it. If you left out the euph part and just let the clarinets cover it, maybe.

But I'm also thinking of listening to Lodi HS play "Battle of Shiloh" by Barnhouse on the street. That was pretty crazy too, but they did it, and well.

Looking at this list of great marches I can still hear some of the great renditions done on the street of many of them, and the butchering by most bands. You can almost predict the problems before you hear them!

jcys

[shagadalex]

I remember hearing a band completely butcher The Colossus of Columbia at the Rialto Christmas Parade. that was pretty bad... although obviously not as bad as it could have been!

[PGOK]

Yes, Rancho Bernardo has the musical horses... more importantly they have the musical director who makes the whole RB program go!

vore

Here, Here!!

I had the pleasure of hearing RB at the University of the Pacific Festival this past Spring. One of their selections was "Toccata and Fugue in D minor". WOW!!!!!!

[Luis]

I remember when I used to attend Garey High School, we had a great band director (Jerry Weakley) and the marches we played in the four years I was there were:

1994: Voice of the Guns
1995: Purple Carnival
1996: Army of the Nile
1997: The Klaxon

I noticed three of the four we did are on the list of so called "challenging" marches. They were hard but we nailed them! A band director has a lot to do with the way a band performs musically and our band director back then was very good at doing that! I sure miss the good ol' days!

[dudewheresmycar]

Here, Here!!

I had the pleasure of hearing RB at the University of the Pacific Festival this past Spring. One of their selections was "Toccata and Fugue in D minor". WOW!!!!!!

I also saw them in the spring. They did "Bacchanale, Op. 20" (Rudin) and "Jug Blues and Fat Pickin'" (Freund) - wowie, not your typical high school everyday pieces. I should have recordings soon if anyone's interested.

[shagadalex]

Garey always has such an awesome band and colorguard. The only march I've heard them perform was "The Crosley March" at Tiller Days a couple years ago and it sounded great. Mr. Arceniega seems to be doing well with that program also.. and whoever the auxillary coach is. No clue what goes on on the INside though I hope they go to Tiller Days this year! i wonder what march they'll be performing...