Concert band: the unsung heroes of music
Everybody Geeks Out
The term band geek might inspire strange images to those not familiar with the music world. How strange? That depends on the musical entertainment you’ve been digesting and your definition of band.
Merriam-Webster defines band in the musical sense as “a group of musicians organized for ensemble playing.” The music style doesn’t matter – a band is a band.
M-W also defines geek as “an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity,” but you don’t have to be a techie to wear this label these days. All sorts of folks are captivated by various subjects and, over time, have achieved geek-like expertise.
Geek is not as derogatory as it once was. Traditionally describing the socially awkward, it now refers to passionate, knowledgeable people, no matter what the subject. Geeky topics have expanded beyond the traditional Sci-Fi, Dungeons & Dragons, or video games. Coffee geek, astronomy geek, film geek – it doesn’t matter.
Whether you’re enthusiastic about food, science, entertainment, or anything else, it’s all good because that passion helps define you and gives you something to strive for. As long as you don’t geek out over a harmful activity, you’re golden.
Similarly, band geeks unapologetically love band music. But this blog focuses on a particular type of band.
Concert band.
What’s Your Favorite Music Genre?
Fads come and go, but evolution is forever. Thanks to ever-changing tastes and technological innovation, music fans have enjoyed a plethora of different styles.
For instance, John Philip Sousa conducted “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band and later created “Sousa’s New Marine Band,” both of which topped the American entertainment scene from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. They toured the United States extensively and also enjoyed a handful of world tours. They were the groups to see.
But competition was on the horizon. Blues, ragtime, and eventually swing jazz brought W. C. Handy, Scott Joplin, and Louis Armstrong into the limelight, grabbing the population’s attention. Not to mention radio, motion pictures, and other new forms of entertainment.
For decades music has evolved in this way. Modern music has witnessed an explosion of sub-genres and cross-overs (e.g., country rock, jazz fusion), inspiring music-lovers everywhere to learn the rhythms and melodies that speak to them.
All of this is to say the term band could mean something different to you than it does to me, depending on what styles you like.
What do you imagine when you hear someone say “band”? Grungy guitarists with amps piled up to the garage ceiling? Marching lines forming weird shapes on a football field? Nerdy redheads telling sexy flute stories of band camp? Party on, Garth?
Entertaining examples, sure, but they’re also wildly inaccurate portrayals of the concert band experience.
The Underdogs
Building on our Merriam-Webster definition, an abridged concert band definition might be “a group of wind and percussion musicians organized for playing various styles of music, including music written or arranged for the concert band setting.”
For those who may not know, wind musicians blow into or across their instruments to produce sound. If you can envision wind and percussion players in a group about the same size as an orchestra but without stringed instruments (except string bass or harp now and then), you’re getting warm.
Concert bands are a musical microcosm I like to call the “underdogs of the symphonic world.” They come in two flavors: professional and amateur (or community) bands, like any other genre.
For instance, alternative rock band U2 has loads more professional experience, training, and talent than, say, a gaggle of emo kids rehearsing in your neighbor’s garage who call themselves “Flames of Insanity.” However, both illustrate geek-like dedication.
The same goes for concert bands. We have our professionals, too.
Band Musicians
For instance, having grown up near Washington, D.C., I can say many pro musicians in this area are current or retired military. Each branch (except the recently created Space Force) features an excellent concert band. Many consider them to be the best of the best and always cool to see. Not only do they get paid, but they give free concerts – double bonus!
Figuratively performing alongside high-end bands worldwide are plenty of civilian concert bands, populated by adults of various ages and playing abilities. Many have played music all their lives or perhaps have earned performance degrees from top conservatories like Julliard, Peabody, or Oberlin. Other folks are dusting off their instruments after going years without playing.
Add the hundreds of other college and university band programs producing dedicated, creative graduates, whether they majored in music or not. Every year countless trained musicians enter the non-musical workforce but continue to play in bands because they want to. It’s one of their passions.
Because they’re proud band geeks.
So, Who Are We?
Mainstream media continually shoves the concert band genre into a manila folder and scribbles “Classical” across it. Not so fast, dude.
The Concert Band genre has a history as rich as jazz and longer than rock’n’roll. Sure, we have our share of military-style marches, but the eclectic range of band music dwarfs any “boom-chick” you might associate with concert bands. Just like any other genre, numerous band composers have found their niches.
In short, band geeks are like anyone else who devotes many waking hours to a beloved pastime. We happen to love a music style that, while no longer mainstream, is still fun to play and listen to. Instead of—or in addition to—electric guitar licks or symphonic piano chords, we like our wind and percussion instruments.
I enjoy many different styles and ensembles, but what gets my band geek on? The warm, robust sounds of a brass choir; the lyrical, breathy passages from woodwinds; the exciting precision of a percussion section, especially in jazz charts (like The Colony from Antz movie score).
And, of course, many of my fellow musicians have become lifelong friends. Not only do we make excellent music together, but we also revel in a community of like-minded people. Like many other hobbies, it can be local or worldwide, and many have described it as having a second family.
As for the actual music, here are a few favorites:
- Cake Walk, from Suite of Old American Dances (Robert Russell Bennett)
- Groove Music (Brian Balmages)
- The Irish Washerwoman (Leroy Anderson)
- Opa! (Julie Giroux)
- Persistence (Richard Saucedo)
- Slava! (Leonard Bernstein)
- Symphonic Dance #3, “Fiesta” (Clifton Williams)
- Vesuvius (Frank Ticheli)
The stylistic scope of band music is so vast that it’s hard to describe. It’s band music. Concert bands cover many other musical artists and enjoy tons of original works written specifically for them. To hear more of this music, try YouTube’s Concert Band channel.
You might find yourself geeking out, too.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks to my fellow Virtual Concert Band geeks.
Originally published on Medium.com.