Washington Commanders Marching Band Auditions

[dbwhitaker]

I just read about this in the Washington Post. The football team is holding auditions for a 60 piece paid marching band.

https://www.commanders.com/stadium/marchingband

[boneapart]

You'll play marching band type of music, but I don't recall that the Post article indicated that the band will do any marching. To be confirmed . . .

[SimmonsTrombone]

Hail to the Commanders?

[robcat2075]

The info page says they will sometimes perform on the field so it sounds like some movement on legs is involved.

Sixty is a lot for a company to hire but not many for a marching band in a stadium.

How does that work these days? Are they electronically augmented?

[elmsandr]

Guys, they've been around since 1937... there's plenty of videos out there:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arJ5aDtj2n8

(The Baltimore Ravens also have a band)

They do march, it isn't exactly DCI or major college level, but they do the functions.

Cheers,
Andy

[dbwhitaker]

Guys, they've been around since 1937...

Yes, but the Post article claims "new look and sound" . The old all volunteer band was disbanded and is being replaced by an all new hired band that is half the size.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2 ... hing-band/

[Vegastokc]

Yeah, but then you have to be a fan of the Washington Football Team and live near DC...

On the other hand: a gig is a gig.

[Doug Elliott]

They used to have the volunteer matching band, and a paid big band on the side. I was asked to play in the big band and my answer was "I'm sure there are players who would love that gig but I have no interest in football." That contractor never called me again for anything.
A gig is a gig, but I would have hated it.

[JohnL]

They used to have the volunteer matching band, and a paid big band on the side. I was asked to play in the big band and my answer was "I'm sure there are players who would love that gig but I have no interest in football." That contractor never called me again for anything.
A gig is a gig, but I would have hated it.

In some ways, having a band full of people who are indifferent to football would be a good thing. People who are really interested in football can sometimes pay a little too much attention to the game and not enough attention to the bandleader.

[chromebone]

They used to have the volunteer matching band, and a paid big band on the side. I was asked to play in the big band and my answer was "I'm sure there are players who would love that gig but I have no interest in football." That contractor never called me again for anything.
A gig is a gig, but I would have hated it.

I was the principal trombone for a state orchestra in Mexico for a few years. Periodically we would be ordered by the governor of the state to play at the bullfights. I wish I had had the choice not to play those services, it was a horrible thing to witness.

[elmsandr]

In some ways, having a band full of people who are indifferent to football would be a good thing. People who are really interested in football can sometimes pay a little too much attention to the game and not enough attention to the bandleader.

From having been in a collegiate band... this shouldn't be much of a problem. If the band is run in any type of a professional manner, knowing exactly when you are playing is VERY easy to predict in football. Time from huddle break to snap is pretty easy to see tendencies and slight errors are not generally a problem. With more headsets between PA announcers and somebody on the band staff, gaps for commercials and video board presentations is also ridiculously easy, whether you are paying attention to the game or not.

Cheers,
Andy

[Mikebmiller]

The "Commanders" have been so bad for so long that they should have to pay the regular fans to watch the games. And whoever named that team obviously never watched an episode of the Handmaid's Tale.

[Jmloudon]

If the band is run in any type of a professional manner, knowing exactly when you are playing is VERY easy to predict in football.

I doubt the capacity of the WFT to do anything in a professional manner…

[Stustang05]

I completely agree with you about the Redskins, WFT (commonly referred to as WTF), and Commanders’ galling lake of professionalism in nearly every area. Once Dan Snyder gets locked up for contempt of Congress and forced out by the other NFL owners, there’s a chance things will improve. And by the way, TROMBONES!

[dbwhitaker]

A long follow up article about the new band (as well as about some of the former volunteers that were left out):

https://wapo.st/3ApfTr5