Special Sites for Those Instrumentalists!
By Karen Stafford

Wanted: a list of Web resources for the band director! Your wish is my command. There really is a wealth of stuff out there for the band, including drum and bugle, newsgroups, lists, and individual instrument pages.

Want to share ideas or just sound off with like-minded folks? Join a list serve: Music Education List Serves. An e-mail list is a terrific way to get some individualized attention on particular problems you have or ideas you'd like to share. Most mailing lists enable a no-mail option in case you are gone for an extended length of time so your mailbox isn't filled to the brim.

Are you or some of your students really into Drum and Bugle Corps? The drum line instrumentation is similar to that of a marching band. There is usually a snare line, tenor line, bass line, front line , and sometimes a cymbal line. The front line, or pit, is a non-marching section at the front of the field consisting of keyboard instruments such as marimbas and xylophones, as well as other non-marching percussion instruments such as suspended cymbals, gongs, and often other sound effects such as wind machines. The color guard is also similar to that of a marching band. The most common color guard equipment consists of flags, rifles, and sabres, but often includes anything else that can be thrown, spun, or danced on, such as poles, bar stools, or other various props.

Marching bands are generally associated with schools, performing at football halftime shows,parades, and school-related competition. Drum and bugle corps are individual, competitive organizations. The Concord California Blue Devils was founded in 1957 as a structured and positive learning environment for youngsters. The organization offers three levels of drum and bugle corps, two winter guard programs, baton twirling programs, a music school for children ages 4-9, and a wind symphony. As a completely community funded organization, the group is guided by a professional teaching staff and a parent volunteer committee. The Blue Devils have won at the following levels: 10 International Drum and Bugle Corps Championships:4 Winter Guard International Championship:12 National Team Twirling Championships:6 National Corps Twirling Championship:2 World Team Twirling Championships. As on the Madison site, this site offers video and audio clips of the group's accomplishments.

Want to really give your students a goal? Have them visit The U.S. Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps site. Founded in 1914, the Naval Academy Corps can trace its origins back to a "small group of musically-talented midshipmen attending a baseball game between the Naval Academy and its neighbor, St.John´s College. Have the students visit the pictures and sound clips section for good examples of disciplined showmanship. The site also has information for high school students who aspire to join the ranks of this prestige group.

This site could be a corp style lover's dream. It includes tons of links to over 60 corp bands and corp organizations, plus some winter guard sites. The trouble is....you'll get so many ideas, you won't know where to put them all in!

Also for the marching band lover...The Marching Emporium has some great resources, such as a competition's calendar (which you can add to!), high school marching band pages (to which you can add your band's page!), report scores, and other competition results.

Music Educator's National Conference, the ultimate in music education organizations, has a special section called the "Band Network", dedicated to band directing. Included are literature lists, ideas on music education reform, and teaching tips, plus an open forum to share ideas and get help.

From the University of North Dakota comes this annotated Concert Band Literature List. Included in this section are recording reviews, analyses, publishers' list, and band education standards. Have this handy when you're getting ready for next year's music festival!

These sites should help you and your band program really kick it into high gear for the upcoming school year!

clarinet

percussion

French horn

flute

trumpet

Saxophone

trombone

Woodwind Fingering Guide

Drum and Bugle Corps Links