The Key Difference Between Marching Band And Team Sports

One important characteristic which differentiates marching band from other kinds of bands, such as orchestras and ensembles, is the physical aspect of the activity. To a large extent, marching band resembles a team sport since it requires full group participation which all members in the team work toward a common goal, and it is competitive. Viewing marching band in the scope of a sport allows a better understanding of marching band activity in relation to social interactions and social bonding. While traditional indoor bands do provide opportunities for social interaction and collaboration, one cannot guarantee the quality of participation of everyone, especially in a large group setting. Stated otherwise, it is possible for some musicians
Even though all members of a sports team work towards the same goal, they usually take on unique roles with different functions. For example, the goal of soccer is to score as many points as possible by shooting the ball into the opposing team’s goal line between the goal posts and under the crossbar, but to achieve this goal, each team player has a different position from goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders, to forwards. However, marching band requires physical synchronization, which is a powerful tool in creating social bonds. It has been observed that simply moving along with the crowd on the dance floor already embodies “a visceral sense of collective belonging” (Guilbault 2010, 23), marching band produces a similar but much more intense effect since ideally there should be no visible individuality across the band in terms of appearance and movements. Synchronization, even without music, improves the rapport between people, which encourages more synchronization, thus effectively establishing a positive feedback loop in which “people can become increasingly socially close to one another… and more inclined to continue making similar movements once social closeness is established” (Tarr, Launay, and Dunbar 2014, 2). This effect is further enhanced by making music together which stimulates the release of oxytocin, a neurohormone that is linked to social activities, especially those
While the mistake was noticeable, it was not mentioned in any judge tape, and the band took home multiple awards, including the sweepstake (first place of the competition across different divisions). Although the electronic malfunction was not my responsibility, as I was told later, it offered me a chance to see marching band as an activity that takes the positive social benefits from both musical activities and physical activities and combines it into one rewarding experience. However, there is a limitation to my ethnography as I was a member of the front ensemble (the only stationary section of the entire band), meaning that part of my account is based on first-hand observations. This topic would greatly benefit from first-hand accounts from students who actually march on the field as they provide more insights into the effect of music and physical synchronization in forming social bonds with fellow band members. In addition, the role of time spent together is not taken into consideration. Since band members are more or less forced to spend a large amount of time together during the season, typically averaging to more than fourteen hours per week, it is possible that the mere physical presence contributes to social recognition, which could possibly make initiating social interaction easier. Another possible direction of further