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Post by bimble on Jun 2, 2016 4:18:12 GMT
I suppose you don't like Morris dancers either? I have no beef with Morris dancers. It's people dressing up in uniforms, spending a good deal of money and time and pretending to kill each other that I find weird in anyone over the age of ten.
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Post by donavan on Jun 2, 2016 5:44:45 GMT
Fair enough. But aren't we all big kids at heart? Doesn't really bother me. I find our daily forced diet of fictional killing for entertainment more weird.
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Post by peggs on Jun 2, 2016 22:25:30 GMT
i'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's at least a little bit more strange that us lot posting on here. yes it takes all kinds but this particular practice exposes feelings about war that are darker, to say the least, than our chit-chat about music and alcohol and whatnot. everywhere there are persons who, in their heart of hearts, wish that certain famous conflicts had turned out differently; battle reenactments can encourage those persons in ways that aren't really productive, or at least give off what we used to call "bad vibes". last summer i read the novel "welcome to braggsville" (by t. geronimo johnson), which explored the issue in an interesting way. if you can handle mad post-modern writing it's worth a read. Interesting point, cicadashell. I had not thought of battle reenactments in that regard. I liken them to a 'living history' lesson, along with Voyageurs and Renaissance enthusiasts. A venue where grownups get to play act with varying degrees of interest and intent.
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Post by peggs on Jun 2, 2016 22:49:45 GMT
No, Peggs .... as far as I know there are no marching bands in high schools; that's an American thing. I could never quite figure those out !! I always saw them as associated with American high school football which they make a HUGE deal over in the states. Canadian high schools have football teams but it isn't a town event by any means. Do schools have bands in general or are there orchestras? Or, what kind of music education is offered in Canadian schools? It could be that bands are associated with (American) football simply due to a space issue (this is just a guess on my part). A quick search turned up an interesting article (I'm a nerd and proud of it!) on the history of high school marching bands. Ya, some high schools and towns take (American) football to ridiculous levels. The mania seems to be concentrated in the Southern and Western states.
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Post by Suzi on Jun 3, 2016 11:47:08 GMT
Peggs .... Absolutely. Canadian high schools have bands and orchestras and a relatively good music education program. Some have Jazz bands or rock/pop type ones which are extra curricular though.
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Post by donavan on Jun 3, 2016 12:30:37 GMT
We had chime bars.
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Post by cicadashell on Jun 3, 2016 18:16:58 GMT
i'm going to go out on a limb here and say it's at least a little bit more strange that us lot posting on here. yes it takes all kinds but this particular practice exposes feelings about war that are darker, to say the least, than our chit-chat about music and alcohol and whatnot. everywhere there are persons who, in their heart of hearts, wish that certain famous conflicts had turned out differently; battle reenactments can encourage those persons in ways that aren't really productive, or at least give off what we used to call "bad vibes". last summer i read the novel "welcome to braggsville" (by t. geronimo johnson), which explored the issue in an interesting way. if you can handle mad post-modern writing it's worth a read. Interesting point, cicadashell. I had not thought of battle reenactments in that regard. I liken them to a 'living history' lesson, along with Voyageurs and Renaissance enthusiasts. A venue where grownups get to play act with varying degrees of interest and intent. well that's certainly the basic motivation behind it, and for many persons it doesn't go any deeper. i think it's fair to say that wars, however, have a special place in history compared to, say, churning butter by hand. it's a comfort, albeit a small one, to suppose that many of the participants are simply jumping at the chance play dress-up without really thinking too deeply about it. but shallow consideration of war is maybe not a good thing in general. consider also the feelings that first nations people may have about voyageur societies. i agree that most of the people involved seem harmless enough, i'm just a little bothered by the idea that so many can take such a light view of the subject; it makes the jobs of generals and majors that much easier. read that book i mentioned, too, if you get the chance; you might like it.
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Post by cicadashell on Jun 3, 2016 18:25:16 GMT
A quick search turned up an interesting article (I'm a nerd and proud of it!) on the history of high school marching bands. Ya, some high schools and towns take (American) football to ridiculous levels. The mania seems to be concentrated in the Southern and Western states. peggs i think you meant to link to something else. i'd like to read it, i'm a marching band fan too (and they of course have military connections, we can't seem to get shed of that). cicadashell jr. the elder played in the michigan marching band all four years of his undergrad so we were quite deeply involved for a while there. my favorite memory of that was the rendition of "nessun dorma" they would play as a warmup on game day rehearsals, especially before dawn on cold october mornings.
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Post by peggs on Jun 3, 2016 22:02:00 GMT
Oops, thanks for the heads up cicadashell; I have corrected the link. It is an interesting read that I think you (or anyone else) will enjoy. ...consider also the feelings that first nations people may have about voyageur societies. Following that line of thinking to an illogical end - no historical reenactments would be done because some group, somewhere, at some point in time was pushed aside, defeated, enslaved, killed, etc.. I'm not saying that sensitivities shouldn't be considered but, history is history - warts and all. The story of human development is one of migration and expansion, usually with unpleasant consequences for those in the path forward. i agree that most of the people involved seem harmless enough, i'm just a little bothered by the idea that so many can take such a light view of the subject; it makes the jobs of generals and majors that much easier. The folks I know (and have known) that are active in Voyageurs and Renaissance groups are, to put it bluntly, wimps - and so are their children. Lovely, funny and kind, but still wimps. How does that make the job of generals and majors easier? I guess I don't understand your statement. read that book i mentioned, too, if you get the chance; you might like it. Most definitely.
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Post by peggs on Jun 3, 2016 22:08:36 GMT
Peggs .... Absolutely. Canadian high schools have bands and orchestras and a relatively good music education program. Some have Jazz bands or rock/pop type ones which are extra curricular though. What style or genre of music do the bands play? Are performances done while seated - as with an orchestra? There are jazz bands and orchestras in US schools too although they are more the exception than the rule.
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Post by cicadashell on Jun 4, 2016 3:34:48 GMT
i agree that most of the people involved seem harmless enough, i'm just a little bothered by the idea that so many can take such a light view of the subject; it makes the jobs of generals and majors that much easier. The folks I know (and have known) that are active in Voyageurs and Renaissance groups are, to put it bluntly, wimps - and so are their children. Lovely, funny and kind, but still wimps. How does that make the job of generals and majors easier? I guess I don't understand your statement. hey you - it was nothing so heavy other than this: that the existence of "wimps" is what makes it possible for generals and majors to do what they do. as a one-time hippie i could be tempted to think that if there were, somehow, fewer wimps then the job of generals and majors might be hampered. hence as a cynic i might think that more wimps makes it easier for generals and majors. but that is merely my idealism, focused through a lens i allude to in the "beer or wine" thread elsewhere in these pages. hope that helps... best regards, --->crunchy
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Post by donavan on Jun 4, 2016 7:56:33 GMT
many of the participants are simply jumping at the chance to play dress-up
Nowt wrong with dat. Oops!
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Post by Suzi on Jun 4, 2016 12:36:53 GMT
Peggs .... Absolutely. Canadian high schools have bands and orchestras and a relatively good music education program. Some have Jazz bands or rock/pop type ones which are extra curricular though. What style or genre of music do the bands play? Are performances done while seated - as with an orchestra? There are jazz bands and orchestras in US schools too although they are more the exception than the rule. Exactly like American schools, ours in Canada have sit down orchestras and yes, jazz bands. My nephew played the trumpet in his school's jazz band. Some schools have a pop/rock bands (and other variants of genres) but that is more an extra curricular thing. The orchestra and jazz do compete in music festivals from time to time around the area ... some on a provincial level. There also is vocal music education in the school; offered as a credit course or at least it still was when my son was in high school. Like most schools everywhere, they also have a choir. SaveSave
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Post by peggs on Jun 11, 2016 1:05:16 GMT
A few days later, my remarks to cicadashell's posts seem argumentative, slightly mean-spirited and more than a little ignorant of cultural sensitivities...or maybe I'm just reading too much into it. Either way, Mr. C., it was not my intent to dismiss your well-reasoned argument against reenactments. My myopic view of the subject to hand is one of people who are interested in history and/or enjoying stepping off the 21st century treadmill to make their way in the world of their preferred time period (if only for a weekend). ----------------- Suzi, it sounds like music programs in Canada and the US are pretty much the same except for the marching aspect. Are there classic Canadian rock songs that high schools bands annually perform? In the US, during the 70's and 80's anyway, the song '25 or 6 to 4' by Chicago was a staple.
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Post by Suzi on Jun 12, 2016 22:43:33 GMT
Suzi, it sounds like music programs in Canada and the US are pretty much the same except for the marching aspect. Are there classic Canadian rock songs that high schools bands annually perform? In the US, during the 70's and 80's anyway, the song '25 or 6 to 4' by Chicago was a staple. I'm not aware of any that they played annually; Canadian or otherwise. But, I could be wrong as I was never in band or orchestra. But, based on when I was in high school (1976 to 1981) and lets just say they played something regularly, I would guess it would be an April Wine or a Rush song. SaveSave
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