[oman]

I've never heard an LSJUMB-hater propose the alternative formulation of the band at football games that would actually work. My understanding is that there just aren't enough students on campus who play marching band instruments and would devote the kind of time half show performance requires to field a traditional marching band. Do you want no band? Do you want the small band we have just to stand on the field and play a few songs? Do you want to try to recruit a couple hundred more students to pretend like they're playing instruments and march in grand designs?

The biggest problem with the current LSJUMB is censorship. They are too much under the thumb of the AD. So now we have a band that irritates traditionalists who like John Phillip Sousa and pretty straight line marching as well as disappointing those of us who have appreciated their sharp witted social-political satire. The band is not going back to a traditional form. Better to loosen the censorship and apologize to our opponents as necessary.

Great great post. 

To me the only thing that they should be trying to improve is musicianship, and I am not sure what they can do about that.  Experimenting with some amplified set pieces that provide some sort of original showcasing for some of the players? 

[oman]

I've never heard an LSJUMB-hater propose the alternative formulation of the band at football games that would actually work. My understanding is that there just aren't enough students on campus who play marching band instruments and would devote the kind of time half show performance requires to field a traditional marching band. Do you want no band? Do you want the small band we have just to stand on the field and play a few songs? Do you want to try to recruit a couple hundred more students to pretend like they're playing instruments and march in grand designs?

The biggest problem with the current LSJUMB is censorship. They are too much under the thumb of the AD. So now we have a band that irritates traditionalists who like John Phillip Sousa and pretty straight line marching as well as disappointing those of us who have appreciated their sharp witted social-political satire. The band is not going back to a traditional form. Better to loosen the censorship and apologize to our opponents as necessary.

Great great post. 

To me the only thing that they should be trying to improve is musicianship, and I am not sure what they can do about that.  Experimenting with some amplified set pieces that provide some sort of original showcasing for some of the players?