Music programs and other activities can be turned on their heads. They can be upside down, with the gravy or the whipped cream on the bottom.
When a marching band is the driving force of an instrumental music program, that program is upside down. Evidences of the inversion include money spent; the hours spent on drilling one 10-minute show, in comparison to concert music that is much more complex; and the fact that parents will show up to work the concession stands at football games but don’t support concerts appropriately. Some audience members hoot and holler and talk loudly at a indoor concert, treating it like a football game. Marching band often requires the entire late summer and fall, leaving little or no class time for concert music until January, except for the token Christmas concert; this too is an evidence of upside-down priorities.
When a show choir is the central influence of a vocal music program, it’s upside down. Evidences of the inversion include the amount of energy expended over the new show’s “reveal” and the costumes, compared to the balance of vocal parts, the quality of the musical selections, and the concert choir curriculum. As with the marching band, the amount of time spent on a relatively short show with relatively little musical value is a negative aspect. Another indicator is when the “Back to Choir” activities and communications are all about the show choir, while the rest of the choral program is but an afterthought. Administrators may direct students immediately to the show choir because it is visible, while they have no knowledge that the other choirs exist.
Those markers show that the programs are turned on their heads. I 
have not mentioned the extra money paid to teachers for directing these partially extracurricular groups. The money is well deserved, given the time and leadership required, but no one seems to consider the extra required of a conscientious director of concert ensembles. As a result, the time an educator spends on the core ensembles (e.g. concert choir, symphonic band) will naturally decrease.
I have first-hand experience with two show choirs. One of them was just fine, in my estimation, when I made it more of a pop/jazz choir. My supervisor, the VP for Academic Affairs, liked what I was doing in the music program overall and recommended me for early tenure. He resigned, and the next administrator disagreed. The former was something of a vocalist himself, and it showed in his priorities. The latter was a theater guy who emphasized the glitz of musicals rather than musical (or dramatic) content. It was likely his influence that also led to the departure of my supportive friend and hard-working colleague, the late Carol Fisher.
I led the other show choir only indirectly, because I have no idea how to choreograph or dance. My predecessor was—get this—actually about to shift from melody-only to lip-syncing. That’s right: there was going to be no singing at all. In a choir of any kind, that is professionally criminal. I changed that course, and fast, making them sing harmony. I stood off to the side, rehearsing musical angles while letting someone else do the choreo stuff.
I also have first-hand experience with marching bands. Some of it was painful, strained, and even embarrassing. Other chapters of my personal history book, however—at universities in the western and southern states—showed judicious balance and provided a great deal of artistic and organizational fulfillment. The budget of such groups can be another strong indicator of things being upside down. If a school has ample money available for flags and backdrops and carts and trucks and trailers and marching percussion, it should also be able to purchase a concert C tuba with $300 mute, a contrabassoon, a good alto flute, and a contra-alto clarinet for its concert ensembles. It should be able to repair and maintain all its instruments, rent or purchase any new music, pay stipends for concert “ringers,” and hire guest conductors—all without worry. I’m happy to say that the directors I know shared financial resources for the benefit of the entire instrumental music program, but this would not always be the case, especially when the Athletic Director controls the purse strings for the marching band.
Parent-led booster organizations can be oh-so-helpful and supportive, but they must not be allowed to drive the programs, either. That would be upside-down and sideways. The parents’ priorities will naturally be less considered than those of a good educator, not to mention that the parents got involved in the first place because of the interests of their own, individual children.
I could not become personally or professionally excited about the introduction of a marching band where the college band program was already musically impoverished by deficient programming choices, but I do recognize that the marching band began to contribute mightily to esprit de corps. There is certainly a place for these groups, but they must not be allowed to drive the whole program, or else it loses its substance.
I do feel that pop-focus groups such as marching bands and show choirs have a solid place in the music education program. I’ve enjoyed many a show, and I’d still drive many miles to see a DCI competition if I could. I agree with those who think the football game is the prelude to the marching band! I used to know someone who was so pumped after returning from a marching marching band experience that her mother actually thought she was on drugs. The excitement one can experience at a marching band show that is executed with visual and musical accuracy and overall pizzazz, or even at a show choir performance with true talent on display, is contagious. It can be a downright astounding time. My dad was known to get tears in his eyes over the general effect of a large marching band. The problem is not that these kinds of groups exist or flourish; the problem is when they control the other aspects of the music programs.
In a different way, a church that is pastor-driven is also upside down. A pastor must not be the raison d’etre for a church. More on that another time. Or not.
– B. Casey, July-August, 2023
Earnestly Speaking 