Cultural Anthropology Essay -- Marching Band Arts Music Dance Papers

Cultural Anthropology Almost all cultures world wide have highly developed traditions of music and dance. According to Mari Womack, author of Being Human: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, music and dance carry much importance within a culture. "As do other artistic forms, music and dance reflect cultural and social organization. Cultural values can be conveyed in the words of a song, and the performance of a song or a dance is dependent on the social context" (Womack 226). Music and instruments are of great significance in many places world wide. For example, the BaMbuti foragers from Africa's Ituri rain forest have an instrument which they call the molimo which looks like an extremely long pipe. The men of the BaMbuti culture are the owners of the molimo and behave as if it is alive. Women and young boys are forbidden any contact with the molimo, because of its importance in male initiation rites (Womack 226). In the United States, we also have extensive rituals involving music and dance. For ex ample, in wedding receptions, many rules prevail about who dances with who when. The father-daughter dance, the bride and groom's dance, the mother-son dance, and the dollar dance are just a few of these rituals. Marching Band is another form of the music and dance combination. Marching may not sound like dancing, but, in reality, the marchers move in their individual paths which create forms that are constantly blending into each other and creating new forms. According to Jordan, my informant, "To me, it really is kind of art, just seeing all these forms move and mesh, with music to go with them and flags and stuff. It is a type of art, I guess." Along with just basic marching, the band adds choreography which produces wonde... ...s A. Sectionals B. Districts C. Regionals D. State VI. Football Games A. Home Componential Analysis of Band Activities Characteristics 1.0 1.1 Performing 1.2 Being Judged 1.3 Show on Field 1.4 Marching in Forms 1.5 Practicing Timing 2.0 2.1 Summer 2.2 During School Year 2.3 Sequential 2.4 Non-sequential Types of Activities Characteristics 1.0 Timing 2.0 Parades 1, 5 1, 4 Band Camps 5 1 Rehearsals 3, 4, 5 2 Invitationals 1, 2*, 3, 4 2, 4 Competitions 1, 2, 3, 4 2, 3 Football Games 1, 3, 4, 5 2, 4 *Marching Bands are judged at all invitationals, but their scores are not publicly announced when they are the hosting school. Works Cited Womack, Mari. Being Human: An Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1998.