Marching Band Brings Twist To 'Big Band' Performance Certain To Go Down In School's History

Apr 06, 2020

Many of us have fond memories of participating in marching band during high school. The Kyoto Tachibana SHS Band excels in making memories that the global community cherishes. A recent performance of the big band classic, “Sing, Sing, Sing,” had the crowd cheering and marveling at this band’s masterful choreography.

As they stood before the crowd, the Kyoto Tachibana SHS Band looked like any other high school band. Orange and black uniforms clad smiling band members eager to launch into their performance. Shiny instruments were poised at the ready, waiting for the cue to begin.

With An Unusual Musical Selection

The first distinguishing feature of this band was their choice of music. “Sing, Sing, Sing” is a classic 1930s jazz standard. This big band sensation was first recorded by its composer Louis Prima, but more famous renditions have been released by Benny Goodman, The Andrews Sisters, and many others.

To ensure everyone made it to the right place for the beginning of the song, the percussionists launched into an extended introduction. As they got the beat into the crowd and the other musicians, the excitement increased. Once everyone was in place, the remaining instrumentalists began playing the melody.

Band Members Play And Dance Together

Instrumentalists added dancing to their routine. Flute and clarinet players moved their instruments up and down as if they were batons while continuing to play and kick. During this time, the brass and percussion sections took the musical lead while also dancing.

Although dancers flanked this marching band, not one instrumentalist on the stage stood still. The percussionists danced behind their instruments, and the sousaphonists danced while playing. The sousaphonists’ dancing with everyone else was quite a feat when you consider the massive size of the white fiberglass bell imprinted with the school’s name and the weight of all the brass tubing found on this king of the brass section.

What do you think of the Kyoto Tachibana SHS Marching Band? Does hearing about their performance bring back any memories from your high school years? Perhaps you’re a proud band parent or community member. Whatever connection to your local marching band, surely you have a few good stories. Take a moment or two to swap your favorite band antics here or with the broader online community through a social media site.