Although marching and conducting are both verbs associated with band, the actual role in the ensemble, minor technicalities, and disparate perspectives are what undeniably separate the two into different spheres. The first difference betwixt the two is the actual role in the ensemble in regards to on the field, as well as off the field. The conductor’s, or in this case, drum major’s, main job is known to be maintaining a consistent, reliable tempo for the band. Whereas the marcher’s chief concern lies within hitting the correct coordinate spot along with impeccable technique. If said marcher so much as makes one minute mistake, chaos and cacophony wreak havoc on the field. Inversely, the conductor is allotted the slight comfort of performing…show more content… One of these elements is the domain of practice. In addition to practicing marching technique, marchers must also learn how to play their music correctly as well as meticulously. Conductors, however, are required to learn every instrumentalists’ part along with major focal points in the piece. Marchers may spend a majority of their time with their instruments in their hands, while conductors may spend almost all of their time with nothing in their hands. The job of marcher, however difficult it may be, is slightly less arduous than that of a conductor. Can the responsibility of one individual solely accountable for himself/herself truly be equivalent to that of an individual accountable for the group entirely? A conductor will most likely not have to march one day of the so-called “marching” season. A marcher, on the other hand, will march every single rehearsal, every single day, of every single week. A conductor will provide metrical emphasis on the downbeats, called an ictus, in order to clearly display where the beats are occurring precisely within in a certain time frame. It is then the job of the marcher to march stoically across the field while taking the exact step size necessary in order to execute the form. Such differences, however miniscule they may seem, are actually of vast…show more content… A conductor will pour out every single ounce of blood, sweat, and tears for the success of the peers around them. A marcher typically lacks the passion and pride exhibited through a conductor’s arms. Additionally, a conductor is customarily going to face the marchers for the duration of the performance. While facing the marchers, the conductor’s brain will be racing at one million miles per hour thinking of what comes next, what to think next, as well as what to do next. The conductor facing the marchers, and away from the audience, is symbolic of the complete giving of his/her heart and soul into the performance. Marching just cannot minutely compare to the amount of pure emotion and joy running through the veins of a conductor. A marcher typically faces the conductor as well as the audience. Which means that at any given point in time, the audience can distract them from the task at hand. When I was a marcher, I found that adrenaline was coursing through my veins, but I did not put a hefty amount of stress on my neurological processes. Since becoming a drum major/conductor, that entire dynamic has shifted. A conductor will finish the last cue, the last downbeat, or the last crescendo and feel like, for a brief moment, that all is right in the
