Latest news with #Pershing'sOwn
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
The US military doesn't march well. So what?
Marching, as anyone who was in a high school marching band knows, is a particular skill. It takes years of practice — or at least two weeks of band camp — to put the oo in goosestep. American soldiers just haven't had that kind of preparation. Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up 'It wasn't as accurate or as clean and crisp in all areas as you might expect,' said Aaron Goldberg, the director of athletic bands at Boston University. The Globe asked Goldberg, a member of the Crossmen Drum Corps Hall of Fame who has been marching and teaching the skill since 1993, to critique the military's performance. Advertisement There was certainly variety: marching bands, troops on horseback, soldiers in historic uniforms, and plenty of tanks. Goldberg said the troops who perform ceremonially as part of their regular function, like the Old Guard, were generally well-drilled. But the troops who don't were out of sync and messy. Advertisement Even the basics were sometimes forgotten: 'Some of the trumpets are pointed slightly up, some are pointed flat, some are pointed slightly down,' Goldberg noted while watching the US Army Band 'Pershing's Own.' 'As a marching musician, that always irks me a little bit,' he said. 'You gotta think about all parts of it. Uniformity doesn't just end with your body.' Precision, from the angle of a chin to the articulation of a heel hitting the ground, distinguishes a shoddy march from an excellent one. 'At the end of the day, you want to see something that's uniform,' Goldberg said. 'Uniformity is what's impressive, no matter what.' North Korean soldiers march in lockstep during a mass military parade in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square to celebrate 100 years since the birth of North Korean founder, Kim Il Sung on April 15, 2012. Ng Han Guan/Associated Press That's not what happened Saturday, and even viewers without marching expertise could tell something was missing. Americans have also been comparing Trump's military parade to ones hosted by other countries. Google searches for North Korean, Indian, and French military parades spiked on Saturday. Some Before Trump's ceremony, the most recent American military parade was in 1991, when the National Victory Celebration parade crossed through D.C. But there's a reason Americans have staged so few military parades, and have even looked down on fancy-dress prancing on the old continent. When you're the world's only superpower, you don't have to prove it. Showing off is for insecure kleptocracies. Advertisement 'This is with full respect to our military: They got bigger and better things to do than come out here and dress rehearse for it like it's the Oscars,' Goldberg said. Many Americans probably agree. It's to the military's credit that basic training isn't band camp. Not marching at North Korean levels of uniformity is not a reflection of American soldiers' effectiveness. If anything, if the parade had gone off without a hitch, you'd have to wonder why troops spent so much time learning skills most Americans left behind in high school. The military's job is to win wars, not the battle of the bands. Trump might have wanted a military that looks impressive; instead the world saw one that actually is. Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Indiana native pens 'Brass and Glory' for inauguration
Jan. 31—Alex Tedrow grew up in Shoals, Indiana, playing guitar and hoping to one day become a rock star. "I listened to a lot of Green Day. I wanted to be the next Billie Joe Armstrong," said Tedrow, who serves as one of three staff arrangers for the U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" and composed "Brass and Glory," a new fanfare that played during President Trump's recent inauguration in Washington, D.C. How a kid from that tiny Martin County town of less than 700 switched from rock to classical music happened by chance. "When I was in high school, I had a chance to go to an orchestra concert and I was hooked," said Tedrow, who worked at a gas station in town to pay for music lessons, instruments and other music-related opportunities. "Not living that far from Indiana University gave me the chance to attend concerts and take lessons from some of the grad students there." His work, both at that gas station and in the classroom, paid off. Tedrow earned the Lilly Endowment Community Scholar award which paid for his tuition and books at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. "Without the Lilly scholarship, I never would have been able to pursue music like this as a career," said Tedrow, who who earned bachelor's and master's degrees from IU in composition and music education. It was around two years ago, Tedrow, who worked with IU's Center for Rural Engagement and served as associate instructor of music education, composition department coordinator and as a faculty member with the pre-college Jacobs Academy, won the audition to be a staff arranger with "Pershing's Own." "My job is one of the best kept secrets," said Tedrow, who said the selection process to become a staff arranger required several mock projects as well as a willingness to enlist. "We are considered active duty military but we are based in Washington, D.C. I've enlisted for four years and can re-enlist when the time comes." "Brass and Glory," was originally scheduled to be played by the "Herald Trumpets" from the balcony during Trump's inauguration celebration but due to the weather, it was instead performed in the Capitol. Originally taking just two or three days to compose, "Brass and Glory" was played after Trump's inauguration speech. Tedrow's work doesn't end once the inauguration is over. "I also write and arrange music for concerts and ceremonies for our nation's leadership in the U.S. government and military and I regularly write music to be performed at the White House," he said, adding he is also tasked with transcribing and verifying national anthems for performances when heads of state for foreign nations visit Washington, D.C. Band Coat of Arms Tedrow's uniform looks a bit different than that of others serving in the Army. That's because those involved with "Pershings Own" have a unique uniform. The creation of the Coat of Arms for the Army Band was authorized in late 1964 and was created at the Army's Institute of Heraldry. The band's distinctive insignia, or coat of arms, consists of three parts: The Shield: It contains eight red and white stripes that allude to an octave in music. The blue border represents that the band is the chief musical organization of the entire Army. The sword and the baton indicate the band's mission of supplying military music. The small gold and black shield symbolizes the band's Rhineland Campaign Honor received during World War II. The Crest: It contains a laurel wreath, a symbol of honor and prominence, formed in the shape of a lyre to symbolize music. The large white (silver) star symbolizes that the band is the "Band of the Chief of Staff" and also represents General Pershing's founding role. The bugle horn, one of the earliest instruments used for martial music, is used to denote a military marching band. The Motto: The motto is the scroll containing the band's official designation, "Pershing's Own," which signifies the band's founder, General John J. Pershing.
