Sousaphones meet gravity, pileup ensues

[TexasTowelie]

Making the rounds on the internet recently is this six-sousaphone pileup during a performance of the Lake Travis High School marching band.

Marching bands start working out these routines during the summer and perfect them throughout the football season.

In an instant, all that work can come crashing down.

Accidents happen. They don't always happen while you have a sousaphone wrapped around your body.

Here's the part where gravity takes over.

More at http://www.statesman.com/weblogs/all-ablog-austin/2013/sep/30/sousaphones-meet-gravity-pileup-ensues/ .

Cross-posted in Texas Group.

[ornotna]

1. And they were doing so well

[Aristus]

2. I played the sousaphone in the marching band in high school.

The drum majors were always trying to cajole us into doing these really awkward elaborate moves for the field routine.

I wanted to tell the drum majors: "Get the clarinets and flutes to do this shit! I'm carrying a fucking tuba!"

[BlueStreak]

3. If I know tuba players, they are having a good laugh

seeing almost a half million hits.

We low brass players don't often get this kind of attention.

[TexasTowelie]

5. You'll be happy to know that all of the players are okay.

However, two sousaphones were damaged in the incident.

My high school band started marching the "corp style" in my senior year. I was the tallest person in the band and it always seemed remarkable that when we did pinwheels I would be the inside person near the pivot point taking baby steps while the 4 foot tall youngsters would be on the outside having to stretch as much as possible. I even pointed that out to the asst. director designing the marching shows hoping that he would move me to the outside instead. Perhaps that's why we got a "3" - fair at marching contest? Thank goodness that I never had to march backwards though.

In Texas, the marching rules state that there should be overall movement 60% of the time. When I added it all up before the marching competition I was only moving about 20% of the time--a significant difference from what I previously accustomed to in prior years when we marched military style and I was moving about 90% of the show.

[icymist]

4. Marching bands are cruel and unusual punishment!

Shouldn't have to happen to a musician.

[TexasTowelie]

6. I agree.

Our director made us practice in the rain with six inches of water on the practice field. Since it was the first period of the day, it kind of sucked being drenched for the remainder of classes particularly when going into the air-conditioned classrooms. The woodwinds hated it because they constantly had to get the cork pads replaced on their instruments.

[Tien1985]

7. I absolutely loved marching but

Your comment made me think of this strip from the comic Tone Deaf:
http://www.tonedeafcomics.com/