The formation of the military marching style
The development of military style (precision drill) marching has been generational – handed down, particularly in the East Texas area. The first college band to present a halftime show was the University of Illinois in 1907. While early presentations utilized scatter drill, the Illinois Band later used 6 to 5 stride until the 1970’s. Prior to use of yard lines (6 to 5 or 8 to 5 stride), band members simply guided left and right and did not pay any attention to the yard lines. Show band style was widely accepted and featured formations such as a moon while performing selections such as “Shine on Harvest Moon.” High school bands might turn out the lights during their halftime performances and employ devices such as black lights and dancing. It was common for bands to utilize jazz selections for most musical selections. Military style bands developed in East Texas following World War II. Military marching and playing are a spin-off of the armed services.
Those credited with the early development of military style bands in East Texas include:
Oklahoma has been mentioned as deserving a great deal of credit in the development of precision style marching through both the Tri-State Music Festival in Enis and through the efforts of Pete Long, Director of the Ponca City High School Band. Ed Lumpkin, band director at Pine Tree High School, is credited as one of the first band directors to bring 6 to 5 marching to East Texas. Around 1955 or 1956, the Pine Tree Band marched in a company front, hitting the yard lines every six steps. It has been described as revolutionary. 6 to 5 style started out simple and became more intricate and complicated with time. In the beginning, the music had virtually nothing to do with the marching drill. Some of the early drills have been compared to a postage stamp moving around on the field. UIL Required Marching Maneuvers and inspections had an enormous effect on marching band expectations and style before they were discontinued around the late 1960’s.
Another pioneer in the development of the 6 to 5 marching style was Kenneth Green at Bossier City, LA High School (later at Stephen F. Austin State University). His 1960 performance at the Sugar Bowl was broadcast on television, displaying his innovative 6 to 5 drill design. His marching was very dignified; utilizing many Kenneth Alford marches, with a marching cadence of around 96 beats per minute. The use of 6 to 5 marching style with the Stephen F. Austin State University Band under both Jimmie Hudgins and Kenneth Green had a major influence on a generation of band directors who adopted this style for their own public school band programs in the East Texas area.
Those credited with the early development of military style bands in East Texas include:
- E.V. Adams – Texas A&M University
- Jimmie Hudgins – Stephen F. Austin State University
- Alto Tatum – Gladewater High School
Oklahoma has been mentioned as deserving a great deal of credit in the development of precision style marching through both the Tri-State Music Festival in Enis and through the efforts of Pete Long, Director of the Ponca City High School Band. Ed Lumpkin, band director at Pine Tree High School, is credited as one of the first band directors to bring 6 to 5 marching to East Texas. Around 1955 or 1956, the Pine Tree Band marched in a company front, hitting the yard lines every six steps. It has been described as revolutionary. 6 to 5 style started out simple and became more intricate and complicated with time. In the beginning, the music had virtually nothing to do with the marching drill. Some of the early drills have been compared to a postage stamp moving around on the field. UIL Required Marching Maneuvers and inspections had an enormous effect on marching band expectations and style before they were discontinued around the late 1960’s.
Another pioneer in the development of the 6 to 5 marching style was Kenneth Green at Bossier City, LA High School (later at Stephen F. Austin State University). His 1960 performance at the Sugar Bowl was broadcast on television, displaying his innovative 6 to 5 drill design. His marching was very dignified; utilizing many Kenneth Alford marches, with a marching cadence of around 96 beats per minute. The use of 6 to 5 marching style with the Stephen F. Austin State University Band under both Jimmie Hudgins and Kenneth Green had a major influence on a generation of band directors who adopted this style for their own public school band programs in the East Texas area.
- Influences related to 6 to 5 style during the 1960’s included:Neil Grant – Troup, White Oak, & Longview High Schools
- Eldon Janzen – Irving High School
- Vince DiNino – University of Texas (through 1975)
- E.V. Adams -- Texas A&M University through his retirement in 1972, and replaced by Joe Tom Haney
- Bill Swor - LSU
- Waymon Bullock at Lufkin High School was a pioneer in the development of intricate 6 to 5 drill design
- Pete Kunkel at Longview High School – his band has been described as “in a class of its own.”
The formation of nammb
During the summer of 1979, eleven East Texas band directors gathered at the home of Jimmy Hudgins on the banks of the Neches river to discuss the future of the “military style” of marching prevalent with many high school bands across East Texas. Concerns were voiced that, in a short while, the military marching style could become a lost art if some action were not taken to preserve not only the style but the teaching of it.
No books or guides had ever been written on how to teach this “style” which was learned mostly by observation and imitation. By the late seventies, almost all the university and high school bands had changed their format to the new “corps style” show promoted by the brass band and drum and bugle corps groups from the mid-west and east coast. Since almost all high school bands had changed to this new style and were now doing the “corps style” drills, universities no longer felt it necessary to teach the military marching style and concentrated all their effort towards the new trend.
During this period, many of the older generation who had taught in the late forties, fifties, and early sixties were either retiring or dying out, leaving only a small group of directors that had started teaching in the late fifties and sixties who were acquainted well enough with the military marching style to continue its perpetuation. Included in these ranks were those directors who were traditionally military style, but had succumbed under pressure to conform to the new trend, and were changing styles at an alarming rate. With all these factors considered, real danger was on the horizon that the traditional “military marching style” would become a lost art.
From that meeting in 1979 this small group decided to form an organization to be called the “National Association of Military Marching Bands.” It’s members formed a pledge “to promote and preserve the military precision style of performance among marching bands of America and to encourage the superior performance of traditional march music from band literature.”
The Founding eleven members of The National Association of Military Marching Bands were:
Waymon Bullock who was elected the first NAMMB president and Don Lawler Executive Secretary. Two main goals were set for the organization meet each fall before school started and sponsor a clinic to help teach the younger and less experienced directors the military marching style, inform them of good march literature, and present film sessions and clinics on how to properly organize and chart military style drills, and sponsor some type of marching clinic or exhibition whereby students from various areas could meet and observe each other’s work.
From 1979 until 1986, a marching clinic or exhibition was held almost every year. The purpose switched back and forth for several years with the event being either a pre-UIL marching clinic with outstanding teachers invited to write critique sheets for improvement, or an invitational display consisting of the outstanding bands from a large area presenting an “exhibition” of the art of military marching.
In the mid 1980’s, the University Interscholastic League of Texas approved changing the Invitational Marching Contest sponsored by the University of Texas to become the “official” UIL State Marching Contest to be held annually in Austin. Only a few military bands chose to enter this competition during the early years of its existence. Ranking rather than rating was the format of this new contest with a winner being selected for each school classification.
However, military style marching bands soon learned that although great effort had been taken by UIL officials not to exclude a particular style of marching from the contest, that in a “ranking” rather than “rating” style contest, it became impossible for judges (with the criteria used) to compare two or three unlike music and marching styles and decide which was the best regardless of their performance ability. The task for adjudicators assessing the various styles being presented was like comparing apples to oranges, oranges to bananas, or apples to bananas or any combination of the three and deciding which one was the best. All three potentially could be winners...but ultimately depends on ones personal taste.
In 1987, NAMMB members voted to organize and support an annual “military style” marching contest designed specifically for military style marching bands. NAMMB officers met with officials of Texas A&M University with hopes that an agreement could be reached to co-sponsor a contest. A&M agreed to host this contest at Kyle Field on the campus of Texas A&M.
For the next eight years, this would be the home of the NAMMB marching contest. However, in the spring of 1996, A&M University joined the newly formed “Big 12” conference which had recently voted that all conference games must be played on grass rather than artificial turf fields. A&M complied with the regulations and soon removed their AstroTurf carpet, grassed the playing surface but severely restricted use of the new grass field. As a result of the new field use restrictions, NAMMB officials were informed that the contest could no longer be hosted by Texas A&M. The membership searched for a site to hold the contest, and in 1996, voted to move the contest to Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches whom had agreed to host the event.
In 1997 schedule problems prevented the contest from being held at Stephen F. Austin University. The membership again searched for a site and Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana was selected to host the 1997 contest. This would be the first time that the contest would not be held in Texas. Since then it has been held at Stephen F. Austin University. In 2012 the State Military Marching Band Contest was held at Bryan ISD stadium for an exhibition performance from the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band. In 2015 the State Contest was held at Carthage High School. In 2016 the Contest was held at Hallsville High School.
No books or guides had ever been written on how to teach this “style” which was learned mostly by observation and imitation. By the late seventies, almost all the university and high school bands had changed their format to the new “corps style” show promoted by the brass band and drum and bugle corps groups from the mid-west and east coast. Since almost all high school bands had changed to this new style and were now doing the “corps style” drills, universities no longer felt it necessary to teach the military marching style and concentrated all their effort towards the new trend.
During this period, many of the older generation who had taught in the late forties, fifties, and early sixties were either retiring or dying out, leaving only a small group of directors that had started teaching in the late fifties and sixties who were acquainted well enough with the military marching style to continue its perpetuation. Included in these ranks were those directors who were traditionally military style, but had succumbed under pressure to conform to the new trend, and were changing styles at an alarming rate. With all these factors considered, real danger was on the horizon that the traditional “military marching style” would become a lost art.
From that meeting in 1979 this small group decided to form an organization to be called the “National Association of Military Marching Bands.” It’s members formed a pledge “to promote and preserve the military precision style of performance among marching bands of America and to encourage the superior performance of traditional march music from band literature.”
The Founding eleven members of The National Association of Military Marching Bands were:
- Butch Almany
- Matt Brackin
- Mark Brackin
- Waymon Bullock
- Bobby Goff
- Jimmie Hudgins
- Bruce Hughes
- Barry Johnson
- Don Lawler
- Blanton McDonald
- Raymond Thomas.
Waymon Bullock who was elected the first NAMMB president and Don Lawler Executive Secretary. Two main goals were set for the organization meet each fall before school started and sponsor a clinic to help teach the younger and less experienced directors the military marching style, inform them of good march literature, and present film sessions and clinics on how to properly organize and chart military style drills, and sponsor some type of marching clinic or exhibition whereby students from various areas could meet and observe each other’s work.
From 1979 until 1986, a marching clinic or exhibition was held almost every year. The purpose switched back and forth for several years with the event being either a pre-UIL marching clinic with outstanding teachers invited to write critique sheets for improvement, or an invitational display consisting of the outstanding bands from a large area presenting an “exhibition” of the art of military marching.
In the mid 1980’s, the University Interscholastic League of Texas approved changing the Invitational Marching Contest sponsored by the University of Texas to become the “official” UIL State Marching Contest to be held annually in Austin. Only a few military bands chose to enter this competition during the early years of its existence. Ranking rather than rating was the format of this new contest with a winner being selected for each school classification.
However, military style marching bands soon learned that although great effort had been taken by UIL officials not to exclude a particular style of marching from the contest, that in a “ranking” rather than “rating” style contest, it became impossible for judges (with the criteria used) to compare two or three unlike music and marching styles and decide which was the best regardless of their performance ability. The task for adjudicators assessing the various styles being presented was like comparing apples to oranges, oranges to bananas, or apples to bananas or any combination of the three and deciding which one was the best. All three potentially could be winners...but ultimately depends on ones personal taste.
In 1987, NAMMB members voted to organize and support an annual “military style” marching contest designed specifically for military style marching bands. NAMMB officers met with officials of Texas A&M University with hopes that an agreement could be reached to co-sponsor a contest. A&M agreed to host this contest at Kyle Field on the campus of Texas A&M.
For the next eight years, this would be the home of the NAMMB marching contest. However, in the spring of 1996, A&M University joined the newly formed “Big 12” conference which had recently voted that all conference games must be played on grass rather than artificial turf fields. A&M complied with the regulations and soon removed their AstroTurf carpet, grassed the playing surface but severely restricted use of the new grass field. As a result of the new field use restrictions, NAMMB officials were informed that the contest could no longer be hosted by Texas A&M. The membership searched for a site to hold the contest, and in 1996, voted to move the contest to Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches whom had agreed to host the event.
In 1997 schedule problems prevented the contest from being held at Stephen F. Austin University. The membership again searched for a site and Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana was selected to host the 1997 contest. This would be the first time that the contest would not be held in Texas. Since then it has been held at Stephen F. Austin University. In 2012 the State Military Marching Band Contest was held at Bryan ISD stadium for an exhibition performance from the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band. In 2015 the State Contest was held at Carthage High School. In 2016 the Contest was held at Hallsville High School.
