Pro-marching band propganda ideas

Matt Brown · Sun 09/11/2003 01:31:13

I come before you, oh mighty-creative AGS mast0rz, with a problem.

As some of you know, the marching band at my high school was cut in favor of a steel drum band. This year, the school administration promised me that if I can convice 30 kids to sign up, we can have a new one. The propaganda blitz is on.

After a few semi-sucsessful stunts, I think I've found a medium that might be a winner. The school newspaper is selling ad space in it for the rest of the year. I am going to go buy ad space in every issue to pimp marching band, but I need some clever ad ideas.

Heres what I have
a) Picture of little middle schooler with uncle sam beard taped to his face, pointing towards the reader. It says ROBBIE WANTS YOU TO JOIN THE MARCHING BAND
b) Picture of a cute kitten. Caption: Join Marching Band today, or the kitten gets it,
c) All Text: Join marching band...you know you arent good enough for football.

I'd like some more ideas. The ad can have pictures, text, anything.

Unilin · Sun 09/11/2003 04:42:05

Let's face it, no one likes marching bands. Espically ones filled with kids. They're loud, they sound bad, they're tacky. The people in them are even bigger dorks than the people in chess club (MillsJRoss). Heck, even on the off chance a marching band can carry a tune and march at the same time, they're gone by before you can hear the whole song.

My advice to you, let the marching band die like it should have decades ago and find something worthwhile to spend your time and energy on.

TheYak · Sun 09/11/2003 05:21:01

Hmm.. ideas? Here's one: If you join the marching band, we promise not to schedule any practices or performances during Star Trek conventions!

Evil · Sun 09/11/2003 05:56:40

I got bored so I tried one then I got bored again and finished quick...

Matt Brown · Sun 09/11/2003 12:41:36

evil, we already made one of those, but more the marching band, instead of the steel drum band.

I must beg to differ about the nerd comments. Its this imaige we're trying to kill. at most schools, I dont think this would work, but it might work at my school.

3 out of the last 4 student body presidents have been memebers of marching band. I running this year, and currently there is no opposistion.

The band only died 2 years ago, as opposed to decades ago. And we were pretty damn good while we were there. We graduated 11 people, and there were budget cuts, so we were the first thing to go.

The all powerful football people are on our ass to get one again. I guess they hate steel drums.

So...yeah, I think its possible. Plus, if I am able to bring band back from the dead, it would show colleges that I have leadership skills, which might help overshadow some of my more iffy grades.

Also Unilin, you must have never seen a D-1 College marching band. As Im sure Mills would tell you, (I think he plays for FLorida State), these groups are nothing like the desciption you gave them.

Pumaman · Sun 09/11/2003 14:58:00

Forgive my ignorance, but what does a school marching band do? Do you get to march around the school premises, playing loudly to stop the teachers in nearby classrooms from being able to teach? Cos if so, that sounds like a laugh.

Or do you have to march around and play quiet, soothing music to aid the learning process?

Mr Jake · Sun 09/11/2003 15:48:47

its just like a normal band.. but they march......

Evil · Sun 09/11/2003 17:02:23

Oh, I'm sorry Panda. I totally read that wrong. I'll redo it for a marching band though if you would like.

MillsJROSS · Mon 10/11/2003 03:36:58

A marching band is where the real spirit behind a college game stems from. They play music during football games, and they march a show on the field during half-time (american football, if you didn't know).

And panda, Unilin was just kidding. He's just afraid of my mad chess and marching band skills.

-MillsJROSS

auhsor · Mon 10/11/2003 04:26:20

Heh, marching band...

I don't know why, but they sound pretty funny. Maybe its cos in Australia we don't have all that stuff...

At our school our class done some cool propaganda posters. Mainly it was a for practical jokes, and wasn't serving a purpose. Stuff about SARS and the war. Hmm, I've forgotten some ones we did...

I know we did do some 'Don't feed the children' , 'Warning: Do not jump off balcony' and 'Water may contain traces of faeces' ... but I think that they wouldn't be appropriate in this situation...

|Alky| · Mon 10/11/2003 12:32:52

The place my avatar comes from is a poster that they commisioned me to make for our science lab \o/

Anyhow, I love marching bands, but I'm bitter that you can't really play a piano, violin or guitar in one >_<. And I can't really think of anything for you to do..

The Sam one wouldn't be very good, to be honest, and while the kitten one would be funny, I'm not sure it would help that much..

My advice is to just to convince people to bring instruments, start playing a tune somewhere, and then invite others to come the next week...It'll be slow, but it'll probably work okay. And it'll be much cooler if you've progressed slowly up to the amount you need, and then finally become official n' all.

remixor · Mon 10/11/2003 12:37:14

Quote from: *Commander Alky* on Mon 10/11/2003 12:32:52And it'll be much cooler if you've progressed slowly up to the amount you need, and then finally become official n' all.

It'll be like an 80s movie! You could build up from nothing, starting as the ragtag bunch of musicians nobody believed in. But against all odds, you'd become a band to be reckoned with! Your first performance would be totally unexpected and triumphant. After you finished your set, the whole stadium would be silent. Then one guy would stand up and start clapping, and a few more would join in, and soon you'd be engulfed in an enormous standing ovation! Then the end credits would play to the tune of some semi-topical pop song.

Yeah, that'd be sweet.

|Alky| · Mon 10/11/2003 12:53:32

Quote from: remixor on Mon 10/11/2003 12:37:14
Quote from: *Commander Alky* on Mon 10/11/2003 12:32:52And it'll be much cooler if you've progressed slowly up to the amount you need, and then finally become official n' all.

It'll be like an 80s movie! You could build up from nothing, starting as the ragtag bunch of musicians nobody believed in. But against all odds, you'd become a band to be reckoned with! Your first performance would be totally unexpected and triumphant. After you finished your set, the whole stadium would be silent. Then one guy would stand up and start clapping, and a few more would join in, and soon you'd be engulfed in an enormous standing ovation! Then the end credits would play to the tune of some semi-topical pop song.

Yeah, that'd be sweet.

Hooray \o/
Exactly what I had in mind ^_^

Matt Brown · Mon 10/11/2003 20:50:41

lol remix0r. I wish things turned out like that.

As for my current ideas, yeah, they did kinda suck, but I talked with my core base (the 17 or so kids who already commited are helping me get this effort wroking) and they created some better ideas. Some of these kids are pretty proficent in photoshop, so we created some pretty funny ad ideas.

CB.. · Mon 10/11/2003 20:56:25

be a "man of steel" join to-day ..picture of superman etc..

Migs · Mon 10/11/2003 20:57:17

Speaking of chess clubs, our chess club in high schools wasn't exactly filled with dorks. At least we were "cool geeks." It was a favorite after-school hang-out place for the student body officers for all the years I was there. One of the official chess club members eventually became a class VP. Plus, all our chess club members were SO unlike every other chess team whenever we went to tournaments and stuff. We'd always be rowdy and noisy, and use this to intimidate our rivals, who were generally timid, REALLY geeky, and anal-retentive. We won practically every single tournament we went to, as well. Ah, the memories.

Anyway, it's wrong to just assume the stereotypical chess club or band geek applies everywhere, since it doesn't. Perhaps they ARE geeks, I'll grant you that. That doesn't mean they don't kick butt and don't know how to have a good time.

Now that I think about it, the so-called chess, band, and choir nerds were more popular in my high school than the football jocks. And EVERYONE who was really popular was involved in theatre, like school plays or student-directed plays and stuff. Strange.

Matt Brown · Mon 10/11/2003 21:14:17

sounds like our school. The chess club is also well represented with student council officers and "popular" people. Plus, the chess club shirts are always a laugh. I loved the one they did last year, with the "rules of chess club"

1. dont talk about chess club
2. dont talk about chess club

remixor · Tue 11/11/2003 07:11:01

HEY, DON'T TALK ABOUT IT!

shbaz · Tue 11/11/2003 16:42:10

I don't know why all of you guys are putting down band like that, they aren't totally filled with geeks like the stereotype would have you believe. My school is division 1 (Okstate) and every now and then I go watch the band practice near the student union. If you haven't watched the movie drumline, you wouldn't understand, but that's what it's like. Oh, and the hot band chicks, I couldn't do without those. I don't know what I'd do. You've also go the stuff that goes along with it, flags etc., lots of hot chicks there.

Your chess club story brings back memories. I was on the academic team, and it was filled with the biggest slackers (that includes me) in our school. I fondly remember wearing a giant lizard head at a meet once and casually asking people what their mom was on a scale of 1-10.

Anyway, on to what the post was about originally, I don't know why you would want to pay to put an ad in the paper. Make flyers, you'll get more for your money and people will actually look at them. If that doesn't work, print small cards and put them in every locker with funny jokes like you mentioned.

Matt Brown · Tue 11/11/2003 20:56:09

The reason that we bought ad space is that its seen by members of the community, (administrators, rich people in town, etc) who may not remember we dont have one. For some reason, we got some rich school supporters to complain about us not having a band last year, and we almost raised enough hell to get the school to field one (albeit a very small one). We need more then just student support, and the newspaper is read by all.

plus, maybe some parent will bully their kid into joining.

We are also making posters, flyers, and other stunts to inspire dialog about bring band back.