The Marching Network
Full admission time here: I am a Black marching band fiend. It started in seventh grade when I wanted to find a way to get out of seventh period early, so I put down my books, picked up a trombone, and the rest was history. Having played competitively in both high school and college in several honor bands, marching bands, symphonic bands, jazz bands and orchestras, something about the Black marching band experience speaks to me.
A Battle of the Bands competition? You know I’ll be there.
However, those not privy to the goosebump-forming chill and noteworthy awe of listening or seeing a Black marching band don’t have to look far to get an introduction.
No…not YouTube, silly. The Marching Network.
Started in 2006 out of Jackson, MS, The Marching Network has over 10,000 videos of Black marching bands easily categorized by decade, college and many other categories. Users can comment and rate videos, and upload their own using TMN’s upload tool. Videos are displayed in either Windows Media Player or Flash video format (including the option to incorporate a YouTube-hosted video), and includes code to view the videos on an HTML message board or any website.
Overall, while I love the content, I found parts of the site hard to navigate because of the small font used for comments and ratings. A redesign, hopefully, is around the corner, to better separate ad content from the videos themselves. I’d even suggest a special TMN branded Flash video player for further branding efforts. Your mileage may vary, of course.
TMN’s back end is powered by Vidiac, a technology and video distribution company out of Atlanta, GA.
About the Author Maurice Cherry is a web, graphic and print designer in Atlanta, GA. A graduate of Morehouse College, Maurice also works as a freelance web designer and electronic media consultant, working with entrepreneurs and small businesses on leveraging blogs, podcasts and other online technologies for their marketing and public relations needs. Maurice Cherry is also the creator behind the Black Weblog Awards.
See all posts by Maurice Cherry.
FAMU is the largest marching band. Please! Anyone who knows anything about music knows that The SU band is no doubt, pound per pound, the undisputed , champion of marching bands. And believe it or not, I am college graduate, and I did not attend Southern University. I attended another Black university that has a very good marching band. I am a realist. My choice is not emotional and based on school spirit. My choice is purely mathematical.
Increasing in number doesn't make your band better, just louder.
FAMU is the largest marching band. Please! Anyone who knows anything about music knows that The SU band is no doubt, pound per pound, the undisputed , champion of marching bands. And believe it or not, I am college graduate, and I did not attend Southern University. I attended another Black university that has a very good marching band. I am a realist. My choice is not emotional and based on school spirit. My choice is purely mathematical.
Increasing in number doesn't make your band better, just louder.
Whoa Lionel Whoa. Everyone knows that the FAMU Marching 100 is the world greatest band. Often imitated but never duplicated.
Great post Maurice! I have directed many ex-band members to the Marching Network. FAMU has footage that goes as far back as 1986 (remember those gigantic shoulder mounted VHS cameras) and footage as recent as this years homecoming. Great find!
Wow thanks for the site! I was sitting here at my desk looking at the PV videos and my heart was pounding with excitement thinking of my college days on the yard!
Prairie View Panthers Marching Storm – The Best in the Nation!
The existence and virtue of this blog is once again validated here by this post. I would have probably never trasped across nor stumbled upon this site had it not been for BlackWeb2.0. While I am not as huge a fan of marching bands as Mr. Cherry, the notion of broadband On-Demand video of a long-tail subject matter with a library as deep as this has long been an obsession of mine.
Hats-off to the folks at The Marching Network for showcasing the model. Now take it to the next level, you’ve got a huge asset in your library…I’m just sayin’. – Mega