For those who do it, no explanation is necessary. For those who don't, no explanation will do.
Having said that, and having marched for years when I was younger (dirt was still a new idea!
) I came across this parable that has since made me think about things perhaps a bit differently:
"Once there was a devoted mason and a builder of things, who loved great buildings. He ventured to France and entered the Cathedral of Notre Dame. He looked upward and opened his eyes wide in awe. He gasped. Respect flowed.
"What a building! What an architect! What craftsmanship!" The man knelt, bowed by the expanse, humbled by the height.
"I must share this with my friends and fellow builders," he whispered in reverence. "But how will I get them here... to France!?"
So, he had a wrecking crew come in. A large iron ball crashed through the cathedral reducing it to it's "essence": Brick, Concrete, Wood, Glass.
Gathering as much material as would be allowed on his return flight, he hurriedly packed the "cathedral" into his many suitcases and carry-on.
Upon arrival home, he began his task with joy and enthusiasm. There was an 8-foot gap that needed filling! But he had done this before and had won many awards!
A brick here, a slab there, a piece of stained glass here, some wood there, decorated by a flag or two here... and suddenly, there was a wall.
The man invited all his friends and masonry students and pointing to the wall, he said with resonant pride, "Look... It's the Cathedral of Notre Dame!"
Does this sound absurd? Well, some marching band directors do this often and against the desires of the composer, by taking works which are designed for a specific Time and scope, and reducing it to its smallest and least significant denominator, "sound".
There is a better way! If you want to exercise creativity, write your own shows. Your kids will love it. Involve them. Let them write too! In this way, Integrity is preserved, and most importantly we are advancing Music and Music Education by pioneering new works, specifically crafted for the idiom.
Oh, there's one other part to the story! The mason... well, he never got permission to bring in that wrecking crew. He's now analyzing the architecture of the state penitentiary. Sound absurd? Well..."
Think about the shows drum corps commonly do: Pines of Rome; Spartacus; Bernstein's Mass and Jeremiah Symphony, Firebird Suite. These corps have roughly 11 minutes on the field. Pines reduced to 11 minutes? Yes, they got me to listen to these and many other works I would never have thought to look for, but, I repeat: Pines in 11 minutes?