As most bands are just climbing out of pre-drill and some have still yet to play their first games, the 2018 marching season has been officially “kicked off”. To say it was an eventful start would be an understatement!
Tag Archives: Dr William P Foster
EXCERPTS FROM “THE MAN BEHIND THE BATON” BY DR. WILLIAM P. FOSTER: Excerpt Ten – “Slowing Down But Still Pushing Forward”
In this excerpt Dr Foster discusses tools he used to recruit for the Marching 100 and how successful these efforts proved to be over the years. He also mentions the talents of his very qualified staff and how their hard work and dedicated assistance made it possible for him to announce his retirement as Chair of the Department of Music and Director of Bands at Florida A&M University in 1998.
A CHALLENGE TO THE BEST OF THE BEST: It’s Time…
I believe this award is important because it is established as THE measure for excellence among America’s elite college marching band programs. I believe it’s time for an HBCU Band program, the ones we claim to be the best every year, to participate in the process again and to win.
EXCERPTS FROM “THE MAN BEHIND THE BATON” BY DR. WILLIAM P. FOSTER: Excerpt Nine – The FAMU Band Motto
I created the motto because I needed something to help me guide band students to a higher place, a level of excellence for which they were all striving. It gave them something by which they could live daily.
EXCERPTS FROM “THE MAN BEHIND THE BATON” BY DR. WILLIAM P. FOSTER: Excerpt Eight – The Bicentennial Bastille Day Parade
EXCERPT EIGHT: The Bicentennial Bastille Day Parade – The Paris, France experience was exhilarating, a historic milestone and high honor for the band to be the official and sole representative of the United States of America in the Bastille Day Parade.
EXCERPTS FROM “THE MAN BEHIND THE BATON” BY DR. WILLIAM P. FOSTER: Excerpt Seven – Growing My Own Crop (Part 2)
EXCERPT SEVEN: GROWING MY OWN CROP – In this excerpt Dr Foster discusses the creation of band dance routines, band pageants (themed shows), and the creation & publication of “The Marching Band Bible”
EXCERPTS FROM “THE MAN BEHIND THE BATON” BY DR. WILLIAM P. FOSTER: Excerpt Five – Contributors To The Legacy
EXCERPT FIVE – CONTRIBUTORS TO THE LEGACY – In his own words Dr Foster talks about individuals who have contributed to the legacy of the Marching “100” or contributed to his own legacy in some way.
EXCERPTS FROM “THE MAN BEHIND THE BATON” BY DR. WILLIAM P. FOSTER: Excerpt Four – A Great Challenge
EXCERPT FOUR – A GREAT CHALLENGE – The future of our youth in this changing world is dependent in part on how we as contributors to our community and society can assist youth in becoming high achievers. This is a great challenge.
EXCERPTS FROM “THE MAN BEHIND THE BATON” BY DR. WILLIAM P. FOSTER: Excerpt Three – Growing My Own Crop (Part 1)
EXCERPT THREE – GROWING MY OWN CROP – My “growing your own crop” methods involved recruiting, evaluating, and training our own alumni, gleaned from our own fertile fields, or as today’s students say, “the patch”…
EXCERPTS FROM “THE MAN BEHIND THE BATON” BY DR. WILLIAM P. FOSTER: Excerpt Two – The Sudler Trophy
EXCERPT TWO – THE SUDLER TROPHY – “To be the recipient of the Sudler Trophy award, to walk or march with such distinguished honorees remains an accomplishment of which we are very proud, not so much for ourselves, but most importantly, for our University and its community of supporters at home and abroad”