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71-514: The band today comprises brass , percussion , and woodwind instruments played by students from varying faculties on campus, and is led by a drum major . Other band activities include a variety of Santa Claus parades, Orientation week activities, and social events for the University and the community at large. In 1923, a band was formed under the direction of Sidney Kingsmill on the newly developed University of Western Ontario campus. Kingsmill

142-487: A band based in military roots was an inappropriate feature and that the band looked "too out of place", being dressed in full military uniforms. Others argued that it is better to have a band attend the games as entertainment than not attend. Ultimately the band continued to appear at football games. Don Wright became involved in the band, playing trumpet while getting his undergraduate degree. He became bandleader in 1933. Although he left after 1933, he came back to direct

213-470: A brass instrument accurately. It also plays a major role in some performance situations, such as in marching bands. Traditionally the instruments are normally made of brass , polished and then lacquered to prevent corrosion . Some higher quality and higher cost instruments use gold or silver plating to prevent corrosion. Alternatives to brass include other alloys containing significant amounts of copper or silver. These alloys are biostatic due to

284-452: A conical mouthpiece. One interesting difference between a woodwind instrument and a brass instrument is that woodwind instruments are non-directional. This means that the sound produced propagates in all directions with approximately equal volume. Brass instruments, on the other hand, are highly directional, with most of the sound produced traveling straight outward from the bell. This difference makes it significantly more difficult to record

355-491: A fourth valve, such as tubas, euphoniums, piccolo trumpets , etc. that valve lowers the pitch by a perfect fourth; this is used to compensate for the sharpness of the valve combinations 1–3 and 1–2–3 (4 replaces 1–3, 2–4 replaces 1–2–3). All three normal valves may be used in addition to the fourth to increase the instrument's range downwards by a perfect fourth, although with increasingly severe intonation problems. When four-valved models without any kind of compensation play in

426-476: A gimmick, these plastic models have found increasing popularity during the last decade and are now viewed as practice tools that make for more convenient travel as well as a cheaper option for beginning players. Brass instruments are one of the major classical instrument families and are played across a range of musical ensembles . Orchestras include a varying number of brass instruments depending on music style and era, typically: Concert bands generally have

497-416: A good range of notes simply by varying the tension of their lips (see embouchure ). Most brass instruments are fitted with a removable mouthpiece . Different shapes, sizes and styles of mouthpiece may be used to suit different embouchures, or to more easily produce certain tonal characteristics. Trumpets, trombones, and tubas are characteristically fitted with a cupped mouthpiece, while horns are fitted with

568-673: A larger brass section than an orchestra, typically: British brass bands are made up entirely of brass, mostly conical bore instruments. Typical membership is: Quintets are common small brass ensembles; a quintet typically contains: Majorette (dancer) A majorette is a performer who combines baton twirling with dance movements, primarily associated with marching bands during parades . Majorettes may alternatively spin flags, fire batons, maces, or rifles. Some performers incorporate cartwheels and flips , while others may twirl multiple batons at once. Majorettes are typically distinguished from cheerleaders , while baton twirling

639-607: A steady cash flow of 50 cents from the ancillary fees of every part-time and full-time student. That same year, the band received a donation from the Alumni Association's Legacy Committee primarily for new uniforms. The uniforms were introduced in 2017. In addition to external funding, band members also pay yearly fees to help offset costs of instrument repairs, uniform cleanings and repairs, busses for events, staff, new music, shoes and other clothing, and any equipment or field rentals. Brass instrument A brass instrument

710-419: A trigger on valves other than 2 (especially 3), although many professional quality euphoniums, and indeed other brass band instruments, have a trigger for the main tuning slide. The two major types of valve mechanisms are rotary valves and piston valves . The first piston valve instruments were developed just after the start of the 19th century. The Stölzel valve (invented by Heinrich Stölzel in 1814)

781-431: A trumpet, a person lays out a pattern and shapes sheet metal into a bell-shape using templates, machine tools, handtools, and blueprints. The maker cuts out the bell blank, using hand or power shears. He hammers the blank over a bell-shaped mandrel, and butts the seam, using a notching tool. The seam is brazed, using a torch and smoothed using a hammer or file. A draw bench or arbor press equipped with expandable lead plug

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852-440: Is a musical instrument that produces sound by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips. The term labrosone , from Latin elements meaning "lip" and "sound", is also used for the group, since instruments employing this "lip reed" method of sound production can be made from other materials like wood or animal horn, particularly early or traditional instruments such as

923-571: Is closely related to rhythmic gymnastics . Majorettes originally performed a typical carnival dance originating in the Rhineland , where the young women who perform this dance are called Tanzmariechen (Dance Marys) in German or Dansmarietjes in Dutch . During the carnival, the normal form of government was parodied. Also the army and defense forces were traditionally parodied as a way of protesting against

994-412: Is noted in the table, despite the exposition of four-valve and also five-valve systems (the latter used on the tuba) being incomplete in this article. Since valves lower the pitch, a valve that makes a pitch too low (flat) creates an interval wider than desired, while a valve that plays sharp creates an interval narrower than desired. Intonation deficiencies of brass instruments that are independent of

1065-406: Is significantly lower than the fundamental frequency of the series that the other resonances are overtones of. Depending on the instrument and the skill of the player, the missing fundamental of the series can still be played as a pedal tone , which relies mainly on vibration at the overtone frequencies to produce the fundamental pitch. The bore diameter in relation to length determines whether

1136-472: Is the norm, usually in a double, sometimes even triple configuration. Some valved brass instruments provide triggers or throws that manually lengthen (or, less commonly, shorten) the main tuning slide, a valve slide, or the main tubing. These mechanisms alter the pitch of notes that are naturally sharp in a specific register of the instrument, or shift the instrument to another playing range. Triggers and throws permit speedy adjustment while playing. Trigger

1207-432: Is used in two senses: A throw is a simple metal grip for the player's finger or thumb, attached to a valve slide. The general term "throw" can describe a u-hook, a saddle (u-shaped grips), or a ring (ring-shape grip) in which a player's finger or thumb rests. A player extends a finger or thumb to lengthen a slide, and retracts the finger to return the slide to its original position. Triggers or throws are sometimes found on

1278-421: Is used to shape and smooth the bell and bell neck over a mandrel. A lathe is used to spin the bell head and to form a bead at the edge of bell head. Previously shaped bell necks are annealed, using a hand torch to soften the metal for further bending. Scratches are removed from the bell using abrasive-coated cloth. A few specialty instruments are made from wood. Instruments made mostly from plastic emerged in

1349-665: The Prussian occupation of the Rhenish area at the time. In Cologne , these imitations arose in particular to make Prussian militarism look ridiculous. The Tanzmariechen show clear origins in the camp followers in the 18th and 19th century, and have a vibrant and eventful past. Around this time, Germany had a large number of armies, and in each regiment there were women and girls selling and providing food and drink and taking on chores like washing clothes. Many also offered themselves as prostitutes. Around 1800, more regulations began to emerge in

1420-410: The bore , that is, the tubing between the mouthpiece and the flaring of the tubing into the bell . Those two generalizations are with regard to While all modern valved and slide brass instruments consist in part of conical and in part of cylindrical tubing, they are divided as follows: The resonances of a brass instrument resemble a harmonic series , with the exception of the lowest resonance, which

1491-411: The cornett , alphorn or shofar . There are several factors involved in producing different pitches on a brass instrument . Slides , valves , crooks (though they are rarely used today), or keys are used to change vibratory length of tubing, thus changing the available harmonic series , while the player's embouchure , lip tension and air flow serve to select the specific harmonic produced from

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1562-404: The oligodynamic effect , and thus suppress growth of molds , fungi or bacteria . Brass instruments constructed from stainless steel or aluminium have good sound quality but are rapidly colonized by microorganisms and become unpleasant to play. Most higher quality instruments are designed to prevent or reduce galvanic corrosion between any steel in the valves and springs, and the brass of

1633-504: The saxophone . Modern brass instruments generally come in one of two families: Plucked There are two other families that have, in general, become functionally obsolete for practical purposes. Instruments of both types, however, are sometimes used for period-instrument performances of Baroque or Classical pieces. In more modern compositions, they are occasionally used for their intonation or tone color. Brass instruments may also be characterised by two generalizations about geometry of

1704-468: The 1st note of the harmonic series ... A horn giving the C of an open 8 ft organ pipe had to be 16 ft (5 m). long. Half its length was practically useless ... it was found that if the calibre of tube was sufficiently enlarged in proportion to its length, the instrument could be relied upon to give its fundamental note in all normal circumstances. – Cecil Forsyth, Orchestration , p. 86 The instruments in this list fall for various reasons outside

1775-407: The 2010s as a cheaper and more robust alternative to brass. Plastic instruments could come in almost any colour. The sound plastic instruments produce is different from the one of brass, lacquer, gold or silver. This is because plastic is much less dense, or rather has less matter in a given space as compared to the aforementioned which causes vibrations to occur differently. While originally seen as

1846-471: The Compensation system, each of the first two (or three) valves has an additional set of tubing extending from the back of the valve. When the third (or fourth) valve is depressed in combination with another one, the air is routed through both the usual set of tubing plus the extra one, so that the pitch is lowered by an appropriate amount. This allows compensating instruments to play with accurate intonation in

1917-605: The Dean of Western's School of Medicine . During this time, the band got funding through an applied grant and a practice space for marching drill . Ross Willis organized the band as the director in 1928 and the Canadian Officer Training Corps (COTC) took formal control of the band in 1929. The COTC had access to finances set aside from the Department of National Defence and purchased instruments and sheet music. Under

1988-461: The Prussian military background are sometimes still reflected today in the majorettes' movements, music, or clothing. The somewhat slovenly camp followers who accompanied the troops have evolved into a show dance group, but still inspired by the Prussian army. This metamorphosis went through the intermediate step of the role performed by men as Tanzmarie . Although current majorettes have their roots in

2059-557: The University of Western Ontario main campus as well as the affiliated colleges. The instruments used reflect that of most full modern college-level marching bands. Since the band's inception, it has had a drum major as the leader of the band through drill. This position directs the band in motion and movement, as well as conduct the band. The drum major of the Western Mustang Band uses modern college marching band techniques of vocal, whistle, and baton commands to instruct

2130-407: The action of three valves had become almost universal by (at latest) 1864 as witnessed by Arban's method published in that year. The effect of a particular combination of valves may be seen in the table below. This table is correct for the core three-valve layout on almost any modern valved brass instrument. The most common four-valve layout is a superset of the well-established three-valve layout and

2201-636: The air being doubled back through the main valves. In early designs, this led to sharp bends in the tubing and other obstructions of the air-flow. Some manufacturers therefore preferred adding more 'straight' valves instead, which for example could be pitched a little lower than the 2nd and 1st valves and were intended to be used instead of these in the respective valve combinations. While no longer featured in euphoniums for decades, many professional tubas are still built like this, with five valves being common on CC- and BB ♭ -tubas and five or six valves on F-tubas. Compensating double horns can also suffer from

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2272-432: The armies, which were gradually applied to the camp followers as well. Increasingly, camp followers were women married to corporals or privates, with tasks like washing the linen. They became no longer typical army prostitutes but also not proper married women. Besides caring for the soldiers, they could still continue entertaining them in various ways. In the carnival mockery, both officers and camp followers were depicted:

2343-401: The available series. The view of most scholars (see organology ) is that the term "brass instrument" should be defined by the way the sound is made, as above, and not by whether the instrument is actually made of brass . Thus one finds brass instruments made of wood, like the alphorn , the cornett , the serpent and the didgeridoo , while some woodwind instruments are made of brass, like

2414-666: The band flew to Halifax to support the football team at the 7th Vanier Cup . In 1974, the band had 64 members in total. The Band played at the 9th Vanier Cup at CNE Stadium in Toronto, on November 22, 1973, backing up Shirley Eikhard who sang the National Anthem. The next day, the Band marched in the Grey Cup Parade, for the 61st Grey Cup . In 1974, the band performed at the 10th Vanier Cup game at CNE Stadium in Toronto. Brad Masters

2485-649: The band had been using the 45 uniforms originally purchased by the USC in 1937. The new uniforms had the same design as the previous, but were updated and made of newer fabric and included shoulder epaulets . The uniforms were purchased with the assistance of the Purple Spur Society and the Alumni Association , who contributed funds to help offset total costs. In 1959, Ron Brown became bandmaster. Under Brown's direction, he instituted daily practice. The band remained at

2556-513: The band in 1935 after he was asked. Wright arranged all the music for the band, including the addition of three Herald Trumpets . The trumpets would perform fanfares prior to the entry of the band into the stadium . The instrumentation of the band at this time was standard and included flutes , clarinets , saxophones , as well as brass along with snare drums and a bass drum . The band started to play Wright's jazz arrangements at football games during this time and became notable amongst

2627-442: The band opened membership to both Western students and local London high school students in 1950. This program was gradually phased out in the later part of the 1950s. 1953 was the first year the band acquired a female band member, Jane Perkins. Perkins joined the band on trumpet . Up until this point, the only female members in the band were majorettes or colour party members. Popularity grew amongst both genders and in 1957, it

2698-579: The band size reduced to 22 members. In 1970, the University Student Council president identified the marching band as an extra-curricular in need of support and lobbied the increase funding by $ 6,000, through the Board of Governors. The new funding provided the band new cost-effective uniforms consisting of purple sweaters with as Western crest, white Stetson hats, white pants and white shoes. Membership numbers at 45 members in 1971. During this year,

2769-483: The band. The band is composed of a student leadership team which is tasked with the logistics of the day-to-day operations of the band as well as securing future opportunities and functions for the band to participate in. The team is made entirely of band members, and is overseen by the director as well as the Western Athletics Department. In 2015, the band held a successful student referendum securing

2840-423: The carnival scene, majorette associations widely break these historical ties, appearing more as sports or dance clubs. Historically black college or university (HBCU) majorette dance first started in 1968. The first performance was introduced at the orange blossom classic by a majorette dance team named The Golden Girls. The Alcorn State university golden girls took majorette dance to a different level. The team had

2911-467: The carnival with its Tanzmariechen has popularized and even parodied the sparkling shows that could otherwise be enjoyed only in the major European cities. During the post-war carnival, young women and girls again took on the role of Tanzmariechen instead of men and performed in parades. A show element was added to carnival, partly because of rapidly evolving ballet education. Majorettes or Tanzmariechen increasingly began to act in groups. Some parts of

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2982-404: The corresponding register, the sharpness becomes so severe that players must finger the note a half-step below the one they are trying to play. This eliminates the note a half-step above their open fundamental. Manufacturers of low brass instruments may choose one or a combination of four basic approaches to compensate for the tuning difficulties, whose respective merits are subject to debate: In

3053-461: The crowds. In 1936, the University Student Council at Western put on a drive for funds to support the purchase of new uniforms. At this point, the band diverted from the COTC contingent and became known as the Western Mustang Band. The band performed for the first time on October 2, 1937. The band was now organized under the University Student Council. Notably during this time, the drum major selected

3124-530: The deficiencies in the valve system. In most trumpets and cornets, the compensation must be provided by extending the third valve slide with the third or fourth finger, and the first valve slide with the left hand thumb (see Trigger or throw below). This is used to lower the pitch of the 1–3 and 1–2–3 valve combinations. On the trumpet and cornet, these valve combinations correspond to low D, low C ♯ , low G, and low F ♯ , so chromatically, to stay in tune, one must use this method. In instruments with

3195-446: The direction of the COTC, the band got a full uniform and would dress same as the military unit, with the khaki-coloured tunic and pants and a brimmed cap. The band continued to play at football games and received high praise from the university during this time for increasing school spirit. In 1932, controversy arose towards the band being at football games. One argument stated that having

3266-499: The finale of the 2016 Toronto Fashion Week for Greta Constantine playing an arrangement of " Happy " by Pharrell Williams. The band left its involvement under the USC in 2015 and, after 78 years, became part of a new organization group as part of the Athletics Department , under the umbrella of Western Student Experience. In 2018, the band performed alongside the cheerleading team at the 2019 Juno Awards . This performance

3337-464: The first valve slide. They are operated by the player's thumb and are used to adjust a large range of notes using the first valve, most notably the player's written top line F, the A above directly above that, and the B ♭ above that. Other notes that require the first valve slide, but are not as problematic without it include the first line E, the F above that, the A above that, and the third line B ♭ . Triggers or throws are often found on

3408-438: The first, second or third valves are pressed; pressing the thumb valve takes these secondary valve slides and the extra length of main tubing out of play to produce a shorter B ♭ horn. A later "full double" design has completely separate valve section tubing for the two sides, and is considered superior, although rather heavier in weight. Initially, compensated instruments tended to sound stuffy and blow less freely due to

3479-449: The following ratios and comparisons to 12-tone equal tuning and to a common five-limit tuning in C: The additional tubing for each valve usually features a short tuning slide of its own for fine adjustment of the valve's tuning, except when it is too short to make this practicable. For the first and third valves this is often designed to be adjusted as the instrument is played, to account for

3550-414: The fundamental tone or the first overtone is the lowest partial practically available to the player in terms of playability and musicality, dividing brass instruments into whole-tube and half-tube instruments. These terms stem from a comparison to organ pipes , which produce the same pitch as the fundamental pedal tone of a brass instrument of equal length. Neither the horns nor the trumpet could produce

3621-545: The instrument. Designs exist, although rare, in which this behaviour is reversed, i.e., pressing a valve removes a length of tubing rather than adding one. One modern example of such an ascending valve is the Yamaha YSL-350C trombone, in which the extra valve tubing is normally engaged to pitch the instrument in B ♭ , and pressing the thumb lever removes a whole step to pitch the instrument in C. Valves require regular lubrication . A core standard valve layout based on

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3692-455: The maximum member count of 45 men. During this time, Brown excluded women from the band as musicians. Women were only allowed in the majorette section. This idea did not change for the entirety that Brown was bandmaster . From 1960 to 1965, Brown grew the band to a size of 65-85 members. The band at this time received positive praise from game attendees and the press. Brown left as director in 1968 and membership declined that year. At this point,

3763-466: The octave below their open second partial, which is critical for tubas and euphoniums in much of their repertoire. The compensating system was applied to horns to serve a different purpose. It was used to allow a double horn in F and B ♭ to ease playing difficulties in the high register. In contrast to the system in use in tubas and euphoniums, the default 'side' of the horn is the longer F horn, with secondary lengths of tubing coming into play when

3834-606: The officer as an effeminate, wig-wearing, conceited fool, and the camp followers as women who were militarily but provocatively costumed, and also clearly recognizable as a man: the Tanzmarie . In the late 19th century, the carnival associations found further inspiration in the revue girls performing in theaters at the time. They were scantily clad young women, accompanied by military attributes like peak helmets and military backpacks, dancing provocatively in small groups. The revue girls became nightclub-like stars. It cannot be denied that

3905-487: The onset of some new instruments and newer uniforms. The band received full, professional uniforms in 2007. The annual Toronto and London Santa Claus Parades continued to be a part of the band activities every year, as well as the Montreal St. Patrick's Day Parade which was added in 2005. More activities outside of the traditional marching band circle garnered attention to the band, starting in 2007. The band participated at

3976-546: The request of Marianas Trench in the 2007 MMVA's for their red-carpet entrance. The following year, the band performed with Let's Go to War at the 2008 Virgin Mobile Music Festival in Toronto. This performance mixed both electronic and more traditional genres by utilizing the band instrumentation alongside a DJ. In recent years, the band has been in Shawn Mendes' 2014 music video for Something Big , performed at

4047-457: The scope of much of the discussion above regarding families of brass instruments. Valves are used to change the length of tubing of a brass instrument allowing the player to reach the notes of various harmonic series. Each valve pressed diverts the air stream through additional tubing, individually or in conjunction with other valves. This lengthens the vibrating air column thus lowering the fundamental tone and associated harmonic series produced by

4118-552: The song by including another melody after Smither's original composition. Not an original melody, Wright included an arrangement of the chorus of " Washington and Lee Swing ", which is a commonly used school fight song . The school song is traditionally followed by the Western school cheer, Caninny . This cheer has been used as a spirit cheer by Western students since the early 1920s, originating from early football games. The band currently consists of members from various faculties at

4189-464: The stuffiness resulting from the air being passed through the valve section twice, but as this really only affects the longer F side, a compensating double can be very useful for a 1st or 3rd horn player, who uses the F side less. Another approach was the addition of two sets of slides for different parts of the range. Some euphoniums and tubas were built like this, but today, this approach has become highly exotic for all instruments except horns, where it

4260-484: The third valve slide. They are operated by the player's fourth finger, and are used to adjust the lower D and C ♯ . Trumpets typically use throws, whilst cornets may have a throw or trigger. Trombone triggers are primarily but not exclusively installed on the F-trigger, bass, and contrabass trombones to alter the length of tubing, thus making certain ranges and pitches more accessible. A euphonium occasionally has

4331-414: The tuba. See also the article Brass Instrument Valves . Because the player of a brass instrument has direct control of the prime vibrator (the lips), brass instruments exploit the player's ability to select the harmonic at which the instrument's column of air vibrates. By making the instrument about twice as long as the equivalent woodwind instrument and starting with the second harmonic, players can get

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4402-532: The tubing has an inversely proportional effect on pitch ( Pitch of brass instruments ), while pitch perception is logarithmic, there is no way for a simple, uncompensated addition of length to be correct in every combination when compared with the pitches of the open tubing and the other valves. For example, given a length of tubing equaling 100 units of length when open, one may obtain the following tuning discrepancies: Playing notes using valves (notably 1st + 3rd and 1st + 2nd + 3rd) requires compensation to adjust

4473-414: The tubing. This may take the form of desiccant design, to keep the valves dry, sacrificial zincs , replaceable valve cores and springs, plastic insulating washers, or nonconductive or noble materials for the valve cores and springs. Some instruments use several such features. The process of making the large open end (bell) of a brass instrument is called metal beating . In making the bell of, for example,

4544-416: The tuning appropriately, either by the player's lip-and-breath control, via mechanical assistance of some sort, or, in the case of horns, by the position of the stopping hand in the bell. 'T' stands for trigger on a trombone. Traditionally the valves lower the pitch of the instrument by adding extra lengths of tubing based on a just tuning : Combining the valves and the harmonics of the instrument leads to

4615-415: The tuning or temperament system are inherent in the physics of the most popular valve design, which uses a small number of valves in combination to avoid redundant and heavy lengths of tubing (this is entirely separate from the slight deficiencies between Western music's dominant equal (even) temperament system and the just (not equal) temperament of the harmonic series itself). Since each lengthening of

4686-458: Was a well-known musician at Western and developed a small group of other musicians to join in the parades down to the stadium before a Western rugby game. This group became known as the "University Band". With limited resources, the band did not develop after the fall of 1923. However in 1926, the band restarted under the direction of Bruce Wiley. This new organization had more resources due to financial and administrative assistance from Paul McKibben,

4757-470: Was an early variety. In the mid 19th century the Vienna valve was an improved design. However many professional musicians preferred rotary valves for quicker, more reliable action, until better designs of piston valves were mass manufactured towards the end of the 19th century. Since the early decades of the 20th century, piston valves have been the most common on brass instruments except for the orchestral horn and

4828-475: Was brought on as director in 1981. Masters secured funding from various organizations, allowing for the purchase of new instruments and uniforms. By the mid-1980s, membership again dwindled, and a series of articles criticizing the band's unprofessional atmosphere began appearing in the Western Gazette. The band languished throughout this era, and would not regain their professional form until the mid-2000s, with

4899-426: Was female. Wright purposefully chose Beth Forbes for the position and felt strongly about having a female in the leadership role. The band ceased operations in 1940 due to World War II and all other extra-curricular activities at the university were stopped. Don Wright left the band at this time to help with the war effort. After the war however, the band reorganized for the 1945 football season. To increase size,

4970-455: Was part of the opening act with Loud Luxury . Walter Smither wrote the school song known as Western, with lyrics written by Margaret Ovens. The melody was originally rejected as a school song while Smither was at Beck Collegiate. In 1930, the melody along with new lyrics was submitted in a contest to the university's student council. It subsequently won and became the official school song of Western University . In 1931, Don Wright added to

5041-472: Was regarded that the band had an entire row of girls. Marvin Kwitko took over as bandmaster in the 1954 season. He was composed and arranged the music the band played. The band during this time had 45 musicians. Under Kwitko's direction, practices were scheduled four times a week. Kwitko left the band in 1956. Brien MacDonald became the director after Kwitko in 1956 and helped to get new uniforms. Prior to this,

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