For this assignment, I chose to focus on something that is personal for me-marching band, and how technology is improving it.
I have been involved with music since I was nine years old when I first learned how to play trumpet. My involvement continued through middle school into high school, when I joined my high school’s marching band. I have been involved with marching band for the past six plus years, in both high school and now at Temple. One major difference between my high school’s marching band and the Diamond Band at Temple is that we use technology during rehearsals, as opposed to high school where rehearsals were strictly paper based.
In terms of music, having it available on our phones allows us to more efficiently mark spots that are problematic which allows us to more quickly fix them. If we were to use paper copies, it would involve us having to take the music out of our flip folders, mark the music, and put it back in the flip folders. This saved time allows for rehearsal as a whole to run much more efficiently. There are of course people who choose to use paper music as it negates any technical problem that might occur with a cell phone, but the vast majority of the band uses digital copies of music.
As for drill (the formations that we make on the field), the entire band is required to have a copy of it in electronic form. Paper forms of the drill are much bulkier as they require a binder, are lot less eco-friendly, and doesn’t allow us to see the drill in real time. With the electronic form of the drill, we are able to see how formations move, our individual pathways to our next spot on the field and are able to learn drill in a much more convenient fashion. It is also eco-friendlier, as paper and the resulting waste are removed from the equation.
Compared to my experience in my high school marching band, the Diamond Band is much better off using technology in rehearsal than not. By making rehearsal inherently more efficient, we are able to get more done in a faster time, which allows us to have a better performance come gameday.
Technology and Culture-Steve Schwartz 
You did a great job describing your experience in the TUDMB. I used to be in band in High School and we always used paper notes, electronic devices were actually prohibited during rehearsals. Using technology would have been more beneficial in being able to as you said, mark spots as well as be more organized. Saving costs on paper also would have been a plus.
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