In my third essay, “Discourse Community Band”, I selected a discourse community to analyze, which is associated at the Virginia Military Institute. I chose the Regimental Band or Band Company, mainly because I will be joining that Company in the fall, when I matriculate. In order to analyze it, I used John Swales’s six characteristics that he describes in his piece “The Concept of Discourse Community.” He states that every group has: a common goal, their own specific language, information the members exchange through this language, one or more genres of communication, specific lexis, and a proportionate experience level among the members.
As part of the research I conducted for this paper, I interviewed the band’s director, Colonel John Brodie. We discussed the Swales’s six points and associated the different aspects of Band Company to each of those points. In my opinion, I concluded that the Regimental Band was a discourse community. Using Swales’s six qualities as a guideline for analyzing the group.
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Essay 3: Discourse Community Band
Discourse Community Band
ERH 101, Section 3
Date Due: June 18, 2015
Date Sub: June 18, 2015
Paper 3
Help Received: Peer-revision,
Swales’ Article, Professor Conference,
Class paperwork and discussion,
Interview with Col. Brodie
The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) promotes an assortment of discourse communities as part of the curriculum or for special interests. Several of these include sports teams, religious studies, emergency services and most notably, the Regimental Band. At the Institute, Band Company (Band Co.), established in 1947, is one of nine companies that form the Corps of Cadets (VMI Regimental Band). These companies are entirely separate units, each of which consist of an average of 160 Cadets. The Regimental Band is comprised of a primary wind ensemble, accompanied with a Drum and Pipe Corps. As a whole, Band Co. is a tightly knit group of individuals, who dorm together and motivate each other throughout their time at VMI. Admission into this unit is open to all and any Cadets, despite a possible deficiency in musical experience. The Regimental Band is, no doubt, one of the many discourse communities present at VMI
In John Swales’s, “The Concept of Discourse Community”, he depicts the basic requirements and features for a discourse community to exist. He provides a list of six different qualities that produce these organizations. At one point he states, “A discourse community recruits its members by persuasion, training or relevant qualification” (Swales 220). This is comparable to Band Co., in which, the current participants pursue those Cadets with any form of musical background and greatly encourage those individuals to join.
Swales first concept depicts, “A discourse community has a broadly agreed set of common public goals” (Swales 220). This end objective, of any group, is what provides the members with purpose and motivation to their existence. Without a communal achievement, there are no accomplishments to be made and, there for, no use for the community to exist. The Band Co. under the leadership of Director, Colonel John Brodie, performs at events all over the nation, year round. Due to the Institute’s high level of professionalism and strong promotion of respectable moral values, the Regimental Band has been invited to perform at six presidential inauguration parades (VMI Regimental Band Article). As a unit, their goal is to perform for others and act as ambassadors of VMI, to those who may not have possessed any prior knowledge of the institution. As part of the Regimental Band, along with any other discourse community, there exists a distinct language specific to that group.
Swales’s second point refers to this specific dialect of a community: “A discourse community has mechanisms of intercommunication among its members” (Swales 221). The Regimental Band, along with variety of band communities, possess an alternate language completely different from most groups. Bands, in general, have to learn to listen and speak the language of music. When a performer has a sheet of music that he or she is reading, there are lines across the pages with what look like small golf clubs, black circles or dots, with a thin line protruding from one side, these are referred to as notes. The position of each note, corresponds to a specific tone on an instrument, and there include a huge variety of rhythmic combinations these notes can appear. When a band “reads” a piece of music, the members are communicating with each other through their instruments and together by ways of breathing and musical expression. This detailed language, assists the members of the assembly to interact with each other non-verbally. Another form of intercommunication, is the group email and special formations or meetings held within the band room in Shell Hall, located on campus at the Institute (Brodie, interview).
In Swales’s third characteristic, he verifies the use of this unique community language: “A discourse community uses its participatory mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback” (Swales 221). While performing a piece of music, there are sections that are specifically grouped together, these are referred as phrases. Instrumentalists will recognize a change in the tone of the piece or will anticipate an alternate section of the band to receive the melody. Once the group has completed practicing or performing a section, each member may offer suggestions using musical terminology to get their point across. An example Col. Brodie gave in the interview: “I might instruct the low brass to work on their tonality (the quality of the noise being produced), also to tell them watch for the crescendos (a rise in the volume of the sound) in next few measures (dignified segments that the music is separated into)”. Col. Brodie and the Cadet musicians, use this music to assist each other to provide constructive criticism and suggestions.
Music is the main genre practiced by all bands in any discourse communities. In Swales’s fourth point he states: “A discourse community utilizes and hence possess one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims” (Swales 221). The only technique for musical groups to produce pieces, is for them to operate under recognized methods of procedure. As said before, musicians speak a completely different language. This alternate language is the major genre specific to that group. This genre, is the system of communication between each of the participants. Within the Regimental Band, there are a variety of commands which are utilized to preform different actions, theses would come closest to Band Co.’s lexis. Col. Brodie stated for example, “I’ll have the band preform an eight count mark time before they begin marching.” Marking time, to the students, signifies them to march in place for the designated number of counts before beginning to actually move. This action allows the specific speed of the command to resonate in their minds.
With the specific language Swales mentions, he also includes the intricate terms or acronyms utilized in that discourse community. His fifth quality says: “In addition to owning genres, a discourse community has acquired some specific lexis” (Swales 222). This refers to the exact elaborate language used in specific discourse communities. At a certain point, the members construct abbreviated lingo, which makes perfect sense to those exposed to the specific context in which they are used. The Regimental Band, along with other orchestral groups, include these expressions in order to quickly and effectively converse with one another. For example, in a warm-up exercise, Col. Brodie might instruct the group to rehears the “CoF” (Circle of Fifths). To those outside the musical setting, this expression does not make sense, although it was spoken in English. The Circle of Fifths, refers to a specific order of rhythmic scales, which include eight separate tones. These tones, are labelled “A” through “G”, and the different scales begin on one of these eight tones or notes, and ascend though the different notes. Mastery of the “CoF” requires a great deal of practice. Even those who have possess proficient skill, can lose it without rigorous rehearsal. Contained within the Regimental Band, there exists a wide assortment of skill levels, as part of any community.
Swales’s final concept of discourse community expresses, “A discourse community has a threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise” (Swales 222). The Regimental Band is comprised cadets ranging from Fourth to First Classman. A measurable amount of these members, have never played a musical instrument previous to their enlistment in Band Company. Swales mentions, that for a healthy discourse community there is an even ratio of novices and experts. There is a constant flow of incoming Cadets, and a proportionate outflow of graduating First Classman. This consistent replenishment preserves the enthusiasm and motivation in the group.
As I enter into the VMI community, I plan on joining the Regimental Band, and to remain a member throughout my cadetship. I was a member of my high school marching band and certainly appreciated the friendly atmosphere affiliated with the group. To me, bands, no matter what larger or standalone organization they belong to, are a tightly knit group of individuals. To Col. Brodie, he considers that Band Co. is one large family. Each member supports the other, especially in the Regimental Band, and the entire ensemble is motivated by the enthusiasm and unique characters involved. These are the reasons for the selection of the Regimental Band as a discourse community. As part of my research, I contacted the Regimental Band’s director, Col. Brodie, and asked him a few questions about the relation between a generic high school marching band and the Regimental Band at VMI. He described them as very similar, the only difference being “you are living with your companions 24/7 and you are all going through the exact same experience.”
In the process of investigating this discourse community, I began my research on the Virginia Military Institute’s home page. After searching “Regimental Band information”, I was directed to a fact sheet organized by the Communications and Marketing division. This was comprised of generic facts and a summary of the program. I then observed the Regimental Band’s information center, which lead me to contact the director of bands, Colonel Brodie. I set up an interview and we discussed the characteristics of Band Co., while I mentioned my previous research and references to Swales’s six qualities of a discourse community.
From the facts sheet about the Virginia Military Institute, I learned, the date of creation for the Regimental Band, 1947. The unit travels around the country to perform at numerous parades. In the past Band Co. has marched in the Rose Bowl Parade in California, they have also participated as the “Queen’s Band” in the New Orleans Mardi Gras parade, and have attended the last six presidential inauguration parades. Then, from the interview with the band director Col. Bordie, he informed me of the intercommunication of the band. He explained the similarities of the Regimental Band to a high school marching band. Likewise, he described the social environment associated with being a member of this group and how closely knit all the participants are with each other.
As I have compared VMI’s Regimental Band to all six of the characteristics expressed in Swales’s piece, I believe that Band Co. is the perfect example of a discourse community. There is a common goal of preforming for others and representing VMI. The group has a specific language that each of its members can utilize to assist each other and give each other feedback. There is unique terminology that has been created which only the members can understand. The genre of the community is music itself, and it is primary form in which participants express their ideas and opinions, in this case, through the medium of music. Finally, the group has a healthy proportion of novices to experts, and replenish outgoing members with new ones on a regular basis. The Regimental Band, in my opinion, is to be considered a discourse community, due to the fact that it meets all six of the characteristics expressed in Swales’s piece.
Work Cited
Brodie, John. Personal Interview. 17 July 2015.
Swales, John. “The Concept of Discourse Community.” Writing About Writing. 2nd Ed. Elizabeth Wardle. Doug Downs. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014. 215-28. Print.
“VMI Regimental Band.” Virginia Military Institute. Virginia Military Institute: Communications and Marketing: Media Relations: Fact Sheets: Regimental Band. Sept 2014. Web. 17 July 2015.