86: Composer Spotlight on James Swearingen and Marching Band Music for Your Homeschool

What makes marching band music so exciting—and why do beginner bands around the world love playing James Swearingen’s compositions? In this episode of the Music in Our Homeschool podcast, Gena Mayo takes you inside the world of marching bands and shines a spotlight on one of the most beloved composers for young musicians.

You’ll hear about:

• James Swearingen’s inspiring journey from trumpet player to world-renowned composer
• His most popular works, like In All Its Glory, Exaltation, and Novena
• The difference between concert bands, marching bands, and other types of ensembles
• Why John Philip Sousa helped create the sousaphone—and how it changed marching bands forever
• How marching bands build teamwork, discipline, and joy in students

Whether your child is just starting band or you simply want to appreciate music in a fresh way, this episode will inspire you to listen more closely, spot the instruments, and enjoy the excitement of band music.

Tune in and discover how music by James Swearingen makes band playing joyful, accessible, and unforgettable!

Find links to all resources mentioned in this episode here: https://musicinourhomeschool.com/composer-spotlight-james-swearingen/ 

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Transcript

Composer Spotlight on James Swearingen and Marching Band Music

[00:00:00] Hello, harmony heroes. Welcome back to the Music in Our Homeschool podcast. I'm Gena Mayo, your guide to bringing joy and beauty into your homeschool through music and the fine arts. Today, we're diving into a fun topic, marching bands, and learning about one of the most important composers for beginner bands: James Swearingen. If you've ever seen a marching band at a parade or a football game, you know how exciting they can be. The music, the movement, the uniforms, and the teamwork all come together to create a show that's unforgettable.

Who is James Swearingen? James Swearingen was born in 1947 in Ohio. When he was young, he fell in love with music and started playing the trumpet. That love of music grew into a lifelong career. He became a high school band director in Columbus, Ohio, where he taught hundreds of students how to play, [00:01:00] listen, and perform together.

Later, he taught at Capital University, helping college students learn to become band directors themselves. But what really made Swearingen famous is his music. He has written over 600 pieces, especially for beginning bands. His compositions are special because they're fun to play, they sound exciting, and they aren't too hard.

That means even these beginner bands can sound amazing when they play one of his works. Swearingen's goal has always been to make music accessible for everyone. His pieces are filled with catchy rhythms, memorable melodies, and exciting moments that make students and the audiences want to cheer.

Because of this, his music is played not only across the United States, but around the world. He even travels to conduct bands who are performing his works. Can you imagine playing in a concert and having the [00:02:00] actual composer conducting your band? What an incredible experience that is.

Let's talk about some of Swearingen's most popular pieces. In All its Glory is a triumphant, upbeat piece with bright brass sounds and a strong rhythm. By the way, if you head over to the companion blog post to this episode, you'll see videos of all the music that I'm mentioning.

Exaltation is joyful and easy to play. This one's a favorite for younger bands. And Novena is a slower, lyrical piece that shows the beauty of wind instruments. Next time you listen to one of these, try to notice the instruments. Maybe you hear the trumpets leading the exciting melody, or are the drums keeping the beat steady? What other types of percussion instruments do you hear, like cymbals or the triangle? How does the music make you feel? Excited, [00:03:00] calm, inspired?

Let's take a moment to pause and talk about what exactly is a band. A band is a group of musicians who play instruments together. They don't have stringed instruments like an orchestra does. Bands only have woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

Now there are different types of bands, too. Concert band is what I was referring to, and they usually play indoors on a stage. And marching bands have many of the same instruments that the concert band does, but there's a few differences because they also add movement, uniforms, and even often a color guard with flags or rifles or batons. They perform in parades, football games, and competitions.

And then of course, you might have heard of rock bands or jazz bands, and those have some different groupings of instruments as well.

One thing that's really neat [00:04:00] about a concert band compared to a marching band is the tuba and sousaphone. There is a very famous band director named John Phillip Sousa from the late 1800s, who discovered that the tuba was not very easy to use in a marching band. He wrote lots of March music, and he's even called the March King. But the tuba, the lowest brass instrument, has a bell that faces straight up, and the sound goes up, which is not a problem if you're sitting on a stage in a concert hall, but if you're outdoors, you want the sound to be facing toward the people.

So he had a sousaphone invented in the 1890s. T he suse phone is easier to carry while marching because it sits on the shoulder rather than on the lap like a tuba does, and the bell is facing outward instead of up. So it [00:05:00] projects the sound toward the audience, and they can hear it better. Be sure to look over in the blog post because you can see a picture of the tuba versus the sousaphone.

Now, why are marching bands special? They're more than just music. They're about teamwork, discipline, and community. The musicians have to memorize the music, whereas if they were playing on stage, they probably would have the music in front of them. They learn complicated marching patterns, and they perform with precision. At parades and football games. They bring joy, excitement, and a sense of pride to everyone watching.

So what can we learn from James Swearingen today? Music can be joyful and accessible for everyone. Teamwork makes performances powerful, and even beginning musicians can create something amazing when they work together.

Here's a little challenge for you. The next time [00:06:00] you hear a band, whether it's a concert band or a marching band, listen carefully. Notice the rhythms, the melodies, and how all the instruments are working to blend together. And then see if you can spot certain instruments such as trumpets, clarinets, cymbals, and maybe even a sousaphone.

Thank you for joining me today on this spotlight on James Swearingen and marching bands. If you'd like printable activities to go along with this episode, be sure to head over to the companion blog post, find the link in the show notes or description, and I will see you soon. Until next time, keep bringing the beauty of music into your homeschool.

Goodbye, harmony heroes.

Find links to all resources mentioned in this episode here: https://musicinourhomeschool.com/composer-spotlight-james-swearingen/