blog+post+honoring+the+late+William+P.+Foster

===I’ve got a soft spot for people who take on the status quo — of an industry, a sport, an art form — and then turn it upside down and inside out. Think Marcel Duchamp for art. Or Ray Kroc for restaurants. Or Bill Walsh for football. ===

===One such person passed away this weekend: William P. Foster, whose obituary runs in today’s New York Times. Foster was a consummate outsider — an African-American clarinetist who aspired to become a symphony conductor, only to realize that his race prevented him from attaining that position. ===

===So instead Foster decided to reinvent the marching band. He abandoned the staid, military-style, Sousa-centric, lockstep approach prevalent at most football half-times — and replaced it with “shows that infused black popular culture into his routines, blending contemporary music, often jazz or rock, with imaginative choreography, his green-and-orange uniformed band members carrying their instruments at a 45-degree angle, legs bent to the same angle.” === ===  These action-packed, dynamic shows were huge crowd pleasers. Foster’s Florida A&M Marching 100 ended up performing for presidents and prime ministers. And along the way, he — like other innovators of his ilk — established not just a new standard, but a new vernacular for his profession. To get a small taste, check out the clip below. Then ponder how you can be more like the man students called “The Maestro”. === ** [|FAMU Marching Band 100] @ Miami: **