Nishihara HS - 2002-03. Half the band is 15/16 year olds

[SuperNomification]

Dat high note at 8:50 just made me jizz my pants

[Kostenbaat]

Or maybe it was 2000. It was the one that brought tears to my eyes.

[Kostenbaat]

Wonderful. But could we please get 2001 (Libertango) back?

[davidn4483]

Not only is the band like ninjas. the colorguards are just as amazing

[terrivel11]

My band is amazing and I still wish we could be this good.

[nickerthewinner]

Ninjas...they still exist in band kid form (hell yeah!!!)

[link000120]

holy crap... that last part made MY legs hurt.

[airsovereigns23]

OMFG!

[jumpinjake58]

litterally just got goosebumps. O.O

[Trombean]

Jesus, those last 2 minutes... I've never seen a high school marching band move that fast!

[007marching]

What's the name of that show?? and the single song of this?

[radlikewhoa]

The five people that liked this are blind and deaf. Just saying.

[nickjonasrules18]

@radlikewhoa you mean disliked?

[Colinfowler08]

Probably the best marching I've ever seen.

[southerngal3355]

again WOW!!!

[bandanoega]

very nice!

[gilom2nd]

what was the theme?

[hornguy04]

@gilom2nd sounds like Beethoven to me.

[papajohn5656]

Are Japanese bands not allowed to use electronics?

[amandaandgordon]

No.

[papajohn5656]

Kind of funny. People think of Japan (or stereotype) as the technologically advanced society, but in this realm they keep tech out of it, whereas the USA is all over synths.

[amandaandgordon]

Electronics became a "keeping up with the Joneses" event in US starting in the late 80s. Rarely does it add anything authentic to a production but for bands to appear current more and more had to begin using them. I'm not sure if Japanese rules prohibit electronics but if a group begins to use them without penalty, there may be changes there as it were here.

[amandaandgordon]

Just visited with a friend of mine who works with Aimachi (the marching band, not the winterguard or drumline). He says that he doesn't know of any rule prohibiting electronics. Rules there are much different than here, though, and it may be that the directors don't see electronics as a necessity (for example, there wasn't even a color guard caption until last year... but that never kept anyone from having great guards).

[dominickkk5]

Your wife looks pissed.

[TheCelestialAngel]

OMg!The Clarinet parts were awesome!!!!!Especially at 4:08!!!!

[sahsrg10]

most amazing thing i've ever seen out of a high school. wish it was like that in the states. its verging on drum corps!

[HaveaBlast18]

What is the song during the drumbreak? I been trying to find itt, but I couldn't find it.

Nishihara is awesome!

[icyfantasia]

OMG if it were me would have ended up forgeting to breathe cause i need to remember the piece and the steps!! @_@ NISHIHARA HIGH SCHOOL SAIKOU!!

[HaveaBlast18]

Does anyone know what their closer is? It sounds awesome!

[musicrinda]

I think the whole show is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Most people recognize the slow movements, but the lesser- known fast movements FLY!!! Bravo on the arrangement from piano to marching band.

[HaveaBlast18]

The whole show isn't the Moonlight Sonata. It's just the beginning. The slow part before the closer is the Adagio. And then there's some that I can't remember the name. I think the closer is a symphony, but I don't know what it is.

[RobbyRageisFuntastic]

i am in love with your opener! Wow amazing!

[AznPryde68]

wow O.O

[ajamesu]

SPECTACULAR. Before this video, I could not even imagine how in the world a marching band could perform Moonlight Sonata M. III, so when I heard it, I was in total awe. The ending is AMAZING. NISHIHARA FTW!

[racsel29]

The BEST marching band in Japan

[sukuiichuu]

Wow, the last two minutes or so gave me chills.

[imsuchabandgeek]

wow.i love the excitement in the music and drill.

as much as i wish my band could do that i know it would be so much harder since its on turf/grass outside in the cold. people in the us dont focus and care enough either, so all the bands, especially mine sucks.

what size band is this?/ and is that your music director majoring?

[FFPiano89]

Thats not true about people in the us not caring go to texas and watch their marching bands then tell me if they don't care

[xxh3llfir3xx]

i love beethoven and this makes me so happy.

[jadebrew]

The end of this show is AMAZING!!!!!!

[fearofthespork]

Is it me or do they crabwalk around 1:55?

Btw, still the most amazing performance I have EVER seen.

[pscychomop]

It's Japan, they can crabwalk as much as they want as far as we know=P

[YEP321S]

No standard step style and application, not a crab step. Just twisting torsos, etc. Just done exceptionally well. 8)

[Pikachu24]

mope

they pivot march

i dont think they can bust what phantom did (excuse me if im wrong but im not sure if it was phantom or star of indiana LOL)

[cielbert123]

wee! i saw a color guard dropped her flag at 1:11 but recovered amazingly! and at 2:35 i saw a color guard forgot a single move, and i love the formation from 5:48 till 6:01, and i also loved the combination of the flags of the color guards... btw, GREAT JOB! love it! ^__^ really! [.]

[Pikachu24]

AT 2:35 she didnt forget anything it was part of the show because she was one of the three performing up front she just didnt do what the rest of the colorgaurd did cuz she moved uofront if you take a look at it closely

[ShayneRider]

Amazing. I am in marching band and though my first show ended up getting us several Grand Champions it was nowhere near as good as this band is.

[ryy1]

I squee'd when I heard the Pathetique ;D

[achilless]

how about when you heard the appassionata? :)

[BellevilleMB]

the passionata was also great- though I know the pathetique a lot better, so that's what hit me right away

[vlsfreak]

very very nice

[fuzzywizard0110]

omg! they start with the moonlight sonata!

[agrusch1]

Id love to see a show they would stand for!!!!1

[hornguy04]

wow i get goosebumps at 8:40 and 8:51...an amazing ending and an amazing speed at 8:16. i wish the audience would show a little more enthusiasm and applause lol.

[hornguy04]

hey herbs4mike. i was wondering will you have the '06 and '07 shows posted soon?

[XfaCTor94]

u can find their 2006 show by typing nishihara2006....the is no space...their 2007 show have not been posted yet

[KO8E89]

crazy for 15 and 16 year olds

[Chynk4Life]

i loved the band arrangement of the piano sonata. All of these japanese groups choose great music to play. I think its unfortunate that for all of that talent the japanese audience don't really seem to know how to express their appreciation. I don't think they've been introduced with a standing ovation. It would have been well deserved.

[SSAvias7]

It's not that they don't know how to express it. We this as obsolutely phenomenal because we don't have many groups in America that can do this level of drill work and music; but in Japan there's probably plenty of these, so they consider this caliber of stuff "normal". :P

[ryy1]

You have to understand that the customs are very different. In Japan, the greatest sign of respect someone can give is silence. Which is only logical, if you're making so much noise that you can't hear the band, you obviously don't enjoy their music as much as you could.

[lmc00rage]

very true

[vucachon]

What year was this? Info didn't specify

[herbs4mike]

Sorry about that, You're right! This is the 2002-03 Show. Which to me has the best ending I've ever seen in a High School show.

[CarmenxSandiego]

I seriously wish the director would sell his arrangements and drill. I would LOVE to do this show.

[HaveaBlast18]

Does he? Then that would be awesome, but hard for the groups b/c of so much running.

Show is awesome!

[sydstranda]

holy crap. this is just amazing.

[Ob0efr3ek]

oops..... i meant "neat" haha

[Ob0efr3ek]

thats great! why is it inside? a need concept that is new to me.

[Scouts12]

Sweet jesus 8:07 to the end.... that is friggin amazing... intense speed

[goddessmhj]

Hey, I was in this show!! I'm the guard that my dad ups on at 1:30!! Yaya!!

[wilsonkm]

Hey....you are a goddess for marching this show. I think the crowd should react more often for what went on with the music and visuals.

Good job.

[rayl9]

STOP MOVING THE CAMERA SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!

It ruins everything...

[herbs4mike]

Sorry, I was having problems (crowded, foot placement, etc) plus I was still sort of new at this recording thing.

[herbs4mike]

Also, your comment "STOP (like I can do something about it now) MOVING THE CAMERA..." is about 5 years too late. You needed to give me that advice before this show :) It gets better as the show goes along though. Hopefully that's some consolation :)

[shorn602]

uh, he's trying to get everything in the picture. Why don't you go record something for us to enjoy?

[tubaloverboy]

However that trumpet is at the end screamin like that has chops.

[quackmofro]

Holy schneike. I've never seen any band this clean in the states. Simply amazing!

[FeedMyButt]

They would totally win DCI

[SUNSNARE06]

except the drill would between the 35s

[YEP321S]

Most bands are gigging between the 35's and in fromt of the field center. No one's gettnig credit for fiels spread and not wiorth the risk. The ones I see doing it have a pretty large band.

[SUNSNARE06]

that is true, or unless you have very skilled marching

[SwiZziE228]

tat was crazy.

that one trumpet just freaking screamed near the end! freakign crazy

[fearofthespork]

Ive never seen such clean formations. Ive never seen indoor eiter, but cool. I would die without the field lines though :D Guard was spectacular. Pefection.

[disgawsome]

Its hard to see them in this video but there are cross marks on the floor defining 5m x 5m squares. Kinda like if we had hashes every 8 steps front to back, the AJMBA just came up with a really elegant solution.

[bluesky810]

Awesome! Right down to the snap at 8:04!

[raptor9110t]

Haha, the last minute or so, I bet the drill writer said "I'll bet you can't march AND play this!" That's amazing!

[raptor9110t]

Avon's drill is AMAZINGLY clean, and yet is nothing compared to these kids. They could easily content with even Div. I DCI corps.

[phantomphan01]

ok so i pretty much just vomited in my mouth a little bit because that was so clean. not gonna lie

[kane0187]

There are some high-end BOA bands that would compete for sure. Broken Arrow, Lawrence Central, Carmel, among a bunch I'm overlooking could probably give them a run for their money. Some of the cleanest drill I've ever seen though hands down.

[budnatl81]

na.. the only band in the states that can compete with this on a respectable level is Lassiter... Check out the 02 show on here. Hands down the best low brass and woodwind sound i've ever heard from a highschool marching band.

[majorjosh]

that is obnoxiously ridiculously amazing. they would kick the shit out of any high school band here in the states.

[chaosdude14]

Indoor? ive not seen one indoor before its always on a football field like our hs marching band

[hornguy04]

the entire third movement is the most amazing thing ive ever seen, guard is absolutely astonishing.

[herbs4mike]

I accidently removed a post concerning posting on Google. You can repost if you like, sorry.

[YEP321S]

"Students standing in the stands dancing" is not the only definition in the book for "exciting". You can pander to the lowest common denominator and get that....

[ChaostheClown]

these kids seem very very disciplined, and with 50+ hours a week put into this, that's very intense. my highschool's marching band only puts in about 20-25 at the most a week, and like i said, that's at the most!

[ChaostheClown]

i march center snare, we're very good, but these kids would blow us out, much respect. i still think our drumline's better than their's, buuuut that's cause we're known for our percussion, even though our horns are pretty amazing too, these guys totally own us. i can't wait to do drum corps, i'll feel better about myself then after watching this haha =P

[phantomphan01]

where r u from dude?

[herbs4mike]

ME?

[knreal]

8:51, nice trumpet duet wail!!!!!!!

[harristhecavaliers]

oh man... they are great ,, really great..

[1337evan]

haha cute kid. Anyways, I wish I could go to school in Japan just for the music programs there... here its a great program where I went to HS, but people had no discipline. Thats why we always ended up taking 2nd... no one would shut up.

[knreal]

i have to agree with you man, over there they are probly very disciplined and are always focused, i just wish people in our high schools were always focused and not goof around, thats why i want to do drum corps next year, i want to play with people who are as good as i am or at least better than me, and have the same attitude as me and be focused, but yea i agree with you about the discipline

[herbs4mike]

Concerning the discipline comments. It's different here. You choose your high school (anywhere in Japan). You have to pass an enterance exam to earn your right to attend high school. If you pass, you can attend. High schools here are usually known for something. Nishihara is known for it's band, volleyball, & 1 other sport that I can't think of now (not it's brains..., so the entrance exam is easier).

[herbs4mike]

Some students are from a 1000 miles away to play music here. So if you always screw around, they'll kick you out. & after you just spent all your junior high years preparing for to go to Nishihara. What a waste to get kicked out of the music program or the school. Different mentality. Highschool here is not an entitlement, you have to earn the privilege. & then you have to follow the rules so that you don't get kicked out (no pregnancy, smoking, serious law problems, etc.).

[herbs4mike]

Much like Drum Corps rules. Also, they practice like drum corps, over 50 hours per week, every week, and that's after school & weekends. That's more than a full time job (after school). The real hero in this is the instructor(s). He has a full time job, and then has this 50+ hour per week extracirricular activity. The dedication in this is much like Drum Corps. The instructor was a '96 cavalier horn.

[knreal]

wow, that sucks, but to put an amazing show like that, i would do it, even if it was for a year, i would put in all that hard work for that show

[itsxdaxbreakeryo]

dang omg. how do all the trumpets have the ability to play so high.

the ending must have been fricken tiring haha. wow this was awesome

[NarutoGrazer]

This is all so very good. And i love this arrangement of moonlight sonata. One of my favorite pieces anyway.

[mau3gon]

wow man, thats some good stuff right there, preety badass !!!!!

[Bandiscool87]

does this band have a winter guard?

[herbs4mike]

It's different here. The school year is from April until march. Summer break is 5 weeks starting mid-July. So the new bands are forming the shows & strategies. Most bands will start practicing their shows now, and gear up for the 1st contest in either sept or Oct. Nishihara will practice 7 days a week, 12 hours a day during the 5 week summer break. The championship is around Christmas. There is a show in Jan & then it's orchestra until March (the end of the year). So the answer is no.

[NarutoGrazer]

that is a crazy schedule.

[laughingstock133]

HOLY CRAP! You cannot see that ending in a BOA show. And japan has a definite lack of GE on their shows. American shows have all these props and costumes and specialities that you just don't see in Japanese marching band. But then again Japanese marching band isn't being performed on a gigantic football feild.

Spectacular trumpets. I can't say much more than that.

[herbs4mike]

There are bands here that use props, etc. In Japan, it's a marching competition, & it's judged so. I feel, as many DCI old timers, it really detracts from good marching, like you just saw. This is late 70s early 80s DCI style Marching with 2008 formations at it's best. No electrics, dancing, singing, everything is judgable OBJECTIVELY. Where interval, step size, togetherness, make rotating large formations a work of art; & the marchers win or lose the competitions, not the designers of the show.

[herbs4mike]

BTW, the 2005-2006 show that I will have posted next Sunday (22nd) does contain "a little" more of the current US trend. However, they were only playing exhibition. It's Japanese rules that if you win the nationals 2 years in a row, you cannot compete the next year. So they did more of a "show" (but still no electronics, & props were a minimum). Contained good marching though. 2005-2006 Exhibition was way better than the 2001-2002 exhibition show. Check out the 2004-5 overhead & nationals

[NarutoGrazer]

i agree with what you said at the end, but there are ways to add an extra twist without ruining the show. The whole point of being a musician is appearing nice to an audience, and if props and electronics help you do so, then i believe it makes you better. In the same way, if someone takes that risk and sounds horrible, then they should be penalized because the audience isn't as impressed.

[disgawsome]

I gotta go with herb4mike on this one. The props and scrims we see in the US are a little much these days. Why are we using THEATRE effects to create MARCHING BAND GE? Marching and Music GE should come from marching and music. Visual GE needs to be the domain of guard and drill and not how crafty or wealthy your parents are.

[XfaCTor94]

PALS??

[XfaCTor94]

do you have their video herbs? kanto....??

[marimbaman02]

So if they came in 2nd, who the heck won????

[herbs4mike]

Kanto high school. Prior to the nationals began, Kanto was given an award, "their 25th finals". So the writing was on the wall. Kanto was good, but there was no comparision. Kanto was conservative, trying nothing difficult. Nishihara was playing to win, receiving applause after applause, & then getting a huge roaring ovation during the last part of the show. Nishihara blew Kanto away in everyway. Nishihara got revenge the next time they met though, in the 2004 nationals which I have posted.

[adkii07]

Whoa! They, r awesone! They would make top 10 at boa grand nats! With out a doubt! The drill is amazing!

[disgawsome]

Top 10? Are you kidding? These kids would blow away most, if not all corps at DCI div.II! The best BOA shows ever are probably Broken Arrow '06 and Spring '93. Check out those vids, then watch Nishihara '01 or '04 and see if you still feel the same.

[adkii07]

The Visual is much better than the Music! And boa is mainly music! Soooo....

[disgawsome]

I'll give you that, but at BOA, the charts are all written MUCH less difficult than what Nishihara plays. Woodwind 'blizzards' abound, but when was the last time a BOA band let their brasses do that? Or how about BOAs HEAVY reliance on synths these days to emulate incredible brass sounds and pad bass? Check out the new vid herbs4mike just posted. Nishihara 04 has music and visual on the same level. Truly amazing!

[disgawsome]

Also, I don't want to take anything away from BOA. What they do, they do well. I really love the efficiency with which their festivals are run, it's just that it really cannot be at all compared evenly to what's happening in Japan.

[sys74657]

Nishihara is good, but it didn't illicit any psychosomatic response. Its like a robot; what it does is what its trained to do, but no soul, no enthusiasm. I say its due to Japans honor dichotomy of honor or shame, and thats what fuels the Japanese teen to succeed, just because failure = death. Overall, I don't like Nishihara, just because music isn't something to do, but its something you do... and feel.

[fudebako]

Maybe. The Chinese is worse, let me tell ya. But I wouldn't make it sound that rash, I mean not all the kid's mothers are hardcore show moms. They would sign up for music class if they didn't like it in the least bit.

[kwsbravesboy6]

Okay, now marching isn't about feelings. The marching was ridiculously hard to pull off, but especially for highschoolers. And if this isn't good, then what is at this age level?

[raveninwhite]

Okinawa, Japan.

By the way, they were the World Champion in the 2001 WCMSB, the World Championships of Marching Show Bands.

[TheTrumpetKing]

Yea, it should work. You can upload videos that are smaller than 100MB without their special uploader and larger ones if you download it.

[Teaves1112]

I thoroughly enjoyed this... thank you...

[TheTrumpetKing]

What year is this?

[herbs4mike]

2002 was the season. The Championship is Around Christmas 2002. This show is like an encore for the parents which is usually held around the 2nd - 3rd week of January. The Japanese school year is from April 2002 to March 2003

[TheTrumpetKing]

Forgive me if I sound stupid, but have you ever considered putting the videos on Google?  I would really like to download them to my iPod.

[cabsmello452]

Impressive! If this is the standard in Japan, its no wonder one of our members from their is as good as he is!

[ayanna2002]

no this is Nishihara is not standard we are above standard in JP but there are few highschools as good as us.... we do practice 247..its hard as hell but its worth it cause i get chill when im playing

[GeneralCrow]

Ye Nishihara is cool. I was standing next to them at World Music Contest in Kerkrade. indeed most of them very young and with such a great show.

[dciguy01]

Absolutely amazing for a marching band. Even more amazing that the audience was not cheering their asses off....

[herbs4mike]

As I wrote in another one of my videos, This is Japanese culture. Only the band freaks, like me :), are loud. And people look at us if we're disturbing their ability to watch the performance (no disrespect intended, just the truth). Afterwards, they'll say it was unbelievable. But during any performance really, most Japanese people will sit fairly silently until the performance is finished.

[VKDM8687]

You mean my screen name gave me away!?!?! DANG IT!!! I've been trying to keep this a secret. :-) Yes--VK drum major 86 and 87.

[herbs4mike]

My father was an instructor for the old VK back in the late sixties and early seventies. I, as a 6, 7, 8, and 9 year old love camp up in the mountains. That was some great times for us kids. Hence, my statement at the end of the video.

[disgawsome]

VK and Suncoast Sound were my favorite corps ever. Did you know VK are back on the field this summer? Some of the vets have organized the effort. They'll be entering as a Div.III per current DCI rules for new corps. Google 'VKYAO' and you'll see.

[VKDM8687]

OK that quite possibly, minus the musical fracks was one of the best marching band shows I've ever seen. The last minute is ASTOUNDING.

At the very end, the videographer shows his son who apparently was bored enough to sleep through the whole show. He quickly pans up to show his wife, and his wife gave the look I've gotten from my own wife many times: "WHY DID YOU BRING ME TO THIS SHOW!?" It flashed there for about 1.37 seconds. Oh...but it was there!!!

GREAT video! GREAT BAND!!!!

[herbs4mike]

Actually, my wife does like the shows. But I think that it was the fact that she was "left holding the son" that got me that look, LOL. Good catch though. BTW, you were with the VK?

[eliasaris]

japanese bands are amazing!

have a look at these (national band competitions in malaysia) (search 11th MSSMBC and look for Nan Hwa, CHWS, Keat Hwa)

we're not as good (no colour guards etc)

but we're ok i suppose (no match for japanese bands!)

[Bandiscool87]

sounded like moonlight sonata

[LegionDude2]

are they doing beethoven?

[Psychopinetreeboy]

(aserts him self in chair)HOLY CRAP! That was great. Once again another great performance. I can't wait to see the next one. and also what the name of that performance.(just a sugestion put the shows names in the description I will ask every time if there isn't one.)

[SlinkingSloth]

You did it again, enamourned, enthralled, amazed and overjoyed by the preformance. I had to keep reminding myself they were only 15 or 16, at 17 I still havn't been part of something that amazing, thanks ton for the vid!

[herbs4mike]

Also, check out the rest of the videos I have posted. I have a DCI STYLE ELEMENTARY BAND and they kick Butt!!!

[sponderthe1st]

that awsome !!!

[XfaCTor94]

watch?v=gGM1VKfB3JI

look at my school.......far from this one.....i need yall to give your side of comment.......

[XfaCTor94]

OMG.........whose the band director..or instructor........me .......as a band director really want to meet the band director and band instructor.........

[Spencetwitchalot34]

Oops, sorry. About the part of DCI events I've been in, I actually meant DCI events I've been to! I've never marched for Drum Corps.

[Spencetwitchalot34]

This band is phenominal!!! By far the best marching band I've ever seen and that includes all of the DCI events I've been in. It could definitely make any high school marching band in America look ridiculous and sorry lol! Just...WOW!!!

[xekill]

Really, the best high school show ever in my opinion. Fast and loud!

[bellgo]

That was awesome!!

[Starrider1026]

Oh my God. They're playing Trans Siberian Orchestra in there!

[ConnerMello2]

no. They're playing Beethoven.

[hautboisjj]

AND THIS IS ONLY A HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BAND? Japanese people are nuts.

[thedinga]

this is pretty frickin sweet

[hydeuphonium]

best high school band marching show ever.

[slappy1234567]

Great!

[pyrvinny]

Very nice. Japan has come a long way since I was there in '83 with the Blue Devils. Thanks for posting.

[smellyfeet411]

pretty damn good