MARCHING BANDS, WAR BANDS, MARCIAL BANDS, AND MARCIAL MUSICIANS IN MUSIC EDUCATION: TOWARD A PROACTIVE PEDAGOGICAL MODEL FOR HOLISTIC EDUCATION

Abstract

This article analyzes the educational value of marching bands, military bands, and martial music practice within music education, with an emphasis on the Latin American and Colombian school context. Based on a review of academic literature, theses, articles, and specialized documents, it argues that these groups should not be understood merely as devices for parades or exhibitions, but rather as complex settings for musical learning, physical expression, social interaction, leadership, cultural identity, and, ultimately, community engagement. The text discusses their historical and pedagogical foundations, examines their contributions to students’ technical, cognitive, socio-emotional, and aesthetic development, and acknowledges the limitations that persist when the practice is reduced to mechanical repetition, competition without educational guidance, or institutional improvisation. As its main contribution, the study proposes a pedagogical model called PRO-MAR, focused on curriculum planning, teacher training, formative assessment, inclusion, and the integration of music, movement, and the community. The central thesis, then, is that a well-designed school marching band can become a laboratory for contemporary music education and a platform for human development with a significant social impact, provided that it is based on pedagogical criteria—not exclusively on performance-related ones.