BOA Grand Nationals: Ben Davis, Indianapolis, Ind.

INDIANAPOLIS (Nov. 14, 2009)—When you speak of the 270-member marching band from Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Ind., one of Indiana’s largest units, you carry a 60-plus-year history of one of this country’s premiere ambassadors of great music.

They have marched in the inaugural parades for two presidents (1961 for John F. Kennedy and 1985 for Ronald Reagan). They have twice (1970 and 1974) brought their music to the World Music Festival in The Netherlands. They have marched in Honolulu, the Rose Parade, Macy’s Parade, and at numerous Indianapolis Colts halftime shows.

They are the only band to win 14 Indiana state marching championships, including nine field show competitions and five parade competitions.

At the Lucas Oil Stadium here for a semi-final performance at the Bands of America Grand National Championships, they continue their run as world citizens with a show entitled “The Silk Road.” It includes the music of Philip Glass, Shigeru Umebayashi, David Buckley, and Tan Dun.

The band’s opening set is an explicit reference to the original Silk Road, which served as a major trade route connecting China to the West. It flourished under the Han Dynasty (202 BC to AD 220), decreased in the 700s, and grew again after about 1100.

The route likely traveled from city to city, and the band shows these “centers” using circles across the entire field.

What came from China was mostly silk, shown here with huge banners that color guard dancers carry back to the West. Field props include balls that are carried from one place to another, probably representing the precious stones and metals that China received from merchants traveling along the Silk Road.

The route connected the Yellow River Valley to the Mediterranean Sea and passed through places such as the Chinese cities of Kansu and Sinkiang, as well as places that today form the countries of Iran, Iraq, and Syria. According to Ray Gonzales at Humboldt State University:

When considering the nature of the Silk Road, one must remember that there was no one silk route, but many routes, roads, and paths that head in an east-west direction. Some routes were well developed and relatively free from bandits, while others were less protected and had fewer oasis towns which offered shelter from the elements. A particular route along the southern edge of the Taklimakan was quite risky, but it took less time to cross. One thing that many of the routes had in common was a meeting point in Kashgar (Kashi). This city, located at the foot of the Pamirs, became one of the most important trade centers in Central Asia. This was the halfway point along the Silk Road where most traders sold their loads to middle men who would make the final transaction further down the line.

People in northwest India, near the Ganges River, were middlemen in China-Mediterranean trade. Relationships between the Chinese and the Indians thus improved, as the Chinese traded silk for precious jade, gold, and silver. The Indians then traded the silk with the Roman Empire.

The last hurrah for the Silk Road probably came in 1276-1368, under the Yuan Dynasty, when the Mongols controlled China. After that, trade over land became increasingly dangerous, and trade across the seas was gaining in popularity with merchants everywhere, including China.

The marching band from Ben Davis High School is directed by John Papandria; drum majors are Julia Holsapple, Jerico Hughes, and Aaron Graves. And just as there were many routes for merchants to get their goods from China to the Roman Empire, there are many ways for a band to make its mark on history—or its indelible imprint on the lives of the students who have gone through the program. Ben Davis makes that clear every time they put on their uniforms and take the field or file down the street.