The 63rd Pageantry of Sound

Choose an answer, then open the reveal to see the answer, reasoning, and a fun fact.

1. Question 1

   The Smithsonian has an early sousaphone made in Philadelphia around 1898–1902. Which company made it?

   1. C.G. Conn
   2. Ludwig
   3. J.W. Pepper
   4. Selmer

   Reveal the answer and why

   Answer C. J.W. Pepper

   Long before J.W. Pepper became known primarily for sheet music, the Philadelphia company also made and sold musical instruments. The Smithsonian has a J.W. Pepper sousaphone made in Philadelphia around 1898–1902.

   Fun fact Yes, that J.W. Pepper.

2. Question 2

   How many different members were in Adolphe Sax's original saxophone family?

   1. 6
   2. 8
   3. 10
   4. 14

   Reveal the answer and why

   Answer D. 14

   Adolphe Sax conceived two families of seven saxophones, covering a wide range of pitches. Only a handful became commonly used today.

   Fun fact Apparently four saxophones in a marching band were not enough.

3. Question 3

   When a clarinet overblows into its next register, approximately how far does the pitch jump?

   1. A fifth
   2. An octave
   3. A tenth
   4. A twelfth

   Reveal the answer and why

   Answer D. A twelfth

   Unlike instruments such as the flute and saxophone, which overblow at the octave, the clarinet's cylindrical bore causes it to overblow at a twelfth: an octave plus a fifth.

   Fun fact That large jump is one reason crossing the clarinet's break involves such a big fingering change.

4. Question 4

   An 8-to-5 step means eight equal steps every five yards. Exactly how long is each step?

   1. 18 inches
   2. 20 inches
   3. 22.5 inches
   4. 24 inches

   Reveal the answer and why

   Answer C. 22.5 inches

   Five yards equals 180 inches. Divide 180 by eight and each step is 22.5 inches long.

   Fun fact Band students may know 8-to-5 by muscle memory. Now everyone knows the math.

5. Question 5

   Philadelphia's famous Mummers String Bands are not permitted to use which family of instruments?

   1. Woodwinds
   2. Brass
   3. Percussion
   4. String instruments

   Reveal the answer and why

   Answer B. Brass

   The Mummers String Band sound includes saxophones, banjos, accordions, violins, bass fiddles, drums, glockenspiels, and more, but brass instruments are not permitted in the String Band Division.

   Fun fact No trumpets, trombones, or tubas in one of Philadelphia's most famous band traditions.

6. Question 6

   Approximately how many live flowers did West Chester University's Golden Rams use in their 2024 Rose Parade performance?

   1. 2,500
   2. 7,500
   3. 12,000
   4. More than 20,000

   Reveal the answer and why

   Answer D. More than 20,000

   West Chester's 300-plus-member band incorporated more than 20,000 live flowers into its Rose Parade production.

   Fun fact You will get to see the Golden Rams perform here today.

7. Question 7

   The piccolo's close relative, the fife, was historically useful for what outdoor military role?

   1. Accompanying solo singers
   2. Field signaling
   3. Tuning orchestras
   4. Playing bass lines

   Reveal the answer and why

   Answer B. Field signaling

   The fife's high, penetrating sound carried well outdoors, making it useful for military music and field signaling.

   Fun fact Being nearly impossible to ignore was a feature, not a flaw.

8. Question 8

   Why are the bass drums in a marching drumline usually different sizes?

   1. To balance weight
   2. To project in different directions
   3. To produce different pitches
   4. To identify field position

   Reveal the answer and why

   Answer C. To produce different pitches

   Marching bass drums are graduated in size and pitch. Musical passages can be split note by note between several players, making the bass line function almost like one instrument.

   Fun fact A lightning-fast bass drum run may be several people each playing only a few notes.

9. Question 9

   What modern instrument's early ancestor was known in English as a sackbut?

   1. Bassoon
   2. Trombone
   3. Euphonium
   4. Saxophone

   Reveal the answer and why

   Answer B. Trombone

   The sackbut was an early form of the trombone used during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It already had a telescoping slide used to change pitch.

   Fun fact Sackbut really was its English name.

10. Question 10

    As the air inside wind instruments gets colder on a Pennsylvania night, what generally happens to their pitch?

    1. It gets sharper
    2. It gets flatter
    3. It stays the same
    4. Brass sharpens while woodwinds flatten

    Reveal the answer and why

    Answer B. It gets flatter

    Sound travels more slowly in colder air. Because wind-instrument resonances depend partly on the speed of sound, colder air generally makes their pitch lower, or flatter.

    Fun fact Pennsylvania marching-band students did not need physics to know October was working against them.