Filed under: Uncategorized
In all seriousness, this is actually pretty scary; a CBS news cast of last month’s Glassmen bus crash at the following link
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/tour.bus.crash.2.1060554.html
The Glassmen are still trying to raise funds to cover tour expenses, including arrangements for the replacement bus. Visit their website to donate!
http://glassmen.org/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71&Itemid=63
Filed under: Uncategorized
It’s just about the middle of May and age-outs like myself are sitting behind desks and in cubicles longing for the smell of freshly cut grass, sunscreen and sweat. (That really is what drum corps smells like, for those of you who have never marched.) High School and college kids are excitedly shopping and packing. The rookie girls (and some of the guys) are packing WAY too much clothing. Parents are fighting with principals and professors to get their kids out of school early so that they don’t get behind in drill. If you had cold feet back in November IT’S NOT TOO LATE! Statistically, at least one member of each corps will be injured and/or quit in the next 4-6 weeks and the corps will be desperately seeking new members to replace them. My only suggestion is that if you plan on starting your drum corps career as a hole filler, you get in there as soon as possible. The further into move-ins you start, the more physically fit everyone else will be (and be expected to be) and the higher your risk of injury becomes.
Don’t let that scare you though. This is a wonderful opportunity, so don’t waste it!
If you need help finding a spot, let me know and I’ll hook you up if I can!
Filed under: Uncategorized
I got an email from a friend of mine asking for my address so that she could send me a march-a-thon. I can’t believe it’s that time of year already!
Anyway, this post investigates what march-a-thons mean to corps as well as to members.
Let’s start off with the corps. The corps, as an organization, definitely benefits from march-a-thons. That’s why they insist that members fill them out. With 150 people filling out 20 or so forms each, they’re bound to get some gas money. Think about it. If each of 150 people brings in only $5, that means $750 for the corps proper. Then they offer a small percentage back to the member (usually off of their tour fees) as an incentive to participate.
Just FYI, most corps don’t actually do a march-a-thon like they say. Most just designate a rehearsal day and figure that they probably march about that much in a day, which is probably true.
Now for the member’s point of view: Each member pays around $2,000 in tour and camp fees. Some corps charge more. A small percentage of the money brought in from a member’s march-a-thon really doesn’t make much of a dent in the tour fee. If that member were to write a personal letter to friends and family asking for help with tour fees, he or she would probably get much more out of the deal.
So the point is, march-a-thons benefit the corps proper. Personal letters benefit individual members much more.
High School band directors, this might be a great fundraising tool for you. Keep a percentage of the money and put another percentage into the kids’ trip accounts or give it to a charity that supports school music. Invite donors to watch a practice, performance or the march-a-thon itself. Getting the community involved and showing they what you’re doing is always a great PR move toward future donations and participation.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Unfortunately for young music educators, it is becoming harder and harder to get a job in the current economy, much less an ideal job. Many, like myself, are teaching outside of their specialty. Music Ed. certification is K-12 vocal and instrumental, but teachers are rarely trained equally in all parts of the spectrum.
Even if you have known that you wanted to be a high school marching band director since you were 10 (that’s me) you may end up teaching elementary school general music or middle school theater arts.
Keep your instrumental skills up and be patient. The economic crisis and lack of positions can’t last forever!
No matter how you feel about George Hopkins, if you’ve actually spent any time around him you know he’s got some great things to say about life.
I was lying on a gym floor in the summer of 2006 (the summer that I wasn’t a field liner). As was the case every single night of that season, I had spent the entire night dreaming about being in rehearsal. I tossed and turned all night. My aching muscles seemed to ache even more. My brain was so full of coordinates, notes and suggestions that I thought it might have to dump the simple knowledge like addition and subtraction. I had finally come to the stage in my nightly ritual where I could get some rest…that time where I was almost awake but still asleep.
I barely heard one of the drum majors yell, “Good Morning Cadets! The time is 7:02. Breakfast today is biscuits with sausage gravy. Stretch and run is at 8.” I kept my eyes closed. I wanted to enjoy the 15 minutes that I could rest, and if I ate sausage gravy I would no doubt have to taste it twice. (Acid reflux+drum corps food=gross) The next thing I heard was George’s voice, “Wake up. You’re wasting your life.” He kicked a couple of air mattresses and bothered a couple for sharing one. I was glad to have chosen my sleeping bag and the cold, hard floor early that morning.
At the time I didn’t give it much thought. I folded up my sleeping bag, put my shoes on, grabbed my backpack and was out the door.
Now, as a 22 (23 this Saturday) year old middle school teacher (and it’s important to note that I am not teaching instrumental music, which was my life’s ambition) I’m starting to give more weight to those words.
What does it mean to waste one’s life?
This post is far from over. I plan to add a second edition when I’ve gotten some answers. Here are my ideas so far:
You’re “wasting your life” if you’re…
-Passing up options that you only have when you’re young (drum corps, sports, a good education, family, etc.)
-Choosing not to do the work that it takes to accomplish what you want in life
-Doing something that you hate for the sake of having a job
-Creating drama for the sake of making life interesting
Please feel free to add…
I know that you’ve all been waiting for this one, so here is the final installment of my marching styles series: the straight leg!
Though I have marched in all different styles, this is the one with which I have the most experience.
The advantage of the straight leg technique is in its sleek, polished look. The spectator or judge does not see the jerky, distracting movements of other styles. The legs move smoothly from point A to point B. This smooth movement also eliminates the proverbial “ground in the sound.”
The disadvantage of the straight leg technique is its difficulty. Most drum corps do a technique that is some variation on the straight leg. They also have the time and resources to get their members into shape. This technique is more physically taxing on the legs. The bottom line: it takes more effort.
Do not be discouraged. I have successfully taught and used this technique with high school bands. It works if you have a sense of pride within your band which drives the students to work hard.
How does one execute/teach the straight leg technique?
Before we get too far, you’re going to need some vocabulary:
edge: the back part of the platform/ball of your foot
platform: the part of your foot which you would stand on if you were standing on your toes
tripod: synonym for platform: you will basically equalize weight between your big toe, big toe “knuckle” and little toe “knuckle
As with any technique, you’ll want to start with the very first step.
Starting with and keeping your legs straight, push with the edge of your right foot until you must put your left out to catch yourself. Catch yourself with the left heel, left toe up. Notice that you are doing all of the work with your back leg. This technique does not lead, but instead it pushes.
Do this until you feel comfortable. If you are bouncing or changing height when you catch yourself, then you are probably pushing too far past your edge. Back off just a bit and your technique should be just perfect.
Step 2: Train your hip flexors. Swing your leg from front to back like a pendulum. This is one of only two movements which your front leg will do. The other is the dorsal flexion (toe up) of your front foot.
Now, the trickiest part of this technique to explain is the transition from step 1 to step 2. At the end of step one, shift your weight to the front foot, rolling down. At the same time, bring your back foot in and begin to flex your foot for the next step. On the “and,” which is where we are at this point, you should almost look as though you are standing still. All of your weight should be on your left platform, your ankles should be in line and your right foot should be just barely off of the ground. When you actually do this in context, your knee will bend SLIGHTLY. You may want to choose not to tell this for your students for awhile so that they get used to the technique and are careful not to put too much bend in the knee.
The second half of step two is just like step one, but with half of the effort. Push with your left edge and catch yourself with the right foot, toe up.
At first, this is going to look extremely jerky. With practice, it will smooth itself out. Just remember that everything in this technique is SMOOTH. If you are moving up and down, then you are probably doing one of three things:
1. you are pushing too far, past your edge
2. you are pointing and/or flexing your foot at the wrong time
3. you are moving your hips too much rather than using your hip flexors (remember the pendulum)
This technique takes a long time to master, but it is completely worth the effort. Straight leg technique, if done correctly, is guaranteed to make your band look and sound much more graceful than you ever thought possible.
Filed under: Drum & Bugle Corps
It’s hard to believe that it’s move-in time already! My sister’s corps moved in last weekend and all of my friends at the Cadets move in this weekend! Here’s something to seriously think about before you leave for the summer: tour relationships.
I’ve been in a decent number of such relationships and I’ve learned a lot. Here are some helpful hints!
1. set the terms. there’s nothing worse than saying goodbye on finals night and having misconceptions about how to proceed from that point. if you intend to go the “what happens on tour stays on tour” route, then you both need to be thinking that. at the same time, if you intend to make it a long term thing, which is definitely going to take a lot of work, then you both need to be on the same page as well.
2. keep it professional. when you’re on the field, your significant other cannot exist. in order for the corps you’re with to be successful, you need to make a distinction between play time and work time. that sounds like common sense, but trust me. it’s not. DO NOT TAKE YOUR DRAMA/AFFECTION ON THE FIELD WITH YOU! rehearsal and pre-show must be focused and reserved for hard work. post-show, bus time and meal time are acceptable outlets for your relationship needs.
3. have an escape plan. hopefully it won’t happen to you, but you need to think ahead of time what you might do in certain situations. if (and this happens more often than you might realize) you should break up on tour and end up on bad terms, how will you remove yourself and not let the situation affect your performance? it might seem attractive now to be on the same crew as your significant other or to be “seat partners.” make sure that you have other friends to fall back on if things go awry. if you “hang out” exclusively with your significant other, then you will have few to no friends if and when the fun is over.
4. hope for the best and plan for the worst. this doesn’t happen too often, but what if your significant other is sent home sick or injured on tour? this is extremely upsetting. again, it is for this reason that you MUST have friends other than your significant other. this actually happened to me and i was incredibly thankful that i had other friends to lean on. no matter how upset you are, you absolutely must eat! again, common sense? if you’re burning a few thousand calories a day, you need to eat or you’ll seriously mess yourself up.
5. (this one goes for everything on tour, not just relationships.) no matter what happens, in August it will be over. don’t dwell on stupid things and don’t be overly dramatic. it doesn’t help anyone. in fact, it hurts everyone!
I really hope that this is helpful for anyone who reads it! If you don’t believe it now, you will soon. Hind-sight is 20/20!
Good luck!
I’ve deleted the previous post because some people took offense to it.
Those people completely missed the point.
I was serious when I said, “if you want to march drum corps, then DO IT!”
I’m sorry if you made excuses when you were young enough to participate.
For the rest of you, learn from their mistakes and get out there if you want to.
Don’t be that guy in thirty years who says, “thanks jerk, I COULDN’T!”
Do you think that any 15-21 year old can really afford to spend $2000 on tour fees and not work all summer?
(if you’re still wondering, the answer is “not very many”)
This post was for eligible students/individuals who have been sitting around, saying “geez, i’d like to do that”
Corps still have open spots! It’s not too late! It’s even cheaper now because you missed many of the pre-season camps!
Take your horn, sleeping bag, and a boat load of confidence (and you might want to email to make sure that the corps of your dreams still has open spots first) and go try out! You never know.
Again, I apologize to anyone I’ve offended by making this sound so easy.
Filed under: music schools
This seems like a very relevant topic for this time of the year. I am now going through the process of choosing a college for the second time and I think that you may find my insight quite valuable.
First, the subject that I know MUCH more about: undergrad. Basically, if you’re going for any music degree, you have two choices: big or small.
Big schools have big music departments with graduate programs. They are usually public schools with well-known names attached to them.
Small schools naturally have smaller music programs without graduate students. They are often private or branch campuses and can sometimes get you the “you go where?” or “is that a community college?” response when you bring them up in conversation.
If you are a performance major, I suggest immersing yourself in the more competitive environment associated with a big school’s music department. The more conservatory style schools may be in your best interest if you’re looking to avoid the tedious liberal arts core.
If you are an education major, you may want to look for a smaller department with no graduate program. These offer the undergraduate student opportunities which would only be available to graduate students an a larger school. For example, I am a teacher’s assistant, a student director of my college jazz band, and the leader of my college’s only standing jazz combo. I would never have gotten these incredibly valuable (not to mention resume-building) teaching opportunities as an undergraduate student at a big school with a graduate program. I sacrifice a bit of name recognition when I talk about my school, but what really matters is the education and experiences that I’m getting.
The search for a graduate school is a new experience to me. Size is not as much of an issue in this case. Most schools which have graduate programs are comparably large. I am looking for the right graduate assistantship. With an assistantship I will gain more valuable teaching experience while also a pay check. If I am not in a teaching job right away, then I will need a way to support myself in the mean time. Please feel free to share your thoughts on this matter.
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A couple of my friends have a related blog. You should check it out!
http://pointtwo-five.blogspot.com/
