This is a series covering most months in a high school band year.
During the fall of 2023, I attended an evening rehearsal of my daughter’s high school marching band. I observed so many “quick fix” transgressions and things that could be vastly improved over a few weeks with just a bit more reinforcement of common practice (or not-so-common practice) pedagogy elements. I got up the next morning to take her back to school and searched through old emails of groups with which I have consulted: Broken Arrow, OK; Coppell, TX; Lafayette, LA; Mason, OH; Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corp; Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps, and many others which were able to have much more significant growth as they were coming from a different place. I had a “stock” body of sayings; essentially, basic teaching said differently. As I dusted off and compiled these bullet points, I told myself, “Share this with the world, let others weigh the value, and help as many directors and kids as possible.”
I opened Facebook and typed, “Things I would be thinking about at this time of year over the years,” pasted the bullet list, and pushed send. Before I got downtown to work, the post tracked more impressions and comments than a cute picture and pithy statement involving our daughter or even an anniversary post for Gwen and me — I was a bit shocked. That weekend, at BOA Whitewater, I was asked to make the post “public” so folks could share it with their colleagues — again, I was shocked. Two more TIWBTAATTOYOTY posts were created, adding things germane to that time of the season and improving the post with the information I was reminded of through crowd-sourcing in the post's comments. Thank YOU, colleagues, staff, and students from over the years!
I tightened things up at the top of the 2024 marching band season and started with big-picture thoughts, pedagogy, and citizenship/workforce development elements. We didn’t know we were doing workforce development at that time…just trying to have a good band with great kids. Next is the text of the post, which we will unpack in the coming posts from August 16, 2024.
Things I would be thinking about at this time of year over the years:
• Keep the main thing the main thing—melodic and harmonic content
• Equal and even energy of sound (volume), side to side, from player to player
• Approach your instrument as though it is one instrument group larger - relax, breathe
• Deep, timed breathing through the visual phrase prior to an entrance (expelling old air prior to intake of new)
• Achieve longer musical phrases with less breathing throughout (no breathing on a bar line or drill set)
• Begin phrases at an energy level (volume) that can not only be sustained but grow
• The best defense against poor intonation is superior tone quality… see all of the above.
...and LISTEN! Side to side, from player to player. Constantly hearing the performers next to you as well as the lowest voice.
• Sit DOWN on every note and lift up on the release, especially full-length quarter notes in terms of weight, direction, and length
• Arrivals must have growth into the silence, keep an open vowel shape, the back teeth still, and use “H” with positive air past the lips into the release
• Approach the lower note of large interval skips with weight and stress in proportion, like approaching the desired lift on a diving board
• Approach descending lines musically with growth and weight like the descending resonators on a marimba, which get seemingly sarcastically bigger with each note
• Hydration begins the day before
• For each meal, eat something that was once alive and be able to account for at least 3 of 4 food groups
• Wash your hands; do not rub your eyes or put your fingers in your mouth
• Do not share your water bottle or other beverages
• Do the right thing, for the right reason, at the right time, without expectation of recognition or reward
• There is plenty of time to be in college when you are in college—Be above reproach, here and now...be with us
• Good is the enemy of Great
• The pain of discipline now or the pain of regret later
• Listening + Responding Appropriately = Success
• Life is 10% what happens, 90% how you react
• P - I = R: Potential minus Interference equals Results
Band is FUN!
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