Search L.D. Bell Band Spirit Show — Video examples from 2007 to Present
Bang for your buck is among the most high-yield endeavors in which we engaged as a program, and you are strongly encouraged to consider something similar in your neck of the woods.
Outcome goal: A quality, high-powered, crowd-pleasing, half-time “Spirit Show!”
· Involved EVERY performer in the program
· A tangible work product on summer band Day One
· A tool to teach how to learn to read drill charts
· A tool to teach the protocol and process of learning drill
· A crowd-pleasing tag to the first few half-times
· A sequence of the “A” section of pop tunes for use at pep rallies and in the stands
· A perfect production if and when your football team makes the playoffs
· It’s fun, and people love it — puppies, kittens, and spirit shows
I was in disbelief during the first Friday Night Lights we performed the Spirit Show — the crowd rose to their feet and clapped along to the steady beat. They actually yelled “Hey” during the “Hey Song.” Per the bullets above, the list of benefits is amazing, and it takes about 90 minutes to master the first-day learning drill.
In the world of competitive marching band education 1. Not all students will generally receive a “marching” performance spot in the show, and 2. The competition show will likely not be finished until the end of the season, making for anticlimactic conclusions to half-time performances at football games. Enter the Spirit Show. All students actively participate, and at those first few games, when about all you have taught is part-way through the ballad, simply cadence to the Spirit Show block, push play, and you will have a guaranteed high-five from your principal and even the football booster president.
In this instance, begin in the block and float 8 to whatever you want to spell. For us, they still do: BLUE, then RAIDERS, then LD BELL. Smaller groups can spell GO, WIN, school letters like BHS, or simply the school letter “B,” or whatever makes sense in the context of your school and community.
· Block
· Float 8 w/percussion roll off – Spell BLUE
· “A” Section of a pop tune (we used Louie Louie)
· Float 8 back to the block
· Simple counter motion slide 8, return 8 opposite every other line
· Float 8 to spell out RAIDERS – Play “A” Section of Hey Song
· Float 8 back to the block
· Do-si-do 4 step squares for 16 (return to block on count 16)
· Float 8 to spell LD BELL – Play School Fight Song, with accelerando
· Applause
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