The Changing Times

Central-Carrol High School's marching band is amazing. There show just blew me away, it was actually a "show" and not some marching maneuvers layered on top of selected music.Their show distinctly displayed their pride, power, and precision. More than that, it displayed a level of dedication I have seen too few. In comparison we... actually, I really don't think we can compare... :-/
A quick look at their website lists several things:

• Their website is the first on the Google search page.
  
• Rehearsals on Monday and Tuesdays are 2 hours long
• Rehearsal on Thursday is 3 hours long (6-9).
• Band camp on weekends over two+ weeks.
  
• a "Quality Assurance Program":
  
  
  

  The “Quality Assurance Program” (QAP) is designed to help ensure quality performances by the Marching Pride. Students who miss a Monday or Tuesday rehearsal, whether excused or unexcused, will be required to attend QAP to make up work missed. Students having trouble with marching or music may also be assigned QAP to receive additional help. QAP is not designed as a replacement to the regular rehearsal scheduled. It is used as a program to help students with
  an absence stay caught up with the marching band. Thursday night rehearsals may not be made up in QAP (see rehearsal policy). QAP is for the occasional absence. Excessive absences will result in dismissal from the marching band. QAP may not be used to make up more than one rehearsal during that week. Participation in QAP is not a punishment. It is an opportunity to receive extra help to help ensure a successful marching band.

To tell you the truth, I'm not interested in that, it's WAY too much of a time commitment. Still, being at the top is something I dearly want. My philosophy is whatever I start, I finish; whatever I finish, I do well. From the looks of it, I think this band needs some serious and drastic change right now.

From what I've heard, the band program here has increased for some 10+ years and this is the first year for a decline. I believe that a band is pretty dependent upon the number of people in it as it gets a bigger pool of money, a bigger pool of talent, and a bigger pool of networks (that's why I envy some of the smaller schools' students, they have to put in so much more work). To my knowledge, we did absolutely no recruiting at our feeder during the two years I'm here, our director is really hedging his bet for the new middle school. This passiveness is going to have to change even if the new school is the mother lode. Mother lodes always run out, unless we can find a dad. 

Practices are what make a band, a band. The more efficient the practice time, the better the band. Recently, our band practices have gotten pretty bad. I'm pretty psyched out about the fact that Mr. G never told the "four person who still is not keeping time" a lot earlier, but rather 3 days before the competition. I mean, come on, what CAN you do in the 4 hours before the competition? Habits take time to change.

Speaking of habits, we need to set our forms right the first time (that means at band camp, and not reviewing the first 6 sets when we still hadn't even remotely go through the last song). Instead of trying to go through the whole show before band camp, my opinion is to just learn the first song plus change REALLY well. What I mean:

1. Memorization check-ups (not tests, that would be brutal, but just keep the guilt level there for not learning the music).
2. Adding the flare there the first time
3. Making the marching flawless as possible and training the weaker marchers so they can keep up.

But then how do we maximize the practice time? After all, we are kids... we have a life and we don't really want to practice. The solution (for me at least): keep us busy. The less time we have to wait around, the less we will have to start talking. Likewise, it will keep our mind a bit sharper and make time go faster as we won't be so bored...  and on top of this, keeping us busy by making us march more reinforces our positions.

Now, there are always those people who rather be at other places than marching band (like me...), how to you take care of these people? Well....:

1. Money brings joy to all people... :)
   
2. Some "trade-off" with development of playing skills that requires an equal amount of dedication. ex: make All-State (requires a lot of practice), participate in some community band that better fits your schedule but still required to attend some practice to even out the amount of time dedication etc.
3. Jazz band: give the option of being at jazz band instead of marching... helps recruiting for jazz band and gives people more choices to be in band.
4. Some form of help to the band director (paperwork, organizing for bus) , so instead of being in the office, he could be out practicing more.
   

All that goes back to the fact that we need people in band, the more, the easier on everybody.

To conclude, lets take a look at Newton's First Law:

"A particle will stay at rest or continue at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external unbalanced net force."

On a collorary:

"A band will stay at the same level or continue unless acted upon by a force."

Right now, our band can't stay the course. Our band needs a force.

Links:

• Valdosta pictures...
• Central-Carrol band 
• ^^^Their band handbook
  

-runiteking1

Got comments? Post them below!