"But Josh, wouldn't it make more sense…"

We are in our final week of the season. The words from one of my Seniors at afternoon rehearsal started with the phrase "But Josh: wouldn't it make more sense if we…".  I responded, "Nope." and reiterated the instruction. I realized what happened. I missed an opportunity to be an educator, a mentor, and a leader. I returned to that student publicly and said "I hear you. But it doesn't make sense with the big picture; with what the percussion is doing." I got an acknowledgement nod, and we moved on.

It is so important that we remember that we are teaching more than a marching band show. We are teaching life skills that we all extol whenever arts programs are threatened. We are teaching musicianship, teamwork, and movement. We are teaching them how to be good teachers and leaders. We may be igniting a life-long passion for design, dance, performance, or leadership. Every moment we are on the field or podium, our students are learning.

When a student asks a question about the music, movement, or design, we should not take that as a challenge to our life's work, but another dimension. They trust you to ask the question. Reinforce that trust by bringing them in and sharing the process. Expand their understanding and they will likely perform better. They may also end up looking to you as a mentor through the filter of an activity you love.

When we seize teachable moments, we elevate our relationship with our work and with our students, and potentially build our legacy.

Allentown 2015, part 1

You may have seen my tweets while watching the DCI Eastern Championship last weekend, and hopefully you found them interesting or informative. Blog format will allow me to be more clear and complete in my thoughts.

Summary: A GREAT year for Drum Corps. I noticed significant show design and performance improvements from all World Class corps, especially those in the 13-22 rankings. The Academy and Mandarins were the biggest upward improvements I enjoyed. With a Top 4 spanning 0.7 points and the all-important 12th spot so tightly contended, it is great to see the students putting their best on the field every time they cross the sideline. And a crowd that hung on every decimal point!

More details on each corps performances in another post.

Side note from people watching - this year, I noticed much more Phi Mu Alpha letters worn around J. Birney Crum Stadium, and significantly fewer Kappa Kappa Psi t-shirts. I don't know if that means anything as far as the activity of drum corps or the fraternities themselves, but it was an observation.

Thanks for reading!

Marching Roundtable - It's out!

Kate and I just finished listening to Marching Roundtable: Episode 427 (iTunes link). What a rush! I am pretty pleased with the information I put out there and the insights I offered. It is a pretty niche conversation around the event and drum corps, but I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I actively avoided watching other performances between the theater event and the recording, so that my reactions were based solely on the theater event. I'm excited to be catching up now on where the shows are going, and how the other corps are performing.

Again, I thank Tim and Marching Roundtable for having me on an episode of the show. I would be glad to contribute again, if I could be of any service or interest to the program.

Marching Roundtable

I have been a long-time listener to the Marching Roundtable Podcast. I think the hosts do a fantastic job discussing music and marching education, competitive drum corps, marching band, indoor drumline, and color guard. 

I saw an item on their Facebook page that mentioned the 2015 DCI Tour Premiere. Tim invited listeners who would be attending the event to let him know, as he would be inviting long-time listeners and fans to participate in an episode of the podcast. I took my chance and Tim sent me an email back letting me know when the recording would be and that I would be on!

Nervously, I took a notebook to the movie theater and quickly jotted notes on what impressions and responses I had from the performing corps. Back at home, I reviewed my notes, and set up Skype.

On the day of recording, Tim reached out and I was on the line with two other long-time fans of DCI drum corps. It turned out, one of the other guests helped establish the Trumbull Winterguard, while I was in the next town watching them grow! As he is on his show, Tim was a very comfortable and welcoming host. I really enjoyed the conversation and being a part of the show that I've always found interesting and informative.

The podcast episode will be available on Monday 6/29. Hopefully, what felt like a good representation is recorded and will be out there for you to enjoy!

Thanks again to Tim and Marching Roundtable for having me on as a guest.

Allentown 2014

We made our annual trip to Allentown's historic DCI East competition this past weekend. What a year for marching!

Some of my favorite visual highlights: 

• The Colts rolled out new uniforms last year, including plumes that are white on the front, black on the back, and a jacket to match. They did some great "facing" that was effectively used show design to support the uniform colors.

• The Cadets demonstrated incredible straight-leg marching technique that never stopped! They also changed cummerbund colors during their transitions of the ages, in nice, subtle reveals.

• Carolina Crown had another striking show this year, including a big bang, a crown form that morphed to a UFO, and great body work during the cool battery feature.

• Phantom Regiment made some great updates to the black swan reveals in their "Swan Lake" presentation, including a color change at center field. I know there were of skeptics of their costumes, but the way that it was executed was striking!

• Bluecoats had a remarkable show design and theme this year, leveraging "TILT" in many ways, from the props, the field markings, horn carriage, and leans in more directions than I can comprehend.

• Blue Devils were sharp and performed at an incredible level. Their visual performers (aka Color Guard) did it all, including distributing rifles by throwing them 10 yards from a 10-foot platform. 

• The Cavaliers had a strong visual year, including treats for those who saw their show early in the season and consistent vampire imagery. The pentagram of marimbas was incredible to watch, and was a musical feat as well!

• I enjoyed the white and pink masks used by the Boston Crusaders Color Guard. Their new black and red uniforms look sharp from the stands and from up close.

• Another corps with beautiful new uniforms were the Blue Knights. They also did some great illustration of "That One Second" with large triangular props, revealing images and color changes.

• The Blue Stars used blueprints and coveralls to illustrate their "Where the Heart Is" show. While I liked the novelty of bubble wrap flags, I'm glad they didn't overuse them. The corps managed to do a sneaky uniform change, revealing their traditional marching uniforms. Then during the finale, the musicians disappeared into the blueprints.

All in all, it was a beautiful year for us visually-minded drum corps fans.