It is mid-March and we are in the heat of WGI competition. At this point in the season, most of us are exhausted. Responsibilities during the week are overbearing, weekends are not restful, and the pressure to continually improve your performance can make you feel like you’ve hit a plateau. Most performers venture down one … Read more
I apologize. Last blog I told you there was a problem with how most bands warm up (static stretching), but I did not offer specific solutions. After receiving many messages and emails, I realize that needs to change. I want to give you three exercises that you can implement today to help your program warm-up … Read more
Stop stretching?? Yes, you heard that correctly! The Health Guy in the marching world said to STOP stretching before you take the field. What gives? Image 1: Marching band students performing a stretch before rehearsal You have probably been trained since elementary school to stretch before any physical activity. That was reinforced through your middle … Read more
“My knee is bothering me again. It keeps happening when we do X part of the show.” Does this phrase sound familiar? If you’ve been around colorguards long enough you probably just had the face of a specific student or friend pop up in your mind. Injuries run rampant in colorguard, but we have brushed … Read more
It was a regular occurrence; our band would be given a water break halfway through rehearsal, and I would have a student come up to me. One hand would be holding her instrument and the other would be clutching the back of her leg. “My leg is really hurting me,” the student would say. Her … Read more
Whether traveling to a distant competition or a football game out of state, we all hate having to sit on a bus for hours at a time. The two feet of space you have in your seat is never enough, and by the end of the trip the bus usually takes on the odor of … Read more
First, congratulations on making it through the summer! Second, how is your body feeling? Drum corps has a unique way of making you simultaneously love what you are doing and hate life due to pure exhaustion. It is one of the most physically and mentally challenging activities that a young person can be a part … Read more
What do Shakira and marching technique have in common? Your hips don’t lie! Turnout is one of the most fundamental skills in drum corps, marching band and indoor performance ensembles, and it starts at the hips. Turnout involves the legs externally rotating from the hips resulting in out-toeing at the feet. In addition, specific muscle … Read more
As a musician, your posture is the foundation for creating a masterful sound. Whether it is your mother telling you to “sit up at the dinner table” or your band director telling you to have “taller posture” during rehearsal, most of us have repeatedly been told to have better posture. However, rarely is it explained … Read more
“How does a kid that is so quiet get in so much trouble?” A man I did not know posed this question to me as he was observing three of Easley High School’s drummers and myself practicing on a band room table. I was in the eighth grade, and I had been drumming with the … Read more
