marching band drill teaching techniques?

Factual Questions
1

Hey guys–

I got promoted to the undergraduate staff of my universities marching band this summer. Two other “ugs” and I are responsible for teaching and mentoring the 20 other members of the trumpet section.

I guess my question is for all of you out there with marching band experience. We’ve done the usual block marching, circles, scrutinies, and other things. We’re all good to go right now, but it’s early in the season and it would be great to switch exercises up a little for varieties sake. We’re better than all the sections right now, and I sure as hell plan to keep it that way. Our section is a pretty close group and we hang out a lot on the weekends.

What are the best techniques that you remember from band to teach fundamentals, stressing uniformity and precision? The other UGS and I try to develop a friendly competition type atmosphere when we’re drilling, that seems to get the best results. gotta be better than the guy next to you! We’re not quite there with the horn swings though, and that kinda bugs me.

I’d like to do the best job as I can for my guys, so I humbly come to the teeming millions for assistance.

Thanks,
–Nate

2

Lessee, it’s been fourteen years since my last season of high school marching band, so my memory’s kind of fuzzy, but I’ll do my best here. (I was also in college band, but it wasn’t nearly as challenging or demanding as high school was.)

Obviously, you need to get those horn turns (pivots?) down. Drill those until everyone is precise. Those who have it down may get sick of the repetition, but you want everything and everyone to be perfect.

Competitions, do those consist of “drill downs?” Basically, what you do is call out commands to the group. Whenever someone screws up, he/she is out. The last guy left gets, uh, a round of appause, or something. Speed up the tempo–and I mean fast–on subsequent drill downs, or within a drill down. Develop those reflexes.

Have you played the show music while marching in circles? If not, do this. I don’t know about others, but coordinating the music with the marching was always the most difficult aspect of marching band for me. And remember, music is the most important part of the show.

Do you know all the moves the show(s) is/are going to consist of? Is the M&M person throwing you any curves? Find out and get those maneuvers down ahead of time. The possibility of pivoting the body upon reaching a specific yard line while maitaining the horn position comes to mind.

Stretching and breathing exercises. You know what’s an ass-kicker? Sitting in a half-situp and playing in that position. But mostly you’re interested in relaxing the muscles and developing good breathing technique.

I’ll see if I can remember anything else. It looks like you’re already doing a lot of the stuff I would do. Congratulations on your position, by the way.

On a side note, this may get moved to IMHO later on, in case you’re wondering where the thread went. Good luck!

3

… but I remember the most basic basic as marching
“8 to 5”. (Eight steps for every five yards on the field).

Quasi

4

hard to forget that one.

Work on the rhythm thing. Play music and practice dancing together, without the horns. (Rocking left and right, finger snaps together, just basic simple moves that can be done by everyone.) Get used to moving together as a group, then add in the instruments, putting in whatever moves you want to do. Play a recording of your actual music, and practice the moves without playing the horns, until everyone feels comfortable together, finally adding the actual playing as the last step.
I don’t know what part of the country you are in (or what country, for THAT matter) but different regions seem to stress different ideals. Some look at precision as the top goal, some look at musicianship.

I was in a marcing band that went to 11 competitions, and got first place in all of them - two of them we won the grandmaster. The next year I moved to another state, where competitions didn’t seem to be as big (we only went to two - but that MAY have been the director’s fault)