Transitions
I. What makes a transition effective/ineffective? A. Effective transitions 1. Make sense musically 2. Match the mood/dynamics 3. Leave an element of the guard to maintain emphasis 4. Maintain...
View ArticleCollaboration
I have always been a huge believer in collaboration. As a young instructor and designer I was very lucky that in my first few years I met someone who took an interest in helping me learn about the...
View Article“What the Heck is Ensemble Analysis Anyway?”
“What the heck is Ensemble Analysis anyway?” Many people (Guard Instructors) ask me this question and it baffles me. It seems so obvious to me. How can people not get it? Apparently, I’m in the...
View ArticleEA Series: Transitions
This will make your guard program better, I SWEAR! I had planned to cover this topic later in the series, but knowing that many guards are already starting their winter programs, I thought discussing...
View ArticleEA Series: “Outside In”
You may remember from my first article that I talked about relationships between the elements of a design. The buzz word for that concept is UNITY, and it’s an important one. In order for a design to...
View ArticleEA Series: Blending Form and Function
BLENDING FORM AND FUNCTION . . . is the primary role of every designer. Have you ever heard the term “seamless” design on an EA tape and wondered what they meant? I’ll tell you. It means that there is...
View ArticleMovement Training Series #4: Travel
Darlings!!! Yes, it is I. A day late and a dollar short, as ever. Le Sigh. [Okay, fine. Three weeks late.] Thank the good Lord that the other columnists here at the venerable CGE are so prepared!...
View ArticleA Peek at Pacing
So what’s all this talk about pacing? At this point in the season, you may have heard the term ‘pacing’ as part of your General Effect feedback. It truly is an important benchmark in the General...
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Teaching Drill Using the iPad: A Technology Quick-Tip
Isn’t Technology Great?!? This year, rather than having a binder with copies of the drill in it, our marching band staff decided to go high-tech. All of the caption heads...
View ArticleWho Are You Writing For?
We’re now in the middle of the winter guard season and the competitive heat is on. Many instructors struggle with what to do with judge’s comments. You’ve probably been told that something in your show...
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