Articles & Materials - Now With Audio!
These articles are written by members of the Standing 'O' - Marching staff, and are intended to provide educational information for both instructors and students. Each article may be downloaded in PDF form for educational purposes. Check back often as articles will be added frequently!
Top 5 Do's and Don'ts for Visual Basics
The article “Top 5 Do’s and Don’ts for Visual Basics Block,” is geared towards visual instructors and suggests five things to accomplish and avoid during the basics block; each suggestion is followed by a detailed explanation. These “Do’s and Don’ts” are based on my experience with success and failure rates of various styles of basics, and are what I have found to work the best.
3 Tips For Cleaning Drill Efficiently
The article “3 Tips for Cleaning Drill Efficiently,” is geared towards visual instructors and suggests three effective methods of cleaning drill. Throughout my experience in the visual aspect of this activity, I have found that many instructors run a set, (or sets,) fix everyone’s dots, and repeat. While this method does work, I have suggested three additional methods that will allow students of the activity a higher rate of success, while also achieving a better education in this area.
Working Hard Vs. Working Smart
The article, “Working Hard vs. Working Smart,” is geared towards directors and instructors, and deals with various methods of running an efficient rehearsal. Many instructors in this activity have a notion that the act of doing more in a short amount of time will make their band better. I explain my experience with a different approach of taking more time do execute rehearsal in a well-educated, more efficient manner.
Competition: How Important Is It?
The article “Competition: How Important Is It?” is geared towards directors or instructors, and provides my opinion on how much the aspect of competition in this activity should be emphasized. A problem we face as educators in our field is to figure out how important this aspect is to our organization, which ultimately stems from the question: “What is the goal of our season?” This article provides information and pros/cons to hopefully allow the director or instructor to make a more informed decision.
Judges: Why Don't We Ever Agree With Them?
This article is geared towards directors and staff members, as we shed some light on why we often find ourselves disagreeing with our judging panels. Throughout this article, we explore various common disagreements between staff and judges, and the root from which these problems are manifested. The purpose of the article is to aid directors and staff members in understanding the judging process, as well as the scores that are received.
Lead by Example: How To Be A "Leader" Without the Title
The article “Lead by Example: How to Be A “Leader” Without the Title,” is geared towards student leaders and is meant to provide them with information on how to be a leader without the official title of “captain,” etc. There is sometimes a misconception among students after the audition process for sectional leader or captain amongst those who do not get selected; they feel they cannot lead and that they are less important to the organization.
What to Do On the First Day of Rehearsal
This article is geared towards directors and instructors, and suggests how to run the first rehearsal of the year based on surrounding circumstances. The thoughts in this article are based on my success and failure rates with different types of first rehearsals, and are what I have had the most success with.
Rules of the Field
This article is meant for students and explains what I believe to be the best way to rehearse, broken down into six steps. Each step is followed by a detailed explanation. With all bands I work with, it is a policy that all students must have this form in their binders to always have a reference to proper rehearsal etiquette. It also answers the common question from students as to "why" we must rehearse a certain way to be efficient.
4 Do's and Don'ts for Judges' Critique
This article includes four suggestions for the band director and staff to hold a successful judges' critique. These tips have been formulated based on my experience both as a director/staff member and as a judge. Please keep in mind the thoughts and opinions written in this article are solely my own, and do not represent and specific judging organization or group.
