Recently, a very highly-respected and professional conductor from around the area came to work with my band because our director had to be absent. All the underclassmen were terrified because the older students told them frightening tales about this director and how cruel he can be. For privacy purposes I will just reference to him by his first name, Steve. Steve is an extremely talented musician and an even better conductor, but sometimes he can be a little intimidating. Sometimes he can even be a little mean. He has never been overly mean to my band any time he has come to work with us, but everyone still knows the stories in which he is quite snippy with other bands. Thanks to the upperclassmen, all the younger students were terrified out of their minds. However, the rehearsal went very smoothly and Steve was very nice and calm. The next day when our director returned, he was very pleased with us. He said Steve was impressed with the rehearsal etiquette we displayed while he was working with us. This may not seem like much, but it is a big compliment. Many high school bands are untrained and disrespectful during rehearsal. This surprises guest conductors when they come in to work with bands because they expected better behavior out of the students. Thanks to our director, my band has been trained well and we know how to behave when it is time to get serious and work.
The first and probably most noticeable thing a band can do is look interested in what they are doing. Before we started the rehearsal with Steve, everyone was reminding each other to make sure they do not yawn, check the clock or a phone, or look bored any time during the rehearsal. Any of these things suggest a lack of interest, which creates a poor environment for learning and improving. If the students do not care about the rehearsal, why should the director? On the other hand, looking interested and being focused sends positive messages to the director and also causes a ripple effect. Students rub off on each other, so if a few people are presenting a great attitude then it will spread to others. It is important that the group as a whole in actively engaged so they are prepared to give the rehearsal their best effort.
Another thing to do is to always give your very best effort no matter where you are or what you are doing. You can not simply decide when you are going to play well, you have to always play well. You should always put the same effort forth for warming up, tuning, to playing actual songs and everything in between. Practice does not make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect. Similarly, practice makes permanent. If you always practice with little effort, you will perform exactly like that. This is why you should always put your best effort into any rehearsal.
Sunday, March 27, 2016
The Differences Between College and High School Marching Band
Marching band is very different in college than it is in high school. There are many who say college marching band is much harder, but there are also some who disagree and say high school marching is far more difficult. I am only a junior in high school, so I have not experienced college marching band yet and I do not know what it is like from personal experience. However, I would say that both are difficult in different ways.
Learning music is much easier in high school marching band in my opinion. Generally, there is one show throughout the season that the band will perform at games and competitions. The students only have to learn one set of music and they will continue to perfect it throughout the season. The music is often passed out sometime during August during band camp and it is pretty well learned by the first competition. College marching bands, however, have a large variety of shows they perform throughout the season. Each week, new music is passed out and a different show is performed at the football games. This is not as difficult though because the college students have the ability to perform using music. There are little contraptions called lyres designed specifically for each instrument that you can put music into and attach to your instrument. Almost all the members of the band use lyres and can read the music as they perform. Not being required to memorize new music every week takes lots of pressure off of the players. They still have to work very hard and practice the music, though. Overall, despite having the ability to perform using music, I think learning a new set of music each week is harder than learning one set for the entire season.
The drill in high school has different difficulty levels depending on the skill level of the band. Some high schools marching bands have very simple, easy drill whereas others have complicated, complex drill that is very impressive when executed well. Like the music, high school bands only learn one set of drill throughout the whole season. Since they have many different shows throughout the season, college marching bands also have many different sets of drill to fit the show. Unlike the music, however, the students cannot read drill as they are marching. This means they have to memorize the new drill each week. The drill in college marching band is much easier because of this. The band often moves very little and stands in one place while playing. This lightens the load on the players. I think the drill is about equally as difficult at the high school and college levels. This depends on the high school, but generally they have more complicated drill. College bands have easier drill, but they also have to learn new drill every week. Therefore, it is hard to tell which level of band has a higher difficulty level regarding drill.
The time commitment for college marching band is far greater than that of high school. Most college bands rehearse around three hours a day throughout the season. Keep in mind, the marching season for college is much longer than that of high school. They typically do not participate in competitions, but the bands have to play for all the football games, both home and away. The games take a large amount of time out of each day. The time spent rehearsing outside of the school day for high school marching band varies, but it typically is not as demanding as the time commitment for college. My band only rehearsed for two nights a week during marching season, each being three hours. High school bands in my region generally only send the band to home football games, which are much shorter than college games. We simply have to play our show during halftime and sit for the rest of the time playing pep band tunes. However, high school bands participate in competitions. Most competitions run for half a day, usually on a Saturday. This is still less than college football games. Therefore, the time commitment is far greater for marching band at the college level.
I enjoy watching both high school and college marching bands and I like assessing the differences between them. It is fun to watch both types and learn from them.
Learning music is much easier in high school marching band in my opinion. Generally, there is one show throughout the season that the band will perform at games and competitions. The students only have to learn one set of music and they will continue to perfect it throughout the season. The music is often passed out sometime during August during band camp and it is pretty well learned by the first competition. College marching bands, however, have a large variety of shows they perform throughout the season. Each week, new music is passed out and a different show is performed at the football games. This is not as difficult though because the college students have the ability to perform using music. There are little contraptions called lyres designed specifically for each instrument that you can put music into and attach to your instrument. Almost all the members of the band use lyres and can read the music as they perform. Not being required to memorize new music every week takes lots of pressure off of the players. They still have to work very hard and practice the music, though. Overall, despite having the ability to perform using music, I think learning a new set of music each week is harder than learning one set for the entire season.
The drill in high school has different difficulty levels depending on the skill level of the band. Some high schools marching bands have very simple, easy drill whereas others have complicated, complex drill that is very impressive when executed well. Like the music, high school bands only learn one set of drill throughout the whole season. Since they have many different shows throughout the season, college marching bands also have many different sets of drill to fit the show. Unlike the music, however, the students cannot read drill as they are marching. This means they have to memorize the new drill each week. The drill in college marching band is much easier because of this. The band often moves very little and stands in one place while playing. This lightens the load on the players. I think the drill is about equally as difficult at the high school and college levels. This depends on the high school, but generally they have more complicated drill. College bands have easier drill, but they also have to learn new drill every week. Therefore, it is hard to tell which level of band has a higher difficulty level regarding drill.
The time commitment for college marching band is far greater than that of high school. Most college bands rehearse around three hours a day throughout the season. Keep in mind, the marching season for college is much longer than that of high school. They typically do not participate in competitions, but the bands have to play for all the football games, both home and away. The games take a large amount of time out of each day. The time spent rehearsing outside of the school day for high school marching band varies, but it typically is not as demanding as the time commitment for college. My band only rehearsed for two nights a week during marching season, each being three hours. High school bands in my region generally only send the band to home football games, which are much shorter than college games. We simply have to play our show during halftime and sit for the rest of the time playing pep band tunes. However, high school bands participate in competitions. Most competitions run for half a day, usually on a Saturday. This is still less than college football games. Therefore, the time commitment is far greater for marching band at the college level.
I enjoy watching both high school and college marching bands and I like assessing the differences between them. It is fun to watch both types and learn from them.
Scales
Music revolves around scales. They make up everything and it is impossible to not use them. There are many types of scales such as major, minor, melodic, harmonic, and more. In this blog, I will be discussing the importance of the 12 major scales.
The 12 major scales include C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, G, D, A, E, B, and F#. Each scale contains a different series of notes starting with the name of the scale. There are five flat scales, six sharp scales, and C, which contains all natural notes. Every piece of music is written in a certain key, which is the same thing as a scale. This determines what notes everyone will play. Each key sounds slightly different, giving each piece of music a unique sound.
It is very important to memorize all 12 major scales if you want to become a serious musician. Music is created by simply developing relationships between notes. Once you reach the point where you can look at a piece of music and analyze the relationships between notes, everything immediately becomes much easier. Instead of seeing random notes, you can see how the notes fit together and are the role they play in the relationships. This is why the major scales are so important to music.
It is very important to memorize all 12 major scales if you want to become a serious musician. Music is created by simply developing relationships between notes. Once you reach the point where you can look at a piece of music and analyze the relationships between notes, everything immediately becomes much easier. Instead of seeing random notes, you can see how the notes fit together and are the role they play in the relationships. This is why the major scales are so important to music.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Judging Marching Band Competitions
Many marching bands go to competitions to perform their show and be judged and ranked against other bands. The rules and scoring guidelines vary from competition to competition, but they are similar across the country. Similarly, the judges are all different, so all the rules are interpreted differently. Despite these variations, there are some basic guidelines that all judges generally follow when judging marching band shows.
The number of judges depends on the individual competition, but there are usually at least five. These include judges for colorguard, percussion, marching and maneuvering (M&M), music execution, and general effect (GE). Each category has an individual score that contributes to the total, which is added up to rank and place the bands. Each score is important and contributes to the total score, so it is not a good idea to neglect a certain category and focus too much on another.
The first two categories are pretty self explanatory. There is a judge who watches and analyzes the colorguard only. This judge is typically on the field with the guard. He or she watches many things such as the complexity of the work, the quality at which it is performed, the basics of colorguard technique, and much more. This judge can comment on other aspects of the performance, but they are supposed to mainly focus on the colorguard. There is also an individual judge who judges the percussion sections, which include the drumline and front ensemble, or pit. This judge is also on the field and has to run back and forth between the front sideline to listen to the pit and the back of the field, which is typically where the drumline is written into the drill. The judge analyzes things such as how well the pit and drumline are lining up, how well they are lining up with the band, how the percussion music complements the music the winds are playing, the complexity of the music, and more. These two categories are specialized, but they still contribute to the overall score and are important.
The next two categories being judged are labeled marching and maneuvering and music execution. These judges are also on the field with the band. The M&M judge focuses on the marching of the band. He or she watches both the group as a whole and specific individuals. This judge comments on marching style, whether individuals are marching in time, upper body orientation, intervals and spacing, and more. Like the colorguard and percussion judges, this judge is free to comment on other aspects of the performance but they usually stick to their assigned area, which would be marching. The music execution judge can also focus on individuals or the sound the group is producing as a whole. This judge walks around and listens to everyone, so they can point out people who are not playing and dock points because of that. He or she also listens to the sound the group is putting out from the field. This does not sound as good as it does in the stands, but the judge can still determine whether it is quality music or not.
The final judge that most competitions have is the general effect judge. This judge sits up in the press box so he or she can observe the performance from above. He or she is free to comment on every aspect of the show. This judge analyzes how the show comes across to the audience, how effective the music and drill are, and how everything works together. All of these judges are very important and play a crucial role in the placement of the bands.
The next two categories being judged are labeled marching and maneuvering and music execution. These judges are also on the field with the band. The M&M judge focuses on the marching of the band. He or she watches both the group as a whole and specific individuals. This judge comments on marching style, whether individuals are marching in time, upper body orientation, intervals and spacing, and more. Like the colorguard and percussion judges, this judge is free to comment on other aspects of the performance but they usually stick to their assigned area, which would be marching. The music execution judge can also focus on individuals or the sound the group is producing as a whole. This judge walks around and listens to everyone, so they can point out people who are not playing and dock points because of that. He or she also listens to the sound the group is putting out from the field. This does not sound as good as it does in the stands, but the judge can still determine whether it is quality music or not.
The final judge that most competitions have is the general effect judge. This judge sits up in the press box so he or she can observe the performance from above. He or she is free to comment on every aspect of the show. This judge analyzes how the show comes across to the audience, how effective the music and drill are, and how everything works together. All of these judges are very important and play a crucial role in the placement of the bands.
The Radio
I have never used the old, clunky, beat up radio that sits in my basement before. I'm sure once upon a time it was used quite frequently, but I do not even know how to turn it on. Nowadays everyone simply uses their phone or MP3 player for music. Old fashioned radios are very rare and not likely to be seen in homes. However, many people still use radios every day, just in different forms.
Many people listen to the radio in their car every day on the way to work or school or wherever they are going. In most car radios, there are two settings: AM radio and FM radio. AM radio typically refers to talk show radio stations that you can listen to in the car. FM, on the other hand, consists of music stations, though they may have some talking as well. Of course, there are commercials on both settings, so that adds extra talking no one usually wants to listen to. Listening to the radio while driving is relaxing or entertaining for most people, which is why they turn it on in the first place. Personally, I do not mind driving in silence. However, sometimes I turn on the radio to listen to music as background noise while I am driving places. I generally turn the radio off if there are other people in the car, though.
Similarly, many people listen to music on their phones to provide entertainment for themselves. Some simply buy music from the iTunes store to listen to at their leisure. I think that most people simply use an app to listen to music, though. Common music apps include Pandora, Spotify, and SoundCloud. It may seem obvious, but when using these apps they are pulling different songs from different radio stations. This means that you are indeed using a radio when you use these apps to listen to music, even though it is on your phone.
There are hundreds of different stations and genres on the radio, such as pop, jazz, hip-hop, rap, classical, blues, and so much more. There is a type of music for everyone to listen to thanks to the many radio stations that exist. If you have not found a type of music you enjoy listening to, you simply have not been looking hard enough. Next time you pull out your phone, try going through some of the different music apps so you can browse through the vast amount of stations. I hope you find a type of music you enjoy!
Many people listen to the radio in their car every day on the way to work or school or wherever they are going. In most car radios, there are two settings: AM radio and FM radio. AM radio typically refers to talk show radio stations that you can listen to in the car. FM, on the other hand, consists of music stations, though they may have some talking as well. Of course, there are commercials on both settings, so that adds extra talking no one usually wants to listen to. Listening to the radio while driving is relaxing or entertaining for most people, which is why they turn it on in the first place. Personally, I do not mind driving in silence. However, sometimes I turn on the radio to listen to music as background noise while I am driving places. I generally turn the radio off if there are other people in the car, though.
Similarly, many people listen to music on their phones to provide entertainment for themselves. Some simply buy music from the iTunes store to listen to at their leisure. I think that most people simply use an app to listen to music, though. Common music apps include Pandora, Spotify, and SoundCloud. It may seem obvious, but when using these apps they are pulling different songs from different radio stations. This means that you are indeed using a radio when you use these apps to listen to music, even though it is on your phone.
There are hundreds of different stations and genres on the radio, such as pop, jazz, hip-hop, rap, classical, blues, and so much more. There is a type of music for everyone to listen to thanks to the many radio stations that exist. If you have not found a type of music you enjoy listening to, you simply have not been looking hard enough. Next time you pull out your phone, try going through some of the different music apps so you can browse through the vast amount of stations. I hope you find a type of music you enjoy!
Performing in a Pit Orchestra
Playing in a pit orchestra in a musical is far different from any other type of performance I have been a part of. While it might seem tough at first, it is very fun and rewarding.
My first experience performing in a pit orchestra was performing the musical Jekyll and Hyde. I absolutely loved the music and I had a great time playing. It also helped that the cast and crew were fantastic and did an amazing job making the show come to life. I think Jekyll and Hyde will always be my favorite musical. It was such a great exposure to the world of pit orchestras.
Music in a musical pit is quite different from regular band music. It is typically the same for brass instruments, but there are not certain books for specific woodwind instruments. Instead, the books are simply labeled Reed 1, Reed 2, Reed 3, and so on. Rather than playing one instrument, the musicians playing the different Reed books are usually asked to play multiple instruments. For example, on the first song the Reed 2 book may be marked as clarinet music, but on the third song it may be marked as oboe music. This means the players will have to switch instruments between tunes. Woodwind musicians hoping to be hired to play in a professional musical have a higher chance of being selected if they are capable of playing more than one instrument.
Playing in a musical pit is also much more exposed than playing in a regular concert band. There are typically only one to two players for each instrument with one player on a part if there is more than one part. In order to sound good everyone must play with lots of confidence and no hesitation. There is no place to hide in a pit orchestra. I find it easiest to think of everything I play as a solo. Playing in a pit orchestra is vastly different from other types of performances, but it is equally fun.
My first experience performing in a pit orchestra was performing the musical Jekyll and Hyde. I absolutely loved the music and I had a great time playing. It also helped that the cast and crew were fantastic and did an amazing job making the show come to life. I think Jekyll and Hyde will always be my favorite musical. It was such a great exposure to the world of pit orchestras.
Music in a musical pit is quite different from regular band music. It is typically the same for brass instruments, but there are not certain books for specific woodwind instruments. Instead, the books are simply labeled Reed 1, Reed 2, Reed 3, and so on. Rather than playing one instrument, the musicians playing the different Reed books are usually asked to play multiple instruments. For example, on the first song the Reed 2 book may be marked as clarinet music, but on the third song it may be marked as oboe music. This means the players will have to switch instruments between tunes. Woodwind musicians hoping to be hired to play in a professional musical have a higher chance of being selected if they are capable of playing more than one instrument.
Playing in a musical pit is also much more exposed than playing in a regular concert band. There are typically only one to two players for each instrument with one player on a part if there is more than one part. In order to sound good everyone must play with lots of confidence and no hesitation. There is no place to hide in a pit orchestra. I find it easiest to think of everything I play as a solo. Playing in a pit orchestra is vastly different from other types of performances, but it is equally fun.
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