Being involved in the color guard world, we all know what it is like to be on a budget. Some of you are probably thinking, “What budget? I wish I had money to budget!” This year I needed to allocate more money for flag fabric since we purchased 2 shaded-silk swing flags for each member [...]
“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 minority here. So, I’m going to try to explain it over the next several months along with thoughts about how [...]
Few other words evoke such a visceral reaction. Sweaty palms, increased heart-rate, feelings of entrapment, loss of control, arguments with family members or partners into the wee-hours of the morning… and now your band director? Seriously! You were hired to put on an epic production of guardliness not crunch numbers. Isn’t that what the sallow-skinned [...]
How much time and money have you wasted digging through piles of CDs, hunting down copyright-questionable tracks on the Internet or buying individual tracks only to have them end up in the discard pile? In fact, you’ve probably resigned yourself to this reality when hunting down the ideal soundtrack for your guards. Well, waste no [...]
I’ve been meaning to post this for a few weeks now, but we all know how time flies during the marching season! This year’s DIY project was a color changing belt. Our theme is “True Colors,” so we wanted the guard uniform change in some way to reflect the color song that was being played. [...]
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 winter guard activity. He arranged for other, more experienced individuals, to work with me and my group [...]
One question that comes up almost immediately in the flag design process is determining how big the silk should be, and therefore how much fabric you need for each flag. This is especially a concern for non-traditional sized poles, or if there are very large variances in the size of the members, to the point [...]
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 horizontal thought process (continuity) throughout program 5. Are planned to enhance the visual design of the entire ensemble B. Ineffective Transitions 1. Disrupt the horizontal thought [...]
reposted on CGE with permission of the author, originally posted September 28, 2010 on her blog, “One More Time, I Promise! … Now, Do it Again.” A few weeks ago I brought you pocket watch props. This week I present customized flags. As I previously stated, our theme this year is “It’s About Time”. We [...]
(reposted on CGE with permission of the author, originally posted September 21, 2010 on her blog, “One More Time, I Promise! … Now, Do it Again .”) Well, we spent Labor Day making the pocket watches for our fall show, titled “I’m Late.” Here’s how you can do it… in 25-ish steps.
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Special Edition of Halftime Magazine – Color Guard Sectionals
If you’re a regular reader here at CGE then you probably know that we’re big fans here of Halftime Magazine. For those who may not be familiar with Halftime it is a print magazine specifically for the marching arts community. It was founded in 2007 by Editor/CEO Christine Ngeo Katzman and publishes 6 times a [...]
From the Archives: It’s all about Travel Safety
This week we pulled two articles from the archives regarding hotel and travel safety. This is it! If you’re going on an overnight trip this is one of those important moments in your experience as a coach to teach your students something that could serve to keep them safe throughout their lives – well beyond [...]
From the Archives: Can it be TOO clean???
This week’s articles from the archives: A Movement Moment #10: Too Clean? by Cheryl Myers (03/18/2010) Our resident “Movement Chick” suggests that yes… it is, perhaps, possible to be too clean… check out the article to see what she means. The ‘Winterguard Wand’ and Championships by Chris Casteel (06/09/2008) A very important article by Chris [...]
From the Archives: Planning for Championships
Earlier this month we asked for your best advice for planning an overnight trip on the facebook page. If you missed it make sure to look it up and check out the best advice from the community if you’re looking forward to your first overnight championships trip. This week we pulled 2 of our past [...]
Get Subscriptions to Halftime Magazine for only $1.00 each!
Halftime Magazine has a fantastic program we wanted to share with our readers. Directors can purchase a group subscription with copies for every student and staff member of your group for just $1.00 per person, per year. We love Halftime Magazine! And what better way to get your students excited for the next season while [...]
This has got to be the simplest Fun Friday craft project yet! It’ll only take you minutes (beyond gathering the supplies) but you’re sure to put smiles on the faces of your performers! ‘Flag’ Candy Canes Materials needed: Craft Felt Glue gun Sheet of paper Candy cane Instructions: Using the sheet of paper, cut a [...]
Remember in kindergarten everyone would gather around the teacher for story time? Everyone loves listening to stories, even high school kids! In our guard, we have ‘story time’ and it is connected to the development of our team core values. One of our values is to ‘Be good people’ and treat each other with respect. [...]
Materials needed: 20” x 50” fabric 2 x 80” pieces of cording Puffy paints, buttons, ribbon, bows, etc for decorating Cut 20” x 50” piece of fabric (you can alter the size to meet your needs). Fold in ½, right sides together. From top edge, mark 2” down. (Fig. 1) Using ½” seams, sew below [...]
This is a fun activity the entire band participates in! During marching season students create spirit bags for their own sections, for every performance. Spirit bags contain a few treats and some fun baubles from the dollar store (a glow stick, mardi gras beads, lip gloss, etc). Coaches and directors sometimes add a little note [...]
September is typically a tough month for kids since they have so many responsibilities, homework, the social scene of high school, and it can take some time to figure out the balance between life and marching band. It’s always the toughest time for my kids, even when they know the expectations of the guard. Once [...]
This has got to be the simplest Fun Friday craft project yet! It’ll only take you minutes (beyond gathering the supplies) but you’re sure to put smiles on the faces of your performers! ‘Flag’ Candy Canes Materials needed: Craft Felt Glue gun Sheet of paper Candy cane Instructions: Using the sheet of paper, cut a [...]
ON THE WEB: Band Saves Lives and Fundraises at the Same Time
We thought this was an interesting/unique approach to both service and fundraising – check out this New Jersey marching band that saves lives while also earning some money for their program. Win/Win!
ON THE WEB: Podcast about starting a brand new WG program
Episode 47 of the Marching Roundtable podcast series (posted December 12, 2011) is an interview with Tim LeBlanc – a guard instructor from TX who has also been a participant in the CGE community on Facebook – about his experience starting a brand new winter guard at a new school. Check it out! Episode 47: [...]
Remember in kindergarten everyone would gather around the teacher for story time? Everyone loves listening to stories, even high school kids! In our guard, we have ‘story time’ and it is connected to the development of our team core values. One of our values is to ‘Be good people’ and treat each other with respect. [...]
Budget-Conscious Costume Transformation
Being involved in the color guard world, we all know what it is like to be on a budget. Some of you are probably thinking, “What budget? I wish I had money to budget!” This year I needed to allocate more money for flag fabric since we purchased 2 shaded-silk swing flags for each member [...]
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