When my husband was hired as head band director of a school in Tennessee, I was so excited for him, but even more excited to start working with his colorguard. I came in to meet the girls and learned that their program had been struggling in recent years with no consistent director or guard instructor. [...]
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 [...]
Today will be a quick post (well… none of my posts end up quick… I think I’m incapable of “short and concise…) and a link to an interesting discussion. First, if you haven’t discovered the new “Marching Roundtable” podcast take a minute a click on over there … well… first finish reading this post and then [...]
Warning —this may be more of a rant, but I feel it is necessary after experiencing two events in the last 2 weeks, one as an instructor of a competing unit and one as an adjudicator.First and foremost, we, as educators need to remember that this activity is about EDUCATING young adults. A phrase that [...]
Many colleges are developing winterguard programs based out of the university. If your college doesn’t currently have one, you might be just the person to make that happen. It takes hard work, creative use of resources, and the desire to continue what you love. Based on our experience building a competitive winterguard at James Madison [...]
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 [...]
Oh my goodness ~ Hello, chickadees! It has been ages since I have been here to pester you regale you with movement meanderings. But, never fear, darlings, the Movement Chick has a SCHEDULE… …an editing/writing/proofing/submit the blessed article already, pleaseandthankyou SCHEDULE! Whee! [I also have the world’s most fabulous editor, EV-AH] A-hem. So… You shall [...]
Now more than ever, an instructor’s words, actions, and reactions are constantly being evaluated – not only during rehearsal, but also in cyberspace. As role models and educators, color guard instructors walk a unique tight rope; we work in the professional realm of education (which has clear standards of teacher/instructor conduct), yet the extracurricular [...]
Hey! Hi…guys. [Waves tentatively from doorway] Remember me? Umm… yes, I am the ghost formerly known as the Movement Chick. Gosh, it’s been a while, yes? My apologies. As usual, there have been “things,” “Things,” which have kept me from regaling you all throughout the 2011 season. And, I feel badly about that, I do. [...]
If you’re teaching a Regional A or Novice program there are many important details that compete for your attention. But as I watched the Novice class perform at a local competition last spring, one technical issue jumped out at me over and over: many of the students were not staying “in the toaster” with their [...]
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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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