Competition Circuits & Organizations

Bus Pillows from Old Guard T-Shirts!

Last month I promised a guard-themed craft or crochet project per month.  I almost let November run away from me… but just under the wire I’m back with craft project #2! And this one I LOVE! Bus Pillows made from Upcycled Guard T-shirts with Crochet Edgings Before I start with the step-by-step let me just [...]

Custom DIY necklace

We haven’t had a “Fun for Friday!” post in, well… a REALLY LONG time! But it’s a feature that we love because it’s a way for coaches across the world to share fun ideas they have used with their teams.  Sometimes it’s gifts, parties, craft projects, team-building, inspirational… whatever! If it’s FUN it’s IN! When [...]

Crochet Flag Ornament or Stuffed Toy

When I was 7 years old my mom taught me to crochet.  Over the years I’ve made blankets and doll dresses and the like.  One year I even crocheted little spirit dresses for teddy bears for my entire color guard. I go in spurts with crochet.  Like any other hobby I get too busy and [...]

Halloween Surprises!

Holidays are the perfect reminder to inject a little fun into your coaching routine. One of my favorite things to do as a coach was to create small surprises for my students that broke up routine a bit, added a little fun and sent a clear message that I thought about them – and not [...]

Some Tips for Keeping the Youngun’s Engaged During Camp

Our band camp is on a 9am – 9pm schedule with 3; 3-hour blocks during the day. During the first block, we are out on the field with the band learning drill, which as everyone knows, can be quite tedious and repetitive.  So we try to make sure to deliberately schedule in some fun!  Here [...]

10 Steps to Color Guard Success

This list is a reference I am using this year with my performers.  It is a contract signed by parents and students at a parent meeting shortly after the team is selected.  As we get to times in the season where the high of the beginning of the season runs low we can regroup by [...]

Using eBay to Bring Fundraising into this Decade

As an active parent in my daughter’s fall and winter programs, I wanted to think of a new way to raise money that taps some of the modern technology we have available at our fingertips.  With my youngest now in 11th grade, I have purchased my share of wrapping paper, fruit crates, and coupon books. [...]

Our Non-Competitive Winter Guard – Another Alternative

With the strained economy, many schools, families, and yes, band programs, are tightening budgets.  Winter Guard is a popular activity in the larger schools in Ohio. However, the program I took over 6 years ago is part of a smaller school with a smaller budget and winter guard is an activity that is largely unknown [...]

Bus Pillows from Old Guard T-Shirts!

Last month I promised a guard-themed craft or crochet project per month.  I almost let November run away from me… but just under the wire I’m back with craft project #2! And this one I LOVE! Bus Pillows made from Upcycled Guard T-shirts with Crochet Edgings Before I start with the step-by-step let me just [...]

Keep the Fire Burning: Veteran Instructors share their secrets for longevity and long lasting success in pageantry – an interview with Jody Jones

One of the most common challenges instructors face is how to keep the stress from taking over.  We throw our entire lives into our programs, our students, the activity, the show.  Soon we start to feel like we don’t have much of a life leftover and burnout sets in.  So we asked veteran instructors with [...]