Regardless of whether your marching band is competitive or not, it is important that the band develops a sense of personal identity to avoid becoming a "cookie cutter" band. The most successful competitive programs generally have a real…
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Creating a new uniform for today's marching musical ensemble can be a daunting and overwhelming task. Where does a person start? Should one stick with the tried and true, traditional designs or rock the proverbial boat with a new and…
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There is a beautiful ancient oak tree on Johns Island, South Carolina. It is over 500 years old. It has stood through the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, 36 tropical storms and 19 hurricanes. It has over 600,000 visitors a year. It is a…
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We have all seen flags that were nothing short of stunning. Likewise, we've all seen our share that could only be described as horrendous. A great flag design is one of the easiest ways to please the GE gods. Design it well and it works for…
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The end of the year and the beginning of a new year is always a good time for deep reflection, course correction and pinpointing. What do I want to create over the coming year at a professional and personal level? We all know that nothing…
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The breath used to play is the same breath used to sing. Whisper Tah, Too, or Toh (whichever you use) strongly for 4 beats. Now, use your throat to make the breath go higher like you were singing. Now go lower. Do not use your voice, just a…
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To tongue well, it is very important to maintain your tone while moving your tongue. A good way to practice tonguing is to say it out loud using Tah, Too, or Toh (whichever you prefer).
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One of the first exercises to practice is to play a note for 4 counts and rest for 4 counts. Use each note from the Low-Middle-High Warmup one at a time and play it over and over again with 4 counts of rest in-between. Do this 20 times or…
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It can be confusing trying to choose your first trombone as a student. There are established brands which are popular and have been for many years. There are more and more unknown brands which are extremely low in price and of equally low…
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The MOST important part of any band program is the beginners. I think all band directors will agree with that statement. Agreement with that statement and implementation are sometimes miles apart. For a band program to reach the highest…
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