Hey guys!
So last post I talked about concert band, and I thought I'd tell you guys how my concert band has been doing.
This past Saturday, the Oak Ridge Symphonic Band went to a concert festival at Woodcreek High, where we played two pieces, "Undertow" by John Mackey, and "Canticle of the Creatures" by Jim Curnow.
We had never played on that stage before, and were therefore not used to the acoustics of the room; mostly our percussion had a little trouble knowing exactly how loud to play.
My section came away thinking that we scored terribly; everything was out of tune, people weren't counting rests properly, the trumpets certainly didn't know how to play their parts, etc. etc. etc.
Thing is, we come to band class on Monday and surprise!We got a 92! What??
See, our band criticizes itself far more than the judges know. Our expectations are so high we hardly see the good in our band, as, to us, it is overshadowed by the bad things we do. Relative to everything, the Symphonic Band at Oak Ridge is a pretty darn good band, despite the fact that I could have sworn we scored at most an 80 at Woodcreek.
Lesson to be learned: it's okay to make mistakes. If you're doing something right, people will notice that more than the mess-ups.
Thanks for reading! Bye!
Monday, March 16, 2015
Thursday, March 12, 2015
CONCERT BAND!!
I know that this is a blog about marching band, but, right now, this is concert band season, and I love it. Concert band allows for the musicality of a band to really come through, and I think that is really important also in marching band, both in parade and on field show.
A band is supposed to sound good. That is the most important thing. If the band doesn't sound good, no one is going to want to listen, let alone watch the band perform. And a drum major comes into play on this part, since the drum major is supposed to keep the band together. Not only that, but a drum major is supposed to assist in musicality. You know, show dynamics, conduct ritardandos and rallentandos, possibly even show staccato vs. legato. (All of this is not applicable in parade, but in field shows and pep band, it is).
Anyways, there's that. Be musical. That's how you'll get people to listen.
Thanks!
A band is supposed to sound good. That is the most important thing. If the band doesn't sound good, no one is going to want to listen, let alone watch the band perform. And a drum major comes into play on this part, since the drum major is supposed to keep the band together. Not only that, but a drum major is supposed to assist in musicality. You know, show dynamics, conduct ritardandos and rallentandos, possibly even show staccato vs. legato. (All of this is not applicable in parade, but in field shows and pep band, it is).
Anyways, there's that. Be musical. That's how you'll get people to listen.
Thanks!
Monday, March 2, 2015
Oh, and one more thing...
I've realized I don't quite know how I'm going to present my "product." I figured it will probably be a video, like on YouTube or something. My epic uncoordination will be on the Internet for everyone to see!
Thanks guys!
Thanks guys!
Progress?
Hey guys! Haven't posted in a while, so I figured I'd update you all on my progress.
Sadly, my progress hasn't been all that much. Mostly because I've been so busy, what with concert band, ski team, and schoolwork. Luckily, ski ends this week, so I'll be able to keep you all updated.
Thanks!
Sadly, my progress hasn't been all that much. Mostly because I've been so busy, what with concert band, ski team, and schoolwork. Luckily, ski ends this week, so I'll be able to keep you all updated.
Thanks!
Monday, November 17, 2014
Expectations of a Drum Major
Hey there! This week I'd thought I'd talk about what exactly it means to be a drum major. In my first post, I gave a little background, but that was just a little about what the whole job is about.
So, a drum major is the one who leads the marching band. He or she is expected to conduct (in a field show or pep band setting), control tempo, show dynamics/assist in musicality, lead on the street (in a parade setting), and be a sort of bridge between the band and the band director.
There are different sorts of drum majors, as well: mace and military. Mace means the drum major uses this:
So, a drum major is the one who leads the marching band. He or she is expected to conduct (in a field show or pep band setting), control tempo, show dynamics/assist in musicality, lead on the street (in a parade setting), and be a sort of bridge between the band and the band director.
There are different sorts of drum majors, as well: mace and military. Mace means the drum major uses this:
Which, comparatively, looks like this:
.png)
The proper height for a mace is from the ground to the drum major's shoulder.
Drum major military looks like this:
Which, for comparison, is this:
It's a much smaller baton, used for sort of speedy maneuvers.
Traditionally, Oak Ridge drum majors use the mace, and so I probably will too. (There's a slight debate on this, given the fact that I'm small, and the mace is heavy... But I'll probably end up mastering it and blowing everybody's minds.) I'm super excited to learn; I know I can, since I can use a bo staff in taekwondo pretty well. Anyways, just to recap: the drum major has a pretty important job. He or she is a conductor, a time-keeper, and, most importantly, a leader.
See you later!
Oh, and just because it's funny...
Monday, November 3, 2014
About This Project
Hello again! I wasn't very specific in my last post about exactly what I'm doing and why, so this post is to clarify what exactly this project is
Well, first, let me tell you a little about what exactly a 20% project is. You might have heard of Google's ideal that its employees should work on what they want to work on 20% of the time, yes? That is exactly what this project is! Mrs. Arthur, my history teacher, is letting us work on whatever we want to work on, something that will further us in some way, for 20% of our class time. By the end of the year, we must present our "discoveries," and some sort of product, in a TED-like talk. (If you don't know what a TED Talk is, I encourage you to look it up on Youtube. Pretty cool stuff.) This blog is part of my 20% project, and my mace routine at the end of the year will be my product.
Anyways, that's sort of the background on this project. If you want more information on 20% projects and how they work, visit this site: What is the 20% Project in Education?
Thanks!
Oh, and just because I think this picture is brilliant, here is, for your entertainment, a picture of Darth Vader leading his Imperial Marching Band.
Well, first, let me tell you a little about what exactly a 20% project is. You might have heard of Google's ideal that its employees should work on what they want to work on 20% of the time, yes? That is exactly what this project is! Mrs. Arthur, my history teacher, is letting us work on whatever we want to work on, something that will further us in some way, for 20% of our class time. By the end of the year, we must present our "discoveries," and some sort of product, in a TED-like talk. (If you don't know what a TED Talk is, I encourage you to look it up on Youtube. Pretty cool stuff.) This blog is part of my 20% project, and my mace routine at the end of the year will be my product.
Anyways, that's sort of the background on this project. If you want more information on 20% projects and how they work, visit this site: What is the 20% Project in Education?
Thanks!
Oh, and just because I think this picture is brilliant, here is, for your entertainment, a picture of Darth Vader leading his Imperial Marching Band.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Introduction to this Blog
Hello! My name is Gillian Davidson, and I am a sophomore at Oak Ridge High School. I play the alto sax in the band, and this blog is going to be all about my experiences in learning to become a drum major.
A drum major is the leader of a marching band. You know, the one with the differently colored uniform and the stick-thing (which is actually called a mace), the one who marches in front, beating time, doing a cool routine with the mace, the one who conducts at football games and fields shows. Yeah, that person. I think it'd be super cool to be able to do that, to lead an entire band (I know, nerd, right?). But, hey, it'll be a cool experience.
I had already been planning on trying out for drum major before I was required to do this 20% project in Mrs. Arthur's World History class. So, this is pretty snazzy, because I can be ahead of the game before tryouts.
Anyways, follow me throughout my journey in becoming a drum major. Bear with me as I try to (hilariously, of course) document my struggles with hand-eye coordination, battle my fears of leadership, responsibility, and pressure, and learn to conduct, instruct, lead, march, and create and perform a mace routine.
A drum major is the leader of a marching band. You know, the one with the differently colored uniform and the stick-thing (which is actually called a mace), the one who marches in front, beating time, doing a cool routine with the mace, the one who conducts at football games and fields shows. Yeah, that person. I think it'd be super cool to be able to do that, to lead an entire band (I know, nerd, right?). But, hey, it'll be a cool experience.
I had already been planning on trying out for drum major before I was required to do this 20% project in Mrs. Arthur's World History class. So, this is pretty snazzy, because I can be ahead of the game before tryouts.
Anyways, follow me throughout my journey in becoming a drum major. Bear with me as I try to (hilariously, of course) document my struggles with hand-eye coordination, battle my fears of leadership, responsibility, and pressure, and learn to conduct, instruct, lead, march, and create and perform a mace routine.
 |
| This is the Oak Ridge Trojan Marching Band, ready to step out to do pregame! |
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)