Marching Band is a required part of being in band. Marching band starts before school begins in August. We play a few parades and prepare a field show for Homecoming in the Fall. We combine the Concert Band and Wind Ensemble to make the Marching Band. Everybody in enrolled in band is in marching band. We learn how easy it is to play our instrument while moving down the street and on the field. New for 2009... Our show this year will be based on the music of Cirque du Soleil. We are doing two numbers called Urban and Distorted. For our parades we will do Jump and one of the Cirque tunes. Listen to these tunes and practice with them before you arrive at band camp. Memorize as much of this as possible before band camp. Listen and follow along in your music so you know how the entire song goes, then start playing the song slowly with a metronome at first without the recording then gradually build up the speed. Be precise in your rhythm, pitch, articulation, and intonation. Try working on these things while your memorizing your music. After you become more comfortable with the music, listen carefully as you play so that you part matches up with the recording. Practice with these: SmartMusic files to assist with your practicing needs: See the marching band perform their 2008 Homecoming Half-Time show Grease on Youtube.
Here are some typical warm ups we do in band. We also do these warm-ups in Concert Band and Wind Ensemble sometimes. Click on them to listen. Listening Exercise.mp3 Percussion technical exercises can be found here. With Smart Music files you can adjust the tempo, articulation and key signature to different settings to help you prepare for any key in major or minor.Listening Exercise.smp DoRiDo.smp Rhythm Exercise.smp Treble Clef Instruments Circle_of_5ths.smp Bass_Clef Instruments Circle_of_5ths.smp As a practice aid, Smart Music software can increase your understanding of the music before the first rehearsal. It is important this year that you really know you music (forwards, backwards, up-side-down and right-side-up) so when we take the music to the street or the field, you do not have music blocking your view of the drum major. Return to the main band webpage for more information on ordering Smart Music with a code and receive a discounted price. Things that Smart Music will help you as you prepare for this school year and marching season: -Exercises to improve you scales (important for the Fall audition) -Practice the marching tunes with the entire band before the first rehearsal (Download the files from the band website and practice you music with the band at the correct tempos, listen to how your part fits with the other band member parts) -Use the tuner to get in tune. -Use the metronome to practice steady tempos (slow down the marching tunes while practicing your part at first- something an MP3 can not do). -Record yourself and listen to your tone, articulation, rhythmic and pitch accuracy while you play along with the band. Please email sfairweather@c-dh.org for the school sponsored Smart Music code. What is this thing called drill? When we talk about drill we are not taking about the latest power tool available at your favorite building material store, when march on a football field for a halftime show, we use dots on a sheets of paper to make shapes on the football field while we are playing our music. We call this drill and it is important to have your music understood and MEMORIZED so that instead of colliding with your neighbor and not watching the drum major for the correct tempo you may focus on producing good sounds in the correct spot on the field.
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