Progress: In today's post I will discuss the art of conducting, and the differences in some of the forms a drum major can use. Conducting with just your hands The most common way to conduct music is simply with your hands. The pattern, tempo and general style may differ, but it must be clear and consistent in order for the entire band or ensemble to read and stay in time. Conducting with your hands requires the ability to endure long musical pieces, memorization of the music, knowing where the changes in time signatures and tempo, and confidence. If a conductor is not confident in their conducting, the whole show falls apart. There are several different patterns, depending on the time signature and style, and there are also cut offs. All of these are essential in order to have an organized and successful show. Here is an example of conducting, shown by drum major Samuel Crawford of the Bluecoats, in their 2016 DCI show, Downside Up: They won the DCI International with this show by the way. Totally not my favorite drum corp. Cough go big bloo cough. Mace conducting Mace conducting is more commonly used in parade marches. Drum majors are equipped with a mace, and the band looks to the mace in order to stay in time. Generally, the drum major will move the mace up and down, consistently and in time. The drum major may add a few visual tricks for the crowd watching. This form of conducting is more flashy and is meant to entertain the observers more. Here is a video of a conducting championship, including both mace and normal conducting: To conclude, you have to be confident in your ability to do either of these methods. It takes time and practice in order to master. But once mastered, it is a hell of a feeling being in control of a band. Reflection: Conducting is my favorite part of this subject, but really it's just the surface of a drum major can do. That doesn't make it any less important, but it's still very fun. I've had some experiences conducting the band through pep songs and it is just such an amazing thing. I can't wait to be able to conduct an actual show next year.
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Progress:
Today we will discuss the characteristics of a military style band and traditional drum major. What is a military style band? Well a military style band is, well, what the military and some colleges use as a version of band. They were in a sense the first true marching band, marching forward, rarely changing directions. The routine is very simple and involves all of the wind instruments, woodwinds and brass alike, and percussion. In the US, colleges use them to perform half time shows with formations. They march back and forth playing fanfares and pepping up the audiences. Usually military style bands are seen marching through the streets for special occasions or events, the more traditional view of marching bands. Why are traditional drum majors so special? Just like corp-style drum majors, they, too, play a key role. The march on the field with the band, with a mace, or a baton, in hand.
They use these to keep time and for a more visual affect for the audience. Traditional drum major often have their own routines built into the show just for them. Here is a video of the Ohio State Marching Band, a kind of corp-style, military style hybrid band with both kinds of drum majors:
Reflection:
Traditional drum majors and military style bands are kind of alien to me so looking this was really interesting. I always thought that traditional bands just stood there to look pretty, but now I know their role is a lot more bad ass and I am excited to lead my marching band in parades next year. Military style bands have always had the best marching techniques and it is just jaw dropping when you look closely. The first 3 blogs done and I am super excited for next quarter. With the competition season coming to a close in the next couple of weeks, I will have more time for these blogs and other assignments. Thanks for tuning in!
Progress:
In this blog, I will explain what a drum corp is, and what it takes to be a drum major for this kind of band. So what is a drum corp? Currently, Pacifica's marching band is a drum-corp style band, one that performs a field show with the drum major on the sideline. Drum corp compete in tournaments and it is very intense. If you don't believe marching band is a sport, take a look at the DCI, or the Drum Corp International. Bands can consist of over 100 people, all crazy band nerds. Drum corps member, are brass players (because woodwinds are too quiet), percussion, guard, and of course the drum major. The instrumentation depend on the organization but they usually consist the same average amount. What makes a corp-style drum major different? Instead of performing the show on the field, they stand at the sideline so all band members can see. They conduct with their hands in different patterns, and are in charge of keeping tempo. These drum majors play a key role in holding the show together and have to perform top of their game every single time. Here is a video of a recent competition that Pacifica's marching band competed in:
(Watch the little person in black waving their hands wildly. That's Teresa Vu, our current drum major)
Reflection: So in this blog I discussed the characteristics of a corp-style drum major, and what their role is in band. During the past couple of weeks, I talked to my drum major and what she has to do to deal with having such a responsibility. There was so much more than I thought, and this makes me a little more excited about becoming a drum major next year. Next blog post will be about traditional drum majors. See you all there! Progress: In this quarter I will explain the different kinds of drum major and how they conduct. I will explain the kind of etiquette needed to be a drum major. So what is a drum major? Well I'm glad you asked! A drum major is a leader, conductor, and a gigantic band nerd. They are the ones who are in charge of keeping the band together when performing a show, or marching down the streets. Drum majors are an essential for marching bands and they carry a heavy responsibility. With out them, the band would fall apart. Corp-style drum majors often stand on the front sideline on a podium, so that everyone in the band can see them and stay in time. They conduct with their hands, with different patterns (we will see this next quarter). On the other hand, traditional drum major march on the field with the band, carrying a baton. They do not conduct as much as a corp-style drum major, they have more of a visual role, often having several seconds of the show for a routine they perform. We will look more into detail in each kind of drum major in the following posts, so see you all later! Reflection:
I am so excited to share my wonderful little world of band. I feel like at our school the band is really, really under represented and I think sharing how a drum major operates will help! Also researching into this role will help me prepare for next year, when I actually become the drum major. Currently in band right now we are finishing up our show for competition season! So it is kind of hectic and stressing but I have a good feeling that we are going to do really well this year in competitions. See you all next post! |