Percussion Instructor Audio/Video Chats

[dgaking]

Is anyone trying to get on?

[billc36]

I was out with the family at a carnival last night and completely forgot about the chat. My bad.

[dgaking]

I was out with the family at a carnival last night and completely forgot about the chat. My bad.

We didn't have enough people. We will have to try again. Would a different time help people get there?

[billc36]

I think the time is fine. However, I work on Sunday's often, so 8pm CST would work better for me.

[extrikate]

Sorry I missed it, I had another commitment. I am flexible if the day or time needs to change to accommodate schedules. I work 24hrs on then 48hrs off so specific days don't really affect me.

[cobybos]

I was out with the family at a carnival last night and completely forgot about the chat. My bad.

We didn't have enough people. We will have to try again. Would a different time help people get there?

This time is tough for west coast folks. 5:00 PM is right in the dinner, out with family hour. A little later would make it easier for us on the left coast.

[dgaking]

We are going to try 9PM ET this Sunday to see if that works better for people. The topic will be the visual side of things, including marching, body, conditioning, stick visuals, etc.

[dgaking]

We are live in 10 minutes. Add me on G+ if you want to get the invite. Message me on SS or Google if you have issues connecting.

[dgaking]

We are live! Join us!

[dgaking]

I was having connection problems last night, so it was really hard to get the video feed going. I didn't see others trying to connect anyway.

I think we had a great discussion the first night out, and it sounds like people are very interested in continuing. However, we are not getting people involved every week. If you are interested in participating in the chats, is there anything we can do to get you there?

[ottomagne]

I haven't logged in for awhile, so I'm just now seeing this, but I'd definitely be interested in getting in on this.

I guess that means I'd actually have to make a G+ account though.

[billc36]

It was tough last night because of mothers day and all. I'm all for this though.

[doylejd]

It was tough last night because of mothers day and all. I'm all for this though.

Word. I took the wife out for dinner and spaced on this meeting. I'll be there this Sunday.

[cobybos]

Weekly you'll run into lots of conflicts. Maybe a once a month would farner more participation? I didn't join last time because I am a pit coach and wasn't interested in the visual aspect.

[dgaking]

We will chat this Sunday at 9PM ET. I hope everybody can make it out this time!

[dgaking]

The chat is up on G+. Message me if you need help getting on. Hopefully my router behaves. It already booted me once.

[dgaking]

Visual Chat Recap

Present were Bill, James, and Doug.

Bill doesn't use a stand still music warm-up. They play their music exercises on the move in visual drills, such as a box drill. His students mark time with the whole foot lifted. Doug agreed that whole foot marking time helps with timing, balance, etc.

We also discussed the toe lead for indoor marching and heel lead for outdoor. Many groups are still marching heels down indoors. Doug said that looks better on grass, but toe lead looks better on a gym floor. Judges still don't seem to punish groups for marching heels down indoors. As long as the technique is consistent, they usually don't criticize which one you choose.

Doug's movement program is rooted in ballet basics. Stationary movement is done with a 45º turnout, then marking time and all marching are done with the feet parallel. A technique packet explains the foot positions, stationary movements, and drill exercises for the students. Movement basics start with stretching, then stationary movement, then drill exercises, such as box drills, plus drill, and star drill. A great deal of time is spent practicing transitions between stationary and locomotor movement so that the two can work together in the show's visual program.

James used the Beyond the Basics book as the root of his visual program this year. It uses various exercises to increase body awareness, balance, etc. You can purchase a $12 PDF of the book from http://www.ilikecleandots.com

Bill talked about spending time with the Cavaliers and learning their marching techniques. They march backward with the same kind of technique that use to march forward. They also use a mix of step styles when marching obliques. Introducing these concepts to high school students did not work out well. He thinks it could be done, but it would have to be a gradual transition with a long period of training.

We talked about the pros and cons of making gradual changes to technique over time vs. bringing in a completely new system all at once. James found that making changes to technique forced the students to focus more on their feet. His group changed this season to crabbing with toes slightly out. The kids focused better, their feet looked better, and they were complimented by visual judges for having a strong visual identity.

We agreed that visual identity is an important concept. Innovation allows for competitive success, and it also is educational for the performing students. It is certainly beneficial to borrow technique ideas from others, but use them as part of finding your groups own visual identity. The same could be said for the musical side of what we do.

[dgaking]

NO CHAT NEXT WEEK. We'll take next weekend off for Memorial Day.

What topics would you guys like to discuss for our next chat in June?

[Buranri]

Even if I'm not in on it, I'd love to see what would come out of a discussion of how to deal with new students, whether it's in a drumline or teaching private lessons. What technique issues to deal with first, what exercises to teach them. I've recently started teaching private lessons so I'm trying to figure that out myself.

[dgaking]

Well, we took Memorial Day weekend off, then I was on my honeymoon, which took 2 more Sundays from me, but was well worth it! I would like us to get together for a couple chats before we all get heavily into marching band season. I have a couple topics I think would be great. Each one would take up a full chat:

-starting beginners - private lessons, drumline, 1st year concert band, etc. (buranri's idea)
-electronics - the do's and don't's, how to get started, tips to do it cheap, sampling, etc.
-instructor finances - income, expenses, taxes, benefits - can you actually make a living teaching drums?

These topics are things that our experienced instructors know a lot about, and that the younger folks probably want to learn about. I was thinking we could open these up to the younger members who we kept out of the first couple chats. We could sort of have a round-table discussion with guys like Bill, James, & SXE, then let the younger guys ask questions. I'd like everybody to give this a shot, because I think that all parties could benefit from it even more than they have with the previous format. Cool?

[doylejd]

Glad to get this going again, I was missing the camaraderie of Sunday evenings.

I like the proposed idea a lot. Sort of like a Q&A where there is a set topic, a general discussion over said topic, and then the floor is open for questions.

[cadet311]

When is the next one going on? I've been bugged by someone to join this site and I am finally here.

[dgaking]

This Sunday, 9PM Eastern. We do it on Google+. You can find details about how to get in earlier in this thread.

[billc36]

Chat tonight?

[doylejd]

I have a work meeting at 7:30 ET, so I will be checking in a little late, but I'm totally down.