SMITH WALBRIDGE DRUM MAJOR FIRST CLASS

A leader is

Someone who has the ability to affect the behavior of others, mentally and/or physically

5 Roles of a Student Leader

Teacher

Leader

Administrator

Musician

Marching Specialist

Good Leaders:

Succeed when things are going well

Great Leaders: succeed when things are NOT going well

4 levels of maturity

1. Selfish

2. Independent

3. Cooperative

4. Generous

What + what = success

System and spirit

Marcato

Heavy and separated

Staccato

Light and separated

Legato

Smooth and Sustained

Accent

Heavy and full

Slur

Smooth, connected, and sustained

5 elements of good musicianship

Tone, Intonation, Ensemble, Balance, General Musicianship

Tone

Quality of sound

Intonation

Pitch

Ensemble

2 or more musicians performing together

Balance

Total Compatibility of sound

General musicianship

All other musical considerations

Internalization

Key to rhythmic precision

Subdivision

The process of dividing each beat into 2 or 3 equal parts

External Pulse

an audible type of metronome

Adjacent Forms

Groups combined in horizontal planes

Axis

The point from which a form rotates

choreography

Any movement or visual effect other than drill

Closed spacing

Individuals or forms spaced 22.5" apart

Control

Maintaining good tone quality at all dynamic levels

Conversion

An organized drill connecting two predetermined forms

Cover

Command used to check vertical alignment

Diagonal

Two or more individuals placed in and angle

Distance

Space between individuals or forms placed one behind another

Dress or Guide

Command used to check horizontal alignment

Drifting

Gradually shifting left or right from intended direction during movement

Even positions

Individuals or forms placed on the grids

Fanning

The opening up of intervals during movement

File

Two or more individuals placed one behind another

Front

Two or more individuals placed beside each other

Freeze

A command used to encourage no movement at the end of a drill

Grid system

A mathematical subdivision of measurements on paper

Horizontal form

Forms appearing mostly horizontal on paper, or to the audience

Intermeshed

Two different forms passing through, or placed in between each other

Interval

Space between individuals or forms placed beside each other

Leaning

Hips not in line and square with the shoulders

Odd Positions

Individuals or forms placed between the grids

Offset positions

Forms not positioned between the planes of the zero points

Open spacing

Individuals or forms spaced 90" apart

Phasing

Lack of rhythmic precision between various sections within an ensemble

Pivot

Person nearest the axis

Precision

Uniformity of movement and/or sound

Rank

Grouping of two or more individuals into a unit, usually within a block formation

Regular spacing

Individuals or forms spaced 45" apart

Sagging

The closing of intervals during movement

Sequence

The same movement executed at different times

Smooth

Movement executed in ratio to the tempo

Snappy

Movement executed as quickly as possible, regardless of the tempo

Squad

Grouping of two or more individuals into a unit

Stacked forms

Grouping of forms combined in vertical planes

Stage

The total visual picture of a static form

Style

The overall characteristic look and/or sound of an ensemble

Timing

The movement which occurs between the starting and ending positions

Vertical Form

Forms appearing mostly vertical on paper, or to the audience

Zero Points

Reference marks placed on the field creating a 180" visual grid system

Execution

Movement and/or music in action

Point A

The clearly defined starting position of any movement

Point B

The clearly defined ending position of any movement

Anticipation

Beginning movement and/or sound before the proper time

Hesitation

Beginning movement and/or sound after the proper time

Dragging

Executing movement and/or music increasingly slower than the established tempo

Rushing

Executing movement and/or music increasingly faster than the established tempo

Smooth Movement

Moving from point "A" to point "B" evenly, in ratio to the tempo

Snappy Movement

Moving from point "A" to point "B" as quickly as possible, regardless of the tempo

Tempo

The speed of the rhythmic pulse of music and/or movement

Inner Pulse

Subdividing the pulse mentally to achieve ensemble precision

Subdivision

Dividing beats into smaller increments to clearly define the timing of movement and/or sound

The measurement of one 8 to 5 step

22.5 "

The measurement of one 6 to 5 step

30 "

The measurement of one oblique step

31.8 "

A 4 step distance between ranks does what

Keeps the sound from being dampened or muffled

Distance between goal lines

100 yards

How many yards wide is each end zone

10 yards

Distance between endzones

120 yards

Measurement of high school hash marks

Divides field into equal thirds of 53 1/3 feet OR 640 inches

Measurement of college hash marks

60 from sidelines and 40 from each other (60,40,60)

Measurement between sidelines

53 1/3 yards or 160 feet

Measurement between yard lines

5 yards or 180 inches

LIST ALL CONCEPTS OF MOVEMENT

Shift/ Unison,

Morph/Change Shape,

Expand/Contract,

Rotation,

Follow the Leader,

Curved Path,

Sequential Movement,

Random Movement,

Choreography,

Combinations

Concepts of Movement acronym

SMERFCSRCC

Shift/Unison Movement

-shifting of an element or a complete set to a different position on the field without changing shape or spacing.

-Each performer takes the same size and number of steps simultaneously in the same direction.

Morph/Change Shape

-straight line path to new position

-consistent step size, though different for each performer

Expand/Contract

-alters the size and field coverage of existing forms or elements without changing shape

-straight line path, consistent step size

Rotation

-the shape and spacing of the form

is maintained but the position of each performer changes

-step size is different for each performer

Follow the Leader

performers in a form take same step size and follow path of a performer

Curved Path

-alters the shape and design of an existing form or element

-performers do not take straight path from beginning to end

Sequential movement

each performer executes the same choreography, but starts and/or stops on a different count

random movement

-Used to alter/embellish the shape of a form

-breaks down and reestablishes unity

Combinations

Motion with the greatest visual appeal is that combines various movement concepts

Conducting Window

The area in which the conducting patterns are executed

The size of a conducting window is determined by:

The size of the beat patterns

The conductor's role

To use meaningful gestures to convey to the ensemble the musical thoughts of the composer/arranger

Small conducting window

Soft volume and/or fast tempo

Formal conducting stance

Feet together

Big conducting window

Louder and/or slow tempo