The deadly mistakes drum majors make when conducting a field show

by Rick Wilsonwww.OnlineDrumMajor.com

One of the leading experts on the art of drum majoring gives you the inside information on how to improve your success as a field conductor.

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The deadly mistakes drum majors make when conducting a field show

by Rick Wilson

Copyright 2008 Richard A. Wilson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is expressly prohibited.

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Important Note: This information applies equally to drum majors conducting drum and bugle corps as well as marching bands. The term “band” has been used throughout this publication to refer to any group being conducted.

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Go to just about any field competition and you will see a wide range of drum majors at different skill levels. Watch carefully and you’ll start to see the same mistakes being made again and again.

In this report you will learn the seven most common mistakes made by field conductors.

If you learn to recognize these mistakes – and you know how to avoid them – you can quickly rise to become a top-level conductor and competitor.

Along with an explanation of each deadly mistake, you’ll also learn how you can improve your overall performance. Best of all, these instructions are clear, simple and direct.

You’ll find the answers to the questions most field conductors need to know:

• When should you mark-time during a performance and when should you not?

• Should you simply show the beats of the music, or should you also express the other musical elements?

• How should you time the show for maximum audience impact?

• Are there points in the show where you shouldn’t conduct?

You’re about to learn the answers to all these questions and more.

I hope you find that this report helps you on your way to becoming an exceptional drum major.

- Rick Wilson

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Mistake #1: The drum major doesn’t grasp the full score that they are conducting What instrument do you play? Chances are that the instrument you hear most when you’re conducting is the instrument you play. If you’re like most drum majors, when you listen to the band playing (or listen to a practice CD) your primarily hear your own instrument. So, trumpet players usually do a wonderful job of being able to conduct the trumpet melody lines, because that’s what they naturally hear. Percussionists tend to understand all of the elements that are going on in the rhythm section, but will often ignore things that are happening in some of the melody lines.

If you were to get a trumpet player, a low brass player, a percussionist, and a flute player, each would hear different elements of the music, and as a result would conduct the same exact piece of music very differently.

The problem is that the conducting being performed is overly weighted to one section of the band, and often misses – or even ignores – other key elements in the music which are being performed.

Here’s how to fix the problem: Get a copy of the score and a recording of the song. Find yourself a nice, comfortable chair. Start the recording, and follow along in the score.

Listen for the flute line, and follow the flute line in the score. Suddenly you will hear little touches and nuances that you probably didn’t hear before. Play the recording again and follow along with the next instrument.

Again, you’ll start hear elements that you may not have picked up earlier. By the time you have finished working your way to the bottom instruments on the score, you will have a deep, full understanding of what’s happening with the music. As a result, you will also have a much better idea of how to conduct it.

This way, when a section needs to be accentuated, you’ll be able to turn and accentuated it. If there’s a section of your band that is a little weak, you’ll know where to direct your attention to get the maximum performance out of your band.

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Mistake #2: Thinking that one conducting beat-pattern size fits allDid you know that there are two key factors that affect the size of the beat pattern when you are conducting?

The first factor is tempo. The faster the tempo, the smaller the pattern. The slower the tempo, the larger the pattern. This is controlled by how quickly you can move your hand. Very fast tempos need smaller, tighter patterns.

The second key factor in pattern size has to do with the magnitude of the music itself. You want to expand or contract the size of the pattern as the impact and magnitude of the music expands or contracts.

For example, one soft section with a single soloist might be conducted with only the right hand. As a second person joins in and the solo becomes a duet, you may bring the left hand up, and now in a smaller pattern, bring them together. As the dynamic level increases, as the song gets louder and louder, your pattern should also get bigger and bigger. This gives a visual representation to the band of not only where each beat occurs, but also how it should be played.

The difference in how well the band plays with a conductor who understands this key factor is dramatic. Unfortunately, it is an idea that has been lost on far too many drum majors.

Mistake #3: Not timing the show correctly.In rehearsal, most field conductors only focus on the conducting of the music. What they fail to practice is often even more important — the gaps between songs.

Part of the problem is that most bands don’t have the opportunity to practice with full-size audiences. So the interactions that occur with an audience – the level of applause that is going to happen (or sometimes doesn’t happen) – can be surprising.

A drum major who is not fully aware of how to time their show can create dead spots, or bubbles, in the performance.

Since we live in a world of fast food, music videos, and soft drink

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commercials, most people are used to having things happen quickly, smoothly, and without gaps.

In the middle of a live performance, if there is a long “dead spot” where very little occurs, the audience begins to lose attention and the continuity of the show fails.

Here’s what to do: First, imagine that we started graphing the level of applause right where the first person began clapping. You would see a rise in the graph as more people joined the applause. The graph would show the peak, followed by a downward curve, as people one-by-one stop applauding and would finish with the last clap.

Here’s the mistake that most field conductors make: they wait until the last person has stopped clapping, and then try to restart the show. This creates a dead spot in the performance where virtually nothing happens.

Realize that it’s almost impossible to start your band instantaneously. You have to establish some sort of a tempo that tells them to get ready to perform. This will usually take four to eight counts. You need to turn to the band and count off tempo, such as “one, two, one, two, ready, play,” or, “one, two, three, four,” and then have the band come in.

The time to restart the band is at the point the applause is beginning to diminish. That would be at the point that you would turn from your audience, face your band, and call out, “one, two, three, four!” The band would then begin the first notes of the next tune as the last people are completing their applause.

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As a result, there will be a nice, smooth flow to the show. This is the very same effect that excellent radio stations use for blending one song into the next so that there is a nice flow and continuity.

The thing to remember is: Listen to the applause from the audience. Wait until you hear it peak. As you sense that it is beginning to diminish, turn to face the band and get them started quickly. This will move the show along; it will also help to give you the ability to match the applause level of the audience.

Few things are as awkward to see than a field conductor who waits until the applause is finished. They then wait a few counts longer, and finally realize, “oh, I should probably start the show again!” The painful, silence that is created diminishes the enthusiasm of the audience and can “kill” a show.

Be aware of your audience. Be aware of where the applause is happening. Start the transition into the next show at the correct point, and you can have a wonderful, smooth transition and flow to the show.

Mistake #4: Not interacting with or acknowledging the audienceFar too many drum majors start the show with a salute, turn around, and then proceed to ignore the audience throughout the entire performance.

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In some cases, they simply don’t know any better. In some cases, they are too afraid to actually look at their audience. In any case, it is something that smart drum majors know how to fix.

You almost always want to turn and acknowledge the audience with a bow, or with a salute, every time there is applause between songs.

There are a couple of very good reasons for this. The first simply has to do with manners. The audience is applauding. They are saying, “you’re wonderful, we love your show!” Proper manners dictate that somebody should turn around and say, “thank you.” Since you are the person leading the band, this responsibility is yours.

The second reason is that when you do not turn around and say, “thank you,” you send a message to the audience that says, “hey, knock it off, stop bothering us, we’re trying to do our show and why are you wasting our time with this applause?” As a result, you begin to discourage the very thing that the band has worked so hard to achieve.

Realize that a wild, crazy applauding audience can only help your general effect scores at the end of the night. Also, this is the reward that the band gets for doing a phenomenal performance.

So, ignore the audience at your peril. Instead, as you finish a song and the applause begins, turn around quickly. Take a bow. Smile wonderfully. Do a salute. And, as the applause peaks, turn and get the show moving again.

At the very end of the show, you definitely want to take bows, salutes, and encourage the audience to applaud as much as possible. You and the band have earned it, and you should take it.

Mistake #5: Conducting to no oneA very common mistake that you’ll see drum majors make is to conduct when no one in the band can possibly see them.

A great example of this is backfield conductors. A good backfield conductor knows that they keep their hands down until the band, or some section of the band, rotates to face the backfield.

That’s when their job kicks in. They maintain the tempo and continue to

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conduct the band until those band members rotate away.

It’s actually a little comical to watch a band performing with everyone in the organization facing the front. Yet behind them on the back sideline is a field conductor waving their arms in a full size pattern as if it actually mattered to anyone.

Actually, what it does say is that this field conductor doesn’t understand the very show they are conducting. If they did, they wouldn’t be conducting to people’s backs.

It is as important to know when to conduct as it is to know how to conduct.

This fact alone sends a very clear message to the audience and to the judges that you understand your job, your show, and that you know what you’re doing.

Mistake #6: Thinking you have to mark time through the entire showAnother very common problem you’ll see young field conductors make is keeping their feet moving at all times.

This gives a little bit of a compulsive, out-of-control feeling to the performance. Having someone mindlessly marking time takes away from the performance.

You will find that there will be moments in the show where you can create a stronger, more powerful posture by planting your feet firmly and conducting the pattern.

You might step out with your feet shoulder-width apart as you conduct through a section. Where the music has a bit of a slower, swinging motion, you might step back with one foot, creating a more casual posture.

Ideally, your body should be able to show the style and feeling that the music is trying to convey. This gives a visual cue that helps work with the show itself. It also helps the band understand the interpretation of what they are playing.

Since there are musical changes throughout a show, a drum major who

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doesn’t change — one who marks time throughout the performance — shows that their understanding of the show is weak.

There are some perfect times to mark time. One would be at the point where there is a major transition. Another might be at the very start of the show, to be able to show tempo. One of the best would be where there are multiple tempos occurring in the show. Take one tempo with your feet, showing a high mark-time at a half tempo, while the hands are at a full tempo and moving at twice the speed.

It’s impressive to see a field conductor whose understanding is great enough that they can show multiple tempos at the very time it best fits with the performance.

Understand your music and make sure that your body posture fits what’s happening with the music all the way through your performance.

Mistake #7: Conducting the counts instead of the musicWhile it is technically correct to have someone simply show strict tempo, it’s visually boring. A musical performance should have much more going on.

Someone who simply lays down beats, and conducts only the counts, is actually a little bit out of touch with the music. If the music has a swell, or large dramatic section, and the field conductor simply slaps, “one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four,” – they create a disconnect for the musicians.

The group is trying to play something that is full and expressive, yet the visual cue they are getting from the field conductor is flat and unexpressive. In many cases, these kinds of conductors could be replaced by a flashing light. They are not adding any more to the performance than simply establishing and maintaining tempo.

This is the most rudimentary level of conducting there is.

Here’s the cure: while yes, it is important to make sure the tempo is clear and easy to read (that is the primary job) show some of the other expression in the music.

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Allow your hands to move independently. Maintain tempo with your right hand and with the left hand show some of the cues or crescendos or musical ideas that are happening.

Don’t be afraid to phase slightly with your hand movements to show the exact rhythm of how the notes are supposed to be played or the rhythm of that passage rather than robotically and simply slapping, “one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four.”

This takes some practice, but the extra work will be well worth it.

This is the difference between someone who understands only the most basic element of field conducting versus someone who understands the full range of music and the wonderful effect they are helping their band achieve.

It is also often the difference between the average performance and a championship performance.

These are the most common mistakes that drum majors make when conducting field shows. Next time you go to a competition or a performance, watch the other field conductors, and you will see these mistakes in abundance.

You, however, now know better. As a result, you can adjust your performance so that you can get the maximum performance level out of your band. Plus you’ll get the maximum level of impact with the audiences watching.

I hope this makes your future performances that much more successful. Go help your band earn the standing ovation they deserve. n

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About the author:Rick Wilson is a veteran adjudicator with over twenty-nine years of experience judging drum majors, along with marching bands both on the street and field. He has served as drum major judge and helped produce massed band shows at Scottish Games in the Western United States. Prior to moving-up to the judging role, he was an active competitor on the Western States Pipe Band Association drum major circuit and a regular winner in competitions.

Rick began spinning and performing 46 years ago and has over 200 awards for his drum major work. He performed in his first halftime show for the San Francisco 49ers at the age of 5 and was a California State Champion Baton twirler at the ages of 6 and 7.

He founded the Drum Major Academy (in California) in 1977 and has worked with hundreds of successful drum majors on the West Coast. Rick has developed training programs for military, mace, and corps style drum majors. The techniques used in these programs have quickly become the standards for the activity.

While drum major at San Jose State University, he helped develop the Excellon Drum Major Baton and later developed the Excalibur Mace. He is highly regarded as an instructor, judge, seminar leader, and author in the drum major and marching band activities.

Rick provides one-on-one instruction for drum majors on a limited basis in Northern California.

For more information or if you have any questions about drum majoring, e-mail him at:

rickwilson@onlinedrummajor.com

Learn more about the art of drum majoring at the Drum Major Resource Center at:

www. onlinedrummajor.com