| Date post: | 23-Jul-2016 |
| Category: |
Documents |
| Upload: | wgisportofthearts |
| View: | 218 times |
| Download: | 0 times |
the offi cial news of wgi sport of the artsfall 2012
the offi cial news of wgi sport of the artsfocusfocusfocusfocusfocusfocusfocusfocusfocusPERFORMANCES THAT TEACH
GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHTFOR THE NEW SEASON
BUILDING A GREAT
SET
MATRIX
COLOR GUARD’S BIG TV MOMENT
Ready to Turn Percussion Upside Down
1_WGI_Cover.indd 1 10/1/12 10:50 AM
So when it comes to choosing the right accessories that
finally bring your story to life, look to McCormick’s.
With leading guard designers and over 40 years in the
activity, not only do we get it… We Get It Right!
Innovative… Competitive… Successful… MCCORMICK’S.
800.323.5201
www.McCormicksGuard.com
McCormick’s Guard®
Phantom Regiment flags designed and provided by McCormick’s.
You spend countless hours combining
the right story, the right music,
the right mood,the right moves…
McC_2012FocusAd_Final.qxd 11/1/11 9:43 AM Page 1
WGI_Temp.indd 1 9/28/12 3:57 PM
www.wgi.org WGI FOCUS 5
INSIDE7 ENSEMBLEColor guard enjoys a gleeful moment in the national spotlight ... VIP tickets make their online debut ... Spinfest!! hits the road again ... New Flashback DVDs are so ’90s ... A complete WGI event calendar for 2013 ... Fantasia’s veteran designer Michael Raiford profi led ... and much more!
14 CLOSE-UPOne of the most consistent performers in percussion, Matrix is looking to win its fi rst medal since 2000 with a mix of competitiveness and love.
16 SPOTLIGHTThe WGI Board of Directors plans for the future of the marching arts.
20 IN PURSUIT OF LEARNINGFor a growing number of WGI groups, preparation for a show doesn’t just mean rehearsal. It also means detailed study of a show’s subject matter—and maybe even a fi eld trip or two.
25 READY, SET, GO!Sets, props, and specially designed fl oors are common features in color guard and percussion performances today, but it wasn’t always that way. Here’s a brief look at how set design has evolved over the decades.
28 CLINICAs the indoor marching season nears, it’s a good idea to get your priorities straight. We consulted with color guard and percussion experts on how to
budget your time, money, and energy for the coming year.
30 SCHOLARSHIPIn her junior year of high school, Liane Friedberg
met tragedy head-on. Luckily, her color guard family helped pull her through the pain.
34 WHAT’S YOUR WGIQ?See if you can identify these snapshots from the early history of 13 WGI ensembles.
20 The Flanagan High School guard
is one of several groups that make research part of their performances.
focusthe offi cial news of wgi sport of the artswgi
FALL 2012 Volume 26, Issue 3
Winter Guard International
Ron NankervisExecutive Director
Bart WoodleyDirector of Operations
Aaron JenkinsMarketing &
Communications Manager
Published By:In Tune Partners, LLC
Irwin KornfeldCEO
Will EdwardsPresident
Angelo BiasiPublisher
Mac RandallEditor-in-ChiefJackie Jordan
Creative DirectorRobin Garber
Production DirectorBarbara BoughtonBusiness Manager
Contributing Writers:Michael Boo,
Amber Beasley Day, Rick Mattingly,Michael ReedPhotography:
Adam Alonzo, Jolesch Photography, Christine Rivard, Dan Scafi di,
Linda Unser, Sid Unser
WGI FOCUS is an educational publication of WGI Sport of the Arts. Its purpose is to broaden communication within the family of color guards and percussion ensembles. FOCUS is published
three times per year.
WGI FOCUS is a free publication with a circulation of 14,000 copies and 12,000 online viewers. All members of the WGI family may
submit articles for consideration. WGI reserves the right to edit all submitted material.
If your address has changed, please notify the WGI offi ce. Failure to do this could result in the loss of your WGI FOCUS subscription. We don’t
want to lose touch with you!
For advertising information please contact Aaron Jenkins; phone: 937-247-5919;
email: [email protected]
WINTER GUARD INTERNATIONAL2405 Crosspointe Drive
Dayton, OH 45342937-247-5919
offi [email protected] www.wgi.org
28
United Percussion
2_WGI_TOC.indd 1 10/1/12 10:59 AM
NEWS FROM THE FLOOR AND MORE
www.wgi.org WGI FOCUS 7
September 20, 2012, was a very special date in the history of color guard, as the Sport of the Arts got national media exposure on the hit Fox television program Glee. During the second episode of the show’s fourth season, 14 top WGI performers took on the role of the McKinley High School color guard for a special production number set to the Britney Spears song “Hold It Against Me.” As WGI Executive Di-rector Ron Nankervis put it, “This is a unique opportunity for millions of people to see what our performers do best.”
The process that led to this milestone began in April, when Glee co-producer and choreographer Zach Woodlee attended the 2012 WGI Color Guard World Championships and gave the “Day After” master class. Impressed by what he saw, Woodlee contacted Nankervis in July to cast a color guard to be featured in an episode of the show. On August 6, the chosen performers, along with WGI Hall of Fame member Scott Chandler, reported to the Paramount Studios lot in Hollywood for two days of rehearsal and fi lming.
“Glee is character- and storyline-driven,” Chandler says, “so we were there to service that intention. My job
GET THE VIP TREATMENTFor fans who want the complete WGI World Championships experience, VIP ticket packages have long been the best bet. VIPs can choose the best seats for all sessions at all competition sites; they also receive a complimentary souvenir program and preferred parking. And this year, for the fi rst time, you don’t have to call, fax, or mail in your request—you can buy VIP tickets online.
“The ability to purchase their packages 24/7 and select their own seats is such a great convenience for our VIPs,” says ticket sales manager Kathy Fairbanks. Visit wgi.showare.com to get more information and reserve your seats today!
NEW PERCUSSION VIDEOS COMINGIndoor Percussion: TOP SECRETS is a new educational video series from WGI’s Percussion Education Division. The videos will fi rst be distributed online as individu-al downloadable modules, then combined on a series of DVDs. The fi rst three modules are due out this fall. For further details, check in regularly on wgi.org.
became to provide Zach with options and to make sure the color guard choreog-raphy was within reach of the performers’ ability to be consistent throughout the long hours of fi lming. It was
wonderful to see those things we might consider ‘simple’ get such incredible reactions on the set. The people at Glee were really nice to us, and so interested in this ‘new’ thing that prompted all kinds of wonderful adjectives throughout our time there. Hopefully, the future is bright for color guard in the professional world.”
WGI GOES TO GLEE
Pioneer
VIP
Scott Chandler and Zach Woodlee (center) pose with
guard members on the Glee set
3_WGI_Ensemble.indd 1 10/1/12 2:55 PM
www.wgi.org 8 WGI FOCUS
WGI’s successful Spinfest!! color guard education pro-gram has begun another exciting fall tour season. First stop: Canada, specifi cally the Centre Culturel Georg-es-Vanier in Montreal, Quebec, where clinician Michael Shapiro hosted a presentation on September 22. Sha-piro’s DCI and WGI teaching experience is extensive, and includes Carolina Crown, the Cavaliers, Crossmen, Carroll High School, the Company, Crown Guard, May-fl ower (U.K.), and many other organizations. “It was both amazing and inspiring to see an area so rooted in WGI’s
history, still so committed to growing and pushing forward,” he said.
Next on the tour schedule is the Fort Lauderdale Spinfest!!, which takes place at Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Florida, on De-cember 2. Clinicians include Mykail Costner, designer and choreographer for fi ve-time IW champion Fantasia (among many others), and Michael Raiford, profi led on page 12 of this magazine. For more details, contact Dean Broadbent at [email protected].
Like their predecessors, the fall 2012 Spinfest!! on Tour events combine
state-of-the-art classes in dance, equipment, and design by acclaimed winter guard clinicians with a defi nitive presentation of adjudication philosophy—the same infor-mation given WGI judges in their training for the 2013 season. All sessions are geared especially toward the A and Open classes but are appropriate for any instructor or judge.
At press time, further Spinfest!! on Tour dates were in the works; visit wgi.org to stay up to date.
SPINFEST!! TOURS AGAIN
The WGI Flashback DVD series—which offers color guard fi nals performances dating back to 1979 and percussion fi nals performances dating back to 1993—keeps on expanding. Several new volumes have just been added to the collection: 1994 Independent A, Scholastic A, and Independent Open;
1995 Independent A, Scholastic A, Independent Open, and Scholastic Open; and 1996 Independent A, Scholastic A, Independent Open, and Scholastic Open. These discs feature early performances from some legendary WGI groups, including St. Ann’s, Chimeras, Fantasia, and Onyx. Go to
wgi.org/store to fi nd out more about the individual discs and purchase your own copies—and make sure to check the site often as more volumes in the series continue to become available.
NEW FLASHBACK DVDS REVISIT THE MID-’90S
New Shoes Make Performing No SweatFor many performers in the marching arts, the Ever-Dri glove has been a regular show-saver. Now Director’s Showcase Internation-al is introducing the Ever-Jazz shoe, which takes the same fast-drying, mois-ture-wicking material found in the Ever-Dri glove and applies it to foot-wear. Available in tan or black, the form-hugging shoe fi ts like … well, a glove, and can be used in both indoor and outdoor settings. Its split sole is sewn on to the shoe for greater durability, allowing wearers to achieve the “perfect toe point.” Best of all, the Ever-Jazz shoes are washable, so you can keep them looking like new. Go to everjazzshoe .com or dshowcase.com for more information.
Practice Pad Has the Touch of GoldOffworld Percussion’s Invader practice pads are designed to emulate the feel of a snare drum as closely as possible. But the new Invader V3 Gold pads combine that traditional sound and response with a strikingly space-age yellow-and-black color scheme. Like all the Invaders, the V3 Gold can fi t onto a 14-inch snare or snare stand. It features a DarkMatter synthetic playing surface that allows for a more real-istic stick rebound and stays articulate at all dynam-ics; a 360-degree rim element capable of producing authentic rimshot effects; and a non-slip underside
that doubles as a rimless playing surface. One thing
(besides color) that sets the V3 Gold apart from its relatives is that it’s only available from Lone Star Percussion.
For more details, visit lonestarpercussion.com.
Michael Shapiro (here and above, third from top left) gives a clinic in Montreal .
3_WGI_Ensemble.indd 2 10/1/12 2:55 PM
Thank You to Our Partners and Sponsors
Presenting Sponsors
Corporate Partners
www.wgi.org 10 WGI FOCUS
Fred J. Miller, a master showman of the pageantry arts and an integral force in the indoor color guard and percussion activity, passed away on August 3, 2012, at the age of 80.
A lifetime resident of the Dayton, Ohio area, Mr. Miller was the director of bands at Fair-born High School from 1957 to 1968, eventually serving as music supervisor for the district. He also was a founding member of the United States Twirling Association and founded the Miller’s Blackhawks Twirling Corps, es-tablishing a record unequaled in the twirling world by winning national championships every year from 1956 through 1968.
The next evolution of Miller’s Blackhawks was to enter the color guard world, becoming one of the most im-pressive groups of the ’80s and ’90s. The guard earned a silver medal in only its second appearance at the WGI World Championships in the newly created A class in 1980. This was followed by a move into the highest class of competition, where the guard received bronze medals in 1985, 1986, and 1989 and a silver medal in 1987 for its memorable “Colors” show.
Mr. Miller was crucial to the devel-opment of a young Winter Guard Inter-national in the early ’80s. He served as
WGI’s treasurer for many years, even personally guaranteeing fi nancial
solvency when times were lean for the new organization. He was also president and chief exec-utive offi cer of Fred J. Miller, Inc., a family-owned company established by Fred and his wife Marlene that was WGI’s fi rst sponsor.
It was Mr. Miller’s infl uence in his home city —particularly
with his alma mater, the University of Dayton—that opened the doors
for WGI’s move to Dayton. His legacy will forever be entwined with the Uni-
versity of Dayton Arena, home to the WGI World Championships for the past 27 years.
Fred J. Miller was inducted into the WGI Hall of Fame in 1995, in honor of his role in the development of the internationally recognized organization WGI had become because of his efforts.
“It’s impossible to picture a world without Fred J. Miller in it,” said WGI Executive Director Ron Nankervis. “There are no words that can adequately express how sad a day this is to lose someone who has touched countless lives. He will be missed at every gathering of twirling, marching band, drum corps, and especially indoor color guard and percussion enthusiasts forever.”
Fred J. Miller, a master showman
integral force in the indoor color
was the director of bands at Fair-
1968, eventually serving as music supervisor for the district. He also was a founding member of the United States Twirling Association and founded the Miller’s Blackhawks Twirling Corps, es-tablishing a record unequaled in the twirling world
Mr. Miller was crucial to the devel-opment of a young Winter Guard Inter-national in the early ’80s. He served as
WGI’s treasurer for many years, even personally guaranteeing fi nancial
solvency when times were lean
in his home city —particularly with his alma mater, the University
of Dayton—that opened the doors for WGI’s move to Dayton. His legacy
will forever be entwined with the Uni-versity of Dayton Arena, home to the WGI
World Championships for the past 27 years.
WGI MOURNS THE PASSING OF FRED J. MILLER
Fred J. Miller with Marlene, his wife of 53 years
3_WGI_Ensemble.indd 3 10/1/12 2:55 PM
ABSArticulating Back SupportAvailable Now!The First and Only Marching Carrierto Promote Spinal Alignment.Only From the Mind of MAY
We’ve GotYour Back!
Scan the QR code to learn more about the all new Randall May Articulating Back Support. Available now on all
MonoPosto andBiPosto Carriers.For more info visit: www.4wrd.it/absfocus
Scan code formore ABS info
PERC3595 ABS Randy May Carrier FOCUS_Layout 1 9/18/12 11:44 AM Page 1
WGI_Temp.indd 1 10/1/12 10:25 AM
www.wgi.org 12 WGI FOCUS
Although color guard enthusiasts probably know him best for his decade-long tenure with fi ve-time IW champion Fantasia (1998-2008), Michael Raiford has been cho-reographing, staging, and designing WGI, DCI, and BOA programs for more than 30 years. For 20 years running, he’s coached or otherwise been associated with a BOA re-gional or national fi nalist. Based in Austin, Texas, Raiford also has a parallel career in scenic and costume design for theatre, opera, and dance.
How he fi rst got involved in the activity: Way back in ancient times, there was no prerecorded music with win-ter guard. The small drum corps I marched with in Florida, the Miami Silhouettes, was taking its guard to nationals (that would be American Legion Nationals!). The instructors wanted drum accompaniment for the show, so a friend of mine and I wrote a snare and bass drum duet. (I was on snare, of course.) That’s the only time I ever “marched.” I just wanted to spin, and boys weren’t in color guard. So the best I could do was play the drums, learn to spin, bide my time, and wait!
The changing face of WGI: Luckily for us all, drums have their own time in WGI now! The appeal of the activity is quite different for me now. WGI now encompasses all my loves from dance to prop ma-nipulation to show program-ming. It is my “extreme art”!
Foremost in his mind when planning a design:Does the concept present an audio/visual opportu-nity? That is key. If the concept does not invite enough response from you or the creative team, then you need to keep looking. A clear vision, no matter how many turns it may take, is very important. The elements of design never change, only the context does. It’s all about creating a “moment.” I think holistically about a show. It’s hard to turn off any response. That’s a good thing most of the time, but probably annoying at least sometimes!
What he enjoys most about the creation process: I’m very excited by the research and discovery phase. Just listing all the ideas that might relate to one show is a high for me. I love brainstorming with collaborators. My next favorite part is developing the product and detailing it af-ter the initial draft is laid in. Being able to get a product to
a point where you are truly just having “performance rehearsals” is an amazing-ly fun time!
On taking the role of in-structor: I love stimulating new talent. I think it is one of the most blessed roles
to be in. I think how you pay back the world for your gifts is to pass them on. I like to think that the people I have affected have taken that out into the world.
His proudest achievement: This sounds like the “pageant answer,” but it is sincere: I am most proud that I have helped so many people fi nd their joy in performing and designing. The moment I took most personal joy in was being a part of the creation of 2008 Fantasia. It was a wonderful culmination of 10 years of investment in a performance culture. The talent in the room—perform-ers and creators—and the respect it earned allowed Karl [Lowe] to push Fantasia to another plane. It was a mo-ment where the product transcended its materials. And those are rare moments.
A FEW WORDS WITH MICHAEL RAIFORD
Fantasia 2007
Fantasia 2008
Fantasia 2000
3_WGI_Ensemble.indd 4 10/1/12 2:56 PM
www.wgi.org
Close-Up
14 WGI FOCUS
A Regular PIW Finalist Stokes the Competitive Spirit Through EducationBy Rick Mattingly
Teaching ComesFirst for Matrix
atrix director Rob Ferguson describes his World Class ensemble as teaching-driven. “I want to be competitive, and that drives me for sure,” he
adds. “But knowing that 85 percent of my members are going to teach or are teaching already, we feel a responsi-bility to help them learn how to teach, and to learn it fast-er than we did. My ensemble is 99.9 percent college-age students. I think we have a responsibility to stay a youth-based organization.”
The seeds for Matrix were planted in 1999 when the di-rector of the Collage independent winter guard from Akron, Ohio, contacted Ferguson about adding a drumline to that group. With colleagues Brian Bennett and Ron Graham, Ferguson started Collage’s indoor drumline and made it to the Independent Open fi nals that year. But everyone agreed that it was too diffi cult to run two groups under the Collage umbrella, so Ferguson and his staff broke away in 2000 and started Matrix.
In its fi rst season, Matrix won bronze in Open class; it made fi nals the next two years. The group shut down in 2003 to restructure, returned in 2004 as a World class group, and has been to fi nals every year since 2005, coming in fi fth in 2007 and consistently plac-ing in the top 10. Today, Ferguson leads the group along with visual coordinator Kevin Stahl.
Matrix is closely associated with DCI’s Glassmen, sharing sponsors and equipment. “It’s mostly the same
staff and the same approach to technique,” Ferguson says. “So it’s very comfortable for those who play in both groups. There are rumors that to be in Matrix you have to have marched with the Glassmen, but that’s not true.”
Asked to compare Matrix to his WGI competitors, Ferguson says that in many respects they’re the same. “We’re all out there trying to give our kids a good expe-rience,” he says, “and we’re all trying to fi nd a place to rehearse and have enough money to keep our truck going down the road. So the ‘band of brothers’ part of it is that we’re all struggling to make it all work and succeed com-petitively at the same time.
“Matrix does a fair amount electronically,” Ferguson continues. “I’ve always been into that, and our electronics guy, Evan Brown, is great. We’ve had some outstanding marimba sections; I think people expect that from us.”
For all his emphasis on teaching, how badly does Ferguson want to
win another medal? “Very,” he says. “We are driven to be a force in the World Class activity. I say that
with unbelievable respect for my competitors.
“If you’re great,” he adds, “the competitive thing will take care of itself. And when we’re in love with what we’re doing, we’re really competitive. We loved our show last year [the wooden-instrument showcase ‘Wood You?’] more than we ever have, and we were the most competi-tive we’ve ever been.”
“If you’re great, the competitive thing will take care of itself.”
M
4_WGI_Close_Up.indd 1 10/1/12 11:00 AM
Be Innovative...
Innovative Percussion would like to thank the following groups for all of their support and congratulate them on another incredible season!
Independent WorldMusic City Mystique - Silver MedalistRhythm XMatrixNorthCoast AcademyGateway IndoorTTates Creek Indoor EnsemblePalmetto PercussionVanguard Winter PercussionTyler Junior CollegeScholastic OpenVictor J Andrew HS - Silver MedalistDorman HSPPace HSGreen Hope HSGreenfield-Central HSNew Philadelphia HSIndependent OpenGeorge Mason University - Gold MedalistMN Brass Indoor - Silver MedalistDark Sky Dark Sky PercussionCapital City PercussionRiver City RhythmLegendsFreedom Percussion
Scholastic WorldAyala HS - Bronze MedalistCenter Grove HSFather Ryan HSForsyth Central HSWalled Lake HSCenterville HSCenterville HSRowland HSMt Juliet HSMilton HSFishers HSScholastic Concert WorldWoodbridge HS - Gold MedalistAyala HS - Silver MedalistAyala HS - Silver MedalistRowland HSIndepedent AChattanooga Independent - Silver MedalisteNVisionNotre Dame Indoor Perc EnsDouble Stop Indoor PercussionFFrequencyAncient City EnsembleRevelationThree Rivers Indoor PercussionGroove Pursuit
Scholastic ALebanon HS - Gold MedalistFreedom HS - Bronze MedalistPlainfield HSFoothills HSKickapoo HSSt Genevieve Elementary SchoolSt Genevieve Elementary SchoolFrancis Howell North HSClinton HSArnold HSFindlay HSAthens Drive HSDecatur Central HSWWalled Lake Central HSNease HSVictor HSTate HSClinton Massie HSHillsboro HSPowhatan HSBellbrook HSBellbrook HSValhalla HSOlentangy Liberty HSHagerstown HSWarren East High and Middle SchoolLebanon HS
Visit www.innovativepercussion.com for Media from the WGI Finals
WGI_Temp.indd 1 9/28/12 3:55 PM
www.wgi.org 16 WGI FOCUS
have now been on the WGI Board of Directors for roughly 22 years,” says Michael Gaines. “During that time I’ve witnessed the beginning of a successful per-
cussion division, the hiring of a new CEO, the move of our offi ces to Dayton, the hiring of our fi rst marketing person, the corporate restructure to create the Advisory Boards, the hiring of a color guard and percussion coordinator, the separation of the guard and percussion champion-ship weekends, and so much more. Being a part of those changes—and how they’ve helped WGI reach thousands of young people and touch their lives in such a positive way—is something that the entire board takes very seriously.”
The Board of Directors is a group of 16 accomplished administrators, designers, and instructors who are elect-ed to their positions each May at the WGI Advisory Board meetings after candidates explain why they wish to help run the organization. Their fi rst goal is to ensure that WGI
provides a venue for young people to achieve the extraor-dinary through performance and competition.
“A strength needed to be a good board member is that you have experience running your ensemble from the business side,” Board President Ed Devlin explains. “The board deals with the business of the organization, while the Advisory Boards deal with the artistic and competitive rules of the activities.” Recently the Board of Directors
expanded the makeup of the Advisory Board to give A and Open class members a louder voice in the color guard division’s decision-making.
Each summer the board gathers to assess all aspects of the previous season and to create and amend yearly organi-zational budgets. Its second meeting of the year, in Novem-ber, includes analyzing yearly audit reports, along with set-ting direction and planning improvements for the upcoming season. While these are certainly not glamorous duties, they are crucial to ensure the organization’s longevity.
Finding appropriate locations for the WGI World Cham-pionships is one of the board’s most massive undertak-ings, both logistically and fi nancially. Although Dayton has become a perfect environment for this event, the board has been researching new host cities with hopes to rotate the World Championships sometime in the future.
Creating new educational programs, updating systems, and expanding the outreach of the organization are what really make the board excited, and
developing new technology to do that is a main priority in its organization-al philosophy. That’s the reason why
projects like the CompetitionSuite tabulation system and WGI’s app for iPhone and Android
have been expedited. The WGI Fan Network has sparked the rediscovery of archived performances, and viewing the World Championships via live webcast has allowed a broader range of people to experience the wonder of the indoor marching arts, all as a result of the board’s wishes.
Serving on the WGI Board of Directors is not a hobby. It’s a mission—to fi nd ways to better support and create opportunities for the marching arts community.
WGI’s Board of Directors Has Exciting Plans for the FutureBy Aaron Jenkins
‘‘I
Where the Big Decisions Are Made
Thanks to the Board of Directors, A class groups like Lexis now have a greater say in WGI decisions.
”Helping WGI reach thousands of young people is something the entire board takes very seriously.”
Spotlight
5_WGI_Spotlight.indd 1 10/1/12 11:01 AM
^ Take a lesson from Carol Abohatab, choreographer for the Santa Clara Vanguard Winter Guard and modern dance teacher for more than twenty years.
^ Join seven of the top equipment designers and technicians as they teach you everything you want to know about tosses!
< Scan this for a full list of WGI Educational DVDswgi.org/store
2376WGI_hpFocusAd_Training_091112.indd 1 9/11/12 12:58 PM
WGI_Temp.indd 1 10/1/12 10:34 AM
www.wgi.org 1 WGI FOCUS
THE INNOCENCE PROJECT
LEARNINGIn Pursuit of
Flanagan researched the life stories of wrongly accused prisoners.
6_WGI_Education.indd 1 10/4/12 3:58 PM
www.wgi.org WGI FOCUS 2
What do South African drumming, the volcanic burial of Pompeii, and a Nazi
concentration camp have in com-mon? They were all the subjects of
programs seen on the WGI competition fl oor this past spring—programs for which the preparation included extensive instruction in the subject matter. While many successful shows may be designed around topics based on pop culture, love, color, or (in some cases) no discernible theme at all, a number of groups have chosen productions that can have an extra educational dimension for the performers.
As everyone in the indoor marching world knows, it’s tough enough to put together a pro-gram with enough “meat” to be successful, and tougher still to get that program just right through hours of rehearsal and performance. So why would the leaders of an ensemble take on the added responsibility—and expense—of going beyond the performance aspect and make extra activities or even fi eld trips an in-tegral part of the rehearsal process for their membership?
The answer is twofold. First, for many direc-tors, it’s important that the members’ experi-ence be more than just memorizing six and a half minutes of movement, stickings, or equip-ment angles. They want the performers to take knowledge with them that will help them ma-ture as individuals. Second, instructors have discovered that the extra planning and time spent on various educational activities can pay huge dividends in the performance.
Preparation for these “teaching shows” be-gins during the initial design phase when the show theme is chosen. Com-mon resources that designers can draw from include the Internet, librar-ies, museums, and individual experts in the given subjects. For example, Jeffery Dale and Karen Prince of First Flight put a great deal of preparation into their 2012 program “The List,” inspired by the Steven Spielberg fi lmSchindler’s List, which is based on real events during the Holocaust. “We did a lot of front-end research to ensure our
There’s a new trend in the indoor marching world: shows that teach—and add new layers to the experience of performers.BY MICHAEL REED
SOUTH AFRICA
POMPEII
Spirit of America studied another country’s culture.
Marian Catholic saw the results of an ancient volcanic eruption with their own eyes.
WGI FOCUS 21
6_WGI_Education.indd 2 10/1/12 11:14 AM
www.wgi.org 22 WGI FOCUS
program was respectful to the subject matter while also be-ing true to the story,” Dale says. “We utilized numerous resourc-es including books, movies, documentaries, art, information regarding memorials, as well as endless websites. We also had the op-portunity to discuss ideas with a repre-sentative from the Holocaust Museum in Richmond, Va.”
The approach a director takes when developing this kind of program may depend on a number of factors: age of the group, amount of time available, and budgetary considerations. Activities may range from viewing a video about the show topic to reading a book on the sub-ject and writing a report about it, theat-rical training, or ensemble outings. The cast of First Flight portrayed individual survivors of the Holocaust, with each member researching a particular survivor and even having that person’s con-centration camp number written on his or her arm during the performance. PIA gold medalist Spirit of America re-cently took the fi eld trip idea to a new level, traveling all the way to South Africa and allowing themselves to be im-mersed fi rsthand in the cultural infl uences that inspired their 2012 show “Spirit Fusion.”
Scholastic groups may engage in interdisciplinary ac-tivities with other departments within the school. Spirit of America, while not a scholastic ensemble, has scholas-tic-age members—including a sizable home-school con-tingent—and has integrated activities into its students’ curricula. According to the group’s publicist Kate Shannon, “In sup-port of the trip to South Africa, the home-school parents and teachers agreed to teach South African history with a focus on apartheid. We required three papers from the students addressing their expe-riences, a self-exam on what they would have done if [they lived under that sys-tem], interviews and discussions with survivors of apartheid, and a comparison of U.S. and South African progress toward freedom for all.”
One group that has had huge success incorporating ed-ucational activities into its shows is two-time SW cham-pion Flanagan High School. Director Dean Broadbent has used numerous methods to broaden the understanding of his performers over the years. For example, in their 2010 “Atlas Shrugged” show, the guard members were required to research author Ayn Rand, who wrote the book on which the show was based. For the 2009 “Hopelandic” pro-gram, they wrote letters to the Icelandic band Sigur Rós, whose music was used for the soundtrack. And in 2008, when their show focused on the community mail art proj-ect PostSecret, the members had the thrill of hearing its founder Frank Warren speak.
Perhaps Flanagan’s most impactful educational activ-ity took place this past April. Broadbent explains that for
their gold medal-winning “Project Innocence,” about a le-gal campaign developed to help free imprisoned people who did not commit the crimes they were charged with, “the kids had to fi nd someone, learn their story, and be-come that person within the show. Having the kids actually fi nd people who were in jail but wrongfully convicted was very powerful. I think that added a genuine quality to the students’ performance that would not normally have been there.” In addition, while the guard was in Dayton, they had the opportunity to meet a person who had been freed due to the efforts of this project.
Another group that found a creative way to give its pro-gram extra depth was Marian Catholic High School. Although the school is in the southern suburbs of Chicago, its guard found a way to add a fi eld trip to a com-petition weekend several hundred miles from home. According to James Cook and Andy Toth, “On the weekend of the Cincin-nati Regional, we took the students to visit a traveling exhibit of Pompeii artifacts, in-cluding some of the body casts. Students and staff were moved to tears as we came
into a room that had many of the casts in it. After our visit, I asked the performers to try to reenact what that expe-rience must have felt like, and try to become the people of Pompeii. Once we tapped into this level of realism, our show [‘Pompeii Awakened’] became real.”
The next time you’re watching a WGI show with a few thousand of your closest friends and the program seems to leap off the fl oor like a 3D movie, consider that besides the excellence in execution, the characterizations and emotion emanating from the performers may have been enhanced by some of these valuable “extracurricular” ac-tivities. Broadbent sums up the advantage of going the ex-tra mile when he observes that “the students get a sense of what it means to become the concept the show is about. They have a deep understanding that goes beyond just say-ing your show is about something. They become it.”
endless websites. We also had the op-
THE HOLOCAUST
“THE STUDENTS GET A SENSE OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BECOME THE CONCEPT THE SHOW IS ABOUT.”
First Flight went back to explore a dark time.
6_WGI_Education.indd 3 10/1/12 11:15 AM
Tama DrumsOfficial Tama Drums@tama_USAOfficial Tama Drums USA tamamarching.com
Tama Marching Percussion is honored to have become the drum-of-choice for the legendary UCLA Bruins. Known by many for their nationally televised Rose Bowl appearances throughout the years, "The Solid Gold Sound" also boasts a musical reputation that surpasses genre, having appeared live and in the studio with numerous major-name rock and pop artists.
UCLA Bruin Marching Band photos from the OSU vs. UCLA football game 9/22/12. Copyright Don Liebig/UCLA Photography
A Legendary Drumline Turns To Tama!
The Future in Marching Percussion
WGI_Temp.indd 1 10/4/12 9:15 AM
At WGI’s fi rst World Championship in 1978, guards simply took to the fl oor with their rifl es, sabres, and fl ags, and at the end of their performance, they walked off without having to carry as much as a tarp. Things have changed a bit in three-and-a-half de-cades. Now it’s common for indoor marching pro-
grams to feature extra visual elements behind, around, or beneath the performers—and sometimes all three.
Still, most performances you see on the circuit today don’t fea-ture sets as elaborate as those of years past. Dale Powers, who has run WGI’s color guard division for the past 11 years and found-ed the world champion Emerald Marquis, pinpoints 1982—the year Skylarks brought out a large radio—as the beginning of a major advance in set design. Sets got much bigger in the 1980s, mainly because money was more available. But even the smaller sets of this period could be amazingly complicated, such as Skylarks’ 1984 catapult that rocketed fl ags into members’ hands.
Eye-catching sets, unusual props, and colorful fl oors have graced many a WGI performance over the decades, and their looks keep changing. BY MICHAEL BOO
GO!READY
www.wgi.org WGI FOCUS 25
James Logan HS 2007
United Percussion 2012
State Street Review 1988 Alliance of Miami 1988
Northmont HS 1997
1_WGI_SetDesign.indd 1 10/1/12 11:25 AM
“In the 1980s,” says Shirlee Whit-comb, a co-founder of WGI and its cur-rent director of color guard development, “there was a defi nite move for guards to create hugely entertaining theatrical stage shows. Later, fi nancial concerns brought on by traveling, coupled with a programming shift that put more focus on the body and content of equipment, resulted in sets becoming less dramatic. A push away from ‘presentational equip-ment moments’ (when members ap-peared from behind fl ats to perform an equipment phrase) propelled designers to again employ a greater use of motion in their staging.”
Something else happened, too: Bishop Kearney’s use of the fl oor as a giant paint canvas in 1996 made a fl at surface as integral to programs as any large vertical construction.Over the past decade, developments in the digital printing of fl oors have resulted in far fewer large sets.
“Today, fl oors can tell a huge part of the story and serve to spotlight many features,” Whitcomb says. “Floors can bring dimension to the stage, recreate a famous pho-to, painting, or scene…and while costly, they’re easier to transport than large sets that have to be assembled in three minutes.” Guards have also found ways to cre-ate great effects with simple props, such as Fantasia’s employment of mattresses in 2002 and James Lo-gan’s use of boxes to build the Great Wall of China in 2007.
Color guards aren’t the only groups to create sets; percussion ensembles do it as well. Chad Moore, director and program coordinator for United Per-cussion, says that, considering all the equipment that has to be transported to a show, it’s important for the cre-ative forces behind drum lines to ask themselves, “Will this enhance the program? Do we have the budget? And can it all fi t on a truck?” He adds, “If all those things are a ‘go,’ then I think we’re game!”
When designing a set, the thematic concept dictates everything. Moore states, “The earlier you have the set, the more time you have to de-velop its use. If a line is to have multiple sets, they should start with a single prototype and tweak it until they’ve got a winner before building the rest. And it’s always helpful to have a friend, parent, or staff member who is good with carpentry.”
Becca Sullens, designer for a number of guards and currently with Lawrence Central, adds a note of caution: “Even if you have the means to have parents build props for you, I would always consult a professional before ever using them.” The reason? Under-engineered sets can be dangerous. (Sullens once demonstrated to her parent builders how easy it was to destroy a prototype set design.)
Jon Vanderkolff, who has worked with several WGI guards and the stage production of Blast!, points out that some guards no longer bring their own tarp due to WGI setting down a beige fl oor at regionals and the World
Championships. “With limited fi -nancial resources,” he says, “a lot of guards are concerned more with how best to spend the money they’ve got, whether it’s for costumes, silks, props, or sets. Space is now organized differently, with movement of smaller sets creating a less static look. It’s better to use one simple thing that’s produced well—that can tie together an entire show—than to over-produce
something.”Vanderkolff suggests that
groups can economically as-semble a fl oor from scraps returned to billboard com-panies. Some are already doing this, which is why fans have recently noticed bill-board designs on the backs of fl oors being folded up af-ter a performance.
“You always have to take into account the amount of
time it takes to set up,” Sullens says. “And when you decide to have something that’s the centerpiece to your design, you have to fi gure out how to have a relationship with it for the entire show, not just one cool moment. Make sure it’s worth the effort, because it will take everything you’ve got.”
Sets, fl oors, and props can help convey the theme of a show, or they can be just a random background to set the tone for a more abstract production. Either way, Vander-kolff says all designers must consider these essential questions: “At the end of the day, does it look fresh, and is it something that helps your ensemble stand out?”
2 WGI FOCUS www.wgi.org
“It’s better to use
one simple thing
that’s produced
well—that can tie
together an
entire show—than
to over-produce
something.”
Lawrence Central HS 2012
Skylarks 1982
Bishop Kearney HS 1996
www.wgi.org 26 WGI FOCUS
1_WGI_SetDesign.indd 2 10/1/12 11:25 AM
www.wgi.org
Clinic
28 WGI FOCUS
For Performers with Many Obligations, Setting Priorities Is KeyBy Amber Beasley Day
s many indoor marching groups begin the pro-cess of putting their shows together for winter competition, many members face the challenge
of setting priorities for the stressful season ahead. After all, there’s a lot more to deal with in life than just perfor-mances and rehearsals.
“Most of our performers are in school or have full-time jobs, or both,” says Onyx director Michael Lentz. “While it’s tough for them to balance everything they have to do and the things they want to do, they manage to do it. It’s easy to spot the high achievers and those who squeeze every opportunity out of life.”
Some members even adjust their ways of life outside of performing and rehears-ing to work around their marching sched-ules. “I make sure that I don’t schedule work during all my free time,” says Steve Skibiszewski, front ensemble captain and member of United Percussion in Camden County, N.J., since 2009. “I usually work at night so I can leave time to practice and do homework during the day.”
Although scholastic group members gen-erally don’t have far to travel for rehearsals, the situation can be quite different for independent per-formers. “Our performers travel to Dayton each weekend from Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and all over Ohio,” Lentz says. “Additional-ly, we have performers from California, Virginia, Florida, Oregon, and Japan who relocate to the area for the win-ter months so they can participate. It takes passion and
dedication to make the trip every week, and that level of commitment is very rewarding for the organization.”
Making it to rehearsal every week may require you to get creative for logistical and/or fi nancial reasons. “Most of our members get to us via car pool, and the member-ship is excellent with coordinating rides with each other,” says Chad Moore, United Percussion’s director and pro-gram coordinator. “Crews consistently carpool from New York, Connecticut, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.”
Besides the demands of traveling, members also have to fi nd room on their calendars for at-home practice time. “Through years of experience, I’ve found that putting school fi rst is a great way to approach the season,” says Brandon Ish-am, battery captain and member of United Percussion since 2009. “By taking care of assignments and studying well in advance, I’m much less stressed and able to focus at a much higher level while practicing during the week and attending rehearsals during the weekend.”
Above everything else, performers need to remember the key ingredient to performing success-fully in this sport: taking care of your body. “Achieving physical fi tness and becoming mentally strong is a big part of what we do,” Lentz says. “Onyx will rehearse a maximum of 12 hours in a single day and that requires appropriate diet, adequate rest, and physical conditioning to avoid injury and produce results.”
A
“Through years of experience, I’ve found that
putting school fi rst is a great way to approach the
season.”
Onyx
New Year
for a
Time and Energy
Budgeting
8_WGI_Clinic.indd 1 10/1/12 2:22 PM
W W W . Q U A N T U M M A R C H I N G . C O M
BLUESTARS
People always ask what you did to get that tan.
We know it’s hard to explain.
Maybe it’s better that way...
WGI_Temp.indd 1 10/1/12 3:51 PM
www.wgi.org
Scholarship
30 WGI FOCUS
Color Guard “Second Family” Helps Performer Cope With Devastating LossBy Liane FriedbergMidwestern State UniversityWichita Falls, Texas
rying to take the easy way out, I signed up for color guard because my friend said I would get a PE credit for it. Little did I know it would become such
a big part of my life. All through high school, I heard how WGI is the most amazing experience, but I never thought I would have the opportunity to continue guard in college. Being in guard has given me a new family I could have never imagin ed, and that’s been especially important since I lost two very close people in my own family.
Junior year, my second year in guard, would be a year I will never forget. A month before band camp started, my mom passed away. She was my rock and someone that I could always go to, and one day she was gone. As I went to band camp, all my friends in guard knew what had happened. They had my back and cared about me, but at the time it wasn’t enough. My brother, Andrew, was the only person I wanted to be with. Two months later, just when I thought things were looking up for me, my brother passed away. At this point I felt like
my life was falling apart. But I knew my friends in guard would be there for me. If I wanted to talk, they would lis-ten. If I needed to cry, I had a shoulder. If I just needed to sit, I had a friend there next to me.
As fall semester came and went and we were prac-ticing for winter guard, I realized something: I was happy when I performed. I had put all my sadness and anger into performing as an outlet. This was amazing. I hadn’t
felt like myself for so long, and when I performed, it felt right. I became close with all my friends in guard and they became my second family.
After graduating from Elkins High School, I didn’t want to lose that family. I decided that I wanted to join the guard at Midwestern State University and go further in the guard world. MSU gave me the chance of a lifetime—to perform at WGI. That experience was the best feeling
ever. To this day, when I perform I put all my energy and emotions into my perfor-mance. Guard has given me something that I would never have thought I would fi nd, and that was me. Guard has made me who I am today, a strong, independent young lady. And although I have lost two very important people in my life, I am still here, going to college, and I have guard to thank for that.
Liane Friedberg is one of 15 performers who received WGI Scholarships in 2012.
T
The March Toward Recovery
THE WGI SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMSince its inception, the WGI Scholarship Program has provided over $400,000 to young people who participate in color guard and percussion activities. The money for these scholarships comes from the 50/50 raffl e at the World Championships and individual donations. If you are interested in donating to the WGI Scholarship Fund, you can do so online or send your donation to WGI Scholarship Donation, 2405 Crosspointe Drive, Dayton, OH 45342. For more information about the WGI Scholarship Program, visit wgi.org/about/scholarship.php.
“I hadn’t felt like myself for so long, and when I performed, it felt right.”
9_WGI_Scholarship.indd 1 10/1/12 11:27 AM
©2012 Avedis Zildjian C
ompany
zildjian.comMusic City Mystique
PERFECT.THAT CYMBAL CRASH WAS
A FULL MEASURE EARLY BUT
PERFECT.
WGI_Temp.indd 1 10/1/12 10:29 AM
Percussive Arts Society awards over $30,000in scholarships and grants every year.
Become a member of PAS.
pas.org
WGI_Temp.indd 1 10/4/12 2:56 PM
www.wgi.org
WGiQ?What’s Your
34 WGI FOCUS
All the groups pictured here are in World class today, but these shots were taken before that happened. Who’s who? Go to wgi.org/wgiq.
ABCDEFG
HIJKLM
A
E
I
B
F
J
C
GK
D
H
L
M
2001
1999
1998
1996
2000
1996
2000
2000
2000
20022003
2001
1995
10_WGI_WGIQ.indd 1 10/1/12 2:37 PM
WORLDCHAMPIONSHIPS
wgi.org/tickets
You’ll be on your feet... ...But you still need a seat!
2376WGI_BCFocusAd_Seats_091112PRESS.indd 1 9/11/12 5:09 PMWGI_Temp.indd 1 10/1/12 10:22 AM
