Bringing it All Together

The memos I’ve been sending you each week have been intended to address the priorities most of you would have at this calendar time. I promise you that if you heed this advice you can only benefit. Please take the time to review them, apply what you can to where you are in the show creation and don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions at all. Remember, I’m happy to listen to your show tunes, chat about your concept or answer any concern you have.

In no time at all it will be the holiday season and many of you will be facing challenges in rehearsal space and your kids being all over the place visiting relatives, etc. Take this time to do your own “homework” and have as much detailing done as you can. Especially work on your calendar gearing toward production of the show. Start focusing on your floor, your costumes and your props. The biggest treat you can give your audience is a show where the students are wearing their show attire, have their real flags and a completed floor. Early season, when so many groups perform in the old standby “black unitards” you’re making it tougher to “stand out” and be remembered.

Let’s talk about your floor
On the subject of the floor, this is a good time to give you some food for thought as you plan that major part of your show “look.” So, I offer you some little tips to consider.

A floor that is excessively busy will “gobble” up the guard and make them less visible and less accessible. Often the show becomes more about the floor than about your design and your performers.
You can design your floor to aid the guard in “set points” or as color blocks to highlight areas where you will stage features.
You can design the floor to enrich the look of the show concept and help set the stage and tell the story.
If you paint geometrics on the floor, please don’t ignore them when you stage. You know the old saying: “use them or lose them.”
The floor is the biggest visual on the stage; as you plan it, you must coordinate the design/color of the costumes and the flags so that the whole color story and the design story work together.
How about a few words on costuming?
Remember, wearing spandex is a privilege, not a “right.” Be sensitive to changing young bodies.
Design your costumes for the extremes of the body sizes so that the very tall very thin body will be flattered and so that the short round body will also be flattered. Never design the costume only for the perfect body. Thank goodness we have the choice of customizing the looks for each individual student or section.
If the dominant color is on the body, the eye will naturally go there. If the dominant color is in the flags, the eye will go there. Regardless of choice, the two must be in harmony in both cut and color. You need to plan all the visuals in tandem to create an impressive look and elevate the production value.
Remember that the color yellow tends to exceed its boundaries. It can sometimes seem to bleed larger than it should.
Finally, a word on Taste
(This is a Biggie)

TASTE Taste is what you like.
Having taste implies an educated and discriminating awareness
Showing taste implies a sensitivity to your audience and “their” taste.
Being tasteful implies application of all of the above
Tasty means that it worked!
So my friends, with the holiday season upon us, this will wrap up the planning portion of our dialogs. I’ll resume our weekly conversations right after Christmas. In the meantime, we’re working on ways and means to offer you more services, on-line discussions, Q&A sessions via teleconferencing, etc. That’s OUR homework for this next slot of time.

By all means if you have any suggestions for how better we can serve you just tell me about them and I’ll try to make it happen. Personally, I’d love to be able to teleconference directly with the kids in your guard and answer their questions. Who knows, maybe even that can happen?

So, enjoy the holidays, get your planning and personal homework done and don’t hesitate to contact me for any reason or any question. I love hearing from you.

Best regards,
Shirlee Whitcomb

Getting The Most From Critique

Critique is a unique opportunity to understand and exchange information and concepts with the judges who have adjudicated your unit. The following is intended to help you to get the most from your critiques.
PREPARATION
Know the system: When approaching critiques, it

UPFRONT: Steps to Starting a Winter Guard

UPFRONT: Steps to Starting a Winter Guard

Many guards are part of a larger organizational body such as marching bands or drum corps. When starting a competitive winter guard, you should consider the following aspects:

Structure of the Organization
If you are part of a larger organization the organizational structure will already be in place. Determine the role of the guard within the larger framework. Chances are that legal considerations may be in place already because of the parent body. Make sure you understand the ?reporting? relationships, job descriptions, and goals of the guard relative to the parent body, etc.

Instructors
Instruction will be needed to address the selection of music, program design, equipment, technique of movement, and teaching and perfecting the product, etc. These duties may be done by a single individual or several depending on the resources available and your needs. In some instances the management and instructor may be the same individual. If you are a scholastic guard, don?t overlook the possible talent pool from your music faculty.

Members
In order to compete using Winter Guard International (WGI) rules, units competing as a scholastic guard must draw all members from the same school or a school that feeds that particular high school.

Contests
If a local circuit/association is already established in your general area, contact them for information on membership, dues, obligations, judging clinics, rules, etc. A complete listing of local circuits is available on www.wgi.org. Most established circuits have a class of competition for units at all levels of experience. If a circuit is not available in your general area, contact the WGI office and we will try to help get something started or direct you to the closest circuit available.

Transportation
The organization will need a mode of transportation to contests; consider bus, vans or individual cars.

Equipment
Obviously, you will need the appropriate equipment which includes flags, optional rifles, and/or sabers. Consider special props which are an option; these are almost always designed and made by the group.

Rehearsal Facilities
Indoor facilities will be needed with a minimum floor space of 50 x 70 feet. Arrange for facilities well in advance. Be sure the proper paper work is done and in order.

Housing
From time to time you will require housing (gym, hotel, private homes, rec. centers) for camps or overnight trips.

Finances & Budgets
This will depend on how ambitious you wish to be. All of the above considerations involve cost and will have to be considered in light of your organization and structure. Since the contest situation does not offer money in a prize structure, fund raising becomes an important part of your program.

Rules & Regulations
Be sure you are clear on any rules or boundaries either set by your sponsoring body, or which you may wish to set for your staff, boosters and performers. Study the rules and score sheets and philosophy of programming carefully. The staff and members should understand them so they know what is expected of them, and so they can start out with the greatest opportunity for success. Rules, score sheets and adjudication manuals can be obtained from WGI.

TIME MANAGEMENT

Work Less, Produce More, Have Fun

In every work situation, time is of the essence. The person who plans his/her time and details the tangi

What if the weather is bad?

We’re in Ohio, we perform in the Winter, and as we know, one day it can be sunny mild and the next day, a major winter storm can be upon us.

MEPA Guard Featured in Focus Magazine

MEPA is home to some of the best winter guards and percussion ensembles in the nation. In the most recent edition of WGI’s Focus Magazine, Miamisburg High School Winter Guard is featured. Congratulations to all the performers and staff of Miamisburg Winter Guard and their director, Jim Olson

Click here to read the article

Creating the Blue Print

The Composing Process
I’m constantly amazed at how many folks either don’t understand the “composition” sub-caption in EA or else carry their own interpretation of what they THINK it is or should be. Some find it helpful if you compare this process to having an architect create a blue print for your house. You know how many rooms you want, where you want them placed and what function they’ll serve. Now consider transferring this to your program. You know the EVENTS you want to showcase, you have an idea of where on the stage you’d like them to be, and you know their function within the program. This is a starting point for conceptualizing the show through time.
Before you start, please review the components of design

Teaching Techniques That Win

How do you develop a well-trained, disciplined unit that performs and rehearses well with a low budget, minimal staff and time constraints? I am a firm believer that if you want to create a well rounded, successful program you must build it on a solid foundation. The first and most important element is patience. Developing any sort of consistency, be it with technique or expectations, takes time. This