Congratulations to All!

The experience of a full retreat never gets old to me. I’ve been through so many of them but they never get old. From my perspective, it’s even better. Yesterday I saw the gym floor full of performers and the bleachers full of parents, friends, fans, and supporters. It’s proof-positive that the arts are still alive and well.

Many of us live within the world of pageantry arts. From here, we go to marching band and right back to winter ensembles with very little break. Our performers do this nearly year round but it’s easy to forget that this life is far from the norm. The facts are clear: Sadly, a large number of kids go to high school and come home without ever being involved in anything extracurricular.

The good news is that you and I are involved with young people who defy the norm. They do so much more. As much as I love the vehicle of art, the reason I’m passionate about the position I’m in is because all of us together are providing a vehicle to kids that are giving them benefits far beyond dance and drums. Read the following article.

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Can_High_School_Extracurriculars/

We give our young people so much more than a great show. The competitive side of what we do is certainly important but we do more than that and that’s where our pride should originate.

We’ve heard it so many times and honestly, we’ve often heard it after somebody doesn’t win but if you read the article above, if you ask former students, if you ask parents what it has done for their kids, and if you think of the friends you’ve made, the memories you created, and the excitement you have, it’s easy to say with confidence:

EVERYBODY WAS A WINNER YESTERDAY!

A Week of Thanks

Can you believe that it’s already here? I can’t. It feels like the season just started but now we’re only a few days before the biggest weekend of our season. I know that you’re focused on your kids and getting them ready for the weekend but I want to take a second to talk to you about something equally important. While the competition is important, I’ve been a youth educator long enough to know that winning a show isn’t what our performers will remember as adults. Talking to former students, they talk about the bus ride, the friends, the directors who encouraged them, and the seemingly unimportant things that happen in a normal season.

That is one of the reasons that I hope that we won’t make championships week only about competition. Making this a week of thanks is equally important.

You don’t know many of their names but Denise, Jeffrey, Nate, Cassie, and Mindy are the people who calculate the scores and get your judges’ commentary from their recorder to a CD or MP3. This isn’t an easy task and at every show, something doesn’t work perfectly and it is their cool heads under pressure that allow you to never know that something went wrong. Denise, for example, meets me during the week in the parking lot of the Dayton Mall to pick up checks and judges’ sheets for every show. We always joke about making “the drop.” If you stop by one of the tabulations tables, say thanks to these hard working people. I’ve told them many times that it’s the least known yet most important job at any show.

Virgil and Warren, our sound engineers. They’ve been around for years and it’s so nice to know that the sound systems are taken care of. This is a hard, physical job because it includes moving the MEPA floor from place to place. These are two more people to thank.

Without these people, MEPA couldn’t function. These people are so easy to forget and are rarely acknowledged for the hard work that they do. As we begin our championship week, don’t forget to acknowledge those who make all of this happen.

Two Weeks Left

First of all, I heard some great comments about our guards at the WGI Regionals in Dayon, Indianapolis, and Atlanta. I was out of town for Dayton or I would have definitly been there to see the show. As a percussion guy who has band director and show designer knowledge of guard, I’ve really enjoyed learning some of the deeper knowledge that goes with what you do on that side. I’ve often told people that in this role, I feel like MEPA and its membership have given more to me than I have given to MEPA!

I’m still learning a lot but I’m enjoying the process. Until this year, I didn’t know the history of our line units. It was cool to learn that we have

Do you Practice Performing?

Do you rehearse the process of what occurs once your guard steps through the doorway of a gymnasium and into the competitive arena? I

DON’T OVERLOOK THE POLE AND ENDCAPS WHEN DESIGNING YOUR FLAGS!

Written by Darrick Betro
Finishing Touches
DON’T OVERLOOK THE POLE AND ENDCAPS WHEN DESIGNING YOUR FLAGS!

Contributed By Darrick Betro

Here are a couple tricks that will he flag work as well as add a little bit of detail to your overall equipment design!
The Color of Your Pole

It has become a recent trend to color your flag pole the same color as the flag silk. If you have a design that continues on the sleeve, use the color that is closest to the tab area. This will help create a nice long clean line when the flags are spinning, so it helps mask small timing errors and makes your flag work appear cleaner than it really may be. It is also a nice finishing touch to your flag design. This can be achieved through various methods including contact paper, vinyl tape, or even paint.

Paint can be a simple and inexpensive option. I have used both spray paint and interior latex paint (the same paint that we used on the floor tarp so that the pole matched exactly to the tarp). You just need to make sure that if you use regular paint you brush it on nice and even. If you choose to paint your pole you will have to use a clear contact paper as the final layer of protection.
Downplay End Caps

Hide Those Cheater Tapes!

You can maintain a clean look to your pole and still have cheater tapes to help your unit achieve proper hand placements by cutting strips of clear contact paper or packing tape and placing them where the cheater tapes white pole, use white tape for the cheaters. If you use silver poles, invest in a few rolls of silver mirror tape and use that to cover the cheaters and the pole end cap. No unsightly cheater marks!! The only people that should know the cheaters are there are the members and you, not the audience or judges!!

Check out these WGI After Championships Ed. Offtering

WGI is offering two educational events, one on the Sunday following Color Guard Championships and one following Percussion World Championships.

Sonya Tayeh Flyer
Jeff Queen Flyer

Cell Phone Saavy: Preparing Your Communication Hub for Competition Day

I have a confession to make… Up until I got my iphone I owned a cell phone, but I NEVER used it. Written by MEPA · Filed Under Education Corner  Tagged: Upcoming events January 29, 2011- Miamisburg HS January 30, 2011- Miamisburg HS February 12th- Central Crossing HS February 13th- Kettering Fairmont HS February 26th- Hamilton HS February 27th- Bellbrook HS March 12th- New Philadelphia HS March 13th- Centerville HS March 26th- Westerville HS March 27th- Juxtaposition April 2nd/3rd,- Circuit Championships- Nutter Center **All dates tentative until sites are confirmed. Contest pages will be constructed as sites are confirmed. Our Sponsors Home | Contact us | Privacy Terms Copyright 2009 All rights reserved