Life Lessons from Color Guard

Color guard teaches members so much more than how to dance and spin. It even goes beyond increasing flexibility and strength. Many members and coaches talk about teaching life lessons, but what are they? Here are five life lessons that I've learned from color guard that can help you succeed at life:

Self-Confidence. Remember the first time you stepped into a color guard audition? You had no clue what you were doing, you didn't even know what you didn't know, but you learned. The more you learned, the more confidence you gained. You also had coaches and teammates who would not give up until you came out of your shell, because the show depends on your ability to perform confidently. Real Life Application: At school or work, push yourself to do something you’re a little afraid of, because you know you’re going to rock it. Audition for the solo in the school play. Volunteer to present your work in front of a room full of suits. Just think of being on stage right before the curtain goes up, and think: I can’t wait to show them what I’ve got.

Determination. No one was born knowing how to do a 45 toss caught behind the back. You got there by practicing. You tried … you didn’t get it. You tried again … you got closer. And finally, you got it. Real Life Application: Take your determination to reach your goals to school or work, too. Spend an extra hour with your textbook. Track down that study guide—even if it’s in the scary part of the library where no one goes. Stay late to put together the best proposal. When your project calls for extra hours and work, you’ve got the endurance to handle it.

Precision. Dancers think they're precise? Color guard people watch professional dance performances and critique how precise they are (at least I know I do). We CAN'T do sloppy. Think back to your perfectionist coach. Would he or she accept anything less than the perfection from every single member, every time? Nope, and neither should you when it comes to school work or work projects. Real Life Application: Proofread your paper—twice. Double-check your calculations on your lab report. And when your boss or teacher walks by your desk, she’ll smile a little because, it’s actually pretty organized.

Teamwork. You know the importance of a team that’s in sync, throughout an entire 5-10 minute show. If a fellow member is lagging behind, the whole team is affected, and so is the final product. Everyone helps everyone to make sure they look good out on the floor. Real Life Application: Speak up and do your part on group projects, and encourage others to shine, too. Try to make a team or group member look not-so-great, and you’ll all end up looking not-so-great. To succeed in school, work and dance: Rely on your group, and let them rely on you, too.

Talent. Even if spinning and dancing are your strongest talents (or even if it isn’t), don’t forget you have others, too. Think of that amazing feeling when you’re peforming… that feeling exists in other parts of your life, too! Real Life Application: Are you an awesome baker? Volunteer your best-ever brownies for the bake sale or a party at the office. Do you have an eagle eye? Offer to proofread a final document. Play to your talents and not only will you feel good, you’ll leave a great impression.

What other life skills have you learned?

Color Guard: How a Being a Mom is like Being in Drum Corps

In the summer's of 1999 and 2000 (my age out), I was a proud member of the Carolina Crown Drum & Bugle Corps Color Guard. There were many details that were less than fun, and yet I never wanted to go home, and I marched two seasons (so clearly I liked it!).

Flash forward 14 years (eeeek!)....and now I am married and have a 7 month old daughter.

I was thinking about my time in drum corps, and realized "man, there are a lot of similarities to my life right now." As I went through a few band camp rehearsals, while simultaneously watching my daughter learn to crawl, I started taking note of specific similarities.

  Sleep:  

• You start to sleep in random places (like the couch, the nursery floor)
• You sleep whenever you can, like today, when I napped during her morning nap

  Eat:  

• You eat whatever's available, sometimes it's whatever's leftover or fast
• You have to stay hydrated (specifically if you're a mom who's nursing your little one)

  Schedule:  

• Your schedule is not your own, even though you planned to go to the grocery store at 10 AM, she may need a nap then unexpectedly
• You have sectionals (you and your little one), and ensemble (you, your little one, and your significant other), and each has their own purpose

  Injuries:  

• You're likely to have aches and pains

  Other Areas:  

• Repetition is the norm - what infant or toddler doesn't like doing the same thing over and over and over and over
• You have to think on your feet to answer questions or find a new way to solve an issue (dirty diaper during a road trip... too hard to stop and find a bathroom with a changing table...so you improvise!)
• You sing random songs (at least when I was in drum corps, we did..."we're here, because we're here, because we're here, because we're here....")
• You never want to mess up, but it's bound to happen

The most interesting similarity for me....I sing "You are My Sunshine" all the time!!!!!! Crown folks will understand!

What other similarities can you think of?

Color Guard: 5 Methods to Teach Performance Qualities

One of the most difficult tasks for instructors of newer guards is to draw out performance qualities and get them to really convey the show to the audience and judges. I am teaching Broad Run High School tomorrow morning and started to think how I would help them learn how to perform.

I've put together a few methods you can try out to see what works for you. I've tried all of these, and it just depends on the group as to which will work best.

  1. Faces  

Around 2004 I taught color guard at a Vivace Productions camp with Todd Marcocci and there were four girls from this school in Maryland who never competed, they only performed at halftimes for their football team. Yet...they were incredible! It baffled me why their band director didn't like competing, but nonetheless, their performance ability was so spot on that I started to take notice. One day into the four day camp, I realized they would say "faces" happily to each other to remind them to perform. They would use that one word to mean "use your face to tell the story" and "change your face so it's not static throughout the choreography."

I also recently read an article online about the Rockettes1 and they had some great tips that I've highlighted below:

1. Relax your jaw and your tongue inside your mouth to give your face a relaxed look.
2. Lift your eyebrows a little - like you would if you're having an interesting conversation with someone.
3. Take in your surroundings with your eyes. Bonus! This will help with things like balance and spotting, too.
4. Breathe in through your nose, and let your breath escape through your mouth, which will be slightly open due to your relaxed jaw.
5. If you're having fun (and we hope you are! you're dancing!), let the shine in your eyes lift the corners of your mouth and smile.

  2. Storyline  

In 2006 at Act 1, our inaugural season, we had a show to the music of George Michael's Mother's Pride. The show was about sending off men and women to war. About halfway through the season, the director, Marcus Lewis, asked each of the 8 members (our team was TINY!) to write their character's story. They each took a week between rehearsals to think about their show, the movement they did, the interactions they had with other members, and they wrote their personal story for the show. The main dance soloist's story was about how her husband went off to war and didn't come back, and then her son was following in his footsteps. 

I also found out Pride of Cincinnati did something similar in 2013 for their Weight of the World show. Each member wrote about something that weighed heavily on them. Then they listened to the show music and thought about what they wrote, letting go a balloon when they felt like it was appropriate. I could see how this would help someone actively think about what weighs them and how to portray it in the show, and it would also be cathartic to write it down and then let that balloon go symbolically.

  3. Improv  

Improv is by far the most effective technique to get performers out of their comfort zone, but it's also really scary for rookies (and sometimes vets)!! I tackle it two ways. 

First, I have the staff and maybe 1-2 REALLY strong team members demonstrate the idea. 

Second, I don't put on music and say "go." I give them parameters for the improv so that it's structured. For example, I may tell everyone to start on the ground and that they must stay on the ground. Then 8-16 counts later I call out the next direction; perhaps I tell them to show they're trying to get off the ground but they can't. Then I say work your way to standing. Once they're standing I tell them to move without actively using their arms. Then they can move one arm. You get the gist. This takes the big scary improv, and gives it to the members in manageable "I can do that" pieces. 

  4. Imagery for Each Move  

When I write a section of movement for Stonewall Independent, I often make up short phrases to explain ehat they're portraying. For example, if I have the dancers reach towards the rifles, I may say "don't leave me" because if I don't, some of them may think they're supposed to be communicating "come hither" which is a very different look. Sometimes, however, I make up something more nonsensical. For expand le two years ago they had a ripple to start the show where they fluffed their dress and then turned to the back. We called it the fluff and fold!

  5. Watch other Groups Perform  

Often times people watch good groups only that are in the same style as your group (i.e., in color guard, watching Onyx). I would employ you to think outside the box on this one. Try looking at these types of groups and see what you can learn from everything:

• Not so good color guards - what can you learn from these?
• Dance companies or dance teams - watch their formations
• Cheerleading competitions - check out the lifts
• Baton twirlers - figure out how they turn so well
• Parade performances - sometimes simple and clean is effective

I think the most important advice a coach can give a team attending a competition for the first time is that they should watch every single group. As they watch they should start to make mental notes about (a) what they enjoyed and why they enjoyed it, (b) what interesting new moves they saw that they could work on, and (c) what they saw that they did not like as much and how they could do it differently.

IMPORTANT: You have to follow the golden rule in color guard: NEVER talk negatively about any group or person while at a competition. Not in the audience. Not in the cafeteria. Not even in the bathroom. Assume someone from that group, or their mom, can hear you. Don't say, "I didn't like xyz color guard" but you could say "the style of that group wasn't really for me." Avoid saying anything that can be interpreted as "they are bad" but saying something that implies "it's me, not you" is okay.

If you like these posts, check out the Stonewall Rules that translate into the real world: Rules 1-5, and Rules 6-10.

References:

1. http://www.rockettes.com/dance/facial-expressions.html