Unfortunately, it can be easy to answer that question with “Sit and drink coffee!” or “Daily movie marathons in our pajamas!” After all, freelance musicians don’t have bosses, and we have nearly complete control over our schedules. But we also have chops to maintain, and a studio to keep healthy, and music that needs making. So the real question is, “How can we enjoy our extra time, while still doing what we need to do for our music?”

So, I’m treating these next couple of weeks as my musician’s transition. I’m going to treat myself well and allow some extra chillout time, but also make sure that I devote plenty of time to practicing and working toward my musical goals.

It’s in the transitional times when structure becomes so vital for creative people, especially musicians with chops to keep up. Structure doesn’t have to mean ironclad, nose-to-the-grindstone discipline–it can be anything the creative person wants it to be! For me, structure in the form of a flexible schedule, or a list of the top 5 things I’d like to do, helps me have fun and relax while still getting things accomplished. Goals and intentions also help a great deal, because they give me something to work toward.

If you’re a marching band clinician, or a marcher yourself, how are you going to make the transition from marching season back into the “real world”? What kinds of structure work best for you?

At their last competition, the band had some problems with tempo. The reason is simply because playing outdoors can turn the speed of sound a very big problem. The sound from the pit reaches the audience before the sound from the back of the field does; as a result, the students have to make some major adjustments to keep everything together. Sometimes, this can even mean ignoring what they hear and relying only on the drum major’s hands. And that, my friends, is HARD.

But this weekend, the students did a great job staying together. The field was pretty unforgiving, surrounded by wide open spaces that eat up sound. Even so, the band corrected many of their earlier tempo troubles, and were able to recover quickly if anything started to pull apart.

Musically, I heard individuals expressing their own musical interpretations throughout the show. The brass were really projecting their sound, and sometimes the results were excellent. Our 3-person trumpet section sounded like a group twice their size!

Some individuals’ sounds got a bit out of control, though, and our varied interpretations of the music sometimes clashed. So, this week, we’ll work on meshing our individual styles into a more unified approach. Because unity, both visual and musical, is one of those things that makes marching band so cool.

Enjoy the video, and we’ll see you next week at Fuquay-Varina!

Marching band was a very special experience for me as a teenager. At the time, I loved band because of the trips, the new friends, and the sense of accomplishment I felt when we marched a killer show. But looking back, I’m glad I marched for entirely different reasons. The process of working up a marching show is one of challenge, boundary-pushing, and constant growth. Over my years on the field, I grew from an uncertain, awkward kid into a determined young adult who isn’t afraid to work hard to get things done. And it’s cool to see other kids doing the same thing.

In this spirit of progress, I present the “Watch the Marching Band Grow” series. Each time the Millbrook Band competes, I’ll post their show recordings here–and we can watch them polish their show throughout the season. Here’s their starting point, from last Saturday’s competition at Panther Creek High. Enjoy!