February 27, 2012

Practice Makes Perfect

Posted in Uncategorized at 11:34 pm by brennachristine

I’m sure I caught your attention with my last post about the thrill of game days. I must now admit, there’s more to BUGWB than that. All 250 members show up every single Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 3-5 p.m. to practice so game days can be fun and exciting, rather than stressful. Here’s a look at the day-to-day grind of Baylor band members.

Set Up

Members of Tau Beta Sigma and Kappa Kappa Psi, the band service sorority and fraternity, arrive thirty minutes prior to practice to make sure everything is ready to go. Their regular duties include

Spray painting the “field”
Filling water coolers
Setting up ladders
Readying sound equipment.

Stretches

Before we officially begin practice, the entire band takes time to stretch. This is a silly time that allows everyone to catch up with friends before we have to really get down to business. The drum majors lead the stretching time. Each year, they put their own twist on the stretching routine, adding funny names and new ways to stretch.

Concert Arcs

Next, the band assembles into what we call, “concert arcs.” This is a large semi-circle that allows the best possible sound to project towards our director. It is here that we warm up and rehearse music.

Drill

This is definitely the most intricate part of practice. Each day is different, so I’ll take you through the step-by-step process of learning a marching band drill. Before reading on, take the time to think about how big a challenge that really is. Have you ever had to give 250 people different instructions and then get them to take that individual instruction and turn it into a unified production? Trust me, it’s a precise art.

Step 1: Section and squad leaders pass out coordinate sheets. Each person has a letter and number that correspond to their section and person respectively. For example, for most shows I was T-15 (Trumpet, member number 15). The coordinate sheet has set numbers with a description of where you are located on the field beside each set. It seems very complicated, but reading drill becomes like reading a book once you get the hang of it.

Here’s a picture of an actual BUGWB coordinate sheet.

Step 2: Without instruments, the entire band runs through the drill set by set. Members must not only memorize where their “spots” are, but they must also know what path to take to get there, how big of steps to take, which direction their body is facing and which direction their instrument is facing.
Step 3: Everyone grabs their instruments and runs through the drill again. Obviously, step 2 is a bit harder when you are hauling around a tuba or bass drum.
Step 4: By this time, everyone should be proficient enough with the music to be able to play and march at the same time. This is sometimes difficult when the tempo is fast or there is a difficult rhythm. Sometimes I feel as if I’m trying to rub my stomach and pat my head at the same time.
Step 5: The final step involves polishing drill and memorizing music so everything looks perfect for game day.

Announcements

“Bring it in!” is the cue for everyone to rush toward the front of the field for the director’s closing remarks. This is also a time for announcements to be made. These include informing members about band functions, rush events or other general business. On Fridays, we sing the Baylor Line to conclude the week on a positive, Baylor-focused note- literally.

Spirit Fridays

The GWB marches rain or shine, in scorching heat and freezing cold. Every once in a while, when it is dangerous to be outside, we will pack into Jones Concert Hall. We are so big however, that the brass and drum line stands on stage and the woodwinds sit in the audience. It isn’t an ideal situation, but we make due. If there are any Baylor Alumni reading this, please feel free to make a donation so a band hall can be built!

It isn’t always easy to come to practice, especially on Fridays when most students have already begun to bring in the weekend. In order to make Friday rehearsals more fun, BUGWB has something called “Sprit Fridays.” This is my favorite part of band! Essentially what happens is the spirit chair picks a theme and announces it to the band throughout the week. Then, on Friday, everyone comes to practice in full costume according to the week’s theme. Some of the past themes include: