Visual Expectations
It is important to set up a routine for all process, whether in rehearsal or in performance. Scarcely
will you perform at a higher level than you practice. Therefore it is vital that proper habits are
reinforced in rehearsal so that we achieve greater consistency during performances. Raising the
standard starts in rehearsal.
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Posture:
The key to succeeding in any activity is a thorough control of fundamentals. In marching band, our core
fundamental is posture. In music, if a note is out of tune, it is wrong. In marching, if posture is incorrect,
the visual picture is “blurred”. Students should strive to maintain excellent posture at all times while
marching or playing.
For good posture we must stress the following points:
1. Relaxation of the Upper Body- The neck, chest and arms are all soft, the shoulders are down and
round.
2. Separation of the Upper Body- The upper and lower body should be “separated” at the hips. The
upper body can be imagined as the Musician, while the lower body is the athlete. To achieve this
you must stretch your abdomen up and away from the hips, while also increasing the distance
between your lowest rib and hipbone (without creating tension).
3. The Back- The back should be straight and flat. We want to avoid arching the small of the back.
Make sure to not let the hips fall forward (hyperextension) or backwards (hypoextension).
4. Alignment- There are five points of body alignment: ankle bones, knees, hip bones, shoulders,
and ears. Each point should be aligned directly above one another in such a way that the body
is naturally relaxed. When aligned correctly the body should feel as if it is balancing on its own.
There is a sixth point of alignment during drill – the dot.
5. Platform – The platform is the area from the fleshy portion of the foot just behind the ball of the
foot through the toes. Weight is not distributed through the heel, but is instead displaced
through the platform.
6. Upper body carriage- The upper body should convey a sense of presence. This is achieved by
taking up space with the body. We will create a sense of presence through the use of right
angles: between the ribs and the upper arm, between the upper arm and the forearm, and
between the right and left arms. Aside from proper upper body carriage, this will be created by
maintaining a focus slightly above parallel. The eyes, chin and horn will angle slightly upward
towards the audience.
The right angle between both arms can be visualized by imagining the arm from the elbow down
as a “blade” with both arms connected at the fingertips. With the fingers outstretched, create a
straight line from the elbow to the fingertips. There should be no breaks, bends or tension in
any joints.
7. Breathing – Without proper breathing the body is unable to perform at its highest level. Proper
breathing is aided by correct posture and an absence of tension. By focusing on the breath, the
performer will achieve a higher standard of musical and visual performance.
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Horn Carriage:
The Carry Position
Instruments should be carried in such a way as to reduce tension in the body. Instead of gripping the
instrument with the palms, your hands should act as a platform which your instrument rests upon.
The distance of the instrument varies slightly from instrument to instrument. A general reference would
be to place the instrument a fist and a thumb (as in a thumbs up) away from the body. In any case the
performer’s arms should not be allowed to rest on another body part. Generally, the angle formed
between the biceps and forearm will be roughly 90˚.
The horn will be held in such a way that the bell (brass) is parallel to the ground, the instrument body
(flute, clarinet) is perpendicular to the ground, and the instrument is parallel to the ground (saxophone).
The “Horns Up” PositionFlute- The instrument should be parallel to the ground
Clarinet- The instrument should appear perpendicular to the ground from the front and should be ~30 ˚
from the body.
Saxophone- Performers should focus on making sure the mouthpiece is at the appropriate playing angle
within their embouchure. It is very important that the CHIN IS LEVEL. The instrument should appear to
be perpendicular to the ground when viewed from the front.
Brass- The palms of the hand will not “grip” the horn. Instead the angle of the left hand to the valves will
be 45˚; the right hand should look like a flat “C” while also creating a 45˚ angle to the horn. The upper
arm will create a 90˚ to the ribs.
Movement:
The focus of movement shall be to create an even and steady platform that will allow the member to
move to the best of their ability. The forward technique will be such that the legs are straight on the
downbeats while creating the five points of alignment on each upbeat. If a picture were to be taken
from the side on the upbeat (crossing count) the performer would look the same as if they were
standing still. The backwards technique will be similar with the only exception being that the point of
contact will be the platform (the portion of the foot, from the arch-side of the ball of the foot to the
ends of the toes) as opposed to the heel.
The key to fluid and steady movement starts with the center of the body. The CORE MUST BE
ENGAGED. Pushing off with the platform of the right foot will create the necessary momentum for both
forward and backwards march IF the core is engaged. The motion should always come from the hip, in a
pendulum motion. The feet should always move in a straight line drawn directly out from the ankle
bones at the starting position.
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Forward March
Subdivided - vocalize 8th note subdivision (press, & - 1 - & - 2 - &, etc.)
*Remember step size is not important in this stage of the learning process. Focus should be placed on
step technique.
 The muscles of the right leg should activate (“press”) and prepare for motion on eight.
 Initiation of forward motion begins on the “&” of eight. This should be led by the center of the
body with the momentum created by pushing from the platform of the right foot.
 The heel of the left foot makes contact with the ground on count one.
 When addressing toe height, focus on the angle of the foot as it relates to the leg. It should
remain at a 90° angle to the leg (as in the standing position). This will lower the toe height
significantly, but will relieve unnecessary tension on the back of the leg, allow for a smoother
heel-ball-toe roll step, and offer definition to an often ambiguous concept.
 Release of the right foot occurs on the “e” of one.
 The legs will again pass on the “&” of count one.
 The pass position should look as if the band member is standing still. The entire foot should be
equidistant and as close to the ground as possible without it touching. The knee is slightly bent,
but again from a distance it should appear as if the leg is straight. FOCUS ON THE PLACEMENT
OF THE FOOT AND THE KNEE WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF!
 Forward motion continues on the “a” of one.
 The heel of the right foot makes contact on the next beat. FOCUS ON THE ANGLE OF THE FOOT
AS IT RELATES TO THE LEG!
 Continue the process.
In Tempo - This is the forward technique in its full form.
* Vocalize “press, &, one, two-seven, ten-du (eight-&), close (one)”
 Motion should be led by the center of body with the momentum created by pushing from the
platform of the right foot.
 The legs should be straight on the downbeat. REMEMBER, FOCUS ON THE PLACEMENT OF THE
FOOT NOT THE AMOUNT OF KNEE BEND!
 The legs will always pass on the “&” counts.
COMMON PROBLEMS that Affect Uniformity
 Improper upper body carriage - It must appear as if you are standing still, no back arch.
 Leaning into and out of the step off - This is most often caused by not leading the motion from
the center of the body or by improper weight displacement on the foot.
 Knee bend on step 1 – Motion from the hip.
 Upper body not centered over the lower body on the move - Again caused by not leading the
initial motion from the center of the body.
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

Extreme upper body motion while on the move - Usually a culprit of not separating at the hips,
not rolling from the back edge of the heel all the way through the foot, or by lifting the foot too
high off the ground and thereby slamming the heel on the ground versus placing it.
Timing Tendencies - count two will probably be slow while count eight to one will be fast
Backward March
Subdivided - vocalize 8th note subdivision (press, & - 1 - & - 2 - &, etc.)
* Remember step size is not important in this stage of the learning process. Focus should be placed on
step technique.
 The muscles of the right leg should activate “press” and prepare for motion on eight.
 Initiation of backward motion begins on the “&” of eight. This should be led by the center of the
body with the momentum created by pushing from the platform of the right foot.
 The platform of the left foot makes contact with ground on count one.
 Release of the right foot occurs on the “e” of one.
 The legs will again, pass on the “&” of count one (pass position is the same as forward march)
o The pass should position should look as if the performer is standing still. The entire foot
should be equidistant and as close to the ground as possible without it touching. The
knee is slightly bent, but again from a distance it should appear as if the leg is straight.
FOCUS ON THE PLACEMENT OF THE FOOT AND THE KNEE WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF!
 Backward motion continues on the “a” of one
 The platform of the right foot makes contact on the next beat
 Continue the process.
COMMON PROBLEMS that Affect Uniformity
Many of the same problems will occur during the backward as in the forward. We all must continue to
focus on them in order to appear uniform while moving as well as to be able play at the highest possible
performance standard.
1. Too High or Uneven Releve - A concern specifically associated with the backward march is often
performers will releve too high so that little to no body control exists. The performers should
only releve to their platforms and no higher. Also, many times the back heel will be higher off
the ground than the front. Both heels should be equidistant off the ground.
2. Improper upper body carriage – It must appear as if you are standing still
3. Leaning into and out of the step off – This is most often caused by not leading the
4. Knee bend on step 1 - Focus should be placed on motion from the hip.
5. Upper body not centered over the lower body on the move – Again caused by not
6. Extreme upper body motion while on the move – Usually a culprit of not separating at the hips
or by lifting the foot too high off the ground and thereby slamming the platform on the ground
versus placing it. The platform should graze across the surface of the ground.
7. Timing Tendencies – count two will probably be slow while count eight to one will fast
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MARKING TIME
Although the modern marching band rarely marks time in a performance venue, it is an important
fundamental of pulse and body control that must be mastered. Some key points must be understood in
order to perform the mark time effectively.
 All motions should be smooth.
 The heel height should rise to approximately one plus inches off the ground.
 On the downbeat both heels should be on the ground, and then the foot is immediately lifted so
that the heel is at its highest point on the upbeat.
 Note: Even though both heels land on the downbeats, the motion should remain constant at all
times. An absence of motion should never occur.
 Upper body should remain completely still.
 The hips should not break when performing a mark time correctly.
CATCH PHRASES FOR THE STRAIGHT LEG TECHNIQUE
“Pendulum motion from the hip”
“The CLAW!” (the claw activates the muscles of the right leg)
“Push forward, not up”
“Pushing leg stays straight”
“Back edge of the heel”
“Upper body moves with the lower body (50/50)”
“Lift up to land soft”
“Step two is usually slow and small” Why?....It’s traveling twice the distance. To fix the problem: “Push
off of the left” and “Do not reach for step two”
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Isolation:
The key to mastery of the visual technique will be isolation of movement. Exercises will be provided that
teach isolation of each aspect of a movement. These exercises are designed to allow the member to
repeat an aspect of the technique in such a way as to learn the sensation of moving correctly. Potential
members should do these exercises in a mirror so that they may self evaluate wither their motion is
correct so that they do not memorize incorrect sensations.
Homework:
There will be visual homework assigned in between camps. These assignments will recorded by the
potential member to be submitted for review by a visual staff member. These assignments are designed
to give the potential member a skill to focus on in between camps while allowing staff to check to
ensure bad habits are not being practiced. All assignments should be practiced with a mirror.
Self-assessment:
A potential member should strive to be able to sense when their technique is not quite correct. A
potential member who is able to self assess and self correct will have much higher chance of being
accepted into membership.
Exercise:
Drum corps is a physical activity. As a potential member you must take care of your body. This includes
stretching, exercising, practicing, and eating healthy EVERY DAY. Failure to do so will leave your body
more susceptible to an injury that could prevent you from marching.
Attitude:
Attitude Is Everything. Life is 10 percent what happens to you, and 90 percent how I react to it. All
members will receive criticism; consider how you react to you.
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