WORKING "HARD" VS. WORKING "SMART" - Part 2

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All band directors ultimately want to do what is best for their students and program. There is a common misconception that the simple act of repetitions will make a program better. This is, as previously stated, a misconception. Refer to the phrase, “Practice makes perfect.” Of course, practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. Practicing bad habits will in fact make your band worse, as a result of ingraining improper technique and muscle memory. Please refer to Band A in their first situation, where the trumpet players are standing on the wrong location to start the set. If you move on anyway to save time, sure, your band will get another rep. However, think of the consequences of your actions; your trumpet players just practiced incorrect step size and muscle memory for their set, thus making it even more difficult for them to do it correctly. In the same situation, Band B took a little extra time to start correctly. Clearly, Band B got the benefit of proper rehearsal methods and the trumpet section is one step closer to marching that set perfectly.

The best way to achieve maximum success is to take the time necessary to ingrain proper rehearsal techniques for your students. The aspect of education in marching band is often lost or pushed to the side in an effort to “get things done.” Your students will rehearse and perform better if they know the “why’s” and “how’s” of their marching technique. It is not enough to simply teach your students to roll their feet. Teach them why, how, what it looks and feels like to do it wrong, and most importantly, what it looks and feels like to do it right. With this knowledge, your students will better understand the reasoning behind the technique, and will also learn to be their own marching instructors. Imagine a situation where you educate your students enough to the point where they know everything you do about marching and playing...what a perfect world! Realistically, it is not difficult to accomplish. Take time in the beginning of the season to explain marching technique, rehearsal etiquette, enforce rules and educate properly.

Consider the following situation: a band I instructed this past season had three extremely difficult sets at the end of their show, and it looked muddy every single time they performed them. The director asked my opinion on how to fix these sets, and I said if we dedicated a full hour to those three sets, we could fix the problem permanently. If you were in the shoes of this director, what would your initial response be? Many directors would consider an hour for three sets a “waste of time.” However, consider the circumstances: it is the end of the show, the last thing the audience and judges see before your band leaves the field; a good impression and ending statement is essential. So, we took an hour and at the end of the rehearsal segment, the sets were crystal clear every time for the rest of the season. Think of how much time we saved by not having to clean that section any more and focusing on other parts of the show. In my opinion, it is better to take more time to fix something correctly, than to take less time to do it wrong.

Another great example for this topic is the marching basics block. Many directors have their own opinions and reasons on how to run a basics block, and the one that seems to work the best is the one that allows your students the biggest opportunity for success. Some directors have their drum majors constantly calling out commands during marching basics, giving your students only a few counts to comprehend the next direction. Other directors create extremely complex and hard-to-remember exercises, thus creating confusion. The method I have found the most success with is to take a relatively simple exercise, and clean it until it is as perfect as possible. Comprehensive and long-winded marching blocks cause the students to think more about which direction they are about to go, rather than on their body mechanics and marching technique. Something more simple, let’s say “forward 8, left 8, forward 8, right 8, repeat," allows your students to concentrate fully on lower and upper body technique, foot placement, direction changes, etc., and really learn what it feels like to perform at extremely high levels. Please realize this does not mean to never challenge your students or create difficult exercises, but rather to understand the benefits of simple directions which allow your students to concentrate fully on marching technique, which is after all, the purpose of the basics block.

In this article, we have referred to “working hard” as doing too much in too little an amount of time, and doing it inefficiently. “Working smart” has been defined as taking the time needed to execute and rehearse correctly, even if it is longer than expected. Realize that there can, and should be a balance between the two, and that “working smart” does not mean to consistently sacrifice large amounts of time and fall short of your goals. The key to success in this area is to understand that different situations require different amounts of attention, especially for a band which does not have an abundance of rehearsal time. The question to always ask yourself is, “What will allow my students the biggest opportunity for success?” That question will usually guide you to proper rehearsal methods. If it does not, the great director will be observant enough to learn from his/her mistakes and tweak their instruction accordingly. I often tell directors I work with, “If you do a mediocre thing for a really long time and do it really well, you will be really good at doing a mediocre thing.” In many cases, to take your band to the next level requires change. Many directors tend to teach with the methods that either they were taught with, or that they have been using the longest. It is at this time we all must remember that, as educators, there is always more to learn, and change can make your program better when implemented correctly. Take the time to instill proper rehearsal technique and to do things right the first time, and you will notice results that will get your students the success they deserve.

Rob Stein
Standing ‘O’ Marching