Doug Bush
I am motivated to not only participate in visual design, but show planning, programming, music arranging, rehearsing, etc. because of the satisfaction I get seeing something I helped create take life and have an impact on others. Sure, it’s just arcs and lines or maybe shapes, but when communicated in connection with sound, body movement, and color, visual design becomes so much more. It can have an impact on the audience. It can have an impact on the performers. And it can have an impact on me. The impact can be threefold…. physical, intellectual, and emotional. Starting with an idea and getting others involved (students, staff, and parents) and excited enough about that idea they would all work together to make it happen. That was what fueled me through my high school teaching and still fuels me with my university band today. Seeing the faces of the performers as they leave the field and meet their parents after a show. The hugs. The proud moments for parents who did their part to provide the experience for their children. The time spent together celebrating after a performance. The lasting relationships years after the instruments and uniforms are put away and knowing that it all started with an idea for a 7-8 minute show. The satisfaction knowing the production belonged to US. It belonged to the students, the parents, the staff, and to me. We did it ourselves. This is why I share my experience with others who are involved in the marching arts, so they too can know their production belongs to them. They did it themselves. All performers deserve to have quality material to perform they can call their own.—Taken from blog (4/20/21) entry, WHY?
I may be able to help you find or develop your Why? If you have a desire to do so, check out my training offerings. The Drill Dojo Pyware Tutorial and The Drill Dojo Visual Design Workshop are both great places to start!
I am currently the assistant director of bands at the University of Nebraska. Before completing my masters at the same, I spent 19 years as a high school band director in Kentucky and Ohio.
During my undergraduate education at the University of Kentucky (1977-81), I took great interest in the marching activity and specifically visual design. This led me to spending time with Gordon Henderson (assistant director at UK at the time) and other area visual designers. I also gained experience in teaching drill/marching technique by working area band camps.
Upon graduation, I designed shows for my own marching bands from 1982-1999 and in 1998 began seeking work for hire in Ohio. Since coming to Nebraska, I have continued those efforts. In addition to designing almost every show for the University of Nebraska Cornhusker Marching Band since 2002, I have worked with high school bands in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
Whether the band’s goals are tied to Friday night football halftime performances or striving for high level competitive pageantry, my top priority is producing a design that highlights the unit’s visual strengths while always enhancing the music being presented. I find this is easiest with consistent communication with the client and making sure they (and their staff) are involved in the process.
Beyond designing, I am also available as a clinician for your group or program consultant where I assist in managing the entire production from music selection to the overall look of the design. Recently, I have moved more into the realm of training by offering Pyware and visual design workshops for groups or individuals. To learn more about my training offerings, look for “Drill Dojo” on this site. I’m always looking for new ways to help the activity.—DB
