Time to Evaluate Part 1
The outdoor marching season wrapped up a few weeks ago for most high schools in the country while many college bands continue to prepare for conference championships or bowl games. The marching season can be a grind and take its toll on any director or staff, a break is definitely deserved, but while we are putting away that marching equipment and the field lights are still warm is the best time to take a few minutes to reflect/evaluate the season that was. Doing it now while the season is still fresh in our minds can be a big help.
When going through this reflective process, I like to look at 3 big questions. 1. What went well? 2. What didn’t go well? 3. What can be built upon? Of course, the first thing is to decide what “went well” means. I usually consider something going well as being an activity, a concept learned, etc. that didn’t cause more stress than it was worth. Here is an example: The band’s program necessitated having the front ensemble (pit) placed on the field rather than in front of the front sideline. Was the effort worth the logistical planning/execution? How did the placement impact the rest of the ensemble? What did the staff/ensemble learn from this design choice that can be taken forward in future planning?
I take those questions and apply them to each area of the entire process.
Programming (musical/visual including visual design, color guard design, equipment, props, etc.)
Musical Performance (woodwinds, brass, and percussion). Evaluate phrases/sections of the entire production.
Visual Performance (uniformity of approach throughout the ensemble, fundamental movement, characterizations, communication, etc.) Again, look at phrases/sections of the production.
Rehearsal Structure (planning, efficiency, organization, flow, attendance, etc.)
Rehearsal Schedule Including Band Camp (amount of time, frequency, facility use, etc.)
Instructional Staff (collaboration, problem solving, efficiency/effectiveness of instruction, reliability, etc.)
Now that we have the basic overarching outline, we’ll take a look at the 6 areas in Part 2.—DB