Trendmarching : Situs Library Marching Band Indonesia

Oleh: Marko S Hermawan Jupiter Indonesia EndorserMemang sudah menjadi naluri sebagai dosen, maka apapun itu, semuanya harus ada proses belajar mengajar. Dan ini termasuk dunia marching band yang telah menjadi bagian dari “darah” dalam pembuluh saya. Ide ini sebetulnya muncul ketika saya masih belajar di sekolah keguruan musik Institut Musik Dr. Pono Banoe. Namun baru sekarang bisa ditumpahkan dalam tulisan sederhana ini. Konsepnya cukup mudah, dan mungkin sudah diterapkan oleh beberapa rekan pemerhati marching band di Indonesia. Berawal dari kegiatan belajar mengajar di kampus saya, yang mana semua materi dan buku teks telah disiapkan sedemikian rupa untuk kegiatan perkuliahan, mengapa tidak dilakukan di dunia Marching Band. Sepertinya kita melupakan sesuatu dimana marching band juga merupakan kegiatan membutuhkan pendidikan, arahan dan konsep yang jelas. Dalam karya tulis saya yang berjudul “Marching Band: analisa sebuah organisasi menggunakan ilmu multi-disiplin” dijelaskan bahwa aktifitas marching band dapat dihubungkan oleh berbagai disiplin ilmu, seperti ilmu manajemen, psikologi dan ilmu musik. Semua displin tersebut sangat berkaitan erat dengan semua kegiatan yang dilakukan oleh sebuah marching band. Dari sisi ilmu manajemen, banyak faktor yang mempengaruhi keberadaan sebuah marching band dari sisi profesionalitas manajamennya. Kutipan dari karya tulis saya adalah “Selayaknya sebuah manajemen perusahaan, maka organisasi marching band memerlukan komitmen dan kerja keras dari para komponen internal. Dengan mengadopsi teori manajemen, organisasi marching band harus mempunyai proses PODC, yaitu Perencanaan (Planning), Pengorganisasian (Organizing), Pengaturan (Directing), dan Pengontrolan (Controlling) (Griffin, 1996).” Tulisan saya berlanjut kepada hubungan marching band dengan ilmu psikologi. Ternyata didapati banyak sekali kaitannya dengan sistem latihan dalam marching band. Salah satu teori motivasi yang aplikatif digunakan dalam karya tulis saya adalah penerapan teori “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs”. Teori ini apabila dikaitkan dengan sistem latihan dalam marching band akan menjadi: No Kebutuhan Definisi Penerapan di marching band 1 Psikologis Makanan, minuman, bernafas Cukupkah makanan dan istirahat yang diberikan selama latihan? 2 Keamanan keamanan fisik dan emosi Bagaimana keadaan latihan di lapangan? Apakah terlalu panas, terlalu lama, terlalu capai, terlalu ketat? 3 Sosial berafiliasi, sayang menyayangi Bagaimana pergaulan dengan rekan, pengurus dan Pembina? Apakah Pembina suka mendatangi latihan untuk menyemangati pemain? 4 Ego Penghargaan, Kehormatan, Pengakuan Bagaimana penerapan hukuman dan penghargaan yang diberikan kepada pemain? Apakah ada penghargaan atas usaha dan kerja keras selama latihan? 5 Realisasi Diri Pengembangan diri, pencapaian cita-cita Apakah setiap pemain mendapat kesempatan untuk menimba ilmu musik? Apakah pelatih mempercayakan pemain untuk menangani lagu yang sulit, sehingga timbul tantangan baru? Ditinjau dari segi ilmu musik, sudah barang tentu banyak sekali kaitannya dengan marching band. Ada banyak ilmu musik berkenaan dengan ansambel yang seharusnya sudah diberikan sejak bangku sekolah. Salah satunya pemikiran praktis berasal dari Prof. Gary Corcoran, dimana ia membuat metode “Linear Balance” (Keseimbangan Linier). Terminologi keseimbangan musik dalam ansambel terkadang menjadi rancu bagi pemimpin lagu dan pemain, dimana masing-masing mempunyai interpretasi dan konsep yang berbeda-beda (Whaley, 2005). Secara harafiah, Balance berarti bercampur dan membuat satu suara secara harmonis. Pemain yang memainkan akord dalam lagu itu ditekankan untuk bermain secara seimbang untuk mengahasilkan efek musik yang harmonis. Penelitian saya diakhiri dengan kesimpulan bahwa dalam membuat sebuah marching band, sebuah badan hukum, universitas atau sekolah hendaknya mengetahui apa tujuan dasar dari pembentukan organisasi ini. Sebuah organisasi marching band yang solid adalah organisasi yang memperhatikan struktur dan hirarki secara konsisten, pendelegasian tugas dengan tepat, pengarahan anggota dengan tegas, dan pengontrolan kinerja yang sistematis. Ada baiknya organisasi marching band meniru gaya manajemen perusahaan, sehingga dapat dilakukan secara professional. Marbo Referensi: Griffin, Ricky W & Ronald J. Ebert., Business, Prentice Hall International, 4th ed, USA, 1996 Whaley, Garwood., The Music Director’s Cookbook: Creative Recipes for a Successful Program, Meredith Music Publication, 1st ed, USA, 2005

Tags: education, marko s hermawan

Tags: Color Guard, riffle

Triple Rifle Toss:  For this toss, make sure you are holding the rifle the same way that you would toss a single or double rifle toss. Again, put more oomph! into it when you let it go.  You should count to three (this should constitute 3 rotations) and catch the same way for the smaller tosses.

Quad, Five, and Six Tosses:  For these tosses, put more and more oomph! into them.  Each one should have the amount of rotation that it’s name denotes.  (Quad=4 rotations, Five=5 Rotations, etc.)

Horizontal Rifle Toss:  For this toss, hold the rifle at the neck with your right hand.  Rest the butt on your shoulder, and place your left hand palm up holding the belly.  NOTE:  Make sure the rifle is flat so that strap is parallel to the ground.  As you lift both arms up, twist the rifle with your hands and let go.  The way you catch it may vary according to the traditional technique that your color guard uses.

Tags: Color Guard, rifle, Tosses

Soures : Color Guard CentralColor Guard Central

It is hard to classify anything rifle as “basic”, however there are few simple tosses that members using a rifle can complete with little practice.  Note: in order for you to better understand how to do a rifle toss, look at the Equipment>Rifle page for the “Anatomy of a Rifle”.

Single Rifle Toss:  To do a single rifle toss, hold the rifle with your left hand palm up at the belly, and your right palm down, covering the butt.  Push the butt downward, and pull up with your left hand.  When the nose of the rifle is pointed to the ground, release the rifle and let it rotate once (or a ‘single’ time) in the air.  Catch the rifle with your right palm up at the neck and left palm down at the nose.

Double Rifle Toss: Start out in the same position as the “single” toss.  Again, let go of the rifle when the nose points to the ground.  This time, give your toss a little more oomph!.  Let it rotate twice in the air and catch in the same position that you caught the single.

For a tutorial video on RIFLE FUNDAMENTAL SPINNING click HERE

Tags: rifle, Tosses

Color Guard Central.

Advanced” flag tosses are tosses that require greater skill and control.  Some of these tosses may be basic to some more advanced color guards.

Pizza Hand Toss: Start out by holding the flag with your left hand at the tape that joins the flag silk to the pole.  Your right hand should be palm up facing the sky with the pole being held between your pointer finger and thumb.  Pull the pole to the left and let go when the flag has rotated so that it is pointed upward once more.  This toss should rotate one to one and a half times and then should be caught upside down (for 1 1/2 rotation) with your right hand above your left hand.

Yo-Yo Toss:  Begin with holding the flag pole at the very end of the bottom cap with both hands.  Your right hand should be on top and your left, on the bottom.  Circle the pole to the left and let it “swoop” behind you (like a “back scratcher”).  When the flag is strait up and down again, switch your hand positions so that both palms are facing away from you and both thumbs are pointing down.  Make 2 large and fast circles with your pole by rotating it with your wrists.  Just as the second circle is being completed, let go of the flag.  The momentum that you gained while making the 2 circles should propel your flag in the air.  For this toss, your catch will depend on how high you toss the flag…come up with a way to catch and be consistent.

Horizontal (Helicopter Toss):  The name of this toss describes what it is.  This toss is thrown so that the flag is horizontal in the air.  To do this toss, start with the pole parallel to the ground and behind your back.  Hold the pole with your right hand at the tape that joins the silk to the pole.  Now, as flat and as evenly as possible bring the flag around your body to the left (keeping the pole parallel to the ground).  Still holding onto the pole, raise your right arm up and once the pole is above your head, let go.  The flag should be horizontally in the air, and should rotate once.  Then…if you can imagine, the flag SHOULD fall right into your hands with your right palm up and left palm down.

Tags: Color Guard, flag, toss

Color Guard Central.

A basic flag toss is one that is relatively simple to do but always difficult to learn, and includes throwing and catching with both hands.

Pop Toss:  Begin with the flag at hip shoulder angle with your right hand lower than your left.  The silk of the flag should be on the lower side.  Your right palm should be facing downward and the left hand should be facing upward.  With your right hand pull upward on the pole and release.  The flag should rotate one time and you should catch at the same hip/shoulder angle with your palms facing the same way that you started in.  The key is to pull fairly hard up on the pole because of the lack of momentum.

Concert Toss:  Hold the flag at a hip-shoulder angle or a “seatbelt” angle with your right hand lower than  your left.  The silk of the flag should be on the lower side.   Your right palm should be facing upward toward the sky.  Your left hand should be facing downward toward the ground.  Thrust your right arm upward while pushing with your left hand downward to gain momentum.  When the flag rotates so that the silk is upside down, let go.  The flag should rotate 1 time.  Watch the flag in the air and when it is time to catch, put your left hand up (palm up) and catch the flag in the same hip/shoulder angle that you started.  Notice that your hand positions have switched.

One and a Half Concert toss:  The concept of this toss is the same as a concert toss except now you will be catching the flag pole straight up and down vertically.  To accomplish this, follow the steps for a concert toss but pull a little harder with your right hand, and rotate your wrist a little more, this will cause the flag to rotate one half more.  When you catch the flag your right hand on top and your left hand on the bottom following after the flag.

Cross Toss:  Begin this toss by starting with your flag parallel to the ground or flat.  Your right palm should be facing downward and your left facing upward.  The silk should be on your right side.  In a snapping motion quickly cross your arms with your right arm going underneath your left arm.  Once they are crossed release the flag.  The flag will rotate about 1 and 1/4 times.  Catch the toss at the hip/shoulder angle with your right hand higher than your left and right palm facing up with left palm facing down.

After you have mastered these basic tosses, this article will continue to Advanced Flag Tosses page.  Where you can learn…Horizontals (helicopters), Yo Yo Toss, and Pizza Hand Tosses.

Tags: Color Guard, flag

By Jesse Schmitt

Even though it took place such a long while ago, there is something about the things you learn in adolescence that follows you through life, if you remain vigilant towards it. It is with a steady, skilled, and stoic hand that I still, from time to time, will find myself spinning my rifle from high school color guard. When spun well this whirl of white and black can seem like an impressive set; though with strong fundamentals and a talented hand, you can find yourself doing exactly the same one day.

Color guards are the women and men who march with the flags, rifles, and sabers alongside the marching band; winter guard is color guard, indoors, without the band and in the winter. While I marched with the drum line in the fall, come winter I was able to pick up this fun and interesting activity and enjoy the camaraderie and fitness it employed. When it comes to spinning your rifle there are an important set of behaviors to remember to maintain in order to spin most successfully.

1) First off you’ll want to remember your starting posture. Before you’ve even done anything you’ll want to make sure that your feet are in a comfortable, stationary position and you’ll want to be sure that your body is straight up, top to bottom. Having good starting posture is essential in any sport; it’s especially important in an activity like color guard as once you’re set to moving with your equipment and your body, you’ll need to be sure that you maintain full control over your rifle, flag, or any other piece you may be manipulating.

2) Getting into rhythm: Once you get your posture set you’ll want to make sure you start your spinning in an efficient and fluid manner. If you start off your spinning in an inefficient manner, the chances are great that you’ll end up dropping your equipment after a couple of spins. This is especially true of the rifle as it is a free floating piece which flies through the air; starting off well is pivotal to getting a good sense of spinning

3) Don’t Wobble: Once you’ve gotten your rhythm going you’ll want to be sure you’re able to maintain a steady pace and that you’re not overexerting yourself trying to maintain your level throughout. If you begin to wobble or otherwise falter, it’s a good idea to stop straight away. You don’t want to send your equipment flying and injure yourself or someone else.

4) Only go as far as you’re able: Now that you’ve attained a regular pace of speed and you’re going in a whirling motion around and around, you may think that the hard part’s behind you. While it’s true that spinning is ¾ getting everything going in a steady manner, there is the plenty left to do: You need to maintain your posture, keep your wrist and hands turning in an efficient way, not take your eyes off the rifle, and maintain your focus and concentration. You also need to be able to gauge yourself and when it’s time to stop as you don’t want to set your rifle flying.

5) Stop It: After a while of spinning and getting your basics down, you’ll want to be able to stop in an efficient manner. If you feel like you’re ready to stop you need to have your timing down so that you’ll be able to bring the spinning exercise to a successful conclusion. On a traditional, right handed spinning rifle, all you need to do is snap your left hand out once the tip of the rifle has passed your left side so that your hand is there to catch the tip on the next go around. From your vantage point the tip will be traveling in a counter clockwise motion and you’ll want to have your left hand out at: 45. Your right hand will already be out to catch the butt and the rifle should snap back gracefully into your outstretched arms.

If you’re interested in spinning for your schools color guard, I’d suggest making a top priority of going to speak with someone about learning about the guard before the tryouts so you’ll know what’s involved; each school has a different level of participation so you want to make sure you’ll be able to commit. Then it’s really just practice, practice, practice! You can be a color guard star for the rifle line in no time!

this is the way you hold your rifle…

…and this is the way you spin it!

Tags: Color Guard, rifle

By : Bryan Goff

Here is an exercise, which is certainly not new, but perhaps deserves reconsideration. Although I usually incorporate long tones in my daily routine, I usually do so to build endurance and range, and I usually hold the notes at a steady mezzo dynamic level for about 5-6 seconds. I recently gave some thought about the control that is necessary to hold a very long tone with a smooth crescendo – decrescendo.

First, this exercise requires very good control of a steady air stream in order to execute a smooth dynamic over such a long time span. If one is asked to draw a crescendo on the chalkboard 3 inches high and 6 inches long, then asked to draw another crescendo 3 in. high and 6 feet long, it will obviously be much more difficult to draw smoothly diverging lines in the 6 ft. example. For the same reason, a crescendo-decrescendo lasting 30 seconds will require much greater control than short dynamic changes. The control gained through this exercise will directly benefit the control of dynamic expression in long lyrical passages.

Secondly, this exercise requires a control of embouchure changes, which are necessary, as greater or lesser amounts of air pass through the aperture. Obviously, the aperture opening needs to change size to accommodate the different volume of air that is used in loud vs. soft passages. As we increase the air throughout a crescendo, the aperture size needs to increase correspondingly, otherwise the tone quality becomes constricted. Conversely, as the volume of air decreases in a decrescendo, the aperture needs to become smaller, otherwise the tone quality becomes unfocused and sounds airy. This exercise will aid the player in gaining control of the aperture changes necessary to match the varying volume of air, to attain maximum resonance of tone quality at all dynamic levels.

This simple exercise takes only a couple of minutes, and could prove to be a very useful addition to one’s daily routine.

Tags: Crescendo, Decrescendo, trumpet

By : Bryan Goff

I keep repeating the theme that in order to not neglect certain playing techniques, we must include these techniques in a specific slot in our regular daily practice schedule. I have previously mentioned techniques such as lip slurs and single tonguing. I feel that it is also important to ensure that we at least include a minimum amount of pianissimo and fortissimo playing every day.

Pianissimo playing requires embouchure control, steady breath control, and suppleness and responsiveness of the embouchure. Fortissimo playing requires, in addition to strong air support, embouchure strength and the ability to control the aperture when subjected to a large volume of air. In short, the extremes of dynamic range require totally different types of physical control. Obviously, the only way to develop and maintain control at these extremes is to practice at these levels, for at least a few minutes, on a regular basis.

I would speculate that most trumpeters who are reasonably accomplished, spend the largest proportion of their daily practice time playing mezzo forte or louder. The reason for this is that their sense of good solid air support will most naturally result in a full, resonant, and somewhat loud tone. (On the other hand, it might be a good idea for less accomplished players to consciously spend a greater amount of time playing at loud dynamic levels to develop a better sense of good air support). It is my belief that these accomplished players may need to purposely include some supplementary pianissimo selections every day. Likewise, even if a player does much of his performing at a loud level, he will not be able to control those fortissimo passages when called upon, unless he has included at least a little fortissimo playing in his daily routine.

Personally, I can discipline myself to include tonguing and lip flexibility exercises in my daily routine, but to include exercises that are designed solely for the purpose of playing at loud and soft dynamics is, for me, extremely boring. I really prefer to cover my dynamic extremes by playing selections from actual musical examples, orchestral excerpts for example.

I would like to suggest that you pick a few of your favorite excerpts which represent extremes of dynamic levels and play them at a specific point in your daily routine.

Tags: brass, education

By : Bryan Goff

Some trills are easy, some trills are more difficult, and some trills are nearly impossible to execute cleanly. In the following example the B-natural to C trill is very easy. The C to D trill is more difficult because the pitch must be focused, by the lip, at a pitch center between those two notes. If your pitch center is focused below that “slot”, some B-flat’s may find their way into your trill. (Extending the 1st valve slide a bit will bring the pitch of D closer to C and the pitch of B-flat further away from C, and will improve the accuracy of the trill).

In the third example, however, it is almost impossible to find the “slot” between G and A. This is one of those trills where the player must actually move back and forth between the two pitches with the lip. (And to make matters worse, the player must perfectly synchronize that lip movement with the finger movement)!

One well-known instance of this G-A trill comes at the end of the first movement of the Hummel Concerto, when performed on B-flat trumpet. One good solution to the problem, of course, is to perform the work on E-flat trumpet, however this option not always possible for many students. A lip trill may be viable for some players, but by the end of the movement, fatigue may prevent many players from executing a lip trill with dependability. Therefore, the only solution may be to practice this trill enough to be able to coordinate the lip and finger movements.

Following is an exercise I wrote for a high school student of mine which seemed to help her develop this lip/finger coordination in preparation for her performance at our state solo contest. The first few measures require only a small amount of lip movement, but as the exercise ascends, more and more lip movement is required to focus the pitch of the “trill” and, of course, this lip movement must be coordinated with that of the fingers. Because the notes start slowly the lip/finger coordination is easy at first, but the coordination becomes more critical by the time we are playing sixteenth-notes.

Tags: brass, trumpet