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The Setting
Most people who have never been a part of a musical ensemble aren't aware of the inner workings that must occur within a group so that they are able to put forward quality entertainment for their audience.
Specifically, marching band musicians must involve multiple components that audience members in the stands may not realize go into putting a show together.
Just a few of these include engaging and training the core, proper breathing techniques, knowledge and competencies in music, and proper marching form.
This type of ensemble typically functions as a whole, but also dissociates into sections for honing in on skills specific to each instrument.
I have been a part of one of these ensembles on many occasions and experienced it from different viewpoints every time. One of these groups in my past years' experience has struggled with some of the aspects that go into making a successful ensemble.
The Problem
One of these groups in my past years' experience has struggled with some of these basic aspects that go into making a successful marching band. From what I was aware of, this problem specifically applied to one section and not the band as a whole.
One feature that is fairly unique to most marching bands is music memorization. When bands do not use music on the field, this skill is essential for an ensemble's performance.
The problem in this context is band members not memorizing the assigned music for a show when music was not being used on the field. Multiple attempts were made from section leaders to assist those struggling with music memorization but almost no feedback resulted from these attempts. As a result, this skill was still lacking in a few of the band members within the section. This led to issues when taken out onto the field and brought down the performance level of the section as well as the band as a whole.
The end goal in this situation would be to have all music memorized for halftime by all members of the section so that it contributes to a successful performance of the band.