Recently, I've begun to help teach a colorguard at the highschool I just graduated from. I was hoping that maybe some ex-guard girls (or current ones) could give me some good advice or tips :) Any good exercises that helped your or anything at all would be great. The age group is from about 13-16. I've learned a lot just from being there, but advice can only help :) I will go back and pick a best answer for this question!! Thanks so much!
(P.S. They're pretty advanced for a HD guard - they do drum corps-caliber work)
2006-07-19 09:58:59 · 6 answers · asked by ballerina_dancer017 4 in Education & Reference ➔ Teaching
Err... HS* guard
2006-07-19 09:59:17 · update #1
For the record, they're not fat - and our highschool doesn't have a dance team. (which is sort of the reason a lot of them, as well as myself joined) we do a lot of ballet work too. And I'd love to see you try it.
2006-07-19 10:04:39 · update #2
I was a Band Director for 10 years and would hire people to help with Guard, Percussion, sectionals, etc. I hired them for their expertise. So, I won't go into those details, because you already have some great answers from them.
My advice is a little different. I don't know how long ago you graduated, but some of the girls may know you or your friends or your siblings. Keeping the distance between Instructor and Friend may be difficult. I used to tell my staff and student teachers that it is always easier to start off strict and a little distant and then let them get to know you. If you try to be friendly and buddy-buddy with them at the beginning, they MIGHT try to walk all over you. I say "might" because I don't know your particular situation.
I know this will be a very enjoyable experience for you because a) It is your Alma Mater and b) It is something you really enjoy doing. Have a great time and good luck!
2006-07-19 11:09:55 · answer #1 · answered by bears_and_babies 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I was a colorguard in HS, too many years ago. It was a small school and the corps only had 6 girls.
The hardest part for me was the transition to a new adviser. My freshman and sophomore years we had a very precise leader. Everything crisp, sharp, all about the flag. We got a new leader my junior year who was much more into dance and jazz. We were still a colorguard but had a lot more dance aspects. That was something I was not very good at.
The point being, you are the leader, the central strong unifying force. But make sure the teams style and attitude represents the team. It may not be a democracy, but let the girls be involved in the decision and planning as much as possible.
2006-07-19 10:13:22 · answer #2 · answered by Dave W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try some exercises that teach them to work together as a group. Remember, just like in band, everyone sees them as one unit, not a group of individuals.
I was a band geek, so my experience is more with the music and marching part of the entertainment, but I knew a lot of flag girls. We were a pretty large band ~200 members including the flag corps. I would suggest actually watching some dci competitions to get an idea of how they would look functioning as a unit. Typical twirling drills and marching practice or dance were pretty prevelant in both high school and college...
2006-07-19 11:06:33 · answer #3 · answered by trc_6111 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
facial emotions??? think of the gard part of the show as a stage presentation and the whole field is your stage. The audience is in the stands & in order for the emotions to get across to them so far away-you must over do the facials expressions (which is called "projecting"). The veteran girls know this already & just do it because it is the right thing to do. It is part of what is expected from the whole team. They make it look easy because it is easy---(once you've done the stuff for about a million times). Every veteran member has been where you are at some point, the struggled, worked hard, persevered, asked for help when they needed it and eventually got their crap together enough to perform. keep practicing & getting better, who knows-somebody might get benched for bad grades-then the best alternate is the smartest choice to put in their place. So be that best alternate!
2016-03-16 02:06:26 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's so exciting!
If you were in guard in high school, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to do. My best advice is to try to help the girls build a good team, and try to make sure no one is left out because they aren't popular or don't have as much money as the other girls. The most dangerous thing that can happen is you get catty captains that overstep their bounds and/or small groups of girls fighting each other for stupid reasons. See if you can nip that stuff in the bud as soon as it happens.
Reasons I had trouble in high school guard:
1. A certain social officer thought it was her job to be a captain. She bossed everyone around all the time.
2. The captains were sometimes rude in instructing us, and wanted to minister to us, requiring us to show up 30 minutes early so they could read the Bible and pray.
3. I had to buy a lot of make up and t-shirts and sweatshirts and practice uniforms and crap like that. Some expenses are unnecessary. You don't really need matching duffel bags. Some students are not as well-to-do as others.
4. One girl (not a captain) offered me helpful advice like, "You have to catch it," and "You have to hit your spot" constantly! Duh.
A couple more things: You can save a lot of money by making your own flags. Practice with the show flags instead of practice flags often if not all the time.
Try to limit yelling (from you and your captains). It's most effective when it doesn't happen very often.
Reward a great rehearsal by letting them go home a few minutes early.
After bad performances, tell them they were bad, but don't get angry. After good performances, tell them they were good! Videotape performances and let the kids watch them and critique them.
I loved college guard because instead of saying, "Buy this specific color of Mary Kay lipstick," the instructor said, "Buy red lipstick." The girls don't need the same shade of make up as long as they have the same colors because everyone has a unique skin tone, anyway. It's also cool to put a little bit of individual flair in by letting the girls choose their hairstyles or jewelry. My instructor in college had us just get "big silver earrings" and told us "wear your hair down." So we had a little bit of individuality in the show.
Good luck!
2006-07-19 10:16:52 · answer #5 · answered by cucumberlarry1 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Color Guard Basics
2016-11-07 09:52:18 · answer #6 · answered by midcap 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ITS LONG
2006-07-19 10:01:42 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋