Abilene High School

Drumline Handbook

version 1.1

Garrett Sanborne,

Percussion Director

AHS DRUMLINE HANDBOOK

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Welcome...................................... 3

Attitude........................................ 3

Teamwork.................................... 4

Punctuality/Absences.................... 4

Battery and Pit.............................. 5

Leadership.................................... 5

Rehearsal

Materials...................................... 6

Section Rehearsal......................... 7

Field Rehearsal............................. 7

Marching...................................... 8

Music........................................... 9

Miscellaneous

After Rehearsal............................. 10

Maintenance................................. 10

Contact Information...................... 11

Schedule...................................... 11

Important Note: The policies outlined in this Handbook are intended as a supplement to those in the AHS Band Handbook. Drumline members are expected to know and follow all policies in both handbooks.

WELCOME !

Welcome to the Abilene High School Drumline! The Abilene High School Eagle Band has a strong tradition of excellence. Not only are you a part of the Oldest Marching Band in Texas, but the AHS Drumline has been recognized throughout Texas and the U. S. A. as a very talented marching percussion ensemble.

This success does not come easily. To uphold this tradition and continue to reach new levels of performance, we set the highest of expectations. You will be pushed to your limits both physically and mentally. You will work harder than you thought possible. In doing so you will develop more than your musical skills: you will also learn discipline, responsibility, teamwork, maturity, and leadership skills.

ATTITUDE

· Your attitude will determine many things throughout the season. You can choose to be negative and bring everyone down, or be positive and feel great about your accomplishments. Keep a positive attitude even when the going gets tough, and it will pay off in the long run.

· Treat all members and staff with respect. We are all working towards a common goal and must work as a team to achieve it. None of us as individuals can accomplish what we will together. Disrespect doesn’t help anyone.

· Show that you care about success. You are making a commitment to be a part of this ensemble, so if you’re going to do it, it makes sense to do it well!

· Attendance is absolutely necessary for an activity such as marching band. If one person is missing, the rest of the ensemble will suffer. Make every effort you can to be at every rehearsal. Part of this is staying healthy.

· Don’t make excuses. If you make a mistake, fix it and move on. Don’t blame it on someone else, on the weather, or on your dog. Show results, not excuses.

TEAMWORK

Drumline is a TEAM activity. We must learn to work together to enjoy success together. When one person does not follow the rules, it affects the entire team. Therefore, individuals who are late to rehearsal will cause the entire group to suffer, and punishment may be dealt to the entire TEAM together. We will work as a team and succeed as a team!

PUNCTUALITY

Be on time for all scheduled events – rehearsals, sectionals, performances, etc. If a rehearsal begins at 6:00 pm, you must be in your spot with your instrument and music folder, ready to begin warmups at 6:00 pm. This means you must arrive at least 10 minutes earlier in order to find out where you need to set up, and to be ready to begin on time.

A safe guideline: PLAN TO BE 15 MINUTES EARLY. This allows for unexpected delays. If you ever have trouble getting a ride, call your section leader or any student leadership.

ABSENCES

Excused and unexcused absences are discussed in the Band Handbook. All Drumline members are expected to follow these policies. No matter what the reason, if you know you will be absent from a rehearsal, TELL MR. SANBORNE beforehand. Absences are EXTREMELY destructive to the band activity, so stay healthy and avoid them if at all possible.

BATTERY AND PIT

The Drumline is divided into two equally important parts:

The Battery is the marching percussion unit which carries drums and cymbals on the field. The Pit is the stationary percussion unit which performs on the sideline using keyboard percussion, rack drums & cymbals, timpani, and assorted auxiliary percussion instruments.

Both sections are vital to the success of the Drumline and the entire band. The Battery provides a driving force and a musical pulse on the field for the band to follow. The Pit adds depth and color to the music, as well as many special sound effects which are the finishing touches on the show.

LEADERSHIP

· Drum Captain – Responsible for entire percussion section – running ensemble rehearsals, maintaining discipline, cleaning drill, coordinating Drumline events with the Directors, and being liaison with all band leadership.

· Pit Captain(s) – Responsible for running pit sectionals, maintaining discipline, teaching music, organizing moving and loading of the instruments.

· Battery Section Leaders (Snare, Tenors, Bass, Cymbals) – Responsible for teaching music sectionals, maintaining discipline, cleaning drill.

· Battery Equipment Manager – Responsible for instrument, carrier, and hardware repairs, and organization and storage of instruments and cases.

· Pit Equipment Manager – Responsible for pit instrument maintenance and repairs.

· Drumline Manager – Responsible for duties including but not limited to: phone list management, music copying, drill copying, assisting sectionals.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

Bring the following items to ALL rehearsals and sectionals or face disciplinary action.

· Music / Drill Folder – Hard 3-ring binder at least 1” thick. Put all of your exercises and music in clear plastic sheets. Keep the folder with you at all rehearsals!

· Sticks – All sticks MUST be taped and cymbals must have straps and pads. Snares will use Vic Firth Ralph Hardimon wood tip marching sticks. Tenors will use Vic Firth MT1AS mallets. Bass mallets will be Vic Firth MB#H – the # depends on the drum being used. Snares, Tenors, and Basses must buy their own sticks (See Mr. Sanborne). All other sticks and mallets are provided by the AHS Band.

· Pencils – Everyone must have pencils in rehearsal to mark changes to the music or drill. Keep the pencil in your folder. Bass drums and cymbals should also bring highlighters.

· Summer – During Drum Camp and Summer Band rehearsals, be sure to wear comfortable clothing (t-shirt and shorts), sneakers (no sandals), and sunscreen. Hats and sunglasses are optional. Also bring plenty of water (not soft drinks) to stay hydrated. A portable water jug is recommended since there are no water fountains near the practice field.

RECOMMENDED MATERIALS

The following are not required, but will help a great deal!

· Practice Pad – All members should have a practice pad to use at home, after school, on bus trips, or anywhere! Any kind of pad will do, but the “HQ Real Feel” pads are very good, especially the 12” double sided pad. See Mr. Sanborne if you’d like to buy one.

· Metronome – All members should have a metronome to practice with at home and in sectionals. Any kind will do, as long as it has an adjustable tempo. They can be found in any music store with a wide range of features.

· Private Lessons – The best way to improve yourself year-round is one-on-one help from a private teacher, on a regular basis (no less than once a week). See Mr. Sanborne for a list of recommended private lesson teachers. Scholarships are available in the beginning of the school year from the Band Boosters to help pay the cost of private lessons, and money from band fund-raisers can also be used.

SECTION REHEARSAL

· Commands – The following are some of the verbal commands the staff will use during rehearsal.

· Set or Attention – Immediately stop talking and go to the attention position, ready to play. If you are not already wearing your drums or holding your cymbals, pick them up quickly.

· Relax – Relax your body out of the attention position. You are free to move, stretch, and talk, as long as you do not leave the rehearsal arc or drill set.

· Listening – One of the most important skills you must develop. Try to hear all the players around you and “lock in” your playing with theirs.

· Fix Mistakes – Make every effort to fix errors in your playing as soon as they are brought to your attention. Try to see or hear them yourself. When you get a break, it’s a good idea to make notes of problems so you can remember them later when practicing.

FIELD REHEARSAL

· No Talking – Your full attention must be focused on instructions and comments coming from the staff.

· Tower – As soon as you halt after a chunk of music or drill, go to attention and listen for comments from the tower. This information will deal with the most obvious problems which can best be seen from the tower.

· Field – Once comments from the tower are complete, the field staff will give comments. These usually deal with specific playing and marching problems. These comments may come from Directors or Student Leadership.

· Questions – After Tower and Field comments are finished, students may ask questions – this is the only time talking is permitted on the field.

· Instructions – Next the staff will give instructions for the next chunk of music or drill. If these rules are not followed, important instructions will be missed, and this wastes valuable rehearsal time. It can also result in injuries.

· Reset – Go back to the last drill set. Battery must RUN back! Pit – be sure to mark the drill sets in your music so you know which measures to play.

MARCHING

· Maintain Style – We’ll spend a lot of time on marching fundamentals in Drum Camp and Summer Band. Once you’ve learned it, don’t be lazy with it. Key points:

· Keep your head up, shoulders back, stand tall and proud.

· Keep your eyes on the drum major.

· Keep your upper body position frozen so your drums remain steady.

· Keep your knees slightly bent and stay on your TOES for crabbing and backwards marching.

· For forward marching ROLL YOUR FEET and keep your toes up.

· Maintain Intervals – Spacing is one of the problems that is easiest to spot from the audience and hardest to see from the field. Know your designated intervals and constantly check them, adjusting to those people you can see with your peripheral vision.

· Form Vs. Your Dot – In the beginning stages of learning a drill set, your dot is the most important goal. If everyone is on their dot, the form will work. Endpoints must know their EXACT dots and everyone else must adjust to the form..

MUSIC

· Technique & Warmup – The foundation of any successful band. Our exercise program is designed to target technical issues and build skills necessary for the show music. Every rehearsal and sectional should begin with a warmup period which includes exercises starting at relaxed tempos and increasing to a challenging level. Stretching should also be a part of every warmup. Pay attention to your hands while warming up – check all the grip and stroke guidelines and fix them until they become habits.

· Show Music – The marching show music is designed and custom arranged every year to be exciting to listen to, and challenging and educational for the players. It must be memorized as soon as possible. When memorizing, learn every detail, including rehearsal numbers, dynamics, stickings, etc.

· On-Field Listening – Listening skills are EXTREMELY important on the marching field. The “pulse” on the field comes from the Battery. The band will listen to you, so you must constantly control the tempo or the band will fall apart. Everyone in front of the Battery, including the Pit, must listen BACK to the Battery. NEVER listen to any sound coming from in front of you. You must resist the urge to play with what you hear in front of you, because if you do this, your sound will be very late when it gets to the audience.

AFTER REHEARSAL

· Put away all sticks and mallets carefully.

· Put away all instruments carefully.

· Do not leave any music out anywhere – put it in your folder!

· Make sure your rehearsal area is clean.

· PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE ! – Take time outside of rehearsal to work on your technique, exercises, and music. Remind yourself of mistakes you made and work on them. Later in the season, even when you have the music memorized, pull it out and work on it. The worst thing you can do between rehearsals is not touch your sticks at all.

MAINTENANCE

· Take care of your instruments. Treat them well and they will treat you well. Most instrument problems can be fixed by simply being careful. If you ever have a problem, see an equipment manager or Mr. Sanborne.

· At the beginning of every rehearsal, check your instruments. Be sure all lugs, nuts, carrier attachments, keyboard strings, wheels, and cymbal straps are secure. If anything is loose, fix it if possible. If you can’t fix it, ask your section leader or equipment manager for help. When these things get ignored, parts get broken or lost and they are difficult to replace.

· Clean your instruments before every show and dry them after being in the rain.

· Remember, you are responsible for damages to your instrument other than normal wear and tear.

· Battery: this includes all instruments, carriers, stadium hardware, drum cases, and cymbal bags.

· Pit: this includes all instruments, keyboard and timpani covers, mallets, cymbals, drums, drum cases, racks, hardware, and accessories. Since this is an instrument-sharing environment, the entire Pit may be asked to replace damaged equipment as a group.

CONTACT INFORMATION

· If you have ANY questions at ANY time, ask your section leader or a Director.

· Band Office: 671-4173

· Mr. Sanborne at home: 692-7447 (before 10 pm please)

· Mr. Sanborne’s email: gmsdrum@sbcglobal.net

SCHEDULE

· Important information and schedules will be posted on the Percussion Board in the band hall, so check it every day.

· The band website, www.eagleband.com, lists ALL band events. Go to the Current Event page for weekly information and the Calendar page for long-term information. The Drumline Page is www.eagleband.com/drumline and has drumline-specific info including policies, pictures, etc.

“It’s so easy to fall into accepting the excuses,

and if you do that,

you’ll be like everybody else.”

-- Thom Hannum, marching percussion clinician, instructor, arranger, and member of the DCI Hall of Fame.