At
the core of any well-designed show is the music. Everything in a show reflects
what the music does. This includes form shapes, set density, speed of movement, body positioning, etc. The end
goal is to create through the use of all this a unified piece of pagentry art.
A field show should be a balance between an intricate performance allowing the performers to exhibit their highest skills
and still be accessable and entertaining to the audience.
It is important that the show design and creativity not strictly come from the designer only. Anyone who has a stake
with the show, from the students to the head director should have an opportunity to add creative input into the show.
It is through this process that allows a band to have a show that is unique and not generic.
JMC does not
ever use shortcuts like packaged shows or recycled shows from other clients. Every client will recieve a show that is
unique to the identity of each group performing. It is also important that JMC shows do not copy what other bands are
doing. The goal is to stand out and not conform.
Finally, no
matter how good quality the arrangements, equipment, drill design, and show concept are, the success of a band's
marching program, indeed the entire year, hinges upon two important factors.
First, a band
must have a strong sense of fundamentals, both musically and visually. Time must be spent on working both. Many
problems with shows could be solved simply by spending even a small part of daily rehearsals on playing and marching
fundamentals. Like discipline, this must be done on a consistent basis.
Second,
it comes down to how hard the students are willing to work to make the show successful. The students have to feel not
only ownership of the show, but also of the program. In other words, the students have to care about what they are doing.
They have to be excited about what they are doing and must be sold on what is going on. If the students are honestly
trying, they cannot fail.
