[nabs-l] Marching Band

Mon Sep 15 01:34:08 UTC 2014

Hi JJ, I'm glad that you're able to make it work. Hope it continues to work out for you.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Sep 12, 2014, at 11:10 AM, "johnnie Jean duran via nabs-l" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi guys,
> Sorry it took me so long to reply.
> It is getting better, we are practacing our drill for the first song
> in our homecoming game show!
> It's going well, but there's a lot of slide stepping! I decided not to
> use the tether, I have just been following my section leader's
> playing, since she is right next to me.
> JJ
> 
>> On 9/3/14, Miso Kwak via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> Kaiti brought up a great point.
>> Section leader(s) are responsible for everyone in the section. This
>> being said, section leaders are also students(just upper classmen with
>> more experiences) so it is normal for anybody in the band to have
>> whichever kinds of problems while going through the season.
>> In addition to expressing your gratitude through small gifts such as
>> baked goods, etc make sure to always acknowledge positive aspects while
>> being assertive with your needs and desires when conversing with your
>> leaders and staff.
>> Also, remember that your leaders and staff are your resource. If your
>> band has assistant drum major(s) and/or instructors in addition to your
>> director ask them for help in finetuning your posture, horn angle, step
>> size, whatever it may be. I used to ask my marching instructor to help
>> me with improve postures or execution of certain techniques outside of
>> our rehearsal time when I felt the need to do so.
>> I am going to echo Kaiti in that the key here is to find what works for
>> you and the band. I was able to work with a student guider because of a
>> large sized band in which not everyone in the marching band was
>> selected to competitively march and it was not necessary for the guider
>> to be in the middle of the marching block. I know a student who has
>> marched field shows with a student guider and I have read an article in
>> which student just relied on verbal cues and sound cues when marching
>> in a field band.
>> I almost quit marching band myself in earlier years of high school but
>> I am beyond glad I stuck through.
>> Hope things will work out in favor of you as well as the band as a
>> whole.
>> Best,
>> Miso Kwak
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Kaiti Shelton <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com>
>> To: Miso Kwak <kwakmiso at aol.com>; National Association of Blind
>> Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Wed, Sep 3, 2014 7:29 pm
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Marching Band
>> 
>> Also, another trick I found useful is to show your section leader some
>> appreciation for what they're doing to help you.  It doesn't have to
>> be something extravagant, but maybe give them something to show you're
>> appreciative every once in a while.  Sometimes that sort of thing can
>> go a long way.  I gave my first section leader a cute little picture
>> frame with a bunch of pictures of our section in it, since she was a
>> senior, but other times I've put together little goodie bags as well.
>> These are great for when your band has bus rides to football games or
>> shows.  I typically put a Gatorade or Poweraid in there, some candy,
>> and a bag of chips with a thank you note.  It seems small, but it can
>> go a long way in making the section leader feel like the time they
>> work with you means something important to you.  I also usually baked
>> something at least once during every high school season and brought it
>> in for the section to share, so other people who helped me out on the
>> field would feel the same sort of thing.  I made the sweets I baked
>> open to everyone in the section, but when offering it to certain
>> people who help I'd just tell them thanks as they took their
>> brownie/cookie/whatever.  These are relatively small things you can do
>> to make people a little more willing to look out for your placement on
>> the field during the rehearsals, not get impatient if it takes you
>> longer to correct a wrong set, etc.
>> 
>>> On 9/3/14, Kaiti Shelton <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Hi, Johnnie,
>>> 
>>> It's great that you're marching!  Marching band can be very
>>> challenging to figure out alternative techniques for, as it is a very
>>> intense physical activity which requires a blind person to also
>>> exercise their spatial awareness.  To give you a background on my
>>> experiences in marching, I am also a clarinetist, and began marching
>>> with my high school when I was in the 8th grade.  I marched for 5
>>> seasons with them, then for two more years with the band at my
>>> college.  In both groups I have found some things that have worked for
>>> me, some ways to approach working with section leaders and directors
>>> to make everything work a little more seamlessly, and ways to even
>>> adapt the drill so you can independently read it.  I'll tell you what
>>> worked for me, and feel free to ask questions or contact me off list
>>> if you would like more information.
>>> 
>>> I had a pretty rough start to marching band myself.  My director had
>>> never had a blind student in the band before, and I was not the most
>>> coordinated kid.  Being one of the only middle school students invited
>>> to play with the high school, I was also very intimidated by my older
>>> peers.  I was lucky to get a great senior section leader, who was next
>>> to me in every set.  We were a competition band though, so a lot of
>>> our drill required me to move in curved lines, make different shapes
>>> with the band for our sets, and be very attentive to where I was going
>>> so I could line up with others.  We were hesitant to use a guide or a
>>> tether, because we were worried judges would take off points.  I'm
>>> sure we would have used a guide if we had to, but I was able to
>>> develop techniques that allowed me to work without one.  If you do opt
>>> to use a guide though, I'd see if a staff member could do it rather
>>> than another member of the band.  I recommend this for several
>>> reasons, mainly so the sets don't have to be totally rewritten to
>>> accommodate the hole that would be created by pulling a band member
>>> out of the sets they already have.  Also, having a staff member out of
>>> uniform stand behind you sends a clearer picture to the judges.  It is
>>> much easier for them to focus on the band and forget about the staff
>>> member behind you than for them to question why two people in the same
>>> outfit are marching one behind the other.  It's less likely that the
>>> judges will assume something is wrong, because judges who have never
>>> seen a blind person in a marching band will probably not pick up on
>>> the reason for the guide from where they're sitting and while they're
>>> focused on their score cards.
>>> 
>>> If the section leader is unwilling to work with you, that is
>>> definitely something to bring up to the director.  A section leader's
>>> job is to assist the people in their section, and even though this is
>>> a different kind of situation from what most section leaders will have
>>> to work with, it's still their job.  You don't have to taddle on the
>>> person because that certainly won't fix the problem, but maybe the you
>>> and the director can brainstorm some ways in which your section leader
>>> can better help you.  Perhaps they're just unsure of what to do or
>>> feel overwhelmed, so they're hesitant to do the work.  I can say from
>>> experience though that the first year is when the foundations for the
>>> techniques is laid, so having a section leader on board with you can
>>> make all the difference.  I'd also see if you could find some other
>>> members of your section to help out with different tasks.  For
>>> instance, though my section leader helped me to refine my technique in
>>> that first year, I asked other members of my section to help when she
>>> wasn't available to read dot sheets or to check my horn angle.  This
>>> shows the section leader that the responsibility isn't totally on
>>> them, and lets them know that although their help is valuable to you,
>>> you are taking ownership of your own learning and are willing to seek
>>> other sources.  Other upperclassmen in the section should be willing
>>> to help you with other things as well.
>>> 
>>> Learning slide steps just takes a while for any rookie to master,
>>> because you have to get muscle memory.  Even veterain marchers need to
>>> review it at the beginning of every season, and most bands review it
>>> throughout the year because tapes will show sloppy shoulders, awkward
>>> horn angles, and other issues that need to be fixed mid-season for
>>> continued improvement.  You are definitely not alone in struggling to
>>> slide.  What really helped me to get the hang of sliding was to have
>>> my section leader guide me as I marched sideways.  They gently put
>>> their hands on my shoulders, and follow me as I march.  They'll apply
>>> pressure on the front or back of my shoulders to keep me from sliding
>>> forward or backwards as I go sideways.  This exercise can get your
>>> torso used to twisting the correct way, and once you get the muscle
>>> memory marching in slides should be much easier.
>>> 
>>> Listening to those around me has also been a big help.  It will take
>>> practice, but after a while you'll start to focus on what those around
>>> you are playing.  After a while in band I would be able to use the
>>> people on either side of me as beacons, so I knew if they sounded
>>> farther away than usual, if our line was continuing to move in a
>>> particular direction, etc.  You should also know this information from
>>> your dot sheets, but the sound is another tool you can use to help.
>>> 
>>> For reading documents independently, my college marching band director
>>> and I came up with a really great system that works wonderfully.
>>> Instead of giving me a dot sheet along with the band, he will email me
>>> my coordinates, which I can braille onto index cards.  I can punch a
>>> hole in the top right corner of each card, and slide them onto one of
>>> those metal rings.  The ring is easily clipped onto a belt loop, or
>>> can hang on my right thumb while I'm playing so it doesn't get in the
>>> way of the keys.  This is great because I don't have to rely on others
>>> around me to look at my coordinates.  It takes a little more time to
>>> braille out the cards, but you can put multiple sets on each card so
>>> they'll fit.  Be sure to label the cards with the sets that they
>>> contain to make finding the set you need faster.  Having that bit of
>>> freedom in rehearsals is so worth the extra time.
>>> 
>>> I think the secret to learning how to march for anyone is just finding
>>> what methods work for them.  I'm very sensitive to changes in
>>> lighting, so for the first year or so my biggest struggle was refining
>>> my technique so I could still continue to march when we were marching
>>> into a setting sun and I couldn't see anything, or if I was having a
>>> bad visual day and everything had a halo.  I had to learn how to
>>> accommodate for altered depth perception, to not being able to guide
>>> to my right and to not being able to guide at all in certain lighting
>>> situations, and to realizing that even if I am precisely on my dot,
>>> the important thing is to go where the band goes over where you are
>>> supposed to go, even if you know that it is wrong.  Every person is
>>> going to find some technique that works for them, so I would encourage
>>> you to stick it out at least for this first year to see how you like
>>> it.  Marching band can be really rewarding once you figure out the
>>> tips and tricks that work for you, it just takes a little while to
>>> find what they are.
>>> 
>>> Feel free to email me off list with any other questions you might
>> have.
>>> Kaiti.
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> On 9/3/14, Miso Kwak via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>>> What Marissa pointed out is how I marched my competitive parades.
>>>> From my experience, the guider method works perfectly well with
>> parades
>>>> and certainly adaptable with field band which Johnnie's school seems
>> to
>>>> be doing.
>>>> Side steping or also known as sliding is also possible and can be
>> done
>>>> with the guider.
>>>> My high school did not heavily march field shows (mostly competitive
>>>> parades) but I have done basic field band including forward marching,
>>>> sliding, and backward marching with a guider.
>>>> Teather is a possible option but based on my experience, is not the
>>>> best option because each uniform is structured differently, so not
>>>> every uniform is conveniently built for attaching the teather.
>>>> Also, if your high school band is marching in a competitive field
>> show,
>>>> it will not serve well for the band's performance as a whole. You may
>>>> disagree, but I don't think participation of a blind student should
>>>> serve as a down side for the band as a whole.
>>>> If your band is performing only locally, teather can work out given
>>>> that you are able to utilize it with your uniform and you have people
>>>> who are willing.
>>>> In terms of finding a guider, I would recommend a student who is
>>>> willing and is a good marcher but not necessarily the strongest
>>>> musician. This will serve greatly for both you and the band.
>>>> However, this may not be the best solution depending on the size of
>>>> your band, type of band, style of the show, etc.
>>>> Lastly, if your band is competing, your band director should be able
>> to
>>>> get appropriate paperwork stating that the band has a blind student
>> if
>>>> that is necessary.
>>>> Best regards,
>>>> Miso Kwak
>>>> 
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Marissa Tejeda via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>> To: johnnie Jean duran <johnniejduran at gmail.com>; National
>> Association
>>>> of Blind Students mailing list <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Wed, Sep 3, 2014 3:49 pm
>>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Marching Band
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Hi,
>>>> 
>>>> Do not quit.  I am in marching band and have been for thre years
>>>> now.  We do not do drills and such, but rather, move forward as
>>>> one.  I suggest talking to your teacher.  Explain to him or her
>>>> your problem.  My teacher, stands behind me with his hand on my
>>>> shoulder, guiding me.  It's very easyly worked out and if people
>>>> ask, we just explain that I cannot see and they understand
>>>> immediately.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: johnnie Jean duran via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>> Date sent: Wed, 3 Sep 2014 12:40:11 -0700
>>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Marching Band
>>>> 
>>>> Dear NABS Members,
>>>> For 3 years, I've always had a passion for the clarinet.  I was
>>>> first
>>>> clarinet player in my middle school's concert band, and now that
>>>> I am
>>>> in high school, I am taking on marching band.
>>>> Marching band was wonderful, intense but amazing, that is until
>>>> we
>>>> started marching.  I was doing ok with marching forward, but now,
>>>> I am
>>>> doing the slide steps.  These are when your torso and face are
>>>> facing
>>>> one way while you're marching the other way.  I am now
>>>> continuously
>>>> drifting away, and I have no control over it.
>>>> My section leader was amazing at first, she helped me a lot, and
>>>> now
>>>> she is not willing to work with me as much at all.
>>>> Does anyone have any ideas? My TVI suggested a teather, but my
>>>> section
>>>> leader refuses to use it.  I'm stuck, and am having thoughts of
>>>> quitting.
>>>> Please help!
>>>> JJ
>>>> 
>>>> --
>>>> Ms.  Johnnie Jean Duran
>>>> 9th Grade Student
>>>> Alameda International High School
>>>> Lakewood, Colorado, United States
>>>> Member Of The National Federation Of The Blind Of Colorado
>>>> (NFBCO),
>>>> The Colorado Association Of Blind Students (CABS), and the North
>>>> Metro
>>>> Chapter of the NFB.
>>>> Facebook: http://facebook.com/johnniejean.duran
>>>> Skype: jj.duran13
>>>> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jj_duran14
>>>> Voicemail: (303) 552-9683 (Voicemail only)
>>>> 
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>>>> 
>>>> 
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>>> 
>>> 
>>> --
>>> Kaiti
>>> 
>> 
>> 
>> --
>> Kaiti
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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> 
> 
> -- 
> Ms. Johnnie Jean Duran
> 9th Grade Student
> Alameda International High School
> Lakewood, Colorado, United States
> Member Of The National Federation Of The Blind Of Colorado (NFBCO),
> The Colorado Association Of Blind Students (CABS), and the North Metro
> Chapter of the NFB.
> Facebook: http://facebook.com/johnniejean.duran
> Skype: jj.duran13
> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jj_duran14
> Voicemail: (303) 552-9683 (Voicemail only)
> 
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