You May Take the Field

Hey everyone - your friendly color guard instructor blogger here.

To all of you still performing, I want to say a few things that boil down to three words. Do. The. Work. It isn’t your instructor’s job to make you successful. It’s their job to give you the tools to be successful. It is your job to do the work and use those tools to make yourself successful.

When your instructor gives you a correction, it’s a compliment - they’re saying “I know you can do this correctly.” When they say “again,” they’re giving you a chance to lock in the things that are correct and to fix your mistakes. 

So, my BIGGEST pet peeve when it comes to coaching is when kids minimize the impact that missing rehearsal (or part of rehearsal) will have.

Believe me, I do get the fact that stuff comes up. But here’s the thing: you not being there is a PROBLEM.

In some cases, yes, the problem of you being there may be bigger than the problem of you being absent. If you’ve got a contagious flu bug, please don’t bring it and share it. But understand that it’s still a problem that you’re not there. If you absolutely MUST study for a midterm because you didn’t manage your time well and you won’t be able to spin if you fail, it’s obviously preferable that you pass the midterm and continue to be able to spin. BUT UNDERSTAND THAT IT’S STILL A PROBLEM THAT YOU’RE NOT THERE. (And please, learn from the experience so it never happens again - learn to manage your time so you’re not cramming the night before the midterm).

The absence of one person sets everyone else behind. No matter what, you will have to be taught what you miss and that delays learning other things. Your hole in the drill throws off those around you and when you return and are reinserted into the drill, your presence may cause issues that couldn’t be seen before because you weren’t there. Your designer can’t see what effect is happening because there’s a hole. Your absence doesn’t just affect what you know - it affects EVERYONE involved - staff and students alike.

If you MUST miss a rehearsal/part of a rehearsal, you should NEVER say “It’s just one rehearsal” or “It’s just one hour,” because it’s more than that. It affects every facet of the show for the rest of the season. It throws off plans that have been in place from before the season began. It can negate hours of work on the staff’s part.

If you MUST miss a rehearsal/part of a rehearsal, understand that it’s a problem and that there will be consequences. If there are consequences laid out by your team’s handbook/rules/bylaws (not allowed to perform, solos/features given to others, etc.), accept them gracefully. Don’t get defensive, because you should have known these consequences were a thing already. 

It depends on what their concerns are - are they worried about the distance? the cost? the impact on your school work? etc. The distance can be an issue (although, compared to the distance many travel for independent units, half an hour is pretty good - I know people who drive/drove 2+ hours one way). Money can DEFINITELY be an issue - the activity isn’t cheap.

I would suggest figuring out what the issues they have are and presenting solutions. Carpooling with other girls if it’s a matter of not being sure they can get you there, coming up with ways to fundraise the money needed (check with the unit - they might already have fundraisers planned that can help you offset the cost), figuring out when you’ll get homework done if you’re at rehearsal all the time, etc. Showing your parents that you’ve thought about how to make it work and come up with viable solutions is probably the best way to convince them to let you spin.