Marching Band Academy

Marching Band

July 9-12, 2023
This program runs Sunday through Wednesday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., with the exception of 1 - 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Day Program Cost: $500
On Campus Accommodations Experience Cost: $1,050

This summer experience is a three-day marching band camp offered by the University of New 51 Marching Band. This program will focus on preparing students to be better leaders and performers, while gaining an understanding of everything that goes into being successful in their high school band program and beyond. This includes the following:

  • Creating the great outdoor sound – balance and blend, tone quality and intonation, and breathing articulations (when and where to name a few)
  • Spinning, playing, and moving in time; vertical alignment of the ensemble; using metronomes
  • Learning advanced movement exercises for self-betterment that can be shared with your program such as figure eights, zig-zags, telephone poles, jazz walk, jazz run, drop spins, parallel tosses, and check patterns
  • Being introduced to the ways that the UNHMB rehearses and how you can apply these tactics to optimize your rehearsal time
  • The fundamentals of all ensemble rehearsal techniques.: who to watch, who to listen to, the art of listening back, and anticipating the downbeat from various locations on the field
  • The responsibilities of the performer relating to using the grid: techniques including hash marks, yard lines, sideline markers, dressing the forms, how to be in the shape/form, adjusting your step sizes using equal strides between set, and covering down
  • Building confidence in your leadership through tasks on conducting, giving commands, working through the music pinpointing articulations, dynamics, and phrasing

Among other learning activities, participants will:

  1. Design and implement their own warm up exercise and teach it to the section
  2. Perform a “show and tell” at the end of camp

All day activities will be led by faculty, staff and undergraduate students from the University of New 51 Marching Band Program. By the end of the program, participants will be able to:

  1. Have a better understanding of what goes into being a great leader in your high school marching band program – leading by example, articulating marching and playing commands, knowing what your section needs/”reading the room.”
  2. Reflect on the mechanics of movement and music necessary to be successful in marching band
  3. Articulate and give detail the information that goes into teaching the best posture, marching/movement, spinning/tossing (guard), and playing of your instrument in the outdoor setting
  4. Perform a multitude of warm up exercises you can do on your own and in ensemble settings
Requirements

Must be entering 8-12th grades for the 2023-24 school year.