Good to Great: Communication Protocol
“The way you do anything is the way you do everything”
Teaching the marching arts provides many lessons over time. It is a constant reminder that to be a successful educator you must be an eternal student of the activity. The lessons learned are far more often from failure than success, and that is OK! Learn from mistakes and accept success with humility – that is the name of the game.
One lesson that consistently comes up is true at all levels of the activity – from the lowest classes and smallest bands to the highest levels of BOA, WGI, and DCI: the ensembles that rehearse the best have a higher likelihood of competitive success. At every level there is a strong correlation between efficient rehearsals and successful ensembles.
There is no “secret sauce” or fairy dust that consistently successful programs have access to. It is not an accident, but rather a string of carefully calculated rehearsals that bring the high results. That is not to say that creative show design (arranging, drill, guard work, etc.) or quality equipment do not count – they do (and that is a part of any success). But excellence is an effect as well, and the way a group rehearses is one of the biggest roads to lead there.
So, where do you start? Is it too late to adjust your rehearsal protocol? No! It is never too late to start rehearsing well. To begin, a few things need to be established. This post begins a series of weekly posts in the “Good to Great” mindset - how to take your band program or competitive ensemble to the next level by getting the most out of your rehearsals.
Chain of Command
No matter the rehearsal, someone is in charge. In ensemble rehearsal this is usually someone in the “box” – it may change from block to block, but the box is always in charge. Their word supersedes all other activity on the field. The first thing to establish is the chain of command – who does any student/staff etc. defer to? It should look something like this:
Box
Caption Heads/Lead Staff
Field Staff
Drum Majors
Student Leaders (section leaders, squad leaders, etc.)
Regular membership
Each group “outranks” the next, with the Box being the top of the chain. This means when one group is providing instruction or information the groups below in the chain should stop what they are doing and be attentive to said information. The chain of command is essential to effective communication across the ensemble. This is not only to convey specific teaching information, but also for the safety of the performing members. If the Box is calling out the rehearsal chunk and students are not engaged in the chain of command, they may miss the starting or ending point.
This can cause small issues (like an embarrassing accidental solo) and a general lack of cohesion but can also lead to serious injury – if a student aggressively moves on into the next drill move or stops prematurely it becomes a physical hazard. Anyone that has been on the receiving end (or the offender!) will have a story of narrowly missing another member or taking an instrument to the face. This is a huge deal, and the staff should treat it as such.
Communication Protocol
The membership in any rehearsal should generally refrain from talking. On breaks obviously this is OK, but between reps can get extremely chaotic and out of control very fast on the field. Following the chain of command is important, and over time the ensemble will find the right balance of staff vs. student leadership communication. The default “readiness” of any given performing member should be at the “Standby” position. This is where the student is relaxed (not at attention) but is still standing with good posture and has their feet together on their dot on the field. They can be free in this position to review their dots or music while standing in their position until further instruction is given.
However, each group should defer to the group above: if the staff is talking, the student leaders and membership should be actively listening. If the Box is talking, the staff should be deferring to the Box and student membership (and staff) actively listening, etc. Keep in mind that communication is visual as well. Ears and eyes should be pointed to where the information is coming from. A good tip is verifying attention on both ends of the communication before any instruction is given. For example:
Box: “Trumpets,”
Trumpets: (Look at the box, raise one hand to visually respond, and audibly respond) “Yes!”
Box: Proceed with information and instruction.
Field Staff: “Hey drums!”
All drums: Look at the field staff, raise one hand to visually respond, and audibly respond “Yes!”
Field Staff: Proceed with information and instruction.
The verification on both sides ensures that whoever is receiving instruction or information is ready to receive that information. It may be that comments from the field staff were wrapping up, or a student was fixing their equipment, tying their shoes, etc. and not ready to receive new information – by visually and verbally verifying that the members are ready to receive the information you can be confident that those receiving the instruction are providing their full attention. Additionally, that sets the expectation of how to communicate and receive information for members and staff alike.
Stay tuned for next week’s Good to Great article for information on how to streamline your rehearsal process!