News

We’re delighted to be sponsors for the US Bands event season which provides performance experience for nearly 600 ensembles, across more than 100 shows, impacting 50,000 students. Congrats to the students participating in last weekend’s events from Connecticut to New Jersey, Texas to Maryland, and Idaho to Massachusetts, including the first week of the v-USBands, a virtual competition. Congrats to Hamilton West Cavalcade of Bands - DAY for its 46th annual event. 

Also we’re happy to add the Western Band Association to the GPG Music family as competitions we sponsor. Last week was the Mission Viejo Field Show Tournament--looks like everyone had fun. This weekend is the Ayala Music in Motion Tournament, the Irish Guard Invitational and Washington Union Preview of Champions. Best of luck!

We recently chatted with Diane Wyant, Director of Bands at Bellarmine College Preparatory, who has worked with GPG Music for nearly a decade and a half. In our conversation Diane shared her great insight about using Our Virtual Ensemble, GPG Music’s platform and curriculum to address virtual Performing Arts education. As a 30-year educator, she  appreciated the tool, and made the most lemonade out of the pandemic lemons, by pushing her students to analyze their performance. OVE helped her students improve through listening back to and how to practice with their recordings. The whole process helped her students level up their musicianship.

As we reflect on that tragic day 20 years ago, we’re reminded of this piece, composed by Benjamin Boone.  

Here are his thoughts about what went into the piece:

Much of the raw material for this piece was written on the afternoon of September 11, 2001. After becoming saturated with hours and hours of images of the tragedy on the television, I went to my MIDI piano and began to play into my music notation program. I didn't know what else to do - how else to digest the horror that was unfolding. The result was pure rage, anger and profound sadness.

Just prior to that, I had received a California State University Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Award to compose a work incorporating student input. When I discussed with students what I should write about, the overwhelming response was the attack. I met with students on several occasions, soliciting musical ideas and began work. After several trials, I felt my efforts were hollow and overly sentimental.

For the first time, I revisited the music I played on 9-11 and realized that this raw emotional outpouring would be a fitting basis of the work. I then decided that the best way to involve students was to use their voices in the musical texture. As I interviewed them, the students grappled for meaning, for words and for understanding, as many of us do to this day.

The result is a piece that I hope will cause all of us to reflect on 9-11 and its implications for our lives and our country's life. As one student says, "I hope that we will learn from this, that our country will learn from this."

You can experience the entire composition here.

Congratulations to the eight diverse Marching Arts Apparel Designers who competed in the StylePlus Next Designer TV summer competition in collaboration with GPG Music! 

We provided twelve field shows for the GPG Digital Design Studio Challenge. Competitors had to create four pieces each: a band top, a tunic, a unitard and a flag design. In addition to providing the shows, owner and composer Steve Martin served as one of the three judges for the segment, along with StylePlus host Vance Anderson, and Phantom Regiment Drum Corps’ Stephanie Chavez.

The twelve shows were Alcatraz, Babylonia, Blueprint, A Brave New World, Cleopatra, The Coven, Fire and Ice, Macabre, Pathways, Pyramids of Egypt, MYSTery, and Twinkle. 

“We love the cohesion of using grounded design principles to build a visual look based on the elements of the music,” Martin said. “It’s also important to simplify the challenges for band directors. We enjoyed collaborating with StylePlus Digital Design Studio to provide directors with a comprehensive musical and visual concept and theme.” 

The overall winner of the challenge was Umarin Patamasank who provided the best designs for the Egypt and Mystery shows. Other contestants who placed for their show designs include:

• Milo Bezuidenhout: Pathways
• Marissa Brennan: Blueprint
• Julian Fajardo: Fire & Ice, Twinkle  
• Lexi Revis: A Brave New World
• Ethan Sanders: The Coven, Babylonia
• Allison Wyant: Macabre, Alcatraz

GPG Music will offer 31 pieces of apparel and accessories from the competition for the Fall 2022 season. For a sneak-peek at the winning designs, binge-watch the GPG Digital Design Studio Challenge and compare the apparel designs to the music of each show. Which is your favorite? Look for spring announcements when the winning designs for marching apparel and accessories will be available.  #GPGMusic #StylePlusBand

Efficient drill learning can be one of the most valuable time-savers during a marching band rehearsal and season. Teaching your students the process of learning drill will make them more independent on the field and allow for faster-paced rehearsals and a higher-level visual product. Take the time with your entire ensemble to go over the basics of drill learning early in the season:

• How to read a coordinate sheet and/or drill chart 
• The language you and staff will use during a rehearsal when discussing drill
• The different markings and measurements that are always present on your rehearsal field (hashes, numbers, inserts, center X, tick marks, even props and tarps)
• How to set up a coordinate (dot) on the field
• How to make adjustments to forms, before, after and during reps
• The desired pace and routine for rehearsals involving drill (i.e quickly resetting, check before you relax, etc). 
• Teach a routine to the drill learning process (i.e sit down once you have found your set, stand with feet together facing the front to check forms, stay at attention after marching from one set to the next so staff can check the form)

Even if your group doesn’t start learning drill until after band camp, don’t wait to teach drill learning! You can use old drill or write practice drill for your ensemble, so they get the experience of going through the learning process. (You might even be able to get your drill writer to write a couple of practice sets for your group to learn during band camp). 

Teach your students to be more self-sufficient on the marching band field this season and reap the benefits of faster-paced rehearsals!

Unfortunately the pandemic is not over. New variants such as Delta continue to disrupt communities, not all of our young students are vaccinated yet and some schools or parents are still cautious about exposure even with vaccination. We’ve figured out how your school can utilize the Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund to purchase performance safety gear and equipment for your ensemble and we've made it easy for you to access Musician’s PPE. For those playing brass or wind instruments, we know mask use is the most effective when combined with bell covers and or instrument jackets, which are also available such as Clarinet/Oboe/Bassoon Jackets. Let's keep everyone safe out there!

For our TMEA Marching Arts family, the TMEA Executive Board created the Elementary Music Instructional Support Program to support elementary school music programs throughout Texas. The fund is up to $800,000 in grants. TMEA staff will administer the program this fall to allow TMEA member elementary music teachers (grades PreK - 5) to purchase music, equipment, instruments, instructional software, and other educational materials. To apply, elementary music teachers must obtain a PDF quote from a TMEA approved vendor, including GPG Music, as we’re TMEA Sustaining members and we exhibited during the 2020 and 2021 TMEA Conventions. We look forward to supporting you.

Have you received the green light for marching band in the fall from your administration? Are you struggling to plan for band camp and the season because your students have gone over a year without doing marching band? There are countless directors in your situation, we have suggestions for getting you and your students more prepared for the upcoming season. 

• Performing Assignments - Your students are more than likely tired of doing playing assignments from this past school year, try encouraging them to perform for an assignment instead! Your students are more than likely excited about the upcoming marching band season and ready to perform again. Help your students start out the season with more confidence by asking them to perform before they even get into uniform. Start with short and simple visual assignments coupled with easy music selections from your warm-up routines or show music to help your students focus on the simultaneous demand of marching and playing. You or one of your staff members should make a video explaining and giving an example of the assignment for the ensemble to watch. If you get a good response from the assignment, start increasing the level of demand both visually and musically. This will also allow you or your staff to pre-teach some visual and playing techniques to your ensemble before you get to rehearsal. 
• Mini Camp Rehearsals - If your district allows for summer rehearsals, try planning a few optional rehearsals for your students to attend. Students that are really looking forward to getting band to marching band will for sure be there! You can not only help these students out with playing and marching but also using these rehearsals to sample what level your ensemble is going to be at for the coming season.  
• Student Leadership Training - strong student leadership is always important in a band program, this year will be no different. If you have not already, schedule a day or two to meet with your leadership prior to band camp to help get them prepared for the upcoming season. You may need to rely on them even more this year depending on your ensemble’s ability level, using this time to teach your leadership some teaching techniques will benefit you and your entire ensemble once the season starts. 
• First Year Band Camp - for members that have never done marching band before, coming in on the first day with all the returning members can be a little intimidating. Hosting a 1-2 day First Year Band Camp will help your new members feel more comfortable joining the whole ensemble when band camp starts. This is also an excellent opportunity for your leadership to work on their teaching skills and meet the new members of their section. 

We hope your marching band season is successful and memorable for you, your staff, and your students! See other ways GPG Music can help you #InspiretheNextGeneration here https://www.gpgmusic.com/custom

To celebrate the marching arts and to #InspireTheNextGeneration, we created this video working with ArborGlyph and First Tracks Productions. Look for it as part of our sponsorship of Drum Corps International (DCI) at Lucas Oil Field Stadium and on their FloMarching live-streaming programs. 

Special thanks to Damonte Ranch High School Director of Bands Christi Blahnik, GPG Music Director of Business Operations (and Wolf Pack Marching Band instructor) Spencer Hannibal-Smith, GPG Music composer/arranger (and high school and middle school band instructor) Kyle Zive and all of the students who participated in its creation: 

• Andie Scarborough

• Axel Garcia Vega

• Brant Luevano

• Brennan Kincannon

• Chevelle Moore

• Clara Kidd

• Elizabeth Westerlin 

• Emily Hudson

• Heidi Wilson

• Iris Josephson

• Jillian Szostak

• Joseph Valenzuela

• Kade Collins

• Kaitlyn Green

• Lindsey Horan

• Ryan Noriega 

• Sarah Bennett

• Shaye McMillen 

• Skyler Bunn

• Wyatt Wilburn

The video features Immortal by Steve Martin and Zeke David.