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Guard Gloves
Guard Gloves
Teachers & Techs
Our favorite items!
Speaker: ECOXGEAR EcoBoulder Pro Waterproof
-This speaker is on wheels which provides easy rolling through rotations, and waterproof! Much less expensive at 199.99
link: On the BassProShop website
Gloves: Ever-Dri gloves
- Produces great padding for tossing and catching everyday!
link: on BandShoppe
Rifle: Elite rifle
- The best rifle I ever spun was an Elite rifle with a silver bolt! Caught everything and loved it!
link: on Fred J. Miller
Sabre: King sabre
- SO durable and beautifully weighted for spinning!
link: on Design By King
Water Jug: Coleman water jugs
- The ol' reliable water jug that we were all raised on. Also comes in a gallon size!
link: Found almost everywhere!
Psychology
Being a colorguard director produces a fine line you must walk on and learn to balance in order to produce the results you want while still caring for your students in a way that makes them feel heard and cared for. Here are a few tips and facts that have helped us along our teaching journeys and some lessons we learned from being students.
My biggest point that I cannot emphasize enough, is that all students brains are still growing!!!
"Although the brain stops growing in size by early adolescence, the teen years are all about fine-tuning how the brain works. The brain finishes developing and maturing in the mid-to-late 20s. The part of the brain behind the forehead, called the prefrontal cortex, is one of the last parts to mature. This area is responsible for skills like planning, prioritizing, and making good decisions." - National Institute of Mental Health
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-teen-brain-7-things-to-know#:~:text=Although%20the%20brain%20stops%20growing,the%20last%20parts%20to%20mature.
Schemas
Schemas are small pieces in the brain that make connections and organize information with a cause and effect idea in our brains.
Example: Sally is told by her mom that the animal that she is seeing with four legs is a dog. Sally has now created the schema that four legged animals are all dogs. When sally sees a cow, she exclaims "look mom a dog". To which sally's mother says "no sweetie thats a cow!" Sally has now edited her schema to be that all things with four legs are dogs, except for things that look like cows.
Schemas as we grow, will also grow and become more complex with the more that we learn. Most people will continue to learn their whole lives, meaning our schemas will continue to make connections until we die.
This applies to the colorguard world and being a director because the way we speak, interact and treat our students will affect the way that they will see the world, and understand the world going into the future.
Example: Sally has grown up, and has now joined colorguard. (hooray!) Sally is having a bad day, and comes to tell you, (the director). You (the director) tell her "I don't get why we can't just come here and spin, and not get our personal lives involved". Sally has now made the connection that showing emotions and being open with her director is not okay, and she will bottle up her emotions alone.
Example: You are having a bad day, and yell at your students telling them that they are not good, and that they need to practice more. Your students have now made the connection that their efforts are not good or worthy. This can lead to low self worth if the student was truly trying, or low commitment levels moving forward because now they believe nothing they do will be good enough.
These connections in our brains shape each and every one of us into the person that we are today . And especially when young and the brain is still growing, these interactions and connections are more important that ever.
Want to read more on schemas, heres a good place to start:
How to balance
Now you may be wondering, how do I create a good colorguard, without harming my students brains and future perception of life?
Im glad you asked! Here's some things I've found useful and make me feel like I'm being the best teacher that I can be.
In practice:
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One thing i've learned is that often it isn't the lack of will on the students part, but a lack of information on you (the directors) part.
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Ex) Cindy keeps dropping her 5 on rifle consistently. You (the director) gets angry that she is not catching and that she is not putting enough effort in. When in reality, Cindy is actually not pushing with her right hand, so she is not getting enough rotation. But she doesn't know this because she has not been told. ​
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Instead of pointing out a student that has done something wrong in front of the entire colorguard, point out someone who is doing it exceptionally well. Not only does this produce a proud moment for that student, but it also is a learning opportunity for other students to watch visually what they are lacking instead of being verbally told. Some people are better visual learners.
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Know your students, one student may reply well and easily to a small fix, while others may need examples and further clarifications. It is not a bad thing to want clarification. As a student I always needed further clarification, and being told to "just do it" would stress me out. While my friend could reply easily and get it first try. This ties back to everyone learns differently and will need different things.
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Don't give up on students who are not excelling right away. You as a team are only as strong as your weakest member. If your weakest member is not being given the information that they need to excel, they won't. The chances are if they are given the information and tools they need to excel, that they will (private lessons, critiques, attention, etc.) But if you only nurture the students who show talent immediately there will be a major spectrum of skill level that will ultimately lead to a teams downfall.
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Don't allow your personal life to affect the way that you treat your students. One bad day can lead to so many hurt feelings, new schemas, and overall a backslide for your team. Take a breath, and decide what needs to be done. If practice needs to be cancelled then so be it. But don't allow your bad day to hurt your students and your teams future.
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If you realize you have said something wrong, or a student makes a valid point, don't brush it off. Allow yourself to tell your students "hey I have made a mistake" and show them that everyone makes mistakes and that it isn't a bad thing. This will also make your students more comfortable to ask questions. If you shoot down their thoughts right away, but they were right, your not only telling your students that what they have to say doesn't matter, but also hurting your show.
Outside matters:
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Showing your students that you are there for them is my number 1. If a student comes to you with outside matters and personal problems, please lend an ear. Being a highschooler is getting harder and harder these days, and these students need more support than ever.
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Ex) Martha comes to you and asks if she can talk to you. You say no because you don't have time or care, but what you don't know is that Martha is thinking on taking her life that night. While this example is on the worser end of the spectrum, it isn't impossible. And sometimes students just need someone be there for them. ​​
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DRAMA! How to deal with drama- To us as directors and techs, students drama seems like a small puddle to hurdle. But to them, it's an ocean. While this can be easy to brush off or put onto the shoulders of the student leaders to handle, this can get messy real fast. Sometimes having a voice of authority in these situations is helpful and YOU (the director) are that voice of authority. Understanding both sides and being a mediator can often be important.
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Ex) Jack is a student leader for his highschool, and his director has deferred the drama control onto him. Because of this, when Jack tries to settle the drama, one side of the team will always be mad at Jack and he will feel alienated from his own team. This kind of pressure is not one to throw onto your students backs. Try to help them mediate it, and to understand both sides. Not only will this help the team stay more united, but it will teach students how to understand both sides of an argument and set them up to be more successful in the future. ​
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EVERYBODY will make mistakes so allow yourself some grace as you learn what it means to be a director. You're doing an amazing job whether you feel it or not. :)
Want to know how your team is scored?
Understanding how your team is judged is an amazing tool to have when you want to score well! This way you can understand why your coaches do and change what they do. And is also a great tool to help you understand the judges and play up exactly what they're looking for.
WGI Judging criteria
DCI Judging criteria
UIL Judging criteria
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