Hello MEPA Percussion Unit Directors

We are excited to announce that we have entered in to an agreement with Yamaha Corporation of America.  They are now a corporate sponsor of MEPA.  This brings with it benefits for MEPA:

1.)    They are donating a custom lacquer snare drum that will be raffled at Percussion Circuit Championships in March.  This drum was recently used by the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps.  Raffle tickets will be sold at all shows where MEPA T-shirts are sold.  This will include circuit championships so all of our member units will have the opportunity to enter.  We will post a picture of the drum as soon as it arrives.

2.)    Yamaha is going to provide one of their clinicians at the next MEPA Educational Event most likely taking place in December of next year.

3.)    An ongoing relationship where Yamaha is excited to assist MEPA in furthering the educational offerings for all of our members.

Have your unit members purchased their MEPA T-shirt yet?  The demand for these shirts has been much higher than expected and because of it I have added some other colors and styles to the offering.  The more shirts we sell, the more your circuit benefits so please continue to help us publicize our 2009 association shirts.  I’m still taking mail orders and as of now, my plan is to sell shirts at the following shows assuming each show sponsor grants permission:  Centerville, Kettering, (one northern show) and circuit championships.

And finally, during the week of WGI Percussion Championships, I am bringing Scott Koter, program coordinator for The Cavaliers and many of the best marching ensembles in America, to Dayton to conduct a show design clinic.  You may have not heard of Scott but if you are serious about designing an award winning marching band, percussion ensemble, or winter guard show, you need to come to Dayton on Saturday, April 18^th in the morning.  Interestingly, a judge at the Lebanon show today works in the same school district as Scott and got me even more excited about hearing him speak.  If you have questions about this, please e-mail me at tim.parker@ketteringschools.org.  More information will soon be coming to you. 

Best of luck as you continue providing life changing opportunities to young people throughout Ohio!

Tim Parker

MEPA Percussion Representative

Clarification on Use of Air Blade in Competition

WGI defines authorized equipment as a flag, rifle or sabre to satisfy the minimum equipment time in the WGI rulebook (see Page 76 in the 2009 WGI Adjudication Manual and Rulebook).  There might be some confusion as defining the Air Blade as a “rifle”.  While the “sickle rifle” was grandfathered into the definition of a legal rifle some years back, the Color Guard Steering Committee felt that the Air Blade did not fit the traditional definition of what is a rifle.  Since 2009 is a rule change year, proposals to change that definition could be considered by the Advisory Board at the end of this season should one be submitted.

What does this mean to those guards using the Air Blade this season?  Only that the Air Blade will be classified as a prop and not authorized legal equipment.  Color guards can choose to use the Air Blade in their program as long as the minimum equipment time is fulfilled using the standard rifle, flag and/or sabre.

To avoid penalties, color guards must make sure a minimum of 3 ½ minutes of the show (or 3 minutes in the case of Regional A groups) includes authorized equipment in hand. If the Air Blade is being used at the same time as an authorized piece of equipment (such as a flag or sabre) that will count toward your equipment time.  Just be certain you have at least 3 ½ minutes of flag, sabre or rifle work in your show.  

If the Air Blade is the only piece of equipment being used on the floor, you’ll want to go back and verify you have 3 ½ additional minutes of authorized equipment time to avoid a penalty.  The time spent with the Air Blade alone on the floor will not count towards your minimum equipment time by the Timing and Penalties (T & P) judge.

Should you have any questions, please contact Dale Powers, Color Guard Coordinator at dale@wgi.org.

The Mid East Performance Association would like to unveil the 2009 MEPA T-shirt.  The design below is the front of the shirt with the back of the shirt listing all 2009 member units.  The shirt will come in 3 colors:  Black shirt with white logo, Grey shirt with black logo, and pink shirt with white logo.  We will also have a limited supply of hoodies.  The cost of the shirts is $12 for a T-shirt and $25 for a hoodie.  All proceeds from the shirt will go back to the association to continue to provide the memorable experiences our members are used to.  A preorder form is being sent to all unit directors where they can order shirts for their unit.  Shirts will also be sold at selected show sites during the season.  We will announce those sites as they are finalized.

Show Your MEPA Pride and Support the Association by Purchasing a Shirt This Year!

I’m going to take off my educational writer hat for this article and put on my show sponsor hat.  If you attended the MEPA Experience, you heard a series of top 10 lists.  I have one more to present here although it won’t be 10.  This is my top 4 facts that our show sponsors would like everybody to know.  Each year I host between 4 and 9 days worth of WGI and MEPA shows and much of what I have seen and heard could be a long series of articles but here are just a few.  If you’re a first year director and getting ready to go to your first season of shows, congratulations.  Here are 4 facts to keep in mind.

1.)  Parents and Spectators Need an Education- Most won’t come in knowing that they shouldn’t leave or enter the stands during a performance.  They also won’t know that it isn’t appropriate to heckle other groups unless directors tell them.

2.)  Communicate Show Details to Parents- Communicate to them the ticket costs, the fact that they can’t pay with credit card, and the price is not open to haggling.  Also let them know that performance sites, custodians, judges, and hotels are priced for an entire event so tickets must be priced the same way.  “Why do I have to pay this much just to see my child perform” is the most common question I get.  Of course the answer to that is that a ticket entitles the person to 4 or more hours of great performances.  At slightly more than $2 per hour, that’s quite a deal.  (I have always believed that the worst job one can have at a show site is ticket sales…well, besides the parking lot)

3.)  Please purchase from the concession stands- Show sponsors understand that bringing food and drinks to the show site will saves kids from spending a lot of money.  Remember, though, that shows often serve as primary fundraisers for the school hosting the show. (Most, if not all of the ticket proceeds go to the expenses of the show)  With my group, we often had a sizable carry in before we left our school so I knew my kids were fed and then I allowed them to go to the concessions to support the sponsors.  I never permitted my parents to feed the ensemble in the cafeteria at the show site. Sponsors know that all kinds of details go in to eating when on the road but when possible, support the concessions.

4.)  FINALLY…all of my parents, performers, bus drivers, and staff knew of my “pastor rule.”  Treat all show site personnel like you would treat your pastor, minister, or Rabbi.    I explained to them that this whole winter experience is an inter weaved organization.  We’re all in this together and every piece of the puzzle needs our financial and moral support.  If show sponsors don’t make money, we won’t have show hosts and costs for all of us go up.  All money is going back to young people.  Nearly every dime and dollar is going to a worthy cause.  Not very many organizations can claim that.

These four items are not necessarily things we think about as directors but as we all know economic times are tough and our organization depends on successful shows to continue as the strong organization that we are well in to the future.

TALK BACK:  What experiences have you had at show sites that would be helpful to all of us?  How do you handle food for your unit while on the road?

 If you were at this year’s MEPA Experience what did you come away with?  Here’s my answer:  First, I learned a process to use when putting together a show.  Start with a working title and run my idea through a series of tests to see if it’s a great idea or merely a good one.  Good ideas may only produce good results and my kids deserve better.  I learned that in critique I can ask judges to watch for a certain effect that I’m particularly proud of.  In fact, the judges encourage it.  I learned that when tearing down my setup after my unit performs, maybe the best thing to do with my cords is to let them be swept up in my floor.  I talked to (not e-mailed) friends and colleagues in the activity and also made a couple of new friends.  This is only a fraction of what I learned from some of the best minds in the activity.  Most of all, I learned that regardless of what I think I know, there is a huge wealth of knowledge that exists outside of the walls of my school and I’m going to have to go out in search of it.  Other directors are going to educational days armed with pad, pencil, and handouts and if I don’t go, I’m allowing others to gain an edge on me.  People I spoke to had very good reasons for not attending but for all of those times I said no to an event like this, I wonder what I missed?  How many friends didn’t I make?  The educational side of this entry is this:  I have found as a teacher that the best way to get better at what I do is not to read articles or watch DVDs although that’s important too.  It’s talking to other people who do what I do.  Don’t miss the opportunity to talk to some of the best in the business next year and don’t forget that you have as much to offer to us as we do to you.  See you next year! 

Talk Back:  What did you learn from the experience this year?  Post your comments below.

I have had the attitude too.  I’m a full time band director and know how to rehearse an ensemble.  I’ve won WGI and MEPA medals so I know the activity well, right?  Luckily, I have known some great people who didn’t allow me to spend too long thinking that I knew enough about my show and what it needed to not listen to my judges’ tapes or watch the video.  Because of those helpful colleagues, I learned where the true value of the tapes was found.  Not so much in the words but in all of the information that we sometimes forget to look for.  Here are a couple of truths that I have learned: 

1.)    The Tape and the Sheet Don’t Have to Match:  Maybe you have said something like this: “the comments don’t match the number”  The truth is that judges aren’t out to achieve perfect tape to sheet balance.  The tape is an aide to you in the evolution of your show, not a perfectly crafted justification of your sheet.  Remember that your show is going by rapidly and they are doing their best to credit you for the positive parts of your show and provide constructive feedback for those items needing improvement.

2.)    “Nice” is not Nice- How many times have we heard young directors upset because they have a tape full of “nice” or “good” comments but a low score.  I learned that when I get tapes full of middle of the road comments, I’ve achieved middle of the road results which will result in middle of the road numbers at best.

3.)    Open Your Mind- Professional designers know that they are not able to provide objective feedback of their own product.  When you listen, listen with an open mind.  Check your emotional attachment to your show at the door.  Some very talented people have bluntly said to me, “If they aren’t ‘getting’ your show, it’s not the judge’s fault.”  Don’t go to critique with a chip on your shoulder. I like to think of critique like a job interview.  I want the judges to remember me and my ensemble as being very interested in what the judge can do to help me and my kids acheive a higher level of performance.

4.)    Words Are Not As Important As Tone- If you’re analyzing the words, you’re missing the real value of the tape.  Animated vocal inflection with words like “outstanding” mean something completely different than a monotone “good job.”  Listening beyond the words is where the true value of the judge’s tape is found.  My friend Tim Fairbanks taught me to also watch the video of my ensemble’s performance and if a judge was in the picture, read their vocal and body language.  If they’re filling out your sheet before the show is over, you probably have some rethinking to do.  Go online and find some Blue Devils or Star of Indiana judges’ tapes and listen to what they sound like.  Listen for tone of voice and word choice.  Become a student of this and you’ll find the real value of a tape.  For the seasoned director, the judge may say very little that they don’t already know but the seasoned director knows how to dig deeper in to the tape.

5.)    Balance is the Key- Don’t listen to your tapes and rethink your entire show because of one judge’s comments.  Know where you are in the evolution of your design and weigh that against their comments.  Maybe the reason they didn’t like it was because you haven’t finished the development of that section.

Do you have any stories about your judges’ tapes or advice?  Post your comments by clicking underneath the title.  View all comments by clicking on the title.

Posted by Tim Parker