Color Guard Videos

I think I previously said that if you couldn't be a part of a color guard, the next best thing was watching it.

Now that I've told you plenty about color guard, I would like to share some great color guard videos with you. Some are individual/instructional videos, and others are ensemble performances.

Enjoy!




Tips for Making a Color Guard Routine -- powered by eHow.com







http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=114634602347

SOURCES:
All videos obtained through Google Videos

You Know You're in Color Guard If....

Now that I’ve discussed the basics of color guard and where you can find it, I suppose I could give you a little more detail about color guard – other than what it is, where it is, etc. There are certain things that you wouldn’t know about color guard unless you are a part of it, and now I’m going to share those with you.

The following is a “You Know You’re in Color Guard If…” list. It’s a list of qualities, characteristics, events, etc. that a person in color guard (or for some, just in marching band or drum corps) would understand very well from experiences in guard. Some are self explanatory if you know anything about guard (which you should if you’ve been reading all of this), but others might not be, and I’ll provide some explanations and examples. Enjoy!

You know you’re in guard if…

You walk in step to all the music you hear - Because all movement (walking on the field, performing the show, walking off the field), involves walking to the beat of the music/drum. Because it’s such a common practice, it ends up happening in real life too.

You spin pencils/pens/mops/brooms/pool cues/etc. - Either to practice when not at practice, or sometimes just for fun!

You’re constantly involved in fund raisers - Either because the band needs to raise money, or you do to participate in drum corps or winter guard.

You are an expert at assembling backdrops

When you hear a song you’ve done a routine to, you get ecstatic - For example, two songs my marching band used were Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Styx’s “Come Sail Away”. Now, over 8 years later, when we heard those songs, we can’t help but get excited and think back to the shows.

You have more inside jokes than any of your other friends

You can catch anything that is thrown at you

Every song becomes a possible flag routine

You know that “one more time” never really means one more time - It really just means, “okay let’s do that again, and then again ‘till it’s perfect”, and even “okay this is the last time I SWEAR”, can’t be trusted

You can do your hair and makeup/change into your uniform anywhere - On a bumpy bus, in a bathroom, in the hallway, without a mirror, etc.

You have never taken a dance class, but you know more terms than in the foreign language you took

Getting a sip of water is considered an act of love and kindness from your instructor
You know what jello arms and legs feel like

No matter how good your guard is, you still get the smallest coverage in the yearbook - And the football team gets the most. For some reason, marching band and color guard aren’t the most respected and appreciated groups.

You try more stunts than the cheerleaders

You went to every school football game but never paid - One of the perks, you know, despite having to sit through the games.

The gym/football field becomes your second home

You have more bruises than you can count - And sometimes, you don’t even remember how you got all of them.

You toss your flag even when there are 50 mph winds - My guard once changed a routine last-minute to remove a toss because the wind was so treacherous. But usually, you have to toss it anyway and hope you can catch it. And high-wind days usually become “toss in the wind” practice.

Guard tape fixes everything - Otherwise known as electrical tape, but we like to make it our own.

There are many more qualities on this list, and more that can be added, but these are some of the best – and most relatable – ones. Hopefully this gives you a little insight into the color guard world.

SOURCES:
Color Guard Corner. (Date Unknown). Color guard corner. Retrieved from http://colorguardcorner.tripod.com/colorguard/id2.html

Indoor Color Guard

One aspect of color guard that I have never really had a chance to participate in - but have always admired - is indoor color guard. My high school sort of had an indoor color guard (which was really just us practicing in the winter, not really putting on a show), and at that point I didn't know that some color guards performed only in the winter, and there was an entire organization devoted to indoor guard.

And then, I found out.

Indoor color guard, for those who have never seen or heard of it, is AMAZING. Guards perform to a musical track (sometimes it's just a song, sometimes it's just music, and sometimes it's music and speaking/monologue) in gymnasiums across the country, performing on a mat that either adds to or explains the theme of their show. Like marhcing band and drum corps, indoor guards have a theme, which is portrayed through their music, costumes, equipment, etc.


Because there is no band involved, it is just the guard on the floor, and there is much more freedom for the guard as far as movement and using the equipment goes. This means much more tossing, exchanges (tossing a flag/rifle/sabre from one person to another), and much more unique movement. Not having any wind indoors to move the equipment also gives guard members much more control over their equipment. In addition, a lot more dance is incorporated into indoor guard (since there is so much more room to move around!)

All indoor color guards compete through WGI, or Winter Guard International. Indoor guards can be affiliated with a high school or college or can also be an independent organization. Guards are divided in competition into Scholastic (those affiliated with a school) and independent (those not affiliated with a school), and from there are divided from least experienced to most experienced into A class, Open class, and World class.


Guards compete in competitions close to where they are located and usually also have a home show - a show located at their school/practice site (or somewhere in the area of where they are located) so that family, friends, former members, and fans can watch their performance at least once. The final competitions of the year, located in Dayton, are towards the end of April (just in time for marching band or drum corps to begin).

While outdoor and indoor color guards use the same equipment and techniques, they are both very different experiences. It is very worth it to see an indoor color guard perform at least once.

The website for WGI contains information about indoor guard - what it is, how it began, etc. as well as information about individual color guards and performances. I highly recommend checking out the site to find out more about indoor color guard. And while you're there, check out a few performances! They are DEFINITELY worth it.

Here are a few indoor color guard websites (of individual guards) that I am interedsted in, feel free to check them out:

Black Watch
Carolina Crown
Phantom Regiment
Santa Clara Vanguard



SOURCES:
Winter Guard International. (2010). Winter guard international: The sport of the arts. Retrieved from www.wgi.org

Color Guard and Drum and Bugle Corps

The next step on my color guard journey - and the next logical stop on this blogging journey - was to a Drum and Bugle Corps (also known as Drum Corps). I wanted to continue with color guard after high school, so my instructor suggested drum corps and suggested I look into the Jersey Surf, a local drum and bugle corps. I was very excited to begin.

But it was not what I was expecting at all.

Drum corps is similar to marching band in several ways. Both include a color guard. Both include a band and percussion. Both march on a football field. Both include a lot of practice. Both (as far as competing marching bands go) travel to competitions.

But drum corps is like marching band to the extreme.

As opposed to a marching band that you can opt to be a part of in high school or college, drum corps is a sport you audition for and pay to be a part of. And it's not very cheap (I'll explain more on that later). Corps practice about once a month (over the span of a weekend) during September through April (most members are high school or college students), and then pretty much for the entire summer. Practices during the summer are basically all-day-every-day. It is very intense and requires a lot of hard work and dedication.

And then, there is the traveling...

Drum corps travel all over the country (according to Drum Corps International, some travel more than 10,000 miles in one summer), to compete in competitions and perform in events. Participants, for the most part, live on the bus they travel on (however, the buses are pretty nice - the coach kind, not the school kind) and sleep in school gyms across the country - you get used to a sleeping bag on a gym floor very quickly. Instructors and parent-volunteers travel with the corps and provide all meals for the members.

Each year, the corps coms up with a theme for the show (one year, I was part of a patriotic show, another year our theme was Moulin Rouge) and go all out to provide a unique experience. The color guard gets incredible costumes (and sometimes has costume changes), flag are created or purchased that shiowcase or add to the theme, props and scenery are set up on the field - anything to make the show amazing.

So...back to the money.

To be a part of a drum corps, members pay a fee that can range anywhere from $800-$2000 (or sometimes even more) and additional fees for meals during the school-year practices (often known as "winter camps"). This fee pays for gas for traveling, all meals provided, equipment, instruments, costumes, props, and anything else used to add to the show. All money paid goes toward this incredible experience.

Another difference between marching band and drum corps is the instructors. Both have experience in their field, however most marching band instructors are paid by the school they work for. All drum corps instructors work on a volunteer basis. They use their time out of work or use their vacation time to participate and help the corps improve. They were all previous drum corps members themselves, and they have a lot to offer through their instruction.

Drum Corps International, the official drum corps organization, organizes all the drum corps events across the country. Organizations (which may be in conjuntion with a school, but are usually just a privately run organization) determine their theme, hold auditions and select their members, and choose where to compete on an individual basis.

Shows are held at stadiums across the country, and each one is an incredibly unique experience, because you won't always see the same corps, and the shows vary from year to year. Drum corps (especially the one I was a part of) are also known for changing their show from one performance to the next (we often had drastic changes made that we had one or two days to remember and perfect) in an effort to perfect the show, fix errors or problem spots, and mostly, to keep the audience entertained and paying attention.

Drum corps is a life-changing experience. You meet many new people, learn the valu of hard work, and become stronger and more talented at what you do. I never in a million years thought I would be able to do half the things I did as a color guard member in drum corps.

For anyone interested in color guard, I highly suggest looking into drum corps. It is very expensive (which is part of the reason I had to stop doing it), but it is incredibly worth every penny. Unfortunately, there is an age limit (22), so now I can only watch. But even that is an exhilarating experience.

Below are several drum and bugle corps that I have seen perform and am very interested in. For a list of all corps or information on drum and bugle corps, you can visit Drum Corps International.

Jersey Surf

The Cadets

The Crossmen

Carolina Crown

Santa Clara Vanguard

The Academy
Blue Devils

SOURCES:
Drum Corps International. (2010). Drum corps international: Marching's major music league. Retrieved from www.dci.org

Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps. (2010). Jersey surf drum and bugle corps. Retrieved from www.jerseysurf.org

Marching Band and Color Guard

Since marching band is where my experience with color guard began (and where, as far as I know, most people begin), that's where I'll begin with my discussion of color guard (beyond the basics).

In doing a little reasearch for this post, so I can give you the best information possible, I discovered that there aren't many websites that explain what marching band is. It's actually quite a shame.

So what I'm going to do is give you what I know about marching band, sprinkle in a little Wikipedia (which does not count as a source for my project, but allows me to give you more info), add in the color guard focus, and then provide other marching band sites I have found.

Several types of marching bands exist. There are high school marching bands, college marching bands, and marching bands in the Army, Navy, Marines, etc.

I have little to no knowledge of the Armed Forces bands, but I do know that their color guard is the traditional military kind, not what I'm discussing here, so I'll stay away from that.

College marching bands are very similar to high school marching bands, just at a higher level for older participants (that, obviously, attend that college). What we're going to focus on here are high school marching bands. There is, afterall, a great deal of info on them (and they are what I can talk about best).

High school marching bands consist of your typical band instruments - brass, woodwinds, percussion, etc. - and, of course, the color guard. They tend to practice after school and on weekends (the amount does vary by band, though). High school marching bands perform at their school football games (where they play songs during the game and perform the halftime show), at marching band competitions in their area(if it is a band that has chosen to compete), and other events if they are invited to do so. (After typing this, I looked at Wikipedia, and they say pretty much the same thing. Go figure.)

So, how does color guard factor into this?

The band itself provides the music. They also incorporate drill (marching on the field, making unique patters with themselves) while they are playing. The color guard brings the color and life to the show, adding an extra, eye-pleasing visual effect to the performance. They are, in essence, the "something pretty to look at" part of the show (but that's not all they are!)

When marching band directors put together a show, they generally come up with a theme for each year. They pick music to go with that theme and sometimes have props on the field that go with the theme. The band wears the same uniforms year after year. They hold the same instruments. They pretty much look the same.

But it is the color guard that changes year by year with the theme of the show.


The color guard wears outfits that go with the theme. They spin flags that represent the theme. They sometimes, as I mentioned before, use props that go with the theme as well. I was in a show with the music of Queen and the theme was trash (we were an out there, extravagant band), and the color guard danced around trash cans and danced with trash bags. It happens.

But essentially, the color guard is the visual to bring the show to life. The amount of movement and type of equipment used varies by band (they are all very different). Some color guards stand still and do basic flag movements. Some color guards have their menbers doing as much or more drill than the band members and doing much more complicated "work" (from now on I'll probably refer to a color guard routine or movements as work) during a show. This all depends on the size of the band, skill of the guard, and instructors involved.

Either way, color guards are complex and dynamic. If you have seen one color guard (or marching band), you certainly have NOT seen them all.

One site that I found availble for marching bands is marching.com. This website, which I quite honestly wish I knew about when I was in marching band, is a site for not only members but instructors. This site gives marching band events, links to marching bands around the country (and around the world), hundreds of photos of performances, fundraising ideas for bands who raise their own money (unfortunately, school cutbacks have led to decreased school support of bands), and resources for instructors who want to improve their shows.

I noticed, that while it is a marching band site, it does also incorporate DCI (Drum Corps International, my next post) and WGI (Winter Guard International, the post after that), two other organizations involving color guard, so they are all interrelated. (now if only they had more information for people not involved in marching band, like what it is...)

A site that I mentioned before, Color Guard Corner, offers a list of activities for color guard members to do together to bond. Members spend a lit of time practicing and performing together, but never have much time to do much of anything else. This section of the site gives some great ideas for marching band color guards. They also offer som embarrasing moments in color guard, which every person who had ever been in color guard has had at least one of, so now you know you're not alone.

To finish, I would like to leave a few links of marching bands I am familiar with and am fond of (and maybe a few I found while researching). Enjoy!

Pennsauken Marching Band

West Chester University Marching Band

SOURCES:

Martinson, Ken. (2010). Marching.com: Marching band, competitions, uniforms, scores, fundraisers. Retrieved from http://www.marching.com
Tripod websites. (Date Unknown). Color guard corner. Retrieved from http://colorguardcorner.tripod.com/colorguard

What is Color Guard?

The best place to start in a blog about color guard, especially for those who are unfamiliar with it, is with a very simple question: What is color guard?

Well, it would seem simple.

I can say, however, that it is not “fat girls holding flags on the football field”, a description I have heard before by those who don’t really know.

It is also not the same – and not to be confused with – the color guard in the armed forces (however I was also a part of my high school’s AFJROTC color guard, so at times it got confusing). Color guard did, however, begin with the traditional armed forces color guard and later evolved into what I am blogging about today.

While looking for a definition of color guard to confirm and add to the definition of color guard I already know, I found a color guard website that summed up my thoughts exactly:

“To those who understand, no explanation is needed. To those who do not understand, no explanation is possible”

I don’t think I could put it any better myself. To those who are involved in color guard, what it is is pretty self-explanatory. To those who are not involved, defining color guard can involve a very lengthy explanation.

When people ask me about it, and what it is that I used to be involved in, I usually say “flag spinning”, and people pretty much get the point. But the truth is, it is so much more than that. However, I’m sure people don’t want to sit back while I explain for an hour or more what color guard is.

Well, here is my chance.

For this entry, I’m going to explain the basics – what color guard generally is, where you can find it, what can be done with it, etc. Then, with each subsequent entry I will (try to) focus on one aspect at a time.

So, back to the main question: What is color guard?

In a nutshell, color guard is incorporating color, equipment, drill, and dance (and sometimes even more) to create an ultimate visual experience. Members DO spin flags, but they also toss them (sometimes to another person), dance with them, and more.

Members also dance and spin rifles, sabres, and any other equipment the instructors can think of (I once performed with a trash bag, a paint roller, and a string of leaves) based on the theme of the show.

Color guard routines are designed by the instructor (and sometimes the members themselves) to go along with the music and theme of the show. They are designed to add a visual element to the music of the show. The music appeals to the ears, and the performance by the color guard appeals to the eyes.

Color guards can be found performing with high school or college marching bands, drum and bugle corps, or on their own in indoor color guard. Each is similar in many ways, but they are all very different, too (more on that later).

Color guard is about bringing color and life to the bands’ performances (for marching band or drum corps) or for creating a unique, eye-appealing, stimulating performance of color guard members only (for indoor color guard).

Members of color guard know that it takes a lot of practice, effort, and determination to do what they do. Members of all color guards understand and respect each other because of the devotion it takes to be in color guard. Even for the best performers, completing a show takes A LOT of practice and a lot of time. Color guard members are almost a part of their own community.

Another great website I found, Color Guard Corner, gives a great, detailed explanation of what color guard is, or more so what it involves. It is entirely to detailed to include here, but I’ll give you a small preview…

Color guard is science, mathematical, language, history, physical, a sport, performing arts, and educational. They develop each of those with many details, I suggest you check it out here.

With each post, I hope to explain a little more about what color guard is. I hope this is a good start.


SOURCES:
Tripod Webpages. (Date Unknown). Color guard corner. Retrieved from http://colorguardcorner.tripod.com/colorguard/index.html
Emily. (2008). Color guard central: Flags, equipment, and tutorials. Retrieved from http://www.colorguardcentral.com/index.html

Introduction

Right before I began my freshman year of high school, my cousin (and friend) asked to me come to a practice for our high school's marching band and color guard. She had been a part of the color guard the previous year was told to recruit new members, so she wanted me to check it out.

I had never heard of color guard - or even knew what it was - so I was very reluctant to go. I started coming up with excuses: I'm tired, I have to clean my room, I have a cold sore, etc etc (if only it had been during the school year, I could have claimed I had homework). Clearly, I was not a fan of the unfamiliar.

So we made a deal.

I would go to the first practice, and if I liked it, I would stay and join. If I didn't like it, I never had to go back again. This sounded fair to me, so I gave it a shot.

It ended of being one of the best chances I have ever taken.

I ended up performing in the color guard for all 4 years in high school, and then went on to perform with a drum and bugle corps for 2 years after that. Color guard became my passion through my late teen years, and as it turns out, I was actually quite good (but I'm not one to brag).

While I am still greatly interested in color guard, I currently am not actively involved the activity, as it has taken a backseat to school and work. I am currently a student at Rowan University studying Elementary Education and Writing Arts, with hopes of graduating in Spring 2011.

For my Writing, Research, and Technology course, we are required to write a blog on the topic of our choice. I saw this as an opportunity to keep my interest in color guard alive and active. Plus, I'm sure there is plenty I don't know about the sport, so this will give me an opportunity to teach and learn simultaneously.

My hope is to feature content about the history of color guard, uses of color guard now and in its early days, and shed some light on a sport that mant people don't know much about - or have misconceptions of. In addition, I hope to include some incredible performances that I feel are worth sharing with the world.

Color guard is a very intriguing sport. If it's not something you want to do yourself, it's still very amazing to watch. Maybe some will have no interest in this whatsoever, but maybe - just maybe - this will make you want to spin that flag.