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Helping Your Students Organize Their Personal Drill Books!

Written by Catina Anderson

Sunday, 14 January 2007

cover I don't remember who first told me about having students use small spiral notebooks to keep track of their drill for marching band but I immediately LOVED the idea! Students would get a small notepad, attach it to a string or lanyard, take notes about their drill spots and have a reference they could easily carry with them while spinning their flag.

At any point I could stop them, ask them to check their spots and I wouldn't have to wait for them to run to the sidelines to exchange their equipment for a heavy notebook full of drill! What a great idea!

I remember being so excited that I went out and purchased a notepad for each person on the team!

Then I remember spending the entire month of August asking the kids why they didn't have their notebooks with them or watching them fumble through the pages unable to figure out which set I was asking them about or where they had written the information!

Something needed to change!

So I sat down and came up with a system that I now use with my performers to help them organize their drill books AND to provide them with tools for memorizing their drill through the naming of drill sets and references to other parts of the ensemble for each set. I found that it is essential to TEACH them how to organize this information - after all, for the newest students, they've never done anything like this before and really have no idea how to approach and tackle the overwhelming task of memorizing their drill!

For those who aren't familiar with this idea, basically each student is given (or purchases) a small 80 or 100 page spiral notepad. This is the small 3 x 5 type of notepad used in school to record homework assignments. They also need a string or key lanyard to attach through the spiral rings to make the book easy to carry while spinning equipment (and in case they don't have pockets!). I also recommend a pen or a mechanical pencil that can be slid through the spiral rings and carried along during drill rehearsals. Students then record all the details of their drill in their notebooks including set numbers, drill coordinates, pathway notes, counts for equipment changes and even notes on choreography if they need to. For color guard members it is also nice to be able to record "band specific" information they might need to know such as measure numbers for specific drill sets if the band director tends to use that information as a reference (e.g. "Please begin at measure 24.") Because the drill book is small and lightweight, they can carry it with them through every rehearsal and still be free to perform with their equipment.

I still purchase the drill books for the students (they only cost about $0.30 - $0.50 each) and we take a rehearsal (or a few hours out of a day of camp) to prepare the drill book for use. As a group, we decorate the covers (both for fun and to give them a sense of ownership and pride for their book), set up the first few pages together and paste in miniature photocopies of each drill set. I then walk them through making notes for their first couple sets of drill and leave the rest up to them. For the newest students I take a peek at their books after their first few drill rehearsals to make sure they understand the process and then I just constantly remind everyone they must bring their drill books EVERY rehearsal.

The notes and photos below outline the way that I have my students set up their notebooks. There is also a handout that you can print from the "Student Handouts" section of the website called "How to Set Up Your Drill Book."

1. Put Your Name on It!

Start by making sure you clearly mark your drill book on the inside and outside of the cover with your name and your drill number so it does not get confused with your band-mates!

2. Your Counts Sheet

On the first page and second page create a count-sheet for each drill set in each part of your show. This will be helpful during the first few run-throughs.

3. Setting the Show

If you are a member of the guard, use the next page to record where you should set your equipment at the beginning of the show. Remember to include specifics like which direction the silk should be facing and how the silk should be folded. Band members might use this page for notes on how to enter the field during halftime or at competitions.

4. Drawing (or pasting in) the drill set

Then reserve two pages for each drill set. Clearly Mark each page with the drill set number so that when your drum major asks you to go back to set 17 you know exactly what he/she is talking about! On the left hand side draw a picture of the drill set and mark approximately where you are in that picture. Or, if you have access to a copy machine you can reduce the actual drill page and glue it here with a glue stick!

sample drill set

5. Taking Notes!

taking notes

On the right hand side is where you take notes. Set up each page as pictured. Give each drill set a name, if your director has not already done so. This will help you to remember what the shape of the form should be and names are easier to remember than set numbers. Next write your coordinates and record the counts it takes to get to this spot. Finally, make notes that will help you to remember important information. Notice in the examples I noted differences in counting the set for my section, who I stood next to and even notes about footwork and choreography.

6. Highlight each page according to the part of the show

Then, using a different color highlighter for each song or part of your show, mark across the bottom of each page. This will make it easier to find the sets you need to refer to quickly when you have a question!

7. Attach String

Finally, attach a string or key lanyard to the spirals so that you can easily carry your drill book with you at all times! With a well-organized drill book you should be good to go for memorizing your drill quickly and accurately!

I have now spent two consecutive seasons working with the above system and it has made my task SO much easier. It puts much more responsibility on the performer for learning his/her drill while at the same time giving them a stronger sense of control and security. When a form doesn't look quite right several weeks into the season I can simply say, "Please check your drill books" and the students all quickly check and adjust within a matter of seconds rather than having to wait for me to check my master drill book and adjust each student myself. When I wish to make changes to the drill during a rehearsal I can simply move performers around on the field and then say, "Write that in your books." Everyone records their own new spot and we quickly move forward.

This technique works very well in bands where only section leaders are given printed drill charts to teach - because each individual then creates a record of his/her spots. But it also works just as effectively with groups where every individual is given a notebook of drill charts. After all, beyond the first day of learning the drill we begin to ask students to march with equipment and instruments, making it impossible for them to carry around large notebooks of drill. This technique saves time and assists the student in double checking themselves throughout the process of memorization.

My students LOVE their drill books now and though it takes a little time at the onset of the season - the time it saves and the stress it alleviates later on is MORE than worth it! It is something I am SO glad I learned and definitely a practice I will continue!

Read or add comments about this item.

No. 1 : USU Colorguard member

When I was in High school we did this since the school couldn't afford to give over 350 students in the marching band their own set of the drills. It made life a lot easier since we always had two band camps the first was just learning the drills and the second after the summer break was putting the music and colorguard routines with each of the drill sets. I am in my local College Marching band now and even though our music and routines change from week to week this drill book comes in handy and I still have mine from every single show that I have done, they are great memories to have and look back at and remember a previous show.

Submitted by Guest User • 2008-07-20 20:36:21

No. 2 : dot books dont work

Time and time again, marching band after marching band, corps after corps, guard after guard insist on using dot books.. the reality is that this form of drill organization will fall by the wayside easily. most students lose them, will only write the first 5 sets, put random information in it to get it over with, or just not do one at all and waste many peoples time with not knowing how to get from point A to point B....... hmmm, point A to point B... makes you ponder if theres a way to have students understand their routing and direction of transit from set A to set B... INTRODUCING- pathfinders! Heres the skinny- give each student a blank drill sheet for each tune. take the drill charts and plot out each dot in the drill (labeling it as you go with coordinates and counts), then play connect the dots! By seeing distance, direction, and length of time the students will effectively understand their routing as they MOVE from point A to point B instead of having a dot book with point A on one page and point B on a separate page (the brain wont link the 2 together until many many reps later). Extraneous information can be written on the flip side of the paper for specific information pertaining to each set. So at the end of the day a dot book (probably all smudgy maybe with severe water damage) can be replaced with 3-4 81/2 by 11 sheets of paper (can seal them with plastic baggies or seal up a page protector) and if sets change, 1 page is easier to rewrite than ripping out 1 page then screwing up your dot book.. plus the rewriting of pathways will reinforce direction of travel.

DOWN WITH DOT BOOKS
UP WITH PATHFINDERS!