Introduction
Each individual member of the Wildcat Marching Band comes with their own background in the marching arts, from never having moved their feet in time before through marching in a highly-competitive marching band, winter ensemble, and summer drum and bugle corps, or anything in between. There are nearly as many approaches to visual technique as there are ensembles in the marching and pageantry arts. Whatever your background, there will likely be something new and/or different for you. We have developed our own visual program that is used in the Wildcat Marching Band. While you may have had certain techniques drilled into you over four years of high school that differ from what we do, it is not an indication that either one is right or wrong. There are simply differences that exist. Parts of our technique program are utilized to minimize “wear-and-tear” on the marcher, as overuse injuries can occur. Some approaches are easier to clean but are not as ergonomically sound. While issues may not arise in high school, continued use of these approaches can cause lasting pain and injury, so we select more ergonomically safe techniques. Other techniques have multiple approaches that have equal pros and cons, so we simply selected one that we prefer. Regardless, please do not interpret anything we say or do as an indication that what you learned before was wrong. Likewise, please do not interpret anything WE do as wrong simply because it is different from what you learned previously. You may make a few mistakes early on as you adapt to our style, but that’s okay. It won’t take long to adapt.
Stationary Techniques
Posture
Excellent marching technique begins with excellent posture. We strive for consistency and uniformity in everything we do. Posture is designed to allow as much free movement as possible and to absorb all show while maintaining this freedom of movement. We want intensity without tension. Engaged muscles without clenching.
It is easiest to “stack” up from the bottom.
- Start with feet at appropriate position (see “Positioning” below). Weight should be evenly distributed between heels and balls of feet.
- Knees should be above ankles, straight but not locked.
- Hips in line with knees and slightly drawn under. Should be able to draw a straight line from ankles through knees to hips. Make sure glutes do not stick out. Weight should remain evenly distributed between feet.
- Lengthen the spine and lift weight out of the hips. Remove excessive arch by rolling hips under. Lengthen from hips to the top of the head.
- Lift chest and balance evenly, but not so much that the back arches.
- Shoulders should be square and even. Find position that allows shoulders to stretch farthest from the ears without creating tension. If anything, roll back but only slightly.
- Lengthen the neck to separate the ears from the shoulders. Ears should be in line with shoulders (don’t crane head forward).
- Chin should be slightly above parallel with the ground. Too high or low will restrict air flow (important for everyone, not just winds).
- Keep eyes forward and set on a point in space. “Thousand-yard stare.”
- Arms (without equipment) should have slightly bent elbows aimed to the rear, light fist, seam of pants between middle and ring finger knuckles. With equipment depends on the individual. See below.
- Five points of alignment: ankles, knees, hips, shoulder, and ears.
Troubleshooting
Roll-Ups
Start at position of attention (see below). Bend knees slightly and roll the torso over allowing body to relax (think marionette). Use eight counts to “roll” back up into the correct position of attention.
1–2 Knees and hips (drawing a straight line from ankle through knees to hips.
3–4 Upper torso (upright but with shoulders and head still forward/down)
5–6 Roll shoulders into position
7–8 Bring head/neck/ears into position (chin slightly above parallel)
Positioning
Position of attention – instrumentalists: When standing at attention heels should be together and toes should be apart (feet should be at a 45° angle). The body should be stretched upward with the head held high. There should be no moving, scratching, looking around, etc. at attention. No talking other than answering a question posed by the staff or executing a vocal response to a command.
Flutes/Piccolo/Clarinets: Fingers on keys, instrument vertical and perpendicular to ground, mouthpiece in line with your eyes. Forearms should be at a 90° angle. Instrument held slightly away from body (forearms should be flat on vertical plane)
Saxophones: Fingers on keys, body of saxophone horizontal and parallel to ground, mouthpiece pointing up and bell pointing down. Should be at length of neck strap and held slightly away from body. Forearms as close to parallel to ground as possible.
Mellophones/Trumpets/Baritones: Hands in playing position (right fingers on valves, right thumb between first and second valve casing, left hand around valve casing, appropriate finger in valve slide ring[s] if applicable). Instrument vertical and perpendicular to ground, mouthpiece aligned with chin. Forearms should be at a 90° angle. Instrument held slightly away from body.
Trombones: Hands in playing position (left hand in proper playing position, right thumb, pointer and middle finger on slide brace. Thumb may rest on other brace if needed. Mouthpiece aligned with chin. Instrument held slightly away from body with slide parallel to body, bell section perpendicular to body.
Sousaphones: Left hand on outer tubing on the left side of instrument, right hand on the bow at the bottom of the instrument.
Snares/Tenors: Both sticks held together horizontally in both hands at “sticks in” position.
Bass Drums: Both mallets held vertically in each hand at “sticks in” position, aligned with rim closest to body but without touching the rim.
Cymbals: Cymbals held at sides, parallel to each other and perpendicular to body, elbows slightly bent.
Position of attention – Colorguard: When standing at attention, the feet will be in first position (so toes will be farther apart than instrumentalists’ toes). The body should be stretched upward with the head held high. There should be no moving, scratching, looking around, etc. at attention. No talking other than answering a question posed by the staff or executing a vocal response to a command.
Parade rest: The purpose of this command is for resting for a short period of time, such as in a parade when the forward movement is briefly stalled. There should be no moving or talking while at parade rest since it is a modified position of attention. While at parade rest, only the commands of “attention” or “relax” can be given. The left foot moves while the right foot stays stationary. Feet should be shoulder-width apart.
Standby: This position will primarily be used in rehearsal and is a combination of “attention” and “parade rest.” Combine the body and foot position of “attention” with the instrument position of “parade rest” and you have “standby.” This is different than “set,” which does not have an official position; it is used as a warning that the “attention” command is coming. There should be no moving or talking at “standby.”
Instrument in down positions: Hold the instrument with both hands in front of the body, parallel to and 10” away from the body. Instrument heights will be explained by section leaders. Sousaphones should keep the right hand on the valves and the left hand on the leadpipe. Saxophones should keep the left forearm parallel to the ground. All instruments should be held the same way within each section. Section leaders should check the height, angles, and hand positions for uniformity.
Instrument in playing position: The instrument should be held in the natural playing position, elevated for projection. Trumpets, mellophones, trombones, and baritones should hold the instrument 10 degrees above parallel. Flutes should be parallel to the ground. Clarinets should be pushed out from the body. Saxophones should be perpendicular to the ground. Adjustments should be made by moving the entire head and not the embouchure.
Click for Video
| Section/Instrument | Attention: Front | Attention: Side | Horns Up: Front | Horns Up: Side | Parade Rest: Front | Parade Rest: Side | Standby: Front | Standby: Side | Trail: Front | Trail: Side |
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| Clarinet |  |
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| Trumpet |  |
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| Trombone |  |
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| Baritone |  |
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| Sousaphone |  |
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| Snare |  |
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| Tenors |  |
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| Bass Drum |  |
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| Colorguard |  |
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Troubleshooting
90° Forearms
While in carry position, rotate arms so that one forearm is straight up, perpendicular to the ground. Make sure that forearms together look like the corner of a square, then rotate back to carry position maintaining that angle between the forearms.
String Exercise
While in the position of attention, rise up on tiptoes and stretch the upper body as high as possible. Lower heels slowly until they just touch the ground while maintaining body height. Imagine the body is suspended from a string attached to the top of the head.
Quick Fixes for Staff and VSLs
- Feet at an improper angle
- Use hands to demonstrate the angle the marcher’s feet are currently in and then the angle they should strive to achieve.
- Use foot to widen the angle between the marcher’s feet.
- Hips too far forward or back (slouching or glutes sticking out)
- Exaggerate the problem to the marcher while standing sideways and demonstrate pulling the hips back in line with the upper body.
- After asking and receiving permission to touch the marcher, use tips of fingers to lightly push/pull the hips into the correct position.
- Shoulders tense or too far forward
- After asking and receiving permission to touch the marcher, place fingers lightly on top of the shoulders until they relax into position.
- Chin too low or head at odd angle
- After asking and receiving permission to touch the marcher, place the tip of one finger under the chin and lightly lift chin into correct position.
Marching Steps
Roll step: The roll or glide step is the most practical step for playing and marching simultaneously. Roll from the heel to the toe while shifting the weight forward, creating a smooth “gliding” action. When stepping forward, the heel should touch the ground first. Roll from the heel to the toe in a straight line smoothly to shift the weight forward. The shoulders should be square with the hips. There should be no movement from the waist up.
Backward march: This step is executed by rising up on the balls of the feet (“platforms”) and marching backwards. Keep the upper body erect. Avoid squatting, leaning forward, slumping, or bouncing. Shoulders should be in line with the hips. Step sizes feel larger than forward marching.
Crab step: Utilized primarily by the drumline, the crab step is used as a way to move the body sideways while keeping the hips in line with the upper body. Legs cross in front of each other, and the step is performed on the balls of the feet (“platforms”). The heel of the crossing leg should point in the direction of travel. Generally, the crossing leg will move in front of the other leg, unless moving backward. Step sizes are naturally uneven (larger when uncrossed, shorter when crossed).
Jazz run: Utilized primarily by the colorguard, the jazz run is used as a way to move greater distances while still maintaining upper body posture. Performers push off with their trailing leg and land on the toe or “platform” of the leading leg, lunging forward in between. The toes will turn outward slightly and knees will be bent. The upper body should remain stretched up tall, but the entire torso will end up closer to the ground due to the stride length. As with other marching techniques, control and minimize upper body movement/bouncing as much as possible.
Commands
- Unless otherwise shown, each command is given in five even quarter notes.
- The entire band will respond to the commands with the words shown in quotes.
- All of the vocal responses other than the attention, parade rest, and dress commands will be used in rehearsals only.
- Left Face, Right Face, and Halt are two-count moves. Four-count turns are four-count moves. The rest are all one-count moves. We may learn additional commands as well.
