Methods of Madness

[Phirefenix]

"Run to that light pole" *puzzled look from hornline as none are in sight* "you'll see it, go"

I once had to run to a tree across campus from the practice field. The visual guy told me it was an oak tree or something. To prove it I had to grab a leaf off of the tree before returning, and give it to him.

"Run" *puzzled early season look* "RUN, why are you still standing there do SOMETHING"

I once had to stand in front of the hornline while they sung a rep of the opener because the instructor caught me not singing during morning visual. Probably my most humiliating punishment ever. I felt terrible after that.

I once collided with another contra in visual one morning. Stupid mental error. The staff didn't even say anything. I ran to the sideline, put my horn down, and just ran. I kept going till they told me to stop.

[liebot]

This is one that I wasn't there for, but ECJ in '03 was doing some memory checks a week before the first show and one of the bari players messed up the bari melody in the closer (as in, did not know it). Long story short, the caption head went ballistic, screamed for awhile, and then made the entire hornline stand with their horns up while this one guy ran laps around the field. I'm not sure how many laps he ran, or how long it took, but it was awhile, and the horn line (even trumpets) was hurting pretty bad afterwards. For the rest of the season, the entire horn line had to have their music binders with them literally everywhere they went. Meal breaks, any time after rehearsal, smoke breaks, if you got off the bus in the middle of the night at a truck stop, etc. etc. Every time the caption head caught a person without theirs the entire horn line had to run a lap. I think by the end of the season they owed some absurd amount of laps that would have never been possible to run, but they did do quite a bit of running because of it.

Edited April 13, 2008 by TSRTS13

[Cavalier2123]

I don't think I ever ran a lap or did a pushup in my last 2 years marching. We rehearsed like adults and were treated likewise. Human beings tend to make errors, and our instructors identified them and instructed us on how to correct them. What a novel concept.

Edited April 13, 2008 by Cavalier2123

[DCImonkey]

Yeah yeah.....Cavaliers are so wonderful. I'm sure you much prefer midnight high mark time though because of the kiddies.

[mad_scotty]

I don't think I ever ran a lap or did a pushup in my last 2 years marching. We rehearsed like adults and were treated likewise. Human beings tend to make errors, and our instructors identified them and instructed us on how to correct them. What a novel concept.

at madison we ran as a corps every day after lunch for the cv and accompanying breathing exercises, but pushups were something we did for ourselves, during breaks. you gave them to yourself, not because you'd made a mistake, but because your mistake was caused by a lapse in concentration, and the pushups were a personal reminder to yourself to maintain focus and get the small things right.

[Cavalier2123]

I'm sure you much prefer midnight high mark time though because of the kiddies.

I had completely forgotten about that. That was nearly 10 years ago. We are old.

[TealEuph7]

Instructor to hornline: You will run until I get tired.

Of course this never lasted too long.

[euponitone]

I don't think I ever ran a lap or did a pushup in my last 2 years marching. We rehearsed like adults and were treated likewise. Human beings tend to make errors, and our instructors identified them and instructed us on how to correct them. What a novel concept.

Yea, thats one way to do it, and it works for you. Different human beings tend to require different kinds of motivation, and laps and pushups, in addition to being punishment, are actually good for you (mostly). A REAL novel concept, would be for you not to act like an insulting *** and realize that other people do things differently and that it works fine for them.

[Cavalier2123]

Yea, thats one way to do it, and it works for you. Different human beings tend to require different kinds of motivation, and laps and pushups, in addition to being punishment, are actually good for you (mostly). A REAL novel concept, would be for you not to act like an insulting *** and realize that other people do things differently and that it works fine for them.

Not trying to be insulting at all. The results speak for themselves, and it obviously different things work just fine for different people. I was speaking from personal experience. I spent a summer in '99 enduring that type of motivation and hated every minute of it because it seemed pointless for us, so perhaps I tend to look back on that style of teaching differently than others.

Edited April 13, 2008 by Cavalier2123

[euponitone]

Not trying to be insulting at all. The results speak for themselves, and it obviously different things work just fine for different people. I was speaking from personal experience. I spent a summer in '99 enduring that type of motivation and hated every minute of it because it seemed pointless for us, so perhaps I tend to look back on that style of teaching differently than others.

Sure, the cavaliers have been successful with that method, but its hardly the only method that has worked over the years (or the only method to work for them...) . I think one of the big advantages of that system is that 'word gets out' ... about how the corps rehearses, and you may attract some more talent that way. Anyway, I like the 99 show way more than the 01 show anyway...