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DOT System.


Ghost

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This is the quote that I came up with for the marching band I work for and it seems to work pretty well:

"Dots in rehearsal, forms in performance."

If in a show and almost everybody in an entire line or form happens to miss their dot but the form still looks good, but then you have that one person who goes to their dot and looks to be out of the form, then that one person who goes to their dot will look wrong. Remember, the judges don't know what your drill looks like....

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They will by mid July and then again at finals.

Unless it is a VERY critical set, I don't think they will remember EXACTLY what it is supposed to look like. And even at that, they still don't know if it has changed since the last time they saw the show.

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This is the quote that I came up with for the marching band I work for and it seems to work pretty well:

"Dots in rehearsal, forms in performance."

If in a show and almost everybody in an entire line or form happens to miss their dot but the form still looks good, but then you have that one person who goes to their dot and looks to be out of the form, then that one person who goes to their dot will look wrong. Remember, the judges don't know what your drill looks like....

Remember, the judges do not have your actual score of the arrangement you are playing either. Right notes for practice and just in the chord for performances?

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Memorize your dots and hit your dots with equal sized steps. But if you notice that you're a half step out of the form, don't be a dot nazi. The dot motivates the form, so hit the dots but also be aware of the form around you.

If someone asks you if your group marches "dot" or "form", your answer should be "yes".

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Memorize your dots and hit your dots with equal sized steps. But if you notice that you're a half step out of the form, don't be a dot nazi. The dot motivates the form, so hit the dots but also be aware of the form around you.

If someone asks you if your group marches "dot" or "form", your answer should be "yes".

In some systems, sure. In other systems, not at all. In some systems, its really all about hitting the dot. Everyone else on the field is inconsequential. In some systems the form comes before the dot in the priority list, which can result in clean forms several steps off of the original dot. There are several ways to get it done. None of them are right or wrong. The correct answer to that question is whatever the system your currently marching in teaches.

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go to most rehearsal sites during the season, probably even during finals week, and you'll hear "check, adjust, standby" (or some variance) after each rep.

check- check your dot book and where you're supposed to be and where you actually ended up

adjust- figure out how far off you are from where you ended and where you're supposed to be then move to the right dot. figure out what you need to do differently next time to get to that exact spot.

standby- stand quietly waiting for next set of instructions

but you cant be the only one hitting dots perfectly if it puts you way out of the form. you're wrong not the others who are in a perfect form but off 3 steps.

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Don't know about the equal sized steps thing for all sets. When my daughter was a 17-yr old rookie, she had one set that required her to march backwards at about a 30% angle to her right to get to the next dot. When they were learning the set without instruments the first time, she went in a straight line with equal sized steps, and barely made it without colliding with anyone, but it was close with a couple of other marchers. During the adjustment, one of the vets turned to her and said, "Sweetie. We're tubas. You better find a different route, 'cause you won't make it through with horns." So she ended up taking 3 big steps straight back, and then 5 smaller steps toward the dot to avoid collisions.

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Remember, the judges do not have your actual score of the arrangement you are playing either. Right notes for practice and just in the chord for performances?

Really?.... Since we are just talking about drill, MY personal belief is that in a show, the form takes priority over your dot. But, when cleaning, using dots and trying your best to hit those dots is the best way to help clean the drill and to build consistency in how the drill moves. Again, just my personal belief.

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Really?.... Since we are just talking about drill, MY personal belief is that in a show, the form takes priority over your dot. But, when cleaning, using dots and trying your best to hit those dots is the best way to help clean the drill and to build consistency in how the drill moves. Again, just my personal belief.

I understand what you are saying here, but in that situation, you are asking your students to approach a performance completely differently from a rehearsal. For many of us, the phrase "rehearse as you will perform" is engrained in our heads from the first day we pick up an instrument. Its been a huge part of my mentality throughout my career, both playing and teaching. So, it would make sense to pick a philosophy and stick to it throughout both, rather than risk inconsistency in a performance.

I get that what you do works for your band, but that's why you're getting comments to the contrary.

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