Cellphones during rehearsals and performances

[RogerF]

So, in drum corps, for either senior or junior corps, are there policies regarding the usage of cellphones/ipads/ipods/etc. during rehearsals and performances? I'm old school, and I believe that a music rehearsal is a MUSIC rehearsal, not an opportunity for members and musicians to keep their little iphones/whatever next to them or on the music stand, or in their hands.

Do directors or corps have any policies regarding this? Or is it just known among the corps that phones and other devices are prohibited during rehearsals or performances?

The reason I ask is because, I am in a little community college band, I'm in my late 40's. Most of the younger college age musicians have their iphones out, facebooking or texting during rehearsals! Outrageous. And most of the time, they sound not good. The director does not say a word about their usage. I've already said words to the other percussionists about this and I can't believe their lackadasial (sp) attitude about it. Last night was topper...we had a concert last night in front of about 100 people in a college auditorium. One of the percussionists starts texting during the final run through before the actual concert. I asked him to stop and he looked at me like I was some kind of nut and he did not stop. I asked him to put it away and his attitude, as expected was basically, just shut up don't tell me what to do.

Then, one of the directors came to me and said basically "I don't think it's a good idea if you are police-ing the other musicians during rehearsals about their cell phones." What??! I told him, no one else is telling them to put them away, it's a major distraction, and we should be here to play and rehearse music, NOT play on our phones.

Anyways last night was my final time with this "band". I can't believe how immature and their unmusical approach and attitude. Appalling.

Does this happen in drum corps, with cell phones?

Thank you,

Roger

[garfield]

I don't know about corps policies across the board but, IMO, you absolutely did the right thing in quitting the group.

IMO, it will never excel if the director allows such distractions from focused rehearsal.

But I'm an old guy.

[Iplaytimpani]

Cell phones on a stand is very common these days even in the most professional rehearsals and performances. For one, many use them as a tuner. Even in my time with the national tour of Lion King, as soon as a number was through, phones came out. In a show. Granted it was in a pit where couldn't be seen by the audience, but it still was just part of playing that show as long as many of them had been. I honestly feel if you can play your stuff and its not a distraction, then it's whatever. For years people would read a book in a rehearsal with a long tacet, the older generation needs to adapt that phones are a part of our culture especially with a smartphone. And the younger generation needs to do a better job of not being obnoxious about it. Theres a middle ground.

[SpiritVet]

I can't say across the board, but I believe it's unspoken that you don't use a cell phone during rehearsal. In my corps experience, we made fun of the one time someone "needed" to use a phone during rehearsal, and were generally disruptive background (HI PERSON'S MOM!!!!! CAN YOU BRING ME A GATORADE TOOO???) Some corps still have a no cell phones at all during tour policy...i.e. collect them at the beginning of tour, give them out during off days and collect them again, but several of the big names we associate with this practice have reportedly relaxed their policies. There's also the practical aspect that since you're for sure going to use it after a show, and maybe to listen to music or during the bus ride/nighttime, you'll need to charge your phone during the day, thus leaving it in the sleeping area and not on your person during rehearsal.

Now, that's not to say they're completely and totally frowned upon, because closer to the end of the season, there are a lot of field cams during rehearsals and runthroughs. I've even seen a couple videos of major shows from a marcher's perspective taken with a staff placed and well hidden camera/phone.

Edited April 26, 2013 by SpiritVet

[xtreme0204]

professional gig: Yes. The players are not there for an educational experience, and as long as the job is done correctly, then who cares. If they're messing up due to having the phones out, they're fired.

Educational experience: No. Just plain old no. It should not be allowed. They are distracting from others (especially college where each student is paying) learning experience by not paying attention. I would send a polite letter to the dean about how you found it distracting and it may take away from the students' learning experience. If you like to make waves, which I sometimes do.

The question in corps lies in whether you think its professional or educational. Since you're paying for it, I believe it's educational

Edited April 26, 2013 by xtreme0204

[perc2100]

So, in drum corps, for either senior or junior corps, are there policies regarding the usage of cellphones/ipads/ipods/etc. during rehearsals and performances? I'm old school, and I believe that a music rehearsal is a MUSIC rehearsal, not an opportunity for members and musicians to keep their little iphones/whatever next to them or on the music stand, or in their hands.

Do directors or corps have any policies regarding this? Or is it just known among the corps that phones and other devices are prohibited during rehearsals or performances?

The reason I ask is because, I am in a little community college band, I'm in my late 40's. Most of the younger college age musicians have their iphones out, facebooking or texting during rehearsals! Outrageous. And most of the time, they sound not good. The director does not say a word about their usage. I've already said words to the other percussionists about this and I can't believe their lackadasial (sp) attitude about it. Last night was topper...we had a concert last night in front of about 100 people in a college auditorium. One of the percussionists starts texting during the final run through before the actual concert. I asked him to stop and he looked at me like I was some kind of nut and he did not stop. I asked him to put it away and his attitude, as expected was basically, just shut up don't tell me what to do.

Then, one of the directors came to me and said basically "I don't think it's a good idea if you are police-ing the other musicians during rehearsals about their cell phones." What??! I told him, no one else is telling them to put them away, it's a major distraction, and we should be here to play and rehearse music, NOT play on our phones.

Anyways last night was my final time with this "band". I can't believe how immature and their unmusical approach and attitude. Appalling.

Does this happen in drum corps, with cell phones?

Thank you,

Roger

Oddly enough, there are plenty of apps for a phone (at least an iPhone) that are applicable in a marching rehearsal. There is a dot book app, tuner apps, met apps, etc. It would be up to both the director/staff of an organization to determine whether or not member using phone apps in rehearsal is conducive to success, and the member to not let themselves be distracted from the plethora of other apps or phone uses. Where I teach it is not uncommon to see kids using an iPad or iPhone in concert band, jazz band, orchestra, or percussion ensemble rehearsals (some kids like to scan music into PDF and then put them on their iPad). It is more rare during marching band season, but there are some kids who are tech savvy and like to use iPhones on the field.

Now, of course, what you are saying seems radically different than what I'm saying. If we see a student using their tech in rehearsal for anything other than class-related purposes we give them a warning and then confiscate if they do it again. I agree with your frustration that rehearsal should be a time to get better musically and not screw around with social media.

[Ghost]

Read last year on DCP where one corps collects all cell phones for at least the first week after move in.

[flammaster]

I wanted to bring a rotary phone to practice but couldn't get reception!

[glory]

Has any seen the movie "Larry Crowne"? There's a scene in a college classroom where a student takes a call during class. A somewhat jaded, rather surly professor walks to his desk and tells him to repeat (into the phone) what she's saying: (I am) going to learn to care.

Your bandmates need to learn to care. Everyone does today. This idea that multi-tasking was born with the smartphone and the millenial generation is stupid. It wasn't. What was born in the new millenium was a lower standard of caring.

A generation ago, I could have read a comic book or talked to the cutie in the flute section during band and played my parts better than pretty much anyone there. But that would have showed I didn't care, which I did. I cared enough to concentrate. I cared enoungh not to distract those around me.

This is not about what you CAN do. It's about what you SHOULD do. Care.

HH

Edited April 26, 2013 by glory

[euphplayer07]

On my phone I have a rotary dial app!! ;)

I wanted to bring a rotary phone to practice but couldn't get reception!