Marching Band Drill Writing

The drill must match the music, so my drill writing takes the band from straight single lines, to curvilinear forms, to full block formations, from recognizable pictures to abstract non-forms, and back again, depending on the music.  As a music arranger, I have a tendency to visualize drill as I am writing the music; to me, they are one and the same, and should be intimately locked together to present a total presentation.  Additionally, drill needs to make sense, using available “pick points” on the field, so that it is teachable and learnable.

One of the greatest joys in the marching season is when the band “gets it,” when they realize that the music and the drill really do come together for the complete effect they are trying to project.  And, if the band “gets it,” then the audience and the judges are going to “get it” as well!