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Cymbals, Costumes & Color Wheels: Marching Band Design Trends + BOA/DCI News 2025
189 Plays15 days ago
Your All-Access Pass to the Marching Arts.This week’s panel brings together Jackie Brown, Grantis Peranda, Trish O’Shea, Emily Nee, and special guest Liam Reynolds (@bucketdip on TikTok | @liam.r.reynolds on IG). From cymbal line culture to uniform fabrics and color wheel chaos, we cover everything making waves in fall marching band design — plus the latest BOA and DCI headlines you need to know.
🔥 Inside This Episode
- Guest Spotlight: Liam Reynolds shares his 32 Count Life Story, cymbal TikTok journey, and hopes for world-class auditions.
- BOA/DCI News Roundup:• BOA Austin Regional — Vandegrift sweeps captions. • Spartans approved for World Class 2026. • Troopers announce Into the Darkness (2026). • Ohio State unveils first new uniforms since 2006. • Carolina Crown adds Keith Potter & Rosie Miller Queen to design team, plus updates from Genesis, Raiders, Vanguard, Blue Knights, and Impulse.
- Design Trends 2025: Judge blockers (front drops), smoother transitions, digitally printed fabrics, props vs. handhelds, and the danger of ignoring the color wheel.
- 60 Second Tech Block: Grantis on “Writing for Success” + Liam on “Visual Silence vs. Visual Sound.”
- Water We Doing?! Rants on critiques, winterguard mysteries, color choices, and cymbal lines being cut.
- Gush & Go: Emily debuts Gush & Go stickers, Grantis plugs Grantissimo Productions, Trish celebrates Northern Valley’s Blackbird and North Rockland’s win, Liam looks forward to Cap City auditions, and Jackie returns to judging.
🙌 Sponsors
- Peak Group Travel (@peak.group.travel) – Lock in early-bird fares for your next trip or competition.
- Guard Closet (@guardcloset | guardcloset.com) – Your one-stop shop for consignment gear, uniforms, and design services.
📲 Connect & Subscribe
- Email: onawaterbreakpodcast@gmail.com
- Guest Sign-Up Form: [Link in bio]
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- Follow us everywhere: @onawaterbreak
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Transcript
Marching Band Rehearsal Chat
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey everyone, welcome back to On A Water Break, the podcast where we talk about everything you and your friends are talking about at rehearsal on a water break. This week we are all about what's big in marching band design in 2025.
00:00:14
Speaker
We'll also find out what made grantees... But you can still do drop spins on the 45. You can still do drop spins maybe on a prop. You can do drop spins with a broom if you have a witch show.
00:00:26
Speaker
And why Emily said... so apparently they were waiting on a very specific shade of blue to make their uniforms. All this and more in this week's episode of On a Water Break.
00:00:38
Speaker
Adolph the Met and go. Welcome to On a Water Break. The podcast where we talk everything marching arts.
00:00:51
Speaker
Everyone, bring it in. It's time for a water break.
Audience Engagement and Guest Invitations
00:00:54
Speaker
Hey everyone, it's Jackie. We have a great episode lined up this week. We're going to be talking all about fall marching band designs, what we have been seeing, what we're looking forward to for the rest of the season.
00:01:06
Speaker
And we're going to hop over to see who's on the sidelines this week. But before we do that, make sure you go and subscribe on your favorite listening app, write us a review, share this episode with a friend. And of course, if you have a question or a good topic to talk about,
00:01:19
Speaker
email us at on a water break podcast at gmail.com or you can DM us on our social media at on water break. And maybe you could be on the show, go over to our link in bio, click on the show application and come be a guest. It's a super fun time.
00:01:38
Speaker
So who is on the sidelines this week? I want to start off because I don't know if we've actually been on an episode together yet. Grantees, hi Hello. i know. i don't think we have actually.
00:01:52
Speaker
No. We chat all the time in the chat. And then here we are. How are you? I'm doing very well. How are you doing? Great. Great. I'm excited to be here.
00:02:03
Speaker
I've been kind of relegated to the lives. It's another reason I haven't seen a whole lot of everybody lately. if And I haven't been on for a little while, so I apologize, but I'm really happy to get right back into it.
00:02:14
Speaker
haven't been on because you've been doing amazing things though, right? Emily, how are you? Of course I remember you. Actually, I was talking to grantees. I was telling him, i don't know if you remember me at all, but we were involved in like the precursor to on a water break when we used to do the marching drill down stuff during the COVID pandemic.
00:02:34
Speaker
Oh, yes, yes, yes. Yes, definitely the precursor to this. Yeah. Yeah, that was the warm up round. And then here on the real deal. Oh, and I was like, I was like, Emily, how could you think I had forgotten about you? Goodness gracious.
00:02:50
Speaker
But yeah, I never forget about you, Jackie. It's been around. It's been a while since the marching drill down, man. And of course, Trish. Hi. Hello. are you?
00:03:02
Speaker
I'm good. How are you? I'm doing well. I'm so excited to see you guys. And I know it's kind of late for the East Coasters. It's a little bit late for me, but you know, it happens.
00:03:14
Speaker
i Also, we have a guest host joining us on the sidelines this week.
Liam's Cymbal Journey and Aspirations
00:03:20
Speaker
Liam Reynolds. We found him on TikTok. He was swinging his cymbals around like a maniac, I might add.
00:03:30
Speaker
but in a controlled, maniacal way. So Liam, welcome to the show. Thank you. I'm very excited to be here. Well, i don't know if you've heard this show before.
00:03:42
Speaker
Well, we're going to do a little tradition here that we do for all of our new guests, and we're going to do 32 count life story. So basically what's going to happen is we're going to have a metronome. The metronome is going to give you eight beats, and then you're going to start and you're just going to tell us your entire life story so that we know everything about you from the moment of your birth until now.
00:04:01
Speaker
And you have 32 counts to do it. So no pressure. I'll do my best. Okay, so we're having some technical difficulties where Liam can't hear our Mets. So, Gruntis, would you do the honors of conducting him in his 32-count life story?
00:04:16
Speaker
For sure. right, whenever you're ready. All right, my name is Liam. I am a percussionist and a cymbal player from Plainfield, Illinois.
00:04:28
Speaker
I've marched since 2021, spending three years with Plainfield Central High School and three years with our combined group 202 Indole Percussion. I also marched at Guardians in 2022 and I am excited to try out for world-class groups this upcoming WGI anti-Sky season.
00:04:47
Speaker
So you marched to Guardians and you're wanting to try out for world-class. Where are wanting to try out? Currently for the WGI i circuit, I'm looking at Cap City as a group and for Drum Corps, I'm looking towards either Madison Scouts Crossmen.
00:05:05
Speaker
Yay, go Scouts! Or Crossman. Grantees, did you march Scouts? I'm very excited for both auditions. Yes, I did. And Scouts is a really nice place to go march. So hopefully you find your home, do all your research. But yeah, go to the place that's best for you.
00:05:24
Speaker
Yeah, fortunately, these different groups have a lot of connections that I know who've gone there because I'm from the Midwest. So I am very hopeful and excited for this upcoming audition sequence, the audition season.
00:05:38
Speaker
So what made you want to do like TikTok videos with your symbols? So I've been doing TikTok since I started with my symbols. My main first goal was to document my time playing symbols and my journey as I got better and better.
00:05:57
Speaker
It turned from just becoming a part symbol community, being an advocate for symbol lines, and making sure that they have a place in marching band, because we see more and more often in the modern time of marching that symbol lines are getting cut or discounted or discredited.
Cymbal Styles and Preferences
00:06:17
Speaker
So am allowed to express myself through these visuals and...
00:06:24
Speaker
I am excited to talk more about them over the course of this podcast. I have a quick question, Liam. So practice symbols? Is there such a thing? Yes.
00:06:36
Speaker
So and something I found around halfway through my marching career is that you can take symbols that don't have triggers that are for electronic kits that are made out plastic. And what you can do is you can Get two of them and you can use those as practice symbols so you can go through the motions of some of these higher-up groups without being as afraid to drop or make noise around your family when it's late at night and you want to practice.
00:07:07
Speaker
Music
00:07:09
Speaker
And, you know, it probably would help with some injury prevention while you're practicing as well, because cymbals can cut you and they do hurt. I know because fun fact, I, I march cymbals and scouts. So, haha.
00:07:24
Speaker
Wow. Yeah. That's awesome. Yes. am very like, it's one of my most asked questions. It's asked enough to the point where I have a painted video on my Tik TOK, all about those practice rules.
00:07:38
Speaker
Because i tend to make videos of the early stages of a sequence that I'm writing or during a period when I didn't have access to symbols whatsoever, I would make symbol videos with these practice symbols. And it allowed me to cause a stir and be able to show people that there's a way to practice that is a bit more like ethical, I guess, a bit more easy access than going out and buying symbols or having to practice during certain hours in certain areas of your life.
00:08:12
Speaker
That's a fantastic idea. Yeah. And it makes sense. Like there's so many people who don't even know that there's practice drums out there, like practice pads for your drums. People who are outside the band world, I'm sure the practice symbols just blow their mind.
00:08:25
Speaker
Yeah. i got ask What are the best symbol lines out there or people other people should know about since you are. very prolific in the symbol world.
00:08:36
Speaker
So it's a really interesting topic because and like to break symbols into three different styles. There HBCU, Historically Black College Universities, which have their own sort of carving and swaying symbol style. Then there are East Coast symbols, which is a lot of the new innovative stuff with the juggles and with throws and different tricks that they're doing and then west coast which is kind of a bit backwards because you would think that west coast would be the more innovative and that east coast would be traditional but west coast is a lot of traditional staying within the strap and doing big motions that you've seen for decades so in the west coast world
00:09:25
Speaker
As far as w goes, the big names that come to mind are Broken City and RCC. And in the East Coast realm, we have groups that are like George Mason University, RhythmX, Cap City, which is one of the reasons why I'm trying to go for them.
00:09:43
Speaker
But... I personally am an East Coast cymbal player. When people come up to me and recommend, oh, you should do Santa Clara Vanguard, or you should pulse percussion, I just simply like, I'm sorry, I am not.
00:09:58
Speaker
it's It's a style that I respect, and I love all different types of cymbals, but it is a style that I'm unfamiliar with, personally. East Coast, Best Coast.
00:10:09
Speaker
Yeah. suresh I'm sure that's not how that saying goes, but carry on. Yes, it is. It's all good. I think you forgot to put a W on there. so No, I didn't. Weast? Weast Goose?
00:10:21
Speaker
What is that? I love Weast Goose. Am I the only Weast Goose person in here? What's going on? But anyway, um we wanted to ask a little bit about the choreo for Symbol lines. Who designs that? I mean, is somebody brought in specifically just to do that? Or is it a musician type person who just gets creative?
00:10:42
Speaker
There's a lot that you can do with symbols. I wish I had brought my symbols down here in order to show, but there's so many different things that you can do with symbols, whether it's the two different faces of it, the knot that you can use, the strap, the pad.
00:10:58
Speaker
There's so many different ways that you can experiment with symbols. And through that experimentation and through people doing that in symbolizing and collaborating with their creativity,
00:11:10
Speaker
is how a lot of the visuals have came to be. And there's still new stuff that people are and working with, like transferring symbols between different hands and doing multiple rotations on the different things that they are performing. So it's really a collaborative effort in symbols as far as what they are doing and how they are improving or making different things happen.
00:11:39
Speaker
So if I wanted to like go apply for a job as a cymbal choreographer, that's probably not a thing, right? Yeah, it's more having a cymbal tech. But usually, either the techs are providing these cymbal visuals and saying, hey, we're going to teach this to line, or the line comes up with visuals of their own.
00:12:02
Speaker
But usually, as far as like the choreography that I've done, it's either... Me trying to be expressive and show what cymbals can do and pushing myself. Or it's for stuff like auditions because least in East Coast cymbals, traditionally you would write your own audition solo to show what you can do and what type of style you can bring to the group that you are auditioning for.
00:12:28
Speaker
I think that might be Trish's calling. We need like a color guard, cymbal choreography crossover. Yes, let's do it.
00:12:38
Speaker
Okay, well, we want to take this time to preview some of the amazing episodes that are live on our all of our channels right now.
Marching Band Highlights and Achievements
00:12:48
Speaker
There's some bonus content going on, too.
00:12:50
Speaker
ah September 19th, we had the Pride of the Southland Explained episode. So Dr. Michael Stewart from UT, that's University of Tennessee, right? Yeah.
00:13:02
Speaker
And his students, Madeline Bowman and Austin Kerr, yeah, they had a lot of really, really cool stuff to talk about. The Black Suits leadership, circle drill, audition culture, their famous Rocky Top Woo.
00:13:18
Speaker
If you've not heard of those things, which I haven't, I'm going to have to go back and listen to that episode myself to get some of that. September 18th had the WGI Circuit Symposium Roundtable, which, Granteese, you were all about that one, right?
00:13:34
Speaker
I love that one. I get very nerdy. We're all band kids, so we're going nerdy about something. But I get very nerdy about like circuit discussions because I'm heavily involved or have been heavily involved in circuits in my area. But just to hear what's going on in other parts of the country and how they all came together and what WGI says and all the talk about that. So if you're interested in what circuits, maybe you're a judge, maybe you're contest coordinator or even an instructor that wants to know about these things, that's a really good episode that you should.
00:14:04
Speaker
listening to. Or if you're just a fan of Ricardo. Yes, and Lauren Burns from our main circuit. Again, East Coast, Best Coast was on that chat. ah It was really great. Really, really great. guys did an awesome job.
00:14:22
Speaker
And then back on September 5th, we talked about the, we talked about Finley. He's a four-year-old who is the Ohio State University's biggest fan. He loves marching band so much. We talked to his mom.
00:14:38
Speaker
He was in the running for the Toddler of the Year Award. And I feel like we need to give an update on that. I think he got sixth place, which was crazy because...
00:14:49
Speaker
For people who don't know, it's like he was in first for a really, really, really long time. But the whole point of the program is that it's a fundraiser for the or the the Toys for Tots program. And right there at the semifinals, he went from like first and then like we woke up the next morning and he was in like third one day. we were like, what? No. And then everybody's voting and voting.
00:15:09
Speaker
And then... He got back to first and then he ended up getting knocked back down to six, but they broke some serious records. They even raised $3,000 in one day. Like his voting alone raised $3,000 in one day. So it was amazing.
00:15:26
Speaker
And of course, Finley is just a sweet kid and I love seeing all of this stuff that his parents post. He absolutely loves marching band and he's the same age as my little boy. So it's like, they could be besties. Yeah.
00:15:38
Speaker
And we also talked to author Jace Peoples, who wrote the young adult novel Twirl. um We've talked to him a couple of times now. And now that that novel is out, it's making some waves. I tell you what. It's awesome. I was on the episode. We were, we were on the episode when he introduced the book and ever, I mean, ever since that, the book was so great and we can all relate to it.
00:16:05
Speaker
And, anybody who's taught kids, you know, in this activity can totally relate to it. And he was so excited and I, you know, it's just blown up since then. And I'm so super happy for him.
00:16:19
Speaker
Me too. absolutely love that. He's seen so much success with it because yeah, it's, I don't know. And I just love that it's about color guard.
00:16:30
Speaker
Well, for those of you haven't read it yet, make sure you go get your copy and We'll do that right now while we're on a commercial break. So we'll see you back in just a minute.
00:16:52
Speaker
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Speaker
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00:17:45
Speaker
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00:17:58
Speaker
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00:18:15
Speaker
All right, everybody, get off the field. It's time for our water break. I sent the assistant band director to go see if he get lights turned on for us so we can keep rehearsing. um Why don't we see what's happening in the news this week?
00:18:42
Speaker
I am going to kick it off because i have the results from the BOA Austin Regional, which happened on September twentieth i Of course, Bands of America kicked off with that first regional in Texas.
00:18:56
Speaker
Vandegrift High School took first place. Their score was 83.75.
00:19:02
Speaker
i would love that for a first score of this season, personally. Literally, I was just thinking that. I was just thinking that in my head. Like, how are you getting an 83 at the first show? Uh-huh.
00:19:14
Speaker
You're amazing and you're from Texas.
00:19:18
Speaker
ah Cedar Park High School and Vista Ridge High School were also in the top three, but Vandegrift swept the music visual on GE captions. So...
00:19:31
Speaker
this It is definitely sounding like a Vandergrift kind of year. So we'll see. I mean, it's only the first show. ah Trish, what do you got for us today? Well, a story that's new and dear to my heart. i have a very good friend who's up there in the Spartans organization. Shout out to Andy. I actually just spoke to him on the phone before we did this episode.
00:19:51
Speaker
um So it's official. The Spartans have been approved to compete in world class for 2026.
00:20:02
Speaker
i yeah To say congratulations. He said, well, and I, you know, I told him what, you know, what we were going to announce. And he said, well, that's not the entire story.
00:20:13
Speaker
Yes, they are going to be world-class for 2026, but this weekend, I believe it's Friday. They are having a vote to see if they are like a full member with voting rights and, you know, the, the you know, the contest fees and all that stuff. So,
00:20:31
Speaker
They're almost there, they're but there's still, you know, a little bit more to happen this weekend. So anyway, wow. What a successful season for them I mean, ah was a little funny, interesting side story.
00:20:45
Speaker
And this is absolutely no disrespect to the Crossman whatsoever. I know you were saying before you go ah ah you're are you going to audition for a Crossman? Liam? It's awesome. But, Oh, she's spilling um my friend.
00:20:57
Speaker
My friend didn't stay for semis. And he flew back into New Jersey and to Newark and he was driving, he was driving home and I was watching semis on flow.
00:21:08
Speaker
And I called him, i think after the Spartans before, I don't know, I called him, he was on the road and I called him. was like, are you okay? You know, whatever. Cause he had to drive back to New Hampshire from ah Newark.
00:21:20
Speaker
And, um, I was actually on the phone with him when it was announced that they beat the crossman. And I was looking at the scores coming up on float. was like, Oh God, Andy, you got them. You got them. You got them. So that's how he found out.
00:21:33
Speaker
I mean, and not that again, it's no tea, no shade, but to, for a court coming up from open class to beat somebody who's been so successful in world class for so many generations, it's just, it was just huge for them. And it really sets them up well going into 2026. So welcome Spartans to the world class for 2026. Get your tickets early. Yeah.
00:22:00
Speaker
That's going to be amazing. Spartans was like winning division two back when it wasn't open class. It was like div two and three whenever I was marching. It's just, yeah. It's been a long, it's been a long time coming. It's been, the reason why they've held back a lot um is because the um schools here up in, in East coast, best coast, um sorry mey um like our schools don't end until like mid June.
00:22:31
Speaker
So they were kind of in this gray area of obviously when they were in open class, they had slightly, although people age out open class, the majority of the course slightly younger than a lot of your world-class competitors.
00:22:48
Speaker
And they, we're kind of playing with that whole, we can't move in as early because we have a lot of high school kids. I i know in different parts of the country, high school ends in May here up in the Northeast. It's like June, middle of June.
00:23:02
Speaker
So that kind of was, you know, the, just you know, the, the fact why they kind of stayed in open as long as they did, they were like, well, we really can't move in as early as a lot of other cores, but Now it's just, they're just going to go for it. And, you know, and obviously they've been really super successful. So they had a good year last year. So I'm really excited for them. i'm really excited to see what they're going to do.
00:23:24
Speaker
two Oh, that's going to be so good for the Spartans. who ah Liam, you've got some more DCI news for us too. Yes, I do. Troopers announced their 2026 production, which is untraditional, but at this rate, it's a tradition for troopers. From Casper Wilding, they release their show titled Into the Darkness, and it will be the finale of their cinematic universe arc that they've been going through.
00:23:56
Speaker
and I remember when they did this the first time around, when they were announcing their show right after they got off the field, And that was an insane moment, at least in my eyes, when I was watching the finals. And I think it's a really interesting strategic play for troopers to be announcing the show right after they get off field because troopers is so fresh and people's minds when they have just performed in finals and they're doing great in finals.
00:24:27
Speaker
And the fact that they're getting off the field and then their new show is being announced. Our favorite Cowboys are just... going at it and they are bringing in new members from this publicity of announcing it so early so does anybody want explain what this troopers cinematic universe arc is because they planned this like way in advance multiple multiple seasons so i don't know but i still love that sun
00:24:59
Speaker
Yeah. to the the sun prop Same, same. I'm just hoping, and I don't know if how you guys feel that I've said this a million times on the podcast that they're not going too far from who they are. Cause I think we all love who they are.
00:25:16
Speaker
i know and talking to people, it's the end of the the trooper character. That was the whole finale of the show last year. yeah, I just hope they're not, I've said this a million times, I just hope they're not going too far from their past. it's Everything evolves. They have to get with the times. I get it. But, you know, we so like you know we still we still love a good sunburst that we mean again. We all love that. The crowd loves that.
00:25:42
Speaker
I'm sure they can find a way, though, to keep their own personal identity while still... Yeah, i know I'm hoping for them....becoming more modern, too. who and love the keepers.
00:25:55
Speaker
yeah I'm totally different for the Troopers cinematic universe. I don't know about you. i Have any of you played the, this is random, but for some reason I was thinking, like this sounds like something out of the series from Red Dead Redemption.
00:26:09
Speaker
Yes! Yes, no, name is. Okay, thank you. I'm just like, this is so random, but I drew a character for the Troopers and I looked at it for a couple seconds. I just made a Red Dead Redemption character, but am I wrong though?
00:26:20
Speaker
Is that? That sounds about right. We're all nerds here. That's right. Well, Emily, and do you want to nerd out about the Ohio State University new uniforms?
00:26:34
Speaker
Oh, yeah. So now for something a little bit different, into the collegiate universe. Ohio State University, I would imagine everyone knows what that is. If it's not, I think you need to take a vacation on Wikipedia and catch yourself up on that. But for the first time since 2006, Ohio State University is had their uniforms updated.
00:26:55
Speaker
The look remains the same, you know, that classic Ohio State style, but they upgraded the the fabric to be more comfortable, durable, and flexible. And apparently they were supposed to debut a lot earlier than they were supposed to, and apparently that was caused by some weird thing with DAC wool.
00:27:13
Speaker
So apparently, according to in military history, there's a very, very specific shade of blue. It's called midnight blue. It's almost like a, and call it like a Well, it's like blue-black-ish thing. like if you're Like, to the naked eye, it looks black. So apparently they were waiting on a very specific shade of blue to make their uniforms.
00:27:32
Speaker
And i was just like, yeah, that sounds like, you know, a band thing. You gotta to get your oddly specific colors in. and but were the old uniforms Midnight Blue, or were they black?
00:27:44
Speaker
Is this a change or? I'm not an expert on Ohio State bandology, but I'm pretty sure the color has stayed consistent as that midnight blue.
00:27:54
Speaker
But don't quote me on that. I was all kinds of confused watching the first game. i was like, I thought they got new uniforms. And now I know the backstory that they weren't ready at that point. Yeah.
00:28:05
Speaker
Oh, and I just got confirmed. Yes, they have been stayed as blue. I thought they were black for the longest time. Maybe I need to get my eyes checked. No, then sign me up too, because I thought it was black also.
00:28:17
Speaker
Midnight blue. Somebody is angrily typing to me in the chat. Yes, yes, we've established that is a very specific blue, often used by the military. Yeah, and the crazy thing is, is that those uniforms are as old as me.
00:28:33
Speaker
Like it's a long standing tradition over here at Ohio state. But as of 2006, maybe I was like, wait a minute. It's been that long since a uniform change.
00:28:45
Speaker
Yeah. un Uniforms are expensive and traditional tradition is tradition. Well, and they're not changing the style so much either as just the fabric. And I think, you know, this this move toward more comfortable marching uniform fabrics, I feel like has been a really, really positive one.
00:29:01
Speaker
You know, regardless of what people say and, you know, the arguments going on about whether the uniform should be more traditional or more stylized but the show whatever, I really, really like that it's more comfortable for the members, especially when you're talking when you're in the summer, you're in the heat, ah the hot part of the fall, and you need like your skin to breathe ah it's just it's really important i appreciate that designers are finally kind of going that direction grantees tell us what's going on over at carolina crown now
00:29:33
Speaker
All righty.
Innovations and Trends in Marching Band Design
00:29:34
Speaker
So Carolina Crown has added two big names to their 2026 design team. This is going to be Keith Potter as artistic director and Rosie Miller Queen. Yay, go Rosie.
00:29:47
Speaker
As visual design advisor, signaling fresh design innovation across DCI. Other major announcements also include Genesis naming a new educational leadership team.
00:30:00
Speaker
The Raiders hiring a brass caption head. And the Santa Clara Vanguard releasing multiple 2026 audition dates. The Blue Knights will host a November 16th camp in Dallas.
00:30:14
Speaker
And Impulse has a one-day audition set for January 3rd in Cerritos, California. And this just in... oh okay... West coast is the best coast that makes total sense. Yes. and And historically as well, West coast is the best, best coast. Thank you so much. That's, that's what I've got so far. And I'm just chilling out over here in the Midwest.
00:30:40
Speaker
Like what else you mean the mid weast that's not even close to the West. But I just wanted to kind of segue into the next segment, our big discussion for today. Out of all these design teams and all these things happening in drum corps land and also WGI land and you know now fall season, since we're in the midst of fall season, what have you all kind of seen for design trends that are happening right now, especially this year in 2025?
00:31:11
Speaker
Judge blockers. Judge blockers are back. What are judge blockers? Those panels. yeah The locals across the front that has the equipment changes.
00:31:22
Speaker
Those are back. As a matter of fact, there's one band that, I mean, I have a main group. but I have this other group that I've been helping out on Thursday nights because some of the guard kids march on my independent program.
00:31:35
Speaker
I was like, we were setting up and I'm only, again, I'm only there on Thursday nights, so I don't see it all. But I mean, they were at our, they were at my other marching band's home show on Saturday. It was like, wait a minute, we have judge blockers.
00:31:48
Speaker
All of a sudden these judge blockers came out and they're actually really, really beautiful. We're doing Hamilton and they're all like, parts of the constitution and we, the people, it's, they're actually very pretty, but I've more than one band judge blockers are back and better than ever.
00:32:05
Speaker
It's, it's also funny that you called them judge blockers. Cause they do, if you're a downstairs judge and you're on the track and you can't see if you're like a visual, I, a you know, kind of judge, yeah it's going to be difficult. Yeah. It is kind of a judge blocker. Yeah.
00:32:18
Speaker
We, that's what we call call them on the east front drops when I was in school. Ah, see. Because you have backdrops and you have front drops. That does make sense.
00:32:30
Speaker
I did see a lot of those this weekend, too. You just got to be careful. You're in style. They're in style, but be be aware that how your students are transitioning you know for those front blockers because that helps kind of hide the transition or hide the equipment. But also, you don't want to broadcast that you're going to there.
00:32:49
Speaker
I know. It's pretty slope. That's actually one of the things that I noticed. I was had my first time back judging in two years this weekend. um And that was something I noticed was we kind of forgot how to do a smooth and seamless transition.
00:33:07
Speaker
Not everyone, not everyone. But there was a lot of just the entire color guard clears the field, picks up a new piece of equipment. The entire color guard comes back. Then they spin this. Then the entire color guard goes away.
00:33:19
Speaker
They put the equipment down, pick up another piece, and then they all come back. And I was like, okay, we need to go back to transitions 101 here. um So that that is a that is not a trend. We're not going to make that a thing.
00:33:33
Speaker
That's going to go away. ah Oh, the other thing was was there's just this use of colors. and I want to save this one for my water redoing, actually. But there's been an interesting use of colors that I will comment on later.
00:33:46
Speaker
Kind of going back to what you were saying before, Jackie, about the uniforms, I've noticed this, that it kind of always happens, kind of like the trickle-down. DCI does this, so we're going to do it too, and it may not always be appropriate for a costuming person I do agree with you 100%, Jackie. like Get uniforms that are comfortable to move in, that are not going to cause you heat stroke. We have this you know type of lycra or like you know stretch polyester material.
00:34:15
Speaker
But also, that might not be the best for your students in your marching band because it may not look good. Just because it's the trend, like if your show is about...
00:34:26
Speaker
I don't know, let's say a murder mystery and it's clue and everyone's like, you know, has different character uniforms. You don't have to go out of your way to get like a whole, you know, custom made, like printed out uniform. If it would have been cheaper and more economical and like easier and faster, if you would have just ordered those individual uniforms or pieces online, maybe for Amazon or gone to the thrift store,
00:34:54
Speaker
Because I think i this is the trend that I see is that everyone thinks I have to order out of the catalog. And sometimes you don't. Maybe you have a small merchant banner something else like that. But you know we're always like, let's go do the 3D printed thing. Let's do the, not 3D printed. Let's do the printed fabric thing because everybody else is it. don't necessarily have to do that.
00:35:13
Speaker
As a budding designer, I have a love-hate relationship with the 3D printed stuff. On one hand, it's awesome. It's great. But sometimes, like, you know, I'm the kind of artist that likes to be a less is more type of person.
00:35:27
Speaker
Because it's like, from 30 yards away, are you really going to see all of those microscopic patterns on someone's skirt? Probably not. Right? So it's kind of like, why am I getting buzzed?
00:35:40
Speaker
That's the truth.
00:35:44
Speaker
There we go. I think it was also when the, sorry, we're saying the wrong thing, the digitally printed fabric. When the digitally printed flags came out, people tried to put like all these weird stuff on that.
00:35:56
Speaker
And then now we're kind of in that same era. And they looked terrible when they were spun. They looked so bad. So we're kind of in that same era of putting too much on a uniform and... you know, you maybe could have put like, if you're going to have chains, like small chains, maybe actually put a real chain would have actually been more effective because it actually sparkled. But anyways, that's, that's one of those.
00:36:19
Speaker
You understand me. Sorry. Oh yeah. What else have we seen kind of this season or even from this past year? That's kind of being a design trend.
00:36:29
Speaker
So Liam, as you're coming from the performer as aspect of it, what have you seen in the trends and what's what's your perspective on on the trends of the last you know the last few years leading into this year and how have things changed from your point of view?
00:36:47
Speaker
So I have only known post-COVID marching band. That's the only, I've been here since 2021. I would have marched 2020 if COVID didn't happen.
00:36:57
Speaker
so And I spent the past year and a half off of marching band because I graduated and I haven't been in any ensembles. So it's been really hard for this segment to know what trends are happening outside of just my little corner as an alumni.
00:37:14
Speaker
But I've been seeing more and more that people are using props that are like handheld props and then they're using less on the field props is what I've at least been seeing.
00:37:27
Speaker
Like, if you have a moon show, you'll have all these, like, different, like, miniature props that the guard is throwing around, and you won't really have as much landscape-type props. But that's that's just what I've seen.
00:37:43
Speaker
Personally, i have also seen that there's a lot of things in DCI that have changed post-COVID that have been slowly leaking into all high school yeah That's my yeah i perspective.
00:38:00
Speaker
Yeah. And it makes sense that you're a simple person. You've noticed things in people's hands. Like, I don't know, maybe you've seen this past winter, I think, or somebody had like red boxes and, and they were using them in their show.
00:38:14
Speaker
um And then, of course, I know of high schools probably going up using those too. But I think we used to get really prop heavy, like big props, and we're going to be on the props. And like, Mandarins had that big stage in the round circle prop a few years ago.
00:38:29
Speaker
And then maybe the band directors kind of thought like, huh, this isn't really practical for our school, because then you have to transport it. So what other type of props we could use? But I'm definitely seeing that. Yeah, there's still some things on the field that people can use if they have the budget or, the you know, the parents to do that. But then you know, what other handheld things can be incorporated on that field stage that can still be seen.
00:38:50
Speaker
Well, it is time for your Peep Group Travel Tip of the Week, brought to you by our sponsors at Peep Group Travel, helping you navigate your next adventure, whether it's across the country or just to your next competition.
Performance Logistics and Design Tips
00:39:04
Speaker
Hi everyone, it's time for your travel tip of the week with me. I'm Beth with Peak Group Travel. If you're doing a special performance on your next tour, make sure you contact the venue to be sure of everything that's included.
00:39:17
Speaker
Things like electricity, chairs, stands, lighting, and maybe even large percussion instruments might not be included. So make sure you check before you leave in case you need to bring anything on your own.
00:39:30
Speaker
Don't forget to like and follow Peak Group Travel on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to email info at peakgrouptravel.com when you're ready to start planning your next performance tour.
00:39:41
Speaker
This is Beth with Peak Group Travel and your travel tip of the week. Ready to elevate your travel game?
00:39:57
Speaker
ready to elevate your travel game Welcome to Peak Group Travel, the ultimate adventure creators. Whether you're planning an unforgettable class trip, a once in a lifetime parade experience for your marching band, or a choir tour full of memorable performance venues, Peak Group Travel handles it all, so you can focus on making memories.
00:40:15
Speaker
From breathtaking international destinations to amazing adventures right here at home, Peak Group Travel customizes every journey to your vision. We're not just planners, we're your partners for the trip you want for your students.
00:40:28
Speaker
Our online registration portal makes managing your pre-trip experience smooth and convenient. We even collect your payments if you'd like. Picture it, effortless planning, unmatched experiences, and smiles that last long after the journey ends.
00:40:41
Speaker
That's the Peak Group Travel difference. And if you choose to partner with Peak on your next tour, and you mentioned that you heard about us on the On a Water Break podcast, you'll earn a $100 trip credit. Discover why groups everywhere trust Peak Group Travel.
00:40:54
Speaker
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to visit peakgrouptravel.com today. You pick the date and we'll make it great.
00:41:14
Speaker
All right, everyone, we are back. We have got bug spray to hand around because these lights are attracting all of the bugs out here on the field. But it is time. for our 60 Second Tech Block.
00:41:26
Speaker
60 Second Tech Block.
00:41:35
Speaker
ah This is the segment where one of our hosts or guest clinicians is put on the spot to deliver a nonstop 60 second tech session on a topic that needs some serious attention after the last run.
00:41:47
Speaker
Our special tech this week has come prepared with three topics they think they can talk about for a full 60 seconds straight. No hesitation, no pauses, just pure technical gold. And this week we haven't been on together yet. So I'm going to throw it over to you, grantees.
00:42:03
Speaker
Woo. Thank you so much. Well, you said your best topics were writing for success, tips for costuming or motivations for your team.
00:42:15
Speaker
So let us vote. What do you guys want to hear about writing for success? I definitely want to hear about that. What are you guys think? I feel like that fits with our, our theme of designing and shows. Yeah.
00:42:32
Speaker
All in favor, say hi. but All right, Grantees, are you prepared with this topic? Yes, I am. Emily, can you pull up 60-second timer on your phone?
00:42:46
Speaker
You got it, boss. All right. Let's do this. All right, Grantees, you are live. Go! Alright, so when are you are designing for your students, you first have to keep in mind where your students are at currently.
00:43:04
Speaker
You have to think about what skills your students possess as a whole team and also individually. You have to write to their skill sets, but leaving room for challenge.
00:43:16
Speaker
You don't want to get something so easy that they get bored with halfway through the season. But you also don't want to do something that is way too far beyond their skill realistically that they could achieve at the end.
00:43:27
Speaker
For Color Guard, definitely want to have choreography that is within their wheelhouse of technique, developing that technique from a foundational standpoint. And you also want to make sure that you are doing something that really brings out the best in your students. It doesn't have to be something that is like everybody else, but that is owned to your strengths as a choreographer and designer, and that you can bring out into your students.
00:43:50
Speaker
And be smart with it. Design smarter, not harder. This is what's really going to propel them later on. Time. All right. That was awesome.
00:44:02
Speaker
I was shaking my head up and down. Thank you so much. Agreed. I've got a really, really good taste of this this year because we went from last year, my home team, which that I work with here locally, went from like winning everything last year because we had a guard full of seniors.
00:44:21
Speaker
And this year we have one vet. So, you know, we had to take that choreography and all the crazy cool stuff we were doing and make it work for now make the work different this year for those new members. So it's, it's definitely a different situation depending on your students. Yeah.
00:44:39
Speaker
And it's like teams go in waves. You'll have a really good graduating class and they'll all leave. And then you got to start from the beginning again. But like, I think some people don't realize is that there is vocabulary and range at the lower level.
00:44:55
Speaker
It's just, you know, there's not that much of it. The range might not be as high, but you can still do drop spins on the 45. You can still do drop spins, maybe on a prop.
00:45:06
Speaker
You can do drop spins with a broom if you have a witch show. And that shows, you know, but different dynamics. You can be lower on the ground. You can be on your back. You can roll. You know, there's different things you can do. And some people think you have to do the really high level stuff to get all the points. And no, all the points are in the foundational aspects as well.
00:45:26
Speaker
Well, like any good performer, Liam also came ready with 60 seconds of his own. And I feel like we need some more symbol education as well.
00:45:37
Speaker
So Liam, would you be able to school us for 60 seconds on the symbols here? and Absolutely. got you you Ready? Just a real quick thing. I completely understand and got where Grantis was going with that conversation. Symbols are often considered the color guard of the drum line as they add to general effect and they add to the sound of the entire ensemble.
00:46:05
Speaker
So when he was talking about how you change with the different groups that you have since it's professional ensemble every year, I remember my second year of indoor, we had a lot of seniors and we got bumped up to open class.
00:46:21
Speaker
And our visuals were going through that and we were teaching all of that stuff to our new members. And then the next year afterwards, we went back down to A class.
00:46:33
Speaker
So it really does ebb and flow. And I think that there was really good points that were made there.
00:46:41
Speaker
But I am ready for segment that you graciously Emily would you do the now we're trying to start I wasn't sure if I was supposed to time that or it's my first time in a thousand years yeah it's my first time in thousand years it all makes sense but just let me know when a new segment can let's go for it alright starting now 60 seconds Alright, so a bit of a hot take I have is that visual silence can at times be more important than visual sound. What i mean by this is that while any really good group can be uniform with the visual sound or the motions that they're going through throughout a performance, sometimes the stopping and the less cluttering of moments when you have to make adjustments
00:47:40
Speaker
and change your different positions can really show the maturity of a group. And what I would do when I am teaching or when I am helping with a group is I would tell them to be really stiff and rigid during those moments and just go through the different places that they want to hit with their body.
00:48:00
Speaker
And just stick at that for a couple of seconds so that when they go into a performance, it's not a matter of, oh, no, I'm here. i have to adjust. It's bodily reaction to go to where they need to be.
00:48:14
Speaker
And time. Perfect. Perfect.
00:48:21
Speaker
That's something... i I feel like I didn't understand that as a color guard performer until I started spinning weapon. I don't know why specifically, but it that's when that clicked for me, when I started to understand that concept. 60 seconds, 10 blocks.
00:48:46
Speaker
It's that yell every time. I'll get you, right?
Enhancing Performance Feedback and Visual Impact
00:48:49
Speaker
Take off my earphones every time. That was a solid 60 second tech block turned 120 second tech block. Of course, hopefully someone out there just got the tech advice they didn't know they needed, but now it is time to switch things up. It's time for everyone's favorite. What are we doing?
00:49:05
Speaker
What are we doing?
00:49:11
Speaker
are What are we doing? This is the part of the show where we let loose a little bit or maybe a lot. This is your chance to rant about something in the marching arts that just doesn't make sense.
00:49:25
Speaker
So maybe it's a tradition that needs to go. Maybe it's a habit that performers can't seem to break. Maybe it's something that makes you think, why are we even doing this? Or why haven't we started doing this yet? Whatever it is, this your moment to call it out.
00:49:38
Speaker
So who's got something that they need to get off their chest? I got something. Go for it. Okay. And this is i' be nice about it. This is as a judge, but I judge, but also what are we doing? Not going to critique some people. still have critiques. really they Oh yeah. Yeah.
00:49:59
Speaker
I said, you still have critiques that you athlete says you still have critique. I said, Oh yeah. Oh yeah. We still have critiques. And this is for fall. I'm talking about for fall and also for winter, but yeah. Um, because no we have them for winter.
00:50:11
Speaker
Oh yeah. For winter, for sure. But for fall, it's sometimes surprises me. I understand if your school needs to, you know, have the bus thing, the bus schedule, the bus driver needs to go back at a certain time or whatever.
00:50:23
Speaker
you know, that whole thing. But um it's really good for you because sometimes as a judge, we have questions about your show that we would like to know because we need to, we're probably going to see you a second time.
00:50:35
Speaker
And so a lot of the times the schools that should be going to critique are not there and they really should stay, stick around to get more information from the judge as well. So there's, there's that cycle of information that needs to happen and some programs do not get the full benefit of it.
00:50:50
Speaker
And you know what, if you think that your program is fantastic and they're doing nothing wrong, then come to critique anyways, because we will love to praise you as well. So no matter what, go to critique, go to critique, go to critique if it's possible.
00:51:03
Speaker
And isn't that like, i know at least here, there's like usually free food critique. What are you doing? Go get it. Yeah. like hospitality thing yeah Yeah, usually ah the critique is next to the parents that have food and stuff. Oh, definitely. I'm always eating beforehand.
00:51:24
Speaker
So yeah, we don't have critique at the fall marching festivals. Apparently they used to around here and they just don't anymore. But I wonder if it's just because people weren't going.
00:51:35
Speaker
I think another point about critique that is somewhat similar that at least I have a bit of an issue with is why are some band directors hiding the judge tapes?
00:51:47
Speaker
What? I feel like, so at least this is in my experience, some directors feel like what they are getting out of the judge tapes is not something that they want to show to their members. And I feel like even if a judge...
00:52:03
Speaker
can be harsh or a judge could be doing some things that might not be suitable for members. I think that's still important for members to hear it and not just the band directors.
00:52:15
Speaker
I think, that it I think because some of it might be design based. And you don't want to give, you know, kids sometimes take things and run with it and you don't want them to be like, did you hear what they said? That that part wasn't like designed well, like, you know, I'm just, I don't know. I'm caught.
00:52:35
Speaker
I'll, I'll, I'll take the other hand, Liam. And I'll say, I'm, I'm cautious about it as well. Yeah. Yeah. And also that makes sense that some directors might be a little bit, you know, withdrawn from it, but I do believe that the director should not have a total no on all judge tapes.
00:52:54
Speaker
Like, you know, out of the five judges, maybe they may give the students one judge tape to listen to, not all of them. And then my program that I used to teach for, we'd give them all the judge tapes by the end of the season, every competition, but But it is good to hear at least one. I think it was, you know. Agreed. and there's ah There's a reason why and there's a reason why not.
00:53:15
Speaker
Especially in winter when you have, the like, the downstairs captions are usually good for the kids to hear. For sure. For sure. Trish, do you want to tell us what are we doing? I think my what are we doing is kind of like a what is everybody doing. I'm so intrigued to see, you know, how this...
00:53:34
Speaker
but I'm not trying to what rush to get to winter because actually am enjoying this March event season, believe it or not. But I'm like, what are you all doing? Like, is there going to be an Avon world this year?
00:53:47
Speaker
Why are the Pacific airs not coming out again? What's good? Like, who's the big world team out in the Midwest without pride? I mean, we saw Vonics, we saw, but it seems like people are gravitating towards elevate and...
00:54:02
Speaker
Who's the new one that just meddled in open and they just went up and like Michael Townsend's there and I'm trying to think of the name. You're all going to kill But you know, like what's going on with that? Is that going to be like, you know, he's going to start on it's out there. What's up with Juxta? You know, like there's so many questions going into the season. So instead of like, what are we doing? Like, what are you all doing? Like what's going on? I can't wait to hear about it.
00:54:30
Speaker
Make some announcements, everybody. Emily, what about you? What are we doing? You know, don't know. I've been so removed from the band world for a hot minute.
00:54:41
Speaker
I don't have what are we doing? What are we doing being so removed from the band world? Come back. I'm also in graduate school too. So that explains some of my absence from the band world.
00:54:55
Speaker
No, that's good. We all need a band break. I'm kind of on a band break myself. I'm just choreographing and then judging and then doing the podcast. Nevermind. I'm still in it. Oh, and i just looked it up. and It's Phoenix, Phoenix independent. I just looked it up.
00:55:09
Speaker
Oh, I did hear about them recently. I need to jump in because of this, this past weekend. I saw this so much and not just, not just where I physically was, but I saw it on social media a lot.
00:55:22
Speaker
What are we doing? Designing shows and ignoring the color wheel completely. I am seeing these colors and just thrown in a giant pile.
00:55:34
Speaker
On these flags and on these costumes. and I think, you know, we were talking about the digital printed costuming earlier. I think that has something to do with it. It's like, oh, now we can suddenly add all of the colors and it costs the same amount as adding one color. So let's just throw every color in there.
00:55:50
Speaker
And no, just... Stop. Like, think about it when you're doing your flags. Think about how they're going to actually look when that picture gets blurred together as it's moving through the through the air and spinning.
00:56:04
Speaker
When you're think about how your guard is going to look if they're wearing the exact same colors as the rest of the band, because they're going to get lost. You're not going to see them as much, you know? o No.
00:56:17
Speaker
And You know, if if the show calls for it, cool. But like, really, you have to think about what your show needs in order to decide on what colors you want. So that's my, that's my water we're doing.
00:56:31
Speaker
Liam, what do you got So this has been, I mentioned it briefly earlier, but... What are we doing cutting sections because of lack of interest?
00:56:45
Speaker
i this is This is more of symbol thing than anything, but I have seen a trend, at least as of lately, symbol lines are being cut because not as many people are showing up to the audition, or they would have like three people show up to the audition and they would want to field four,
00:57:06
Speaker
And usually the people are being, the lines that are being cut, it's because the sound is not right for them or they feel it. It's unnecessary to have a civil line, which I could go on a 40 minute rant about why civil lines are worthy in this space.
00:57:27
Speaker
But I've been seeing more and more where groups are cutting some lines when they could easily field one And i think that if you have, this is my take on fielding some lines. If you have enough members to field the symbol line and to fill out a percussion section, adds to the show more than would have just doing the stuff in the front ensemble.
00:57:53
Speaker
Oh, for sure. That's what are we doing?
00:58:00
Speaker
Great job, everyone. Set your equipment down. Touch and go.
00:58:05
Speaker
All right, we got that off our chest. Let's get into our gush and goes. This your chance to shout out something awesome happening in your life. It can be marching arts related or not.
00:58:15
Speaker
Maybe you're excited about a performance, a student success, a big life event, just something cool that you want to brag about. We are all about no negativity here, just pure unfiltered hype.
00:58:26
Speaker
So who's got something to gush about? Hey, who has the stickers for the gush and go made by yours truly? Aw, yay! They're so cute.
00:58:37
Speaker
They are stunning.
00:58:40
Speaker
They are stunning. I want that for my water jug. Emily, I love all of your water jugs. Emily, I think that's your gushing. Yeah, I made the gushing ghost stickers.
00:58:52
Speaker
See that? Love it. They look so cute. They are cute. Less is more people for keeping this on the, on the design topic. Jeremy and I went back and forth on that for a hot minute. And he literally was just like, Emily, just less is more. And I'm like, yes, understood.
00:59:09
Speaker
Love it. I have a guess and go. I am really happy that i am taking a little bit of a break, not fully teaching, but I still miss marching bands. So of course, agreed to choreograph for some groups. But if for me, I have my own business, Grantissimo Productions, where I do marching band, marching arts, winter guard, whatever visual consulting and choreography.
00:59:30
Speaker
So if any group wants to book me for winter, go ahead and contact me, grantissimoproductions.com, or you can email me, grantissimoproductions at gmail.com. Or dot at Gmail. Yeah, that's cool.
00:59:43
Speaker
I love that. That's awesome. Trish, do you want to gush and go next? Sure. So Saturday was our first show. had two teams there. are My main group, which is Northern Valley, Old Japan.
00:59:55
Speaker
I really, i'm not one of these people ever. I've been on this podcast how how long? don't think you've ever heard me say, oh my God, I love this show. I really love this show that we're doing this year. It's called Blackbird.
01:00:08
Speaker
And Blackbird by the Beatles is the underline. I that song much. It's been woven into the whole show. We have a string ensemble sitting inside a bird cage and all that. And it's just that when the strings come in, the whole pre-show is Blackbird. And when the strings come in, lose it every time. I really love this show. We did really well. It was our home show. So we didn't compete, but.
01:00:31
Speaker
Really not, you know, we did really well, nice run, you know, well, very well received. And my other team, my little one, a band that I helped on Thursday nights, North Rockland, they won their class.
01:00:42
Speaker
So that was really, really cool. So it was a fun weekend March event for sure. And I'm looking forward to the rest of the season. o Liam, what would you like to gush and go on about today?
01:00:54
Speaker
So have been practicing due world class for several years. I was a bit stuck in my high school for a moment and then i was stuck with financial difficulties. But for the first time this upcoming Sunday, I'm going to my first world-class audition for Cap City.
01:01:14
Speaker
Have a good time. awesome. Where are you auditioning? I'm auditioning at Cap City for a WGI. Yes. Awesome. They have an open class ensemble too. So I might be on that. I might be.
01:01:31
Speaker
with the world group, but I'm looking to have to on back on and keep us posted. Yeah, for sure. And Liam, can you let us know what your socials are or any videos from your symbol stuff if we want to take a look?
01:01:45
Speaker
My TikTok handle is BucketDip, which out of context makes no sense. But BucketDip is one of the... If you're Symbol Line player, you'll know what BucketDip is. is one of the first visuals that you learn when you learning how to do symbols outside of the strap. And then my Instagram is liam.r.renolds.
01:02:08
Speaker
And that is no uppercase, but yeah, if I had a symbol with me right now, I'd pull it up, bucket dip, and show some of the rudiments behind it. But like that those are my socials.
01:02:22
Speaker
I found you. Yeah, I just added you. liam.r.renolds. Woohoo! Okay, I need to gush and go because i just got back into judging. Like I said, I've been off for a couple years having babies and all that.
01:02:38
Speaker
It's been wild, wild ride trying to figure all this back out again, because i felt like, you know, COVID messed everything up. And then I had a kid and that messed everything up. And then I kind of started getting back into the swing of it a little bit. And then I had another kid and keep having these babies in the fall. So it's like right smack in the middle of the season. And ah Yeah, now I'm finally getting back to it, though. And love, love, love getting to watch Cutler Guard all day and, you know, help people. And, you know, whenever I make my tapes, I, I tend to talk to the guard, because half the time, they don't have an instructor at their school with them, they just have their band director or assistant band director or something.
01:03:22
Speaker
And they have a choreographer who comes in for the summer, whatever. And um so I tend to talk to the tapes like I'm talking to the guard, like maybe the captain or something themselves. So that's, I love it. I love to do it. I love to help as much as I can and help everybody keep getting better at color guard. So that is my gush. I am in my element.
01:03:44
Speaker
And then I get to take my kids with me to these contests and they get to see the marching band. So they're happy too. Hey, it's called gush and go, not gush and stay. Let's go.
01:03:57
Speaker
Thanks for a great rehearsal this week. Thank you everyone who spent time with us today. Grantees, Emily, Trish, and Liam, where can we find you? Can you shout out those socials one more time?
01:04:07
Speaker
You can find me on TikTok at BucketDip and you can find me on Instagram at liam.r.rengles. Perfect.
01:04:18
Speaker
If you've got a question or good topic to talk about, email us at onawaterbreakpodcast at gmail.com or find us on our social media. Shoot us a DM if you want to be on the show. We also have a form you can fill out if you want to be a guest. So we love having people on the podcast.
01:04:33
Speaker
Check that out at our link in bio on our social media or... Hey, take out your phone, make a video of yourself, send it to us. Maybe we'll throw that in the podcast. One more thing. Don't forget we have a YouTube channel now. So go subscribe so you can see all of us there.
01:04:48
Speaker
Also, before you close out your podcast listening app, go subscribe, write us a review, share this episode with a friend, follow us on all of our social media at on a water break, and we'll see you at the next rehearsal on a water break.
01:05:06
Speaker
The On a Water Break podcast was produced by Jeremy Williams and Christine Ream. The intro and outro music was produced by Josh Lida. To learn more, visit LidaMusic.com.
01:05:17
Speaker
And until next time, thanks for tuning
01:05:24
Speaker
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