2021-22 Indoor Percussion

Visual Packet

— The purpose of this visual handbook is to provide each member of The

Noblesville Indoor Percussion Ensemble with a short description of our visual
concepts, fundamentals, and philosophies. The development of a world-class
visual ensemble requires a dedicated effort and commitment from both the
members and staff. You will be challenged mentally and physically.
It is in the best interest of the group, and the hope of the staff, that through
study of this handbook, every member will develop a stronger understanding
of the detailed fundamentals, and how to apply them effectively, in order to
achieve the highest level of execution.

Golden Rule of Marching :

Always be fully committed

Commitment usually means: giving up convenience, going the
extra mile, inviting personal discomfort, embracing confrontation,
sacrificing instant gratification for the mission at hand. There are no
miracle solutions. Excellence is achieved through commitment!

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To Excel:
To excel is to continually perform.

Not for a moment or moments

Not for a day or days

But to perform day after day

Month after month after month

To make the uncommon performance

Look commonplace
To excel is to take the inner drive
Of competition and not only embrace it

But master it
It is no wonder then, that when one Truly excels,

one is known for excellence

It cannot be taught, or legislated, or Willed into existence

It must come from The very depths of an Individuals desire
To be the best

PART 1 : BODY POSTURE -

GOAL : CREATE AND SHAPE A BODY LINE THAT IS TALL, THIN, AND CONFIDENT

— In the beginning stages of teaching and learning, here are some key

techniques to always apply….

“Visually speaking, to look the same, we need to think the same, and use the same
words.”

When going through your checklist when you set your posture, build from the

bottom up, (From Weight distribution and shaping of feet through head)

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 Posture checklist

Lower body

- Heels together, each foot turned to 45*, to create 90*

- Weight in front 2/3 of the foot. Weight in Toes, weight in platforms, NO

Weight in heels though heels have contact with the surface.

-Hips slightly back (should feel like you’re wearing a seatbelt!)

Separation

- Upper body and lower body must be separated at the hips

- Upper body is the musical machine and lower body is the visual

machine

- The two rely on each other to work effectively, but must remain

separate to be maximized.

-Stretch abs and rib cage up away from hips

- Distance between lowest rib and hip bone as wide as possible (breathe

during this process)

Upper body

- Relax your upper body

- Shoulders down and rounded (very important for musical success)

- chest stretched out (fill up harness horizontally)

- Elongate spine to be as tall as possible from waist up.

- Face is up, chin is slightly elevated (10 degrees) and center

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 Part 2: Mark time
- All motions should be smooth, pick up entire foot.

- When foot makes contact with surface, the “articulation” of the foot

should be accented and strong, while the “weight” of the foot should

be soft and controlled, keeping the impact from affecting our upper

bodies.

- Always maintain the 90-degree angle created by your Initial foot

posture for the mark time. (WE DO NOT MARK TIME IN

PARALELL)

-Keep foot flat; keep relaxed, like a string on the sole of your shoe is

picking it up and placing it back down flat.

- Knees should bend slightly. Keep upper body carriage unchanged.

FEEL YOUR FEET AND HOW THEY FIT WITH WHAT YOU ARE

PLAYING.

Part 3: Motion (Movement)

-We will move through a very relaxed relevee, keep our heels off the

ground at a moderate-low height. We will march platform first on everything we

do, in parallel (with foot completely straight) unless told otherwise.

-Specific angles and weights of transitions will be outlined and taught

on site.

i. -Set up your posture checklist and find center of body.

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ii. -Begin motion by pushing off right platform for the necessary motion,

and stepping off with left foot. WE MOVE WITH STRAIGHT LEGS AND

RELAXED KNEES.

iii. -To halt motion, whether it is moving forward, backwards, diagonal, etc,

We will always place our platform down first , roll down onto our heel, and bring in

the second foot flat and sharp, recreating the 90*.

iv. -When turning(spinning), we will teach different techniques, but weight

should always be out of heels, and focus on the upperbody.. LONG legs

v. For rehearsal protocol, we will operate on the “minus one” and “plus

one” system.

Our specific technique was crafted to be demanding physically yet simple mentally.

This is so that much of our visual focus can be on our overwhelming ability to

Perform, demand attention , and connect with the audience . The movement of our

Winter Drum line is in a sense- “high performance hype motion, with definitions.”

Looking forward to this season with you . - Lennon

SEE PAGE 6 FOR FOOT POSITIONING BREAKDOWN

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