Mark Calima: Tips for a Marching Band
Mark Calima has fourteen years of experience in the music programs at middle and high schools in Texas. He is a 2004 Cum Laude graduate of the University of Houston, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education.
He has had great success as a Director of Bands, in particular at Cedar Ridge High School in Round Rock. “In 2013, the Cedar Ridge High School Low Brass Choir was invited to perform at the prestigious Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago,” he recalls, “in addition to the annual UIL Sweepstakes Awards given to the Cedar Ridge Concert Bands.”
There are no short cuts to developing a competitive, successful high school marching band. Being in a marching band can be a grueling and exhausting activity, especially if you live in Texas, where it can be hot and dry. The parents of kids in the band should take care that their student is in good general health before they get involved.
Being in a marching band is a physically demanding activity, much like being on an athletic team. It’s important for band members to warm up before taking the field to play a halftime show, much the way that the guys on the football team warm up before the kickoff.
It can help to look at the marching part as something distinct from the musical part. Student-musicians should grow accustomed to walking for prolonged periods. They can start out by walking for twenty minutes at a time, and gradually increase the time over a period of weeks.
During a performance, marching bands are typically wearing uniforms with the school logo and colors. But for practices, members should wear light clothing if it’s warm outside, to avoid becoming overheated. It’s something for all band members to bear in mind, but especially those who are carrying heavy or clumsy instruments.
One of the key watchwords, of course, is hydration: band members should be reminded to drink plenty of water during rehearsals, and on the day of a performance.
Mark Calima knows that while it takes a lot of hard work, it can pay off in a big way. He has built a reputation as an outstanding band director. From the very beginning in 2003, as the Assistant Director of Bands at Bammel Middle School in Houston, he helped the band in being named the Grand National Champion at the Bands of America competition. Later school bands under his direction have consistently been regional finalists at various competitions.