Current and Upcoming Modules:

Tempo Recall and Maintenance is flashy, but impossible if you aren’t hearing individual beats in the best possible way. Here’s an exercise to isolate what an exact beat sounds like.

Your beat is extremely specific - how often? Is every beat clearly in your ear? Here are 2 exercises to refine your application of a perfect beat.

Consistency is everything, however, it is easy to reach consistency by following the energy of the metronome. Here are a few exercises to give you more tempo independence, while still keeping the metronome to check your accuracy. Avoid practicing by feel from now on! Your ear can be SO much more specific than any muscle or nerve in your arms. Where the ear goes, the body will follow.

Any tempo has a specific energy, a groove to it. Your ability to maintain that within yourself, without adjusting or pulling to a more comfortable sound, is a secret of being a Drum Major. It’s very difficult to recreate accurate, consistent sound delay outside of rehearsal. Adjusting to subdivision, however, can prep to you move around ANYTHING you hear, and substantially increase your perception of the space between each beat.

The combination of every tempo skill so far. The more specific sound you can practice, the more you can remember and use in context. For me, this was one of the most difficult skills to learn. The voice in your head is just as influential, if not more influential, than the practice you did prior.

Listening is the most essential skill you can have as a musician. All music has something unique to teach you. Live music in particular is my personal favorite. I trust my ears far more than the risk of a recording that has been mastered and edited away from the natural sound.

You have to start with knowing football outside of how the band fits into it! This is a one stop shop for all the basics you will need to know any why they are important.

High school football for the band likely has less playing than in college band. This lesson breaks down some of the more typical things seen from high school bands in the stands. As a drum major you will learn what to watch for and some tips on effectively communicating with your ensemble.

This lesson goes over the basics of what makes college games different, and how to best deal with the high stress environment. You will learn some helpful tips and resources for what can help you manage this type of game and how to best communicate with your ensemble. 

This lesson covers when to play stand tunes (long and short) during the game. Learn what to watch for and the differences between offense, defense, and timeouts and when it is appropriate to play. Megan also includes some helpful tips for dealing with unconventional things like flags and injuries.

Learn how to initiate the pattern with a strong and clear downbeat, setting the foundation for precise conducting.

Focus on the placement and rebound of beat 2, ensuring consistency and control within the conducting space

Solidify beats 3 and 4 with clear direction changes, maintaining even spacing and fluidity.

Integrate all four beats into a cohesive, separated 4/4 pattern with confidence and clarity.