I attended a band rehearsal which was held after school on a hot September day.  I was there as a clinician, working with the band on their show.  During the course of the rehearsal, the kids started dropping like flies.  At first a student or two asked to leave the field because they didn't feel well.  By mid-rehearsal there were literally 12 to 15 kids on the sideline.  Granted, it was a hot day, but how was it that all the other students and I were able to perservere and get some work done?

After some questions and general sleuthing, the news came out that most if not all of these "sick feeling" students on the sideline had not eaten lunch.  So they were out in the hot sun after a long school day, trying to rehearse without any fuel in their bodies.  It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the problem then.

Our latest podcast on the Marching Roundtable is about Nutrition.  (Listen at www.marchingroundtable.com.)  Nutritionist Gary Granata talks about fueling your body for success, and primarily about the importance of keeping fuel in your body regularly all throughout the day.  It's true for anyone that they should eat or drink something nutritious every few hours, and they should tailor their input according to what they are about to do.

Marchers need to have adequate fuel in their bodies before they start a rehearsal, and they need to replenish during the rehearsal also.  It's very easy to have sports drinks availalable for breaks during rehearsals, and also some healthy energy bars.  The impact of this nourishment to the productivity of a rehearsal cannot be overstated.

And, of course, the same good fuel is needed before a performance.  On our podcast, Gary tells an interesting story of his work with the Avon HS band and the impact that proper nutrition had on their performances at Grand Nationals!

And finally, make sure that proper recovery takes place AFTER a rehearsal or performance, including some good nutrition to replenish and nourish tired muscles.  Don't overlook this important aspect of your program!  Take note, make plans, and reap the rewards!

When properly taught and supervised, these group sessions can be a powerful way to motivate and encourage each other as we train together.  Unfortunately, the opposite can also be true.

At my gym, the training staff is quite sub-par.  They have created these group sessions, but they are designed and run in a way that is maddening and frustrating for all of us who are not participating.

First, the sessions SHOULD take place out of the way, not in the middle of a busy area.  Imagine a busy time at the gym with many members maneuvering around to find the workout stations and equipment they need.  NOW imagine a group of loud young adults parked in the middle of this area, blocking traffic lanes, monopolizing equipment, and being generally disruptive.

NOW add to this an attitude of disregard for those around you.  Of course, this goes hand-in-hand with the blocking of traffic, but it also means that basic behavior is not appropriate to a good gym atmosphere.  On top of this, these participants are not being taught correct form and are often in danger of hurting themselves or others.

Somewhere along the way, these young people were taught that these grueling training sessions were more for show than for work.  Unfortunately, these sessions at my gym have turned into a giant ego event for all involved.  Weights are thrown around and dropped onto concrete floors from great heights.  Lots of yelling and screaming ensues, and even shirts are taken off so they can parade around and share their sweaty magnificence.

Of course, some simple supervision and teaching would take care of this very quickly, but it's clear that they have been taught this behavior, and it has not been discouraged.  Many of us have complianed to the gym management repeatedly and they make a few token steps to reign things in, but until the trainers in charge improve, the situation looks dire.

Which brings us to the title of this post.  My witty workout partner, John, and I will now often find ourselves in the middle of a productive and serene workout when we see the "usual suspects" from these groups start to arrive at the gym.  Like dark clouds rolling in, our moods start to darken as we anticipate the orgy of stupidness that will soon ensue.  And, as John pegged it, we feel we are in the "Calm before the bad form."

Here's hoping that our complaints start to bring some changes.  It's a disservice not only to the other gym members, but actually to those involved in these groups who are learning bad habits and being encouraged to be bad gym citizens.  And it has certainly not improved our moods or enjoyment of our workouts.  Enough, already!

Star Wars, Episode One: The Phantom Menace is back in theaters, this time in a new 3-D version.  I'm not a fan of these "conversions" of regular films, as they often just make my eyes hurt.  I feel that great movies are engaging enough without the gimmicks.

Along with the release was a very interesting article in Entertainment Weekly about the actor who played Jar-Jar Binks.  One of the most maligned characters ever, Jar-Jar was apparently a favorite on the set, and all the cast thought he would be a huge hit with audiences.  Of course, they couldn't have been more wrong.

The lesson for us "creative types" is clear.  You can't always hit the home run.  Even in the wildly popular and lucrative Star Wars universe, things don't always pan out as expected.  So if George Lucas can occasionally miss…and still end up okay, we should take heart and have courage.

As you are planning your show and making creative decisions, be bold and take some chances.  If you want to create something "extraordinary" then you must, by definition, do something that is NOT ORDINARY.  You may end up with a Jar-Jar moment, but you also might end up with a Darth Vadar, or R2D2!

In every creative career, there are hits and misses, but it's the persistence and bravery to try that sets the true winners apart.  Me-sa think you going to be okay!  Now get busy!

So much in life is about how we perceive things, our point of view, and we must accept the fact that everyone is viewing us and our work through their own filter.  So why ARE we worrying so much about the opinions of others??  Enjoy:

However, my partner, Lee, did have the awards on and I did pop in for certain performances that I wanted to see.  Plus I flash through the DVR recording to see some of the other performances.

What I was struck by this year was that the two obvious stand-out performances were also the two where substance was squarely more important than style or spectacle.

The woman of the hour had to be Adele, and rightly so.  She also gave the night's top performance, which was all the more impressive given the flashy sugary breakfast cereal cavalcade of non-musical moments that surrounded her.  Adele looked gorgeous in her simple black dress, and her performance was all about her singing.  It was simple, elegant, powerful, and all about her voice.  She has enough command and talent to let that BE the show.  No half-dressed priests in tattered robes with abs of death were required to dance around her.

Similarly, Jennifer Hudson was thrilling in her very simple and heart-felt rendition of "I Will Always Love You" as a tribute to Whitney.  Yes, she looked gorgeous, but it was just her great pipes and a piano …and a spotlight.  She let her emotion and talent be the catalyst for the thrill.

Of course, this reminds me of our marching arts arena, where many times a band spends thousands of dollars on props and flags and sequiens and spectacle and forgets to learn to play.  I sometimes wonder what would happen if all that money had brought in master teachers to help the students be better musicians.  You can distract me by waving a shiny object around for only so long, and then I notice that the emperor really has no clothes.

Mull, people!  Find your values and priorities, and then dress them  up with style, but don't cover them up and leave nothing inside!

We are about to pass the one year anniversary of the inception of the Marching Roundtable Podcast, and as I take a moment to reflect, there is one main point that strikes me the most.

Everybody's Great!

It hasn't mattered who we have talked to, they have just been wonderful!  Our activity is full of passionate, talented, enthusiastic people who are doing amazing things!  From band directors to show designers to students to corps directors to composers to instructors to administrators ….everyone has been wonderful!

It's easy to gripe or get frustrated with things in our activity.  We all care so much, and can get angry when things seem to be interferring with our enjoyment or the growth of our artform.  In fact, this sense of frustration was one of the main catalysts for us starting the podcast adventure in the first place!

But now after a year of talking with people and getting to know them, I am much encouraged and excited by what everyone is doing.  These designers and teachers and marchers and parents REALLY care about our marching activity.  And many are doing super-human things that have impressed us over and over!

So thanks to everyone who has been a part of our podcast so far, and we're excited to talk to all those who we will interview and speak with in the coming year.  Really…everybody's GREAT!

"The Artist" is unlike any movie I have ever seen.  Brilliant, engaging, surprising, and gorgeously filmed, this movie is an example of creativity and ingenuity at its best.

It's a silent movie!  The images are striking and the music throughout is perfectly suited to each scene.  (What a monumental feat it was to score this movie, where there is no dialogue and the music must portray the mood and guide us through the story!)

I think that one of the reasons that this film has such an impact is because it's a quiet film in a very noisy time.  We are all constantly bombarded with stimuli and information everywhere we go.  Video screens flash and scream at us in stores, on billboards, even in restaurants.  So along comes a simple but brilliant film with no talking and it's like a breath of fresh air!

It's no secret that I've been frustrated the last few years with overwriting on the marching field.  It seems that every moment in every show must be busy, noisy, and built for the shortest attention span imaginable.  In some of the worst offenders, nothing seems to last more than a few seconds or contain any development.  This is exhausting and, worst of all, all too often NOT interesting.  At least to me….

I just completed an 886 page novel about Van Gogh.  Although it taxed my patience at times, the accumulated effect of that slow read was a huge understanding of the man when I was finished.  The amount of information and the repeated stories of his failures and difficulties (and occasional triumphs, of course) left me with a profound sense of the man's genius and the huge distress of his problems.

But many marching shows today are not even short stories!  More like a series of tweets.

It would be my sincere desire that every single DCI or Marching Band designer would be required to see "The Artist" and experience the wonder of a beautifully paced but quiet film that packs a huge impact.  It's really a clinic in what's possible.  Here's hoping!  (and….go see the film!  You'll love it!)

So it's depressing to realize that despite these numerous clear benefits, most people in our society refuse to do this.  Certainly, it's a lifestyle that has to be diligently followed, at least until it becomes a habit.  But many people have proven that this new habit can be acquired and kept…to great result!

But so many resist and refuse to follow this advice.  So I am offering another possible incentive… This picture!

I am a huge believer in "visualization" and the power of having an image of what we want in our mind.  If you know where you want to go, you have a better chance of ending up there.  I suggest that anyone working toward a certain type of physique find a PICTURE of someone to use as an example of what you want to look like, and put it in a prominent place.  This can be on the bathroom mirror, or on the door of the refrigerator.  It just needs to be somewhere that you will see it daily to remind yourself of your goals.  The power of an image can be profound.  

As a bodybuilder who is also getting older, I find the picture in this post incredibly inspiring.  Find  a picture that inspires you, and keep it in a place where you will see it!

If you want to drive a certain car, put a picture of that car at your desk.  Want to live in a certain kind of house, or in a certain location?  Put that picture up also.  Some people go so far as to create "Vision Boards" where they put images of all of these things.  But for me, as someone who loves to work out and has goals for achieving a certain level of muscularity and fitness, I have pictures of these physiques in my house.

Consider putting images as reminders in important spots.  Then you'll constantly be reminded of your goals and will keep making choices that benefit your progress.  If you see a picture of washboard abs on the fridge, you are less likely to reach in and pull out a piece of pie!  Good luck, find those images, and keep reaching toward your goals!

Take a look at this incredible set of pictures.  This is bodybuilder Nick Trigili, one of the nation’s top amateur competitors who is sure to join the pro ranks in the near future.  The pictures on the left are Nick “before” at 170 pounds.  The picture on the right is Nick TODAY…at 280+ pounds.  Here is a young man with a passion, a drive, and a dream come true.

What’s really amazing about Nick is that he has made this transformation in 2 1/2 years!  Of course, I understand that there are many of you reading who don’t want to look like Nick today (heck, he didn’t look so bad at 170!) or may not appreciate this extreme level of development.  But my point in this blog post is simply to point out what is possible.  Here is a great example of someone who has worked tremendously hard and realized a dream.  A man who has gained over 100 pounds of muscle in 2 1/2 years time!

On the Marching Roundtable podcast we have recently been in touch with a lot of young performers who are marching drum corps for the first time in 2012.  All of these students had a dream to march on the DCI field, and are making it a reality.  There is no doubt that for every single student and their family, a great deal of work and sacrifice will be involved.  Marching is not cheap, takes a lot of time, and is extremely demanding on many levels.  But, of course, the rewards for these marchers will be memories and experiences that will shape the rest of their lives.

So take a moment and look into the mirror.  It’s still early enough in January to stop and take stock of your life.  What are your dreams?  What are your goals?

My wonderful friend Mary White gave me a plaque which I have at my desk which says “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?”  I have to admit that the first thing that immediately came to my mind is, in fact, something I have NOT done and may never do.  But having this reminder in front of me HAS given me the courage to pursue dreams and take chances.

The launch of the Marching Roundtable, and the somewhat stressful marketing campaign we are just completing, has been quite a daring adventure.  There is much to lose, from time and money to reputation and self-esteem.  But I can’t imagine NOT taking the chance.  We wanted to DO SOMETHING to help out, to make a difference, to start conversations, and by all appearances we are doing just that!

So rekindle that dream, let yourself imagine what YOU truly want.  Then start moving in that direction.  Nick Trigili is pointing the way, with a very large and powerful arm.  Make it happen!  Imagine what is possible! 

At the end of the year, we are given the opportunity to reflect on our lives the past 365 days, to look forward to the next 365 days of our life, and to reflect on where we are.  It’s very healthy to take some time to consider our lives and how we’re doing.  Many “success gurus” suggest that we take some real quiet time to do some thinking at this moment in time.  

Each year at this time I sit down with my calendar from the previous year and slowly walk through the year day by day.  I remember all the appointments, dinners, movies, trips, challenges, events, and disappointments.  It’s good to look at it all, reflect, and consider.

With the challenges, I am most interested in how I reacted to these moments.  What came from these issues, and how did my life change or improve in response?  It has been said that the importance of negative events in our lives is how we react to them.

I also take time to look over last year’s list of “goals for the year.”  I’m not a fan of resolutions, as they tend to carry the baggage of something that is broken often.  Instead, I access my personal and business goals and write them down.  It’s interesting to see where my focus was 1 year ago, and then to decide what it will be for the coming year.  There is great power in writing them down, and I suggest you take time to do this also.

Realistically, we are given the opportunity to “start fresh” every single day.  Each morning when we wake up, we are given the chance to live our lives differently, with a different focus or context.  But this can be hard to remember in the busy day-to-day struggles we encounter.  So take a moment on January 1 to give this special attention, look back, look forward, and write a few things down.  

I wish everyone a Happy New Year, with countless opportunities to grow, expand our good, and make our lives exactly what we want them to be.  Get excited about the possibilities, and then make them happen!