As we close out the school year and begin looking toward the summer, band directors turn their minds toward marching arts.

This year, I’m going through some history and exploring The Evolution of Marching via YouTube. I’m taking you along for the journey as well. As we moved into the new millennium, the color guard moved further from the hornline and drumline as far as uniforms, but began to interact much more with the individual members. Where the early 90s has included an occasional soloist interacting with the guard, now large groups of the hornline were doing full out ballet moves and poses throughout the shows.

Though it had been before, the marching show is now even more dance- and entertainment-oriented and becomes more of a full out production rather than just musical entertainment.

1999 – Blue Devils/Santa Clara Vanguard

While the Blue Devils were performing at their very first show of the 1999 season, the lights in the stadium and the entire city of Concord, CA went out. The Blue Devils continued marching. This video was posted on YouTube less than a week ago.

2000 – The Cadets/The Cavaliers

2001 – The Cavaliers

2002 – The Cavaliers

2003 – Blue Devils

2004 – The Cavaliers

Joel Wagner

Joel Wagner (@sywtt) began teaching band in 2002. Though he had a lot of information, his classes were out of control. He found himself tired, frustrated, disrespected by students, lonely, and on the brink of quitting. He had had enough. He resigned from his school district right before spring break of his second year and made it his personal mission to learn to be a great teacher. So You Want To Teach? is the ongoing story of that quest for educational excellence.