Rethinking Band Camp: Why Getting the Dots Down Isn't Enough

For those of us who’ve been in the marching arts since the ’80s, band camp was a time of simple goals—dots on the field, notes in the air. Band camp was that time in late July when we stood at pseudo-attention under the blazing sun, skin sizzling, while each chart’s coordinates were carefully painted onto the asphalt.

Well into the ’90s, each camp’s goal was pretty much the same: get as many dots on the field as possible—and that was okay, for the most part. Instrumentalists weren’t tangled in fancy choreography, and the color guard? Well, they were strategically whisked away—no stealing the spotlight from the musicians all day! If you didn’t have your show fully on the field by the first contest, it didn’t matter. You could stand and play the last song until the end. Today, we have to integrate the color guard in wind ensemble vignettes that are well-choreographed and thought out, connecting the audience to the theme of the production.

The marching sheet is gone, replaced with a movement sheet that demands variety in movement styles and choreographic devices. As a result, if you only stand and play through the show without weaving in the choreography and connecting the ideas, it now costs you far more than it once did.

Nowadays, I encourage my clients to break their total band camp days and show charts into manageable daily portions. By focusing on just a handful of charts each day—where they memorize music, nail choreography, and lock in their dots—by the end of a week, they might have 25 charts solid—essentially a full song or more. By the end of each day, the portion of the show should form a thoughtful, polished snippet of the full production.

I recommend a daily rehearsal plan with a visual block in the morning—starting with stretch and dance basics for movement—then tackling around five charts a day. Five charts may not seem like much, but if you’re intentional—charting one to two, then marking halfway, quarter, and three-quarter points—you create a structure that sharpens the show over time.

Before lunch, rehearse wind and guard choreography, along with any prop or staging elements. In the afternoon, with winds in sectionals, percussion on their own, and guard refining choreography, everyone focuses solely on those five charts—music and movement—so it all comes together in the final block of the day. Each new day begins with a review, then moves forward. By week’s end, you’ll have 25 charts in an early-stage form of the show as you’ll perform it at championships.

More than likely, even after two weeks and 50 charts, there will be snags that keep you from finishing the full program—and that’s okay. Those details can be addressed in rehearsals once school begins. If you only perform your first two songs at your first contest, at least they’ll be fully realized, giving judges something complete to evaluate. However, if you rush to get every chart on the field and then scramble to add choreography and cohesion later, what you present feels incomplete—and the score will reflect it.

In the end, a show is more than just dots on a field or notes in the air—it’s the story you tell with every step and every phrase. This is a different era, with different expectations than the patterns many of us grew up with. It’s not just about finishing—it’s about crafting something layered, connected, and intentional from the very beginning. If you build it that way, piece by piece, your performers won’t just learn a show—they’ll understand it. And when they understand it, the audience will too. Best of luck as you bring your vision to life.