The 2013 competitive marching band season is finishing up for many bands and I’m so proud and appreciative of the many bands that have trusted me to help them create their shows.  I’m particularly proud of the many “Happy” shows that I helped design and bring to life this season.

The marching activity is full of dark shows.  They’re fun to do and bring built-in drama to the performers.  Bands sound great playing those dark tonalities.  And almost any young student and portray dark drama with ease.  I enjoy these shows and they are often successful.  But there are so many of them now!

If you sit at a band show you will often see a majority of shows with a dark theme.  So one way to make your band stand out from the crowd is to bring a “breath of fresh air” to the day.  I love creating “happy shows” that stand out in these crowds for being more light-hearted and upbeat.

Granted, this is harder for a band to sell and bring to life.  Happy can easily become corny, and even some of the best marching groups of all time have fallen prey to this.  The best way that we counter this problem is to bring a level of sophistication and detail to the production.  If the theme is happy but the presentation is totally top notch, the show can work well and just make us smile, not cringe.

When developing props for these happy shows, we must all guarantee that everything is beautiful and looks expensive, from the props to the flags to the costuming.  And then the performance must be at a high level, with sophisticated show design and music arrangements. 

So if you are sitting through a contest, appreciate the extra work behind a happy show, and realize that you are indeed happy to be smiling at this moment and enjoying a lighter “change of pace.”  If you’re a judge, give credit for the sophistication of design and performance, and don’t fall prey to the lazy man’s reaction.  (The Oscars, for example, often reward a cancer victim role over a comedic tour de force.)  Let’s give these happy shows their due!  I guarantee that audiences are thrilled to have something lighter presented.  And the world can use a little beauty and light these days!