Telling Stories
A couples of years ago I sat down with Tim and Robin Snyder to talk about their idea for a new kind of marching band broadcast. They had the idea to enhance their online broadcasts on BOX5-TV with interviews telling the stories of the bands participating. Especially key was the idea to tell everyone’s stories, not just the big famous bands. I loved this.
I was also flattered that they thought of me and asked me to help them bring this idea to life. Of course, I’ve spent almost 12 years telling stories, sharing the information from the top Marching Arts Professionals that I hoped would help everyone be more successful and enjoy their work more. I’ve had an amazing team of helpers at Marching Arts Education, and so many incredibly talented and passionate designers and educators have been willing to talk with us and share their expertise.
Today marks the last day that I will appear on live broadcasts with BOX5-TV this season. It’s been thrilling and exhausting. I’m so appreciative of the opportunity to help share these stories and to make our brand at MAE more visible to more people in our activity.
I’m not sure I’ve ever worked this hard! There have been many 16 hour days and very early mornings as I planned, scheduled, recorded, and edited these stories for the broadcast. It’s hard to know what impact this work has had on either the broadcasts or those watching, but I have clearly seen how much it has meant to those who have shared their stories with us. I so appreciate their willingness to stop in the middle of a very busy marching season to talk with us and be so honest and vulnerable.
There are many ways that you can find these stories. We have created a podcast series for Bands of America called BOA Today which you can find at the Marching Roundtable. We also released a video series called Marching Arts NOW! which tells stories and reviews some of the most memorable shows from each weekend’s competitions. Most of the stories have also been posted to the Marching Roundtable YouTube channel and I hope you’ll watch some of them.
Stories of disabled students participating fully with great joy, and the directors and staff who went the extra mile to make this possible. Stories of loss and renewable, stories of excitement about the return of our activity, and stories of surprising connections. This is a small marching world indeed!
And it turns out that sticky notes is the key to live broadcasting! (see picture!)
A special thank you to Tim and Robin Snyder for trusting me to be a part of their work this season. And thank you to everyone who helped with interviews, shared their stories, and worked so hard to create great experiences for their students. In a time when it’s easy to be frustrated and discouraged by the world around us, I have found great hope and optimism in these stories and in talking with these wonderful guests. There is so much good happening, so many working so hard to help their students. Let’s celebrate that as the season comes to a close.
Tim Hinton
November 13, 2021
