FRONT ENSEMBLE FRIDAYS
Marching Arts Education presents “Front Ensemble Fridays with Iain Moyer” as part of our DCI Summer of Learning. Each Friday this summer we present a live webinar with a top Marching Arts Professional who specializes in writing and teaching the front ensemble.
Iain Moyer is the Front Ensemble Arranger/Supervisor for the Boston Crusaders since 2017. Prior to Boston, he sent ten years teaching and eight years arranging for The Cadets. During the academic year, he serves as the Director of Athletic Bands at Widener University. He is a signature artist with Vic Firth and endorses Remo, Yamaha, and Zildjian products.
Ian Grom of Pulse Percussion shares an impromptu live composition lesson/walk thru of his process for starting a chart from ground zero. Ian created a musical theme for a concept that he came up with on the fly to simulate the pressure/fear of failure that occurs in the creative process.
Advanced four mallet techniques that were once reserved for high-level solos are making their way into all levels of pageantry. Jim Ancona of Carolina Crown works on some one-handed octave exercises to facilitate muscle memory with the subtle changes in the size of the spread. Next, we work on octaves hand-to-hand, spread apart and a hand-to-hand, stacked.
Once operating in the shadow of the marimba, the vibraphone has seen a resurgence of importance in pageantry. Inhis session, Iain Moyer of Boston Crusaders explores what makes the vibraphone a different playing experience (particularly for those more familiar with performing on marimba) AND highlight unique ways of scoring for the instrument outside of it’s stereotypical functions.
The Growth Mindset. Learn from the Front Ensemble Caption Head and Front Ensemble Arranger / Sound Designer for the 19-time World Champion Blue Devils.
In the marching arts, the battery section has been known for the visually stimulating and musically intriguing concept of splitting rhythmic figures down the line or between players. Ian Hale and Jason Ihnat of the Boston Crusaders discuss the orchestration techniques and pedagogy for implementing split parts in the front ensemble.
The ability to create seamless coordination between all “electro-acoustic” elements is paramount to any front ensemble’s success. Matt discusses techniques and strategies for making that possible in both indoor and outdoor ensembles.
Balance, timing, and sound quality all make up the ensemble sound. Lauren Teel of the Troopers talks and demonstrates each component and how to develop them as both a member and instructor.
Through the use of Broken City Percussion score examples, Kevin speaks about his creative process and illustrate arranging challenges and their eventual resolutions.
July 31. Learn from Sandi Rennick, the renowned Front Ensemble Arranger and Composer for the Santa Clara Vanguard. Watch live and ask questions during the webinar!