Conventions are all about sharing knowledge and information. As a high school science teacher going on ten years now I've attended a multitude of teacher conventions ranging from science to technology to band to dance! This was the first time I've ever had the opportunity to attend a conference specifically geared toward the pageantry arts (marching band, winter guard, indoor percussion, etc.) and it makes sense, as this was the first of its kind. The con was set up traditionally, with 5 or so sessions in each block dealing with a range of topics - however they broadly categorized them as either color guard, percussion, winds, or multidisciplinary. Then they had expert instructors, doctors, and business people instructing each session to deliver the best information possible. Wide ranges of topics were covered, starting with the basics that you might expect like performance, technique, and design, then layering in some things one might not have considered concerning member health, and extending into best practices for running a team like a business.
One of the great things I enjoyed about this event was the number of session instructors who attended other sessions by other instructors. This occurred regardless of age, experience, or any other factors. It's as if everyone there truly understood they can always learn something more from someone! I know I was able to attend a lot of sessions that I could use pertaining to running Spintronix, and bringing my staff was a valuable opportunity as well because they have had vastly different experiences from me in the marching arts! This gave us all a far more common understanding and ability to push forward together. Even with an almost ten year age gap, and an even bigger experience gap, every single one of us were able to learn something that made the entire conference worthwhile.
Aside from the information acquired, my absolute favorite part of the conference was getting to share space with people who are experts in their fields - and who can bring about a different perspective than we are used to. I was blessed with the opportunity to participate in a performance workshop given by Cirque Du Solei's Michael Duffy. I was a very lucky lady to get a 1 on 1 livestream with Dr. Elliott Cleveland from Marching Health and to participate in another livestream with him on FloMarching. Megan told me one of her favorite things was her session with Michael James, renowned dance choreographer, and Anna was bursting with information about member health and fitness after the Marching Health class. Finally, I was selected to be interviewed by the WGI team at the end of a long day and made my way onto their highlights video. You can watch it here:
https://youtu.be/hOafYjGVKUc
All in all, this was such a rewarding experience and I really hope that we can do this again next year!
<3 Jackie
https://youtu.be/hOafYjGVKUc
All in all, this was such a rewarding experience and I really hope that we can do this again next year!
<3 Jackie
