Logistics

There are many facets to being a colorguard director that move beyond teaching and cleaning choreography. Colorguard directors serve as the program manager of the organization and are responsible for not only what happens on the field/floor but also the administrative aspect to get to the field/floor.

• Fall Season
  • Planning for fall season begins early – before winterguard season is over! You will more than likely have a meeting with your organization to determine the fall show theme in late winter / early spring.
  • Discuss in-depth with your organization about your expectations for the summer. Understand the financial constraints of what you have planned and be willing to make adjustments as necessary.
  • Make a plan for how you will get your team from first day to last day. Plan out your season in terms of how and when to introduce skills, choreography, etc.
• Winter Season
  • Planning for winter season begins before fall season is complete. Begin conversations about your show with your staff late summer / early fall.
  • Discuss in-depth with your organization about how much independence the winter season is compared to fall season. You may be expected to shoulder more of the administrative load for the winter season.
  • As with fall season, plan your season for how you will begin and end your team. Create a schedule for how and when you will introduce skills, drill, choreography, etc.

Take a look at the following document for an overview of what you can expect: Colorguard Director Responsibilities

Creating a budget for your group can be a daunting experience, especially if you have never worked with a group before. It is important to have an in-depth conversation with the organization that hired you about what they expect from you in terms of the overall financial process of the organization. Do they use a purchase order system, or will you be able to purchase and then get reimbursed? Are you expected to work within a provided expenditure amount, or do you have the freedom to create your own financial framework for the season?

Use the template as a guide to preparing a budget for the season and to calculate how much it would cost per member: link here

Building a dedicated and committed staff is one of the most important things you do as a director. Have a conversation with your hiring organization about your needs for staffing. They will let you know what they can financially provide and what you may have to fundraise/budget for.

To build your staff, consider the following:

• Consider your own strengths as a teacher and administrator. If you are highly skilled at movement but feel not as prepared to do weapon training, find someone who has experience in that area.
• Consider their personality. You will spend many, many hours together in sometimes very stressful situations – will you be able to speak your mind but also respect the other person’s thoughts as well?
• If possible, have any potential candidates come in to work with your group to see how they interact with students. Or, task them with creating an instructional video. You will get a lot out of seeing them in an instructional setting.
• MOST IMPORTANTLY – have your organization complete a background check on each individual who works with your group. Additionally, require each staff member to complete SafeSport training.

Start each rehearsal with an activity that is unrelated to what you are about to do and offer a low-stakes way for students to share a little about themselves each day. This helps to not only give you time to learn each of your student’s names but also will give you a sense of each personality on your team. The activities you do should be something low-stakes that allow the students to get to know you in addition to getting to know each other. Take time to get to know each and every member of the group. Building a relationship with your members is paramount to ensuring that trust is built between you.

Incorporate team-building activities as part of the structure of the beginning of the season. These should be some of the very first things you do once the team has been officially announced and you are sitting in your first rehearsal of the season. Team-building activities are crucial to ensuring that your group becomes a cohesive unit. Team-building activities help your team to learn how to communicate with each other, build trust with each other, develop problem-solving skills, and learn how to make decisions. Find ways to incorporate team-building throughout the season, especially as a check-in mid-season when students begin having more intense challenges with each other. Taking time to rebuild trust that may have eroded over the season is crucial to helping your group finish the season strong.

For some example of team-building activities, check out the following link: https://odysseyteams.com/classroom-teamwork-activities/

Determine what roles you would like your students to fulfill (ex. equipment manager, communication lead, etc.). This can help you determine what your leadership team will look like. If possible, participate in leadership training with your organization to watch students grow. Hold interviews to discuss important questions with each candidate to get a sense of why they are interested in serving in a leadership role and where they feel they best fit within a leadership team. It is important to consider past history of a student but it is even more important to appreciate the growth in an individual and how that aligns with your philosophy. Solicit input from other members of the colorguard team, but be wary of choosing the leadership team solely based on peer suggestion. Learn about your students and their strengths/challenges so you can develop a team that will work alongside you to achieve success.