Search
Close this search box.

Planning Game Day

Heidi Sarver | August 2014


    Show planning, recruiting, band camp scheduling, parent meetings, and everything that goes along with all of these events require meticulous organization on the part of band directors. In planning, there is a critical process that sometimes eludes even the most well organized directors, but it should not be missed. That process is to create a step-by-step schedule of the performance day for the band members. More often than not, directors just assume that their band members will know what to expect when the day of performance arrives. In reality, they rarely do.
    After conducting a meticulously run band camp, directors have a tendency to go into automatic-pilot mode. School begins, and we find ourselves racing from in-service days to the start of classes directly into after-school rehearsals. Before we know it, the first football game is here, and the only information we have given to students is the time at which they need to be in the band room dressed in their uniforms ready to go. Although the general time-frame and schedule are very important for students and parents to know, there is so much more that can be done in the planning process to ensure a smooth day for both the band and you.
    The first football game can be an overwhelming event for new students. They are experiencing everything for the first time, and some of them might not even know how to put on their uniforms properly. Upperclassmen will be more accustomed to the typical game day routine. Knowing this, directors sometimes make the mistake of relying on their upperclassmen to help the freshmen on game day, based on the assumption that the freshmen will simply follow the upperclassmen. The problem with this approach is that it is based on a faulty second assumption: we assume that the upperclassmen know what they are talking about. More often than not, they do not, and they make the same mistakes as the freshmen.
    There are several methods that can be used to help the band do more than just survive the first football game and competition. Performances, football games, competitions, parades, and pep rallies are all different kinds of events, and they should be treated as such.  Each scenario deserves its own approach and planning. Over the years I have devised some helpful ways to help the band plan and prepare for football games.

Game Day Planning Sheets
    At the University of Delaware we distribute to all of the members of the Fightin’ Blue Hen Marching Band a set of sheets that I call Game Day Clue Sheets. There are two types of these sheets – the Game Day Timeline and the Game Day Structure – which have two different purposes.

The Game Day Timeline
    The Game Day Timeline is an hourly breakdown of the day from start to finish. This sheet is designed to be short and concise so that Drum Majors and Student Staff (and even professional staff) can print it out on an index card and keep it in their pockets for easy reference. The information on this timeline will change from game to game depending on what time the football game begins.
    The first step in creating a timeline sheet is to think through the details of your event. Sometimes it helps to think backward, working from the start of the game back to the start of the day. The following questions should be considered in this part of the planning process:

• What time does the game begin?
• Does the band perform a pregame show? If so, how soon before kickoff?
• How long does it take to get to the stadium from the band room?
• How long does it take to get the band out of the band room and into parade formation?
• Do you need to make time to feed the band prior to leaving the band room?
• Is there a rehearsal before the game? If so, what is that timeline?
• What time does the band need to arrive at school?

During this planning process, remember to buffer your times by adding 10-15 minutes, so that there is allowance for unanticipated delays. After this is done, you can continue by focusing on a further set of questions for the latter half of the day:
• How long does a typical game last?
• Is there a postgame performance by the band? If so, how long does that last?
• How long does it take to march the band from the stadium back to the school?
• Will there be a meeting upon returning to the band room or will there be an immediate dismissal?

There may be other factors to consider. Once these questions are resolved and planning is completed, the timeline should be translated into a specific hour-by-hour schedule. Here is an example of a typical Game Day Timeline for the UDMB:

UDMB Football Game Day
Timeline – 7:05 PM Kickoff

2:00 PM – Rehearsal on Football Practice Fields
4:00 PM – Dress for Game Day events
4:20 PM – Depart for Team Parade staging area
4:30 PM – Team Parade around Athletic Complex
4:45 PM – Dinner/Re-Dress
5:25 PM – Depart for Presidential Tailgate
5:40 PM – Concert at Presidential Tailgate
6:00 PM – Arrive at Townsend Hall/Begin Parking Lot Parade
6:15 PM – Concert in Gold Lot on far side closest to SW corner of stadium
6:25 PM – Stadium Parade through Concourse
6:35 PM – In Pre-game entrance positions in north endzone corners
6:51 PM – Pre-Game Show
6:59 PM – In Entrance Tunnel for Football Team
7:05 PM – Game

Events Prior to Halftime
Start of second quarter – Percussion departs stands
8 minutes left in second quarter – brass/ww depart stands
Small brass group remains to cover game, departs at 1 minute
4 minutes left in second quarter – band enters stadium, stages on sideline.
10:30 PM – Approximate end of game / Post Game Performance
11:00 PM – Dismissal to buses

The timelines for away games will need be slightly different, of course, to account for departure, travel, and arrival times.

The Game Day Structure
    The next step is to create a Game Day Structure for the band members. The Game Day Structure is a detailed breakdown of what happens and when and what the responsibilities are for each of the band members. This sheet is referenced and put into a rehearsal structure during band camp. It is also discussed at the last rehearsal prior to the first football game.
    This outline should include the music and the various ways each piece is performed for each game day scenario (e.g., for touchdowns, field goals, extra points, time outs, between plays, and so on). All of the traditional, expected events that occur during every game should be covered in this outline. The goal with the outline is to eliminate as much guesswork as possible.
    In addition to distributing a copy of the Game Day Structure to each band member, I also use a portion of an evening band camp rehearsal to practice every piece on the list. I talk through the list of pieces with the band, and the band then plays each selection as I call out specific game day situations. In addition, at the end of the last rehearsal before the first game, I schedule a time to review the Game Day Structure again. This is a time when questions can be asked and specific issues can be clarified.
    In creating the Game Day Structure, the following questions should be considered:

• Is there a pregame performance? If so, what is the order in which the music is performed?
• What does the band play when the team enters the field?
• What does the band play when the team scores a touchdown? A field goal? An extra point? A safety?
• What does the band play during time outs? Between quarter breaks? Prior to each kickoff?
• What does the band play at the conclusion of the game?
• Is there anything unique the band does during the course of the game that should also be included?

Here is an example of a typical Game Day Structure for the UDMB. It includes specific configurations of school songs and when each is performed:

UDMB Game Day Structure
Team Parade – Fight Song ABA, Percussion Cadence, Alternate
Presidential Concert – Delaware Forever ABA, Halftime Tune, Fight Song ABA
Concourse Parade – Fight Song AABA
Pregame – “D” Fanfare; Delaware Forever; National Anthem; Fight Song; Alma Mater; First Down
Team Entrance – Fight Song A only
First Down – First Down Cheer
Touchdown – Fight Song, measure 61 – end
Field Goal – Delaware Forever A only
Extra Point – Delaware Forever A only
Safety – Delaware Forever A only
Between plays – stand tunes, percussion beats, alternate
Halftime – game-specific selection
Third Quarter – Stadium Run by brass sections – First Down
Third-Fourth Quarter Break – Hey Baby
End of Game – Delaware Forever A only; Alma Mater w/team
Postgame Show – game-specific selection; In My Life (UDMB Band Song)

The Purposes of Planning
Although the main purpose of these timelines is to provide information to the band members, the process of creating these timelines will help band directors in thinking through each day, which may serve to eliminate surprises. Just as directors sometimes wrongly assume that students will know what to expect, directors also sometimes wrongly assume that they will remember what should happen in every situation. In reality, I have found, this is simply not true.
    I am now entering my twentieth year as director of the University of Delaware Marching Band, and each year I realize how much I am in need of these timelines. Often I find that I need them more than my students do. Being able to refer to these timelines in an instant allows me to provide quick and accurate information to my assistant directors, drum majors, and the band. Without these timelines in hand, there would be a much greater chance of my making the wrong decision and embarrassing the band, the team, the university as a whole, and, of course, myself. The most important point to keep in mind is that the more information you provide to the students, the more likely it is that everyone will have a successful experience.