CWEA Education Session 2

Sunday Sessions 1/13/2025:

CWEA Education is BACK for Week #2 of our Sunday Sessions, focusing on circuit-wide education. After your first week back, we hope that you have knocked off the holiday break rust and have energized your program with excitement and optimism for your Premier performances! That first week back can be a challenge - but you made it through, and your program’s time to shine is coming on quickly.

And, of course, winter weather is likely affecting your rehearsal schedule - regroup, adjust plans and goals, and don’t try to fit 10 pounds of flour into a 5 pound bag, friends!

Let’s sharpen the saw a bit this Sunday (Monday) together to get organized, get confident, and manage the countdown clock to Premier.

If there is a topic you’d love more information about, email your ideas to [email protected] to get it covered.

All the best,

Jen Barton

CWEA Education Coordinator

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PHYSICAL TRAINING - Content by Dr. Kellie Simerly

Happy Back

In all divisions, the back can often get sore and achy. Keeping it mobile often can help reduce stiffness and soreness. Check out the PDF below for some mobility exercises that can be done at the beginning of the day to prepare the back for activity and at the end of the day to help the back recover.

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TARGETED (CG) TECHNIQUE - Content by Philip Cohen, Byrnes HS

Check out this video from Phillip Cohen for some reminders and thoughts on technique and training - and how to fit that into your rehearsals!

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MINDFULNESS AND FOCUS - Content created by Andrew Elkins, Powdersville HS + Etude

There’s a great PowerPoint linked HERE with more information about Mindfulness Journals for your students - this fantastic clinic was presented at the CWEA Summit in November - I highly recommend checking this out if you want your performers to be calm, cool, and confident for 2025.

Here is your journal prompt for this week:

Understanding and internalizing the count structure of our show music is crucial for creating a cohesive and powerful performance. Reflect on your relationship with the music and how you approach counts in rehearsals and performances. Use the following questions to guide your response:

1. Connection to the Music: How well do you know the count structure of our show music? Do you feel confident navigating transitions, tempo changes, ripple counts, and accents?

2. Challenges and Strategies: Are there specific sections of the show where the counts feel unclear or tricky for you? What strategies can you use to stay locked into the rhythm (e.g., listening for specific instruments, using a metronome, or counting aloud)?

3. Team Awareness: How does your understanding of the count structure contribute to our ensemble’s overall timing and cohesion? What can you do to ensure you’re supporting your teammates in staying on time?

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LOGISTICS 411 - Content by Jen Barton, CWEA Education Coordinator

Tis the season of back-of-house paperwork! Stay in the know about deadlines and what needs to go where. Here’s a jumping off point of items you need to ensure are completed, probably this week:

PAPERWORK AND TASKS

1. Organizational Forms - CWEA + WGI + any other circuits you perform in
   1. Release Forms
   2. Permission Forms
   3. Performer Verification
   4. School District Verification
   5. School District Travel + Permission
   6. Bus Reservations + Driver Confirmations
2. Performance Related Tasks
   1. Any recorded music track has to be uploaded to CompetitionSuite. Don’t Forget - if you make changes, you MUST upload the new track to CS and then SOUNDCHECK at your next contest.
   2. Spiel Sheet is updated and uploaded to CompetitionSuite
3. Volunteer procurement + organization - if you have props, assign jobs and invite those folks to rehearsals so they can practice doing those roles when you do your timed run through
4. COLOR GUARD: Check your equipment time! At the start of the season, you may not be doing your entire show - but you’ll be able to figure out if you have that 3/3:30 minimum equipment time. REMEMBER: Equipment in-hand and ready to spin counts as equipment time!
5. Floor Folding 101
   1. We will get you more information next week on the cheat code to folding your floor for easy entry - DON’T FORGET to read your contest-specific information email OR go to the CWEA Event Website to see the Contest Flow
   2. Do a refresher course on your expectations for how the floor is unfolded and folded during the performance - if your students crave structure and consistency, you may want to just make this your 24/7/365 procedure.
      1. Who runs the process?
      2. Do the other members talk?
      3. Do you use hand signals?
      4. What happens if it’s not centered, or it’s crooked?
   3. Check out your floor and prop carts - they may need padding or tape, or the wheels may not be within regulation. Make repairs and adjustments NOW so this doesn’t get forgotten and cost you points.

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See you on the floor!