Dani Ashbrook, band director of Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati, signed up for DCI’s “Commitment to Excellence” program recently and has been extremely pleased with the results. “I think this was a great motivational tool for my band!” Ashbrook said. Band directors receive a DVD of the 2002 DCI broadcast to show to their students for educational and motivational purposes. “I kicked off my band camp by showing my band the DCI World Championship broadcast DVD. It helped get them motivated to do their best all through camp!” Ashbrook’s students were equally as thrilled with the broadcast. Here are some of their reactions:
- “It showed me how much hard work pays off and how much fun you can have on the field.”
- I liked seeing how dedicated everyone was.”
- The way they marched inspired me to be a better marcher and leader.”
- “It was cool to see how the best of the best perform.”
- “It showed me that you must work hard to succeed.”
- “It inspired me to do my best in my own marching band.”
- “It showed me how a band should function as one group and how you should appreciate being part of a group like that.”
- “It was a good movie. It showed me what a band had to do to be a team.”
- “It made me like band more and made me see how fun it could be.”
- “What affected me was when the guy cried after his last show.”
- “It showed me that working hard to achieve something really pays off and looks good. It feels good to know that you are doing your best.”
- “I thought the movie was inspirational. It showed me how great a marching band can really be.”
- “I like the passion that the players put into their marching and their music. Everyone really wanted to be there.”
- “It made me want to stay in band.”
- “I like the unity of the band members, how they were able to work together, and their pride.”
- “The video inspired me because it showed me how to work together as a band and it also showed me that band can be fun if we make it.”
- “The video showed me that band should be one as a whole, not little sections.”
- “Everyone worked together very well. It showed how teamwork and a good attitude make things go a lot smoother. Everyone was always in line, in step, and playing well with great horn angles. I enjoyed it.”
- “What I like most about the DCI finals video was the spirit the bands had. They had fun with what they were doing.”
- “The DCI Finals video helped me because it helped me march a lot sharper and it actually made me care more about what I was doing on the field.”
- “The DCI video showed me how close band members can become and how much better we can sound when we really come together as one.”
- “I liked how good they were because they were so disciplined.”
- “The DCI finals really helped. It showed us how good the professionals are and how good we could be. It inspired me and made me determined to make a difference in band. Competition is what drives me and I want us to be the best high school marching band out there.”
- “It was better than ‘Drumline.'”
- “I like the constant motion and work ethic.”
- “I like the part where the corps made a human American flag.”
- “I like hearing the personal stories about the members.”
- “I enjoyed seeing the hard work they put into it and the smiles after finishing their show.”
- “I enjoyed this video because it showed us a glimpse of a real drum corps. It showed me what I would like to achieve in band.”
- “I like the Cavaliers’ song that they sang before they performed. The video showed me that band after high school is too much work!” If you’re a band director interested in DCI’s “Commitment to Excellence” program, and you’d like to receive a copy of last year’s (2002) DCI broadcast on PBS for your students.
