A while ago, a clarinet player with low vision asked me if I had any tips for how to read marching band drill sheets and talking to their director about marching with low vision. The conversation made me think of my time in marching band and what I wish I had done differently, and how I would approach situations differently now that I know more about my visual impairment, particularly as it related to marching drill and choreography. In honor of Music in Our Schools Month, here are some considerations for writing marching band drill for low vision students, from the perspective of a student with low vision.
Some background on my marching band experiences
My first high school had one marching band program that performed at football games and at competitions across the region. My first band director took marching band very seriously and required all students to participate for a grade. However, my band director ended up exempting me from this requirement since I have low vision and am sensitive to bright/flashing lights, though during my sophomore year I pushed for them to allow me to be part of the pep band and play in the stands during football games and school events.
At my second high school, there were two marching programs, a halftime band that played at football games and a competition band that performed at competitions. I participated in the halftime band as it involved less complicated marching drill and I felt more comfortable participating in this type of program. My band director did encourage me to participate in competition band senior year, but I didn’t feel confident with the more elaborate choreography, and I ultimately spent most of the season playing off to the side because I broke my ankle a month into the school year.
Related links
- Marching Band and Low Vision
- Concert Band and Low Vision
- How I Talk To Professors About Photosensitivity
- College Game Day and Sporting Events: College O&M
Can drill sheets be made accessible for students with visual impairments?
When I was in high school, my band director and I didn’t think about making drill sheets accessible for me, because they found it easier to just tell me where to go verbally, or ask another student to do so. However, there are options for making drill sheets accessible, which include:
- Scanning in high-resolution images of drill sheets and label them for the student so they know where their dot is
- Viewing a digital version of the drill sheet with an inverted display, which can improve contrast or make dots easier to find
- Adding colored-coded dot stickers for where the student is supposed to go
- Create a tactile graphic so that they can feel the different dots and get an idea of where they are
- Have the drill sheet projected or cast to a screen so that it is larger
- Use a video magnifier to enlarge the page; this can be done with a handheld video magnifier (which can also be connected to a TV), or a desktop video magnifier in a library setting
- Place a colored overlay over the page, which can help with glare
- Create an audio narrated image that describes what the student should be doing/where they should be going based on the drill sheet.
Of course, telling the student where to go or asking a student to do these tasks is also a viable option, but making the drill sheets available in an accessible format can be helpful for helping the student to navigate independently.
Related links
- How To Create High Resolution Images For Users With Low Vision
- How To Create Tactile Images With Everyday Objects
- How To Use Invert Colors With Low Vision
- How To Create Accessible Videos and Narrated Images With Clips
- A to Z of Assistive Technology For Low Vision
- Free Braille Art and Tactile Image Libraries: World Braille Day 2024
Setting up the practice space
At the beginning of band camp or practice, it can be helpful to draw bright colored lines or add high contrast tape to specific areas on the ground, which can serve as a visual landmark and help students hit their marks more easily. For example, one director had two different colored tape strips that showed yard lines, which were easier for me to notice than white tape that didn’t stand out much on the practice surface.
One of my friends shared that their way of learning marching band drill was by filming another volunteer marching in their place (body double), and watching the video multiple times until they understood how they were expected to move on the field. This video was supplemented with music and a description of the choreography from the director, but it wasn’t until my friend saw all three together that they felt like everything “clicked” and that they could confidently participate. Watching off to the side alone was not effective since my friend couldn’t see far enough, but they could zoom in with their camera either while filming or playing back the video.
Related links
- Dance Classes and Low Vision
- How To Make Classroom Videos Easier To See
- How To Describe Dance Choreography Videos For Visually Impaired
Thinking about a student’s usable vision
When writing drill for a student with low vision, it is helpful to think about their usable vision and make sure that they would be able to march successfully with the given instructions. For example, a student with limited peripheral vision in their left eye may not feel comfortable with leading a line of people in moving to the left, which was the case for one of my friends. While I don’t recommend giving the student overly simple drill unless they ask for it, or having them just stand off to the side, it can be helpful to know about their visual impairment so that they aren’t put in a disorienting situation, or to give them the opportunity to set boundaries or limitations with the director/choreographer without fear of repercussion.
Related links
- Learning To Explain Usable Vision
- Using PicsArt To Simulate Low Vision
- Disability Accommodations For Fluctuating Eyesight
Ask about bright lighting and flying objects
Another thing that can impact how well a student is able to execute drill is bright lighting, as people with certain visual impairments may have less usable vision under bright lighting conditions. Students with visual impairments may also feel less comfortable with being close to flying objects such as flags, rifles, or batons, especially if they have limited peripheral vision, so students may feel comfortable standing or moving away from these items. To help with managing light sensitivity from bright lights, I would wear sunglasses when in the stands or on the field, or I would just wear my non-polarized prescription tinted glasses if the sunglasses made it too dark.
Related links
- Adapting Band Uniforms For Sensory Processing Issues
- Lighting And Low Vision
- How Tinted Glasses Help My Light Sensitivity
Involve the student in the decision-making process
During my senior year, my band director originally wrote drill for a piece that involved me leading a line of people in a backwards diagonal line, not realizing that I had trouble walking backwards, walking diagonally, and leading a line of people. While I am glad that they had so much confidence in me that I would be able to execute this task, I ended up incredibly frustrated and so did a lot of the marching band staff members, who didn’t understand the extent of my vision loss or neurological condition. My band director ended up rewriting my part so that I was no longer leading people or walking in a way that was painful, and it helped me feel much more confident and happy knowing that I wasn’t walking awkwardly in front of an audience. Moral of the story- involving the student in the decision-making process for drill can save a lot of time and anxiety!
Should there be a human guide available?
One of the questions I received from a student was whether a human guide should be available for them as they are marching- as in, having a student guide them to where they should go. Again, this depends on the student preferences, but there have been many band programs that have successfully used human guides to help guide students with visual impairments as to where they should go. Some programs would only use the guide during band camp or practices, while others would have the students tethered together during games so they could lead them as to where to go. I frequently used informal human guides to help me figure out where to go, and the people standing next to me also helped me at times when I got lost, but did not use a guide while performing in halftime shows.
Related links
- How To Be An Effective Human Guide For People With Vision Loss
- How Do People With Visual Impairments Guide Each Other?
- How To Approach Someone with Low Vision Without Scaring Them
Don’t forget accessible music!
While it’s fun to think about movement and all of the visual effects of marching band, it’s critical to make sure that the student also has access to accessible music. Since marching band music is often smaller than standard-sized music, I recommend working with the student to figure out what size will work best, or providing digital copies of music so they can enlarge them on their own. I have a few posts about how I receive accessible music linked below.
Related links
- How To Make Music Accessible With Microsoft PowerPoint
- Tips For Reading Music On An iPad With Low Vision
- My Large Print Music Binder
- Upcycling Music Stands into Assistive Technology
More considerations for writing marching band drill for visually impaired students
- When my band director was putting together plans for marching in a parade, I requested that I be paired with a specific student so that I could use them as a guide while walking, and to avoid having me near the very edge of the parade formation so that I wouldn’t move out of line or get lost. This request was granted and allowed me to focus on playing, not on the thoughts of running into people!
- My university doesn’t have a marching band, but there is a yearly marching band style performance for the season opener that I don’t participate in due to strobe lighting effects being used. I share more about my pep band experience in How I Play In GMU Green Machine/Pep Band With Low Vision
- I’ve played several types of clarinet over the years, but I always marched with the Bb soprano clarinet. Learn more about teaching clarinet for low vision musicians in Learning Clarinet With Low Vision
Published March 4, 2020. Updated December 2024