Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • April 2013
19
So You Think You Can’t Spin
Cri t ical yet basic colorguard informat ion for A, AA, and
AAA bands — a preview of their 2013 TBA cl inic
TBA is pleased to announce that
band directors Estelle Gravois-
Murr and Celestino Sosa will be
presenting a colorguard clinic
geared towards small school bands.
During the clinic, Sosa and Murr
will provide information related to
training, choreography, and cleaning
your own students’ performances.
There will be student performers
on hand to demonstrate basic skills,
combinations, and progressions that
will lead to polished choreography.
The clinic will open with a
discussion on how to train your
colorguard without an instructor,
including basic skills and
combinations that can be applied
to choreography. Musicality will be
discussed to help directors present
programs that are musical in nature
versus spinning for spinning’s sake.
Also on the agenda is how to fix
or enhance drill design with a focus
on musicality, pacing, and flow
to elevate your overall program.
Specifics include staging equipment
and prop changes as well as layering
basic techniques to create visual
moments with depth.
Musical instructional strategies
will be applied to the colorguard
setting so that every band director
can be confident in teaching their
own guard about articulation,
breath, phrasing, balance, and
blend. Too often band directors feel
the colorguard is an unknown or
different element; Sosa and Murr will
explain and demonstrate how your
current knowledge base of musical
instruction will make you able to
produce an effective colorguard.
Students from Alvarado HS and
Little Elm HS will demonstrate basic
skills and participate in real-time
instruction. All attendees will receive
a DVD of the skills and combina-
tions taught and demonstrated
during the clinic. Directors are
welcome to bring cameras and
record any of the session.
A question and answer period is
built into this session. Participants
can ask any colorguard-related
questions of the clinicians or the
students. In addition, directors can
pose problems or scenarios for Sosa
and Murr to demonstrate how to
resolve. The clinic will be held in
CC Hall D with a field marked off so
the presentation will be to-scale just
like your marching rehearsals.
The clinic is generously sponsored
by DSI, Team Go Figure, and Fred J.
Miller. Door prizes will be given,
including three sets of show flags,
gift certificates, discounts, and
custom choreography. If directors
already have their show music in
hand, two of them will win custom
choreography and can have their
opener written for them before they
leave the convention!
Sosa and Murr will be available
throughout the day following the
presentation to meet with directors
and discuss specific needs or consult
on their programs.
Estelle Gravois-Murr resides in Fort
Worth and is currently in her ffth year as a
band director and dance teacher at Alvarado
High School and 17
th
year in public schools.
She directs the colorguards at Alvarado HS
and JH, Everman HS, and also Northwestern
State University in Natchitoches, LA. She
choreographs for multiple colorguards and
consults in both programming and visual
performance. She is a past director of the
US Scholastic Band Association, a division
of Youth Education in the Arts, and worked
for several years with the Cadets Drum
and Bugle Corps in the areas of leadership
and tour administration. She has served
as an adjudication caption facilitator, lead
various seminars and been published in
music education journals. Most recently, Ms.
Gravois-Murr was inducted to the inaugural
class of the North Texas Colorguard
Association Hall of Fame.
Celestino Sosa brings 32 years of
experience in guard design, choreography,
staging, and consultation to this clinic. He
has worked with multiple guard and band
programs throughout the United States and
is sought after for his knowledge in visual
concepts, staging, and movement. Under his
direction, the 2010 Little Elm High School
Winter Guard was the NTCA Scholastic
A Champion, WGI Southwest Regional
Champion, and WGI Scholastic A World
Champion. Little Elm HS is the frst Texas
winter guard to have achieved this honor.
Mr. Sosa is currently the Assistant Director
of bands at Little Elm HS and was recently
inducted to the inaugural class of the North
Texas Color Guard Association Inaugural
Hall of Fame.
Estel le Gravois-Murr and Celest ino Sosa