“How To” Series

For 25 years, Pacific Crest Youth Arts has been educating students in the pageantry arts, creating tomorrow’s leaders today. We have brought together experts in music education and leadership who will prepare you for your role as a high school drum major. You will discover your leadership style, how to best work with your leadership teams and instructional staff as well as conducting skills.  From activities and videos, to quizzes and games, you will gain all the knowledge you need to become a successful drum major. Read more.

This course designed to help those performers that are searching for a way to consistently perform at their best AND enjoy the experience.

This course is designed to help students prepare for the leadership audition process and the expectations of choosing to become a leader.

The course begins with a look at people who are great leaders in America and the different types of leadership roles that exist. From there, it explores what qualities are needed to become a strong leader and an examination of the student’s own strengths and weaknesses as a leader. Read more.

Level 100, The Emerging Leader will take students through the fundamentals of becoming a strong and effective leader. They will be introduced to the qualities a leader must possess and examples of specific leaders who exemplify these traits. They will explore different types of leadership styles and will identify their own style. The Great Communicator section will help students improve their communication skills and discover the uses and pitfalls of social media. They will then learn motivational techniques as well as how to organize an effective sectional. Read more.

Percussion Design for Marching Band is presented by Remo Artist, Bret Kuhn. In this course you will develop a fundamental understanding of your ensemble and skills. You will explore the fundamentals of Snare, Tenor, Bass Drum, Timpani, Keyboard, and Cymbals. You will learn how to set up the equipment and the basics of tuning. Finally, you will look at the auditions process for your ensemble.

Percussion Design for Marching Band is presented by Remo Artist, Bret Kuhn. In this course you will develop a deeper understanding of your ensemble and skills they need. You will be given fundamental exercises to use with your students, a tour of the front ensemble, and samples of band and percussion instrumentation. In the final sections you will dive inside the music with arranging tips and how to correct problems and issues with arrangements.

This course is designed for the director that is using pre-arranged or composed music or a complete show design package and how to turn it into a successful show.  Composer/Arranger Key Poulan guides you through the process  of understanding the needs of your students and how to select music that is the perfect fit for them.  The course will then guide you through the process of taking the music and developing a championship show.

World class artist and designer, Michael Gray will take you through the process of designing  a successful visual package for your marching band. This 3 part series will explore the key components necessary to develop, design, and implement a strong show concept for your program. From the basics of design to exploring advances practices, these courses will elevate your visual program to the next level and set you up for growth and success in the future. Level 100 includes: Read more.

In this level you will develop a fundamental understanding of the role, ethics, and professional expectations of the judge, along with the judging process as a whole, and the basic skills required. The Basic tools for recognition, comparison and scoring will be introduced. You will practice observing differences and making comparisons, ranking and spreading. A final examination will confirm your readiness for the next level of study. Read more.