Painting and Painting and Towering Clocks, OH MY

Marching band performances are a lot of elements all woven together to create a beautiful piece of art.

The music.

The drill.

The added visuals.

But don’t forget the props. Maybe not the most important thing, props can add a nice pop, frame the show, and add to the theme.

Props don’t appear out of thin air. And this year’s have made it through the second stage of development. Painting happened.

Volunteers came, braving the heat and giving up a few hours of their Saturday. Well, it didn’t rain! And the sun helped the paint dry, so I guess that was good.

Before the volunteers arrived, my husband got out his paint sprayer and covered the bases and clock posts with brown. Whew, did that cut the painting time down! Pretty sure we’d still be painting if not for that.

So we set up the saw horses and handed out paint and paintbrushes! The brown was touched up and white was added to the clocks. Parents brought kids, who faces shone with glee at the thought of helping.

Hard at work! Brushes sweeping with grace and precision.

Photo by Jen Blackburn

Look at that focus! Wait…how many do we have to do?

And we were painting and painting and painting…

Photo by Jen Blackburn

Photo by Jen Blackburn

And our dog was so happy to have new friends!

Photo by Jen Blackburn

The work assessed…the props tested.

Pretty little clocks all in a row. Look at Sarah go!

Photo by Jen Blackburn

After the base coat, the details were added. Lines to give the clock post texture and dimension. A bit of highlight. A touch of shadow. A pop of color.

Photo by Jason Palm

Photo by Jason Palm

And the clocks wait. Soon there will be clock faces and lights. Soon they will be moved to their new home, ready to count down the moments to The Witching Hour when the band takes the field.

A lot goes into making a marching band show. A lot behind the scenes. So many people give their time and talent to give the Spirit of Woodlan support, to give them the best chance to succeed.

My first year as a band parent, I had no clue. Starting my third year as a band mom, I have been immersed in the process. It’s fascinating. It’s a lot of work. It’s all worth it.

GO SPIRIT OF WOODLAN! First competition…about three weeks.

#paintingprops #creatingtheshow #volunteering #marchingband #props