The high school color guard has changed in the the last three decades. Once just majorettes who marched in front of their band, the high school color guard is now a creative unit unto itself. It even has its own sport tied into it now.

The Progression of High School Color Guard
The majorettes would march at the front of their band prior to a football game or during a parade. Flags and Sabres became introduced and the complexity of the high school color guard changed. They became more incorporated into the shows the marching bands were doing and eventually became a needed support.

The high school color guard has entered a new phase in the last fifteen years with the explosion of competitive marching. Marching bands across the nation take part in these events, geared to bring music to the young. High school color guard has taken on the role of teaching dance and discipline to the young men and women who participate.

Winter Guard International is an organization that deals more specifically with high school color guard and color guard of older units. These competitions focus on the guard and not the entire marching organization. This really gives a high school color guard a chance to shine, center stage.

No competitive color guard goes into performance without excellent color guard costumes. Their costumes compliment the show and the marching band theyre attached to. Picking the costumes for the coming year is a big choice. But it shouldnt be too hard if you take a few important steps.

The Task of Buying Color Guard Costumes
The chief consideration of every director is the cost of color guard costumes. If your squad is small, this may not be such a big problem. But most units will have twenty-five or more. That cost adds up fast. So think about your budget and how much you are able to spend per uniform.

The next concern is the look of the color guard costumes youll choose. Your show may be something classical, where the look of the uniform may need to be only a solid color to accent the mood of the piece. These uniforms are easier to choose.

But you might be doing something more contemporary. You might be doing something from Broadway, which would have a very specific costume need. You may want to have your squad dressed like mobsters or even animals. These choices tie in with price. Keep that in mind when coming up with complex color guard costumes.

Military color guard equipment is a very specific topic. The military has its own way of doing things, which is often completely contrary to some of the more common ways associated with civilian marching bands and drum corps. As such, the military usually has its own contractors who produce the items they need.

What Are Things to Know About Military Color Guard Equipment?
Military color guard equipment is a mix of items. Unlike the color guard you may know from your high school, the military color guard is just that. At the head of every military unit are flag bearers designating the unit and nation they hail from. American military units will have the nations flag, the unit flag and often the flag of the state they come from, in the case of the national guard.

Each branch of the military will have different equipment. The harnesses that help bear the weight of the flags is essentially the same from branch to branch. The differences are mostly with regards to the uniforms. The Navy does not have the same uniform as the Air Force, so clearly they have different needs.

The color guard are present at most state functions as well as major political events. Wherever military events are taking place, surely there will be color guard. On a side historical note, there are historical colonial communities that, during national holidays will have color guard dressed in the uniforms of the times.

Marching band color guard uniforms are a big business today. Companies across the nation produce a wide variety of designs, patterns and colors. The variety is staggering, which is always welcome when trying to put together a stellar show.

The Importance of Marching Band Color Guard Uniforms
While its obviously important for your color guard to look good on the field, part of that look has to come from the music. The goal of the uniform is to help pull the audience into the emotion and splendor of the piece. How this is done is by the combination of the flags used for the show, and the look of the uniform.

Color is the primary first choice. Pick colors that seem to compliment the music. Darker music may need reds and browns. Something light may need blues and sunny yellows. Also note the texture of the uniforms. Do you want a glossy look or something move flat?

There are also a wide variety of marching band color guard uniforms for more formal events like parades. A common decision is to make it similar to the marching bands uniform, but this isnt the only case. Some uniforms will be special from occasion to occasion. Its a matter of personal preference, and the staff usually decides collectively.

Durable color guard wear can make or break a show. Your color guards costumes need to be sturdy and stand up to often bad conditions. The color guard wear you choose is a key decision for the coming year. It doesnt have to be a disaster if you plan ahead.

Keeping Up With Todays Color Guard Wear
The cost of color guard wear is probably the front runner in your mind if youre a band director. If your squad is small, this may not be such a big problem. But most units will have twenty-five or more. That cost adds up fast. So think about your budget and how much you are able to spend per uniform.

The next concern is the look of the color guard wear youll choose. Do you want a classic look, something with solid colors? Or do you want something more hip and up-to-date to accentuate the mood of the contemporary piece youre doing?

The other consideration is how durable the color guard wear is. Will it stand up to the elements? Does it have plenty of stitching to reduce tears and broken seams? These considerations should be just as important as the look. Finding the right look is nothing if the color guard wear falls apart after two outings.