Marching band help!!! i have a horrible freshman marcher!!!?

Question:

Marching band help!!! i have a horrible freshman marcher!!!?

i have a new freshman in my flute section and she's pretty bad. she can't snap her horn up on cue, step off on her left foot, stay in step, level her flute angle, or keep her step sizes even. we have a parade tomorrow and i need some tips fast!!! we've tried working with her to the bast of out ablities and i'm out of ideas.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Figure out how she learns best. Some people learn best when they see examples, others need you to physically adjust their horn angles and shoulders and step size, some would do better if you give them very specific verbal instructions for everything they have to remember (everything from "raise the end of your flute 3 inches" to "look out the corners of you eyes and make sure you can only see the person next to you and they block everyone else from view. This is how you know you're in line") Be patient. It's early yet. Prioritize what you need her to do. Getting her to dress files and stay in step are more important right now than getting her to march 8-to-5 steps. Limit the things she has to think about as much as possible while she's still learning. Work on step offs and staying in step without a horn. Remind her she can feel her feet and she doesn't have to look at them but don't ask her to keep her shoulders back and her horn up until she can get her feet right. Then work on the horn angles and the other aspects of posture. Be supportive too. No one is going to get upset that she can't get it immediately. Offer to come in early or stay late to help her practice outside of rehearsal. Also, make sure marching band is fun for her. If she enjoys it, she's more likely to want to be good at it. Good luck.