SBO+: Barry Bernhardt recently retired as director of bands at Florida International University. He is well known in the marching arts world and is now a regular SBO+ contributor.
SBO+: Tell me a little bit about your background?
BB: I grew up in Macon, Missouri, a rural town in Northeast Missouri where I began band and playing trumpet in the fifth grade. I graduated in 1976, where my college career began at what was then called Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University) where I was in the NMSU Stage Band under the tutelage of Tom Palmatier. I graduated in 1981 with my BME. I taught at South Shelby HS for one year and then went back to graduate school at NMSU and graduated with my master’s degree in music education in 1984 and got the Assistant Director of Bands job at California State University-Long Beach. I taught there for four years and moved to Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX where I filled in as the associate director of bands for two years. I began teaching at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, MO in 1990 and taught there for 20 years as the director of bands. In 2010, I moved to Miami, FL to rebuild a Division I university athletic band program at Florida International University. I retired in August as the director of bands after 14 wonderful years.
SBO+: What led you to focus on marching band?
BB: In my first college gig at Long Beach State, I was the drill designer for the marching band and conducted the Women’s Basketball Band. I was also involved with the Velvet Knights Drum and Bugle Corps on the visual staff. I have always enjoyed college sports and especially football and basketball, so I suppose that’s why I gravitated to athletic bands.
SBO+: What trends in the marching arts have you seen/experienced?
BB: I have experienced virtually all facets of the development of the marching arts. I began my early marching band days in high school and college doing picture shows with some Moffit-style drills included. I was a junior in college when we made the transition to corps style. I was hooked from the beginning and have been a huge supporter of this style ever since. I did experience some military-style marching band when I was at SFA, because all the high school bands in East Texas fashioned themselves after Texas A&M, but I stuck to the corps style concept. In many ways I have almost seen marching band turn full circle in my 40+ years of involvement.
SBO+: Where do you see the art form going in the next decade?
BB: Boy, that’s a difficult question! With so much focus on trying to be more like DCI on steroids, it seems like we are only concerned about winning the next competition or coming up with the newest props, etc. I can only hope we return to entertainment. Marching bands need to be entertaining, and I feel we need to return to being entertainment ensembles at sporting events.
SBO+: What are your thoughts on amplification?
BB: I was a purist but must admit I have used electronics in my front ensemble but have never amplified instruments on the field. I suppose that I am alright with amplification if it does not take away from the overall ensemble and as long as the person controlling the sound system realizes they are simply adding to the overall sound and not running sound for AC/DC.
SBO+: You’re a “band guy.” What advice would you give to high school band directors on color guard?
BB: I am a band guy, and one thing I have learned over my 40-plus years in the activity is that color guard can be your biggest asset or your biggest liability depending on how you use their talents. Color guard must have trained professionals working with them to guide and develop them. In addition, I would say having a strong color guard can help the velocity and intensity of your drill design.
Many years ago, as a young drill designer, I sought advice from Lee Carlson, who I worked with on many large events. As a band guy, I was having difficulty writing for the guard and usually ended up just writing the typical “guard arc” in the back of the band. Lee suggested I consider writing the guard first and then writing the winds and percussion around them. Once I started doing what Lee had suggested it opened a whole new view of writing drill. Use your guard to your advantage!!
SBO+: Did you write your own music arrangements? Drill?
BB: I used to write both my arrangements and drill but soon found I was a much better drill designer than arranger. I have loved writing drill my whole career. When I first started in the early 1980’s, we all wrote by hand with large drill paper and a light board. Pyware was available in the mid-1980’s but was pretty limiting and could not handle much. There have been many different types of drill design software, but I have written with Pyware for about the past 15 years. This is a wonderful tool that allows one to really be creative. The learning curve is steep, but it is a wonderful tool.
SBO+: Where does marching band fit in a total well-rounded music program?
BB: As you said earlier, I am a band guy, first and foremost. I believe marching band is a piece of the “band pie,” but should only be a portion of it. A well-rounded program should be centered around its concert program and complemented by a marching band, jazz ensemble, and various chamber ensembles. If we make one portion of the band pie larger than the others, we cannot be balanced. I mean, I still love athletic bands and the marching arts, but I want a well-rounded program that develops the players and teaches wonderful fundamentals.
SBO+: What do you hope to bring to SBO+ readers in future issues?
BB: I have had some wonderful teachers/mentors and students in my 40+ year career as a band director. It is my sincere hope I can give back to the band community at large by offering highlights and insights from my career. It’s all about giving back and helping others. It’s not about us but about the students we teach. So, I am hopeful I can offer some insight. I may offer concepts that we all know about but hope to offer a new perspective or at least reinforce skills that are being used.
