created at URI shows band directors how it’s done
KINGSTON, R.I. — September 27, 2001 — To avoid being shaped like a tuba and to become fit as a fiddle, the 65 members of URI’s Marching Band, like their counterparts on the football team, are warming up their muscle groups before playing. And so are other bands across the country, thanks to a first-of-its-kind video created at URI.
“To prevent injuries and soreness, it’s important for band members to stretch, build upper body strength, and develop good posture and balance,” said band director Donald Smith of Wakefield, noting that job includes marching quickly and making fast turns.
“You can imagine the physical skill it takes for a 90-pound woman to carry a 45-pound tuba. Or the balance and posture required for bass drummers.”
Smith felt so strongly about keeping his band in tone, he asked Stacy Trukowski, a former fitness coordinator with URIs Athletic Department, for a group of multifunctional exercises that the band could perform.
Working with Smith, Trukowski tailored a 10-minute program that builds strength, endurance, and helps create stability. The exercises strengthen abdominal and back muscles.
The program worked so well that Smith and Trukowski decided to make a video for bands. It was released last December. Sales are brisk. Apparently, the video which offers warm-up routines, fitness routines, and rehearsal recommendations, has hit the right note with other band directors.
For Information: Don Smith, 874-4299, Jan Wenzel, 874-2116