WINTER GUARD 2027 · 3 SPOTS · BOOKING CLOSES JAN 1
Color guard design that actually makes sense.
Custom show concepts and flag, rifle & saber choreography for high school guards, delivered remotely with teaching videos and count sheets. Packages from $875.
Thoughtful & timely color guard design created with your unique program in mind.
Whether your program is highly competitive or in the training stages, every design is built around your team's specific needs and goals.
Two ways to work together
Choose the full design package, or bring your own concept and let trendsettinghere build the equipment choreography.
| Included | Equipment Choreography | Complete Design Package |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Guards with a concept, music and visual look already chosen | Guards who need help choosing a concept, music and visual look that support the program's goals |
| Intake & pre-design strategy session | Included | Included |
| Concept statement | – | Included |
| Music recommendations & editing guidance | – | Included |
| Silk & costume direction | – | Included |
| Design packet | – | Included |
| Equipment choreography for flag, rifle & saber | Included | Included |
| Teaching videos for every section: with music, with counts, step-by-step walkthrough & extra angles | Included | Included |
| Count sheets | Included | Included |
| Mid-season meeting & strategy check-in | Included | Included |
| One full section rewrite for every piece of equipment, plus small adjustments anytime | Included | Included |
| Post-season meeting & design review | Included | Included |
| Price | $875Remote only · 50% to book | $1,275Remote only · 50% to book |
- Book your intake call by Dec 1 to have your full show by Feb 15.
- Winter 2027 booking closes Jan 1, or sooner if all 3 spots fill.
- 50% to book, or a signed school purchase order.
- Balance due before your final section.
Each package covers one season. Fall and winter are booked separately. Refund details are in the FAQ.
Your first section arrives one week after intake, with a new section every week after that. Available for either package, based on availability and limited to one program per season, with intake by January 8, 2027. Booking after December 1? Add rush delivery to keep the February 15 guarantee.
Costume sketch to competition field
Silk and costume direction from the Complete Design Package: “The Elements,” Joliet West, Fall 2025.
How it
works
1. Intake call
We talk through your program, your performers and your goals for the season. Before the call, send your member count, experience level, rehearsal schedule, competition class and music.
2. Design, delivered in phases
Your first section arrives two weeks after your intake call, and a new section follows every two weeks after that, so your staff can start teaching while the rest is still being finished. Every phase comes with teaching videos and a count sheet. For marching band, each phase is a movement of the show. For winter guard, each phase is a section, typically an opener, a middle and a closer. The Complete Design Package also includes your concept, music and silk direction.
3. Mid-season check-in
We review progress and adjust the plan while there's still time to use it.
4. Post-season review
We look at what worked and set up the next season.
Programs JL directs
JL took over the Joliet West Color Guards in 2023 with 12 members, most of them brand new, and has tripled membership in three years. Every show below was designed and choreographed by JL.
Swipe to see every season →
Belong Pride Guard
A volunteer, all-ages guard JL formed in 2024 with Belong: Fox Valley.
Swipe to see every season →
Not ready to book yet?
Get the free Locked In winter guard pre-season checklist, plus design tips for your program.
Questions directors ask
How soon will I get choreography?
Your first section arrives two weeks after your intake call. A new section follows every two weeks after that, so your staff can start teaching right away. Most winter shows have three sections: an opener, a middle and a closer. Programs with an intake call by December 1, 2026 are guaranteed a complete winter show by February 15, 2027.
How is the choreography delivered?
Every section comes as a set of videos: JL performing it with music, the same section with counts, and a step-by-step walkthrough. Front, back and mirrored angles are added as needed, and a count sheet is included with each section.
Can I get my choreography faster?
Yes. Rush delivery is a flat $250 add-on for either package: your first section arrives one week after intake, and a new section follows every week. Rush is based on availability, limited to one program per season, and requires an intake call by January 8, 2027. If your intake call is after December 1, rush delivery keeps the February 15 guarantee.
What do you need from me?
Before your intake call, send your member count, your guard’s general experience level, your rehearsal schedule, your competition class and your music. If you’re booking the Complete Design Package and haven’t chosen music yet, music recommendations are part of the package.
Can my school pay by invoice or purchase order?
Yes. Schools can pay with an invoice or a purchase order, so payment can go through your district’s normal approval process. A 50% deposit reserves your spot, or a signed school purchase order can hold it in place of the deposit, and the remaining 50% is due before your final section is delivered. Design begins at your intake call. If you cancel before then, your deposit is fully refunded; after that, deposits are non-refundable.
Is everything really remote?
Yes. Every meeting and every delivery happens online, so programs anywhere in the United States can work with trendsettinghere.
Which circuits and classes do you design for?
trendsettinghere designs for WGI and Midwest Color Guard Circuit programs, with current design experience in Scholastic Regional A (SRA). Programs in other classes, from cadet through World, are welcome to reach out and talk through fit on a call.
Is this only for competitive programs?
No. Designs are built for the guard you have, whether you’re competing at a high level or teaching mostly first-year spinners.
What if a section doesn’t work for my performers?
Small adjustments, like changing a toss, a count or a transition, are always included and don’t count as revisions. On top of that, every package includes one revision for each piece of equipment, where a revision is a full rewrite of a section. Each additional revision is $150, and there’s no charge if a rewrite is needed because the choreography doesn’t match the skill levels or member count you shared at intake. There’s also a mid-season check-in to adjust the plan while there’s still time.
Can I book fall and winter together?
Fall marching band and winter guard are separate packages, each booked on its own. Right now, bookings are open for winter guard 2027, and you can join the fall 2027 waitlist to hear first when fall spots open.
Why only three programs?
Each program gets direct attention from JL from intake through the post-season review. Three spots keeps every design on schedule.
About
Based in the Chicagoland area, JL Kalkofen is an experienced marching arts professional with a background in music, early childhood education & behavior analysis. JL directs the Joliet West High School & Reavis High School color guard programs. In 2024, JL formed a volunteer all-age Pride Guard that performs seasonally in partnership with LGBTQIA+ non-profit organization Belong: Fox Valley. As a performer in color guard and marching band, and a clarinetist in wind ensembles, JL designs from the perspective of the whole ensemble, not just from one section.
Having built multiple programs from the ground up, JL is a proven leader with a track record of success. JL knows the realities of what high school guards actually face: varied experience levels, limited rehearsal time and real budgets. Each design is thoughtfully created with your unique team's goals and circumstances in mind.
Ready to plan your season?
Fall or winter, let's talk through your program and find the package that fits.
Or email trendsettinghere@gmail.com with your program name and season.
trendsettinghere color guard designs · trendsettinghere@gmail.com · Instagram: @trendsettinghere
Privacy note
This page is hosted by Kit, which follows its own privacy policy. If you sign up for the free checklist, Kit stores your email so trendsettinghere can send it and occasional updates; you can unsubscribe anytime. Calls are booked through Calendly, which follows its own privacy policy. If you email trendsettinghere, your message is used only to reply to you and to plan your program’s design.
Anything you share, such as member counts, rehearsal schedules, music, rosters or rehearsal videos, is used only to design your show and work with your staff, and is never sold or shared. Photos or videos of your students are never posted publicly without written permission from the program’s director. You can ask for your program’s files to be deleted at any time.
Questions: trendsettinghere@gmail.com. Last updated October 2026.
