DCI Today Fall, 2005

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Dodger Tim Kelly: True Blue to the Corps

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How To Start Your March to Summer Now!

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ROCK 2006 World Championships FOXBORO Ticket & Event Info PitBreak•DearDCI•3Lessons•DCI 101•Buscaglia@Large

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dcitoday

fall 2005

4 Let’s Take it from the Top DCI’s Dan Acheson on the start of a new season.

Features 22 Getting to the Corps Learn the basics of DCI from this handy primer.

6 Pit Break Cadets rule Worlds…2005 Director of the Year…

Honor Corps at the Magic Kingdom…Wisconsin 2006 preview…How to join, online resources, and more!

10 Audition Tips Caption leaders tell us what they look for at auditions.

26 Personal Practice Summer tours can be grueling physical tests.

Learn how to prepare your body during the off-season.

31 Percussion Lesson Stretch to get ready.

32 Brass Lesson 14 Dear DCI Letters from recent age-outs who reflect on their corps experience.

Build your facial muscles and lungs.

33 Movement Lesson Build strength with dance moves.

16 Commitment to Excellence Cadets director George Hopkins on his corps’ historic championship.

20 Free Day Marco Buscaglia on mentoring and the importance of leading by example.

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36 Gearing Up Check out the latest gear for drum corps.

38 Age-Out Tim Kelly, L.A. Dodgers scout, is still marching in his heart.

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Drum Corps International Volume 31 Issue I

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C O R P S

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Dodger Tim Kelly: True Blue to the Corps

This Year's Year's This

NEW GEAR

Dan Acheson Executive Director How To Start Your March to Summer Now!

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS ROCK 2006 Championships FOXBORO World Ticket & Event Info

Ed Dempsey Strategic Alliances Manager Chris Weber Promotions Project Manager

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Custom Published By: In Tune Partners, LLC

Let’s Take It from the Top

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am delighted to introduce you to the most exciting evolution of Drum Corps International’s DCI Today publication to date. Through a new partnership with In Tune Monthly magazine, which targets students grades seven through twelve and provides educational and interest segments on all aspects of the world of music, DCI Today will reach a new audience of more than 50,000 music educators and students inside the classroom as a part of In Tune’s distribution. In Tune writers and designers will take the lead with DCI staff assistance in presenting fresh new content that will appeal to both longtime DCI fans and students of all ages. We are confident you will enjoy the new format and look forward to your feedback.

A new season is upon us as many of the corps prepare for audition and rehearsal camps. Thousands of potential corps members are expected to fill school gymnasiums and band halls throughout the United States this fall and winter as they stake their claim to the drum corps experience. Will that be you? A common theme heard at each of the corps opening camps, when directors address first time attendees, is that just by making the commitment to audition you are a step closer to achieving excellence in what you do. If you are thinking of attending a camp, don’t let anything hold you back.

Go for it!

Irwin Kornfeld CEO Will Edwards President Angelo Biasi Publisher Emile Menasché Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Biasi Managing Editor Dave Kornfeld Photo Editor Don Helsel Operations Director Theo Fiorillo Creative Director Aimee Zaleski Art & Production Director Johnny Gilbert Photography Alex Reardon Illustrations Contributors Dan Acheson, Marco Buscaglia, Dendy Jarrett, Ed Medina, Emily Tannert, Danny Miles

Dan Acheson Executive Director/CEO

Drum Corps International is a non-profit organization formed to service the North American drum corps activity. Editorial and business offices are located at 470 South Irmen Drive, Addison, IL 60101, phone: 630-628-7888, fax: 630-6287971. DCI Today is published in Fall, Winter and Summer each year. Nonprofit organization U.S. postage paid at Lebanon Junction, KY, permit #2223.

Copyright © 2005 Drum Corps International. All rights reserved.

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A.J.Wright is proud to present the

2006 DCI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

August 8-12 in Madison, WI See you there!

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This exciting Disney Magic Music Days experience at the Walt Disney World ® Resort offers special events, performance workshops and an exclusive Magic Music Mornings orientation. Plus, all groups performing will receive complimentary sheet music and CD, including a special Disney orchestration of the anthem.

To showcase your stars and stripes, call 866-878-9122 or visit www.magicmusicdays.com! © DISNEY

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PIT BREAK News and Notes from Drum Corps International

Get DCI Season Pass Bring the DCI experience to your desktop by subscribing to DCI Season Pass, the most complete source on the Internet for historical and current drum corps content. A DCI Season Pass subscription lets you stream any top-12 DCI show from the audio archives, dating back to 1972; watch extended live summer coverage, including new video vignettes; and experience live audio and video recordings captured at many regional events throughout the summer.

Season Pass is your gateway to downloadable audio files of shows past and present, special playlists, news, and more. Subscriptions start at just $39 for three months. Learn more at seasonpass.dci.org

By the numbers: DCI Cinema Live DATE: August 11, 2005 TOTAL ATTENDANCE - 18, 363 NUMBER OF THEATERS - 67 AVERAGE ATTENDANCE PER THEATER - 274

CADETS RULE! August in New England is hot, but Foxboro Massachusetts’ Gillette Stadium was positively scalding thanks to a command performance by The Cadets. Their imaginative and challenging show, “The Zone,” earned a record-tying score of 99.150 to win the DCI Division I World Championships in front of a packed house. That was enough to overcome strong performances by The Cavaliers (97.625) and Phantom Regiment (96.825). In the Division II & III Grand Finals held in Brockton, MA, East Coast Jazz took Division II

honors with a score of 97.475, followed by Spartans (97.150) and Blue Stars (93.925). Raiders topped Division III, posting an 88.800, followed by Taipei Yuehfu’s 88.525 and Yamato (85.500).

ESPN 2 was there to cover the event, while a segment on the The CBS Evening News the night of the semifinals introduced drum corps to millions of viewers.

Congratulations to all the corps who participated.

For a complete listing of results, go to DCI.org/scores.

Get Your Championship CDs and DVDs! 2005 World Championships CDs and DVDs are available now! Catch all the action as it happened on the field by heading over to storebeta.dci.org.

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Tickets on Sale for the 2006 World Championships in Madison, WI A.J. Wright presents the 2006 Drum Corps International World Championships at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin, Aug. 8-12, 2006, and tickets are available now. This historic venue with a rich marching tradition has been renovated since it last hosted the DCI World Championships in 2002. You can order tickets online at Madison06.dci.org and DCI.org/tickets.

You can also order:By Phone: 800.495.7469 x 3; 630.628.7888 ext. 3 In Person:

By Fax: Drum Corps International 630.628.7971 470 South Irmen Dr. Attn: Tickets Addison, IL, 60101

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT

If you have special seating requests please call 800.495.7469 x 3.

Join a Corps!

Fall is here and that can mean only one thing for Drum Corps: Audition Season is upon us. Starting in early November, Corps will begin holding tryouts for new and returning members.

Each corps has its own audition policy and holds tryouts in its local area, though in some cases, hopefuls travel far and wide to get into the right corps. You can find out about opportunities by logging on to DCI.org and browsing through corps for schedules and information.

Although requirements vary from corps to corps, most post applications and contact information on their respective websites. You’ll also find positions available, plus helpful facts about the audition process and requirements for each corps. (See Page 12 of this magazine for audition tips). To access a complete listing of corps in all three DCI divisions, log on to DCI.org/corps.

To learn more about joining a corps, go to DCI.org/about/ joining.cfm.

Good Luck!

A Bleacher Creature’s Guide To Madison, WI The City of Madison rests on an isthmus between lakes Monona and Mendota, and this stretch of land, formed by retreating glaciers more than 13,000 years ago, has had inhabitants for more than 1,000 years. Native American groups known as “Mound Builders” occupied the area and left behind effigy mounds, of which few remain. They were followed by the Winnebago Nation, but by the 1830s, the territory of Wisconsin was formed and Madison, once known simply as the “Four Lakes region,” was made its capital. Madison, previously a village, was incorporated as a city in 1856 and named after James Madison, the fourth President of the United States.

Madison Facts:

★ Population is estimated at around 215,000 ★ Madison is around 150 miles northwest of Chicago, 80 miles west of Milwaukee, and nearly 370 miles southeast of Minneapolis. ★ The area is an outdoors-lover’s haven, with five lakes and over 200 parks. ★ Dane County Regional Airport, located near downtown Madison, offers more than 75 daily flights.

Where to Stay There are ample accommodations near Camp Randall Stadium, with over 30 hotels at a range of price points nearby.

For a complete list—and to make an early reservation—go to madison06.dci.org/hotels.

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You’re invited…

to the “Happiest Celebration On Earth”

Please join us and celebrate the holiday season as Drum Corps International, the Walt Disney World ® Resort and GET Travel Events present the inaugural 2005 DCI Honor Corps.

This prestigious event, open only to corps members nominated by their corps directors, provides an unparalleled national television experience. DCI Honor Corps participants will stay and rehearse at the Walt Disney World ® Resort in Florida. This performance will then be taped to air in the 2005, Emmy-nominated, Walt Disney World ® Christmas Day Parade to be broadcast on ABC Television.

Where: The Walt Disney World Resort in Florida When: December 1– 4, 2005 ®

©Disney

Who: Select DCI corps members, friends and family of participants, Friends of DCI C ALL OR VISIT ONLINE FOR MORE INFORMATION .

GETTravel.com, 800.448.4444 • DCI.org/corps/honor

Join the celebration and watch and listen to the best drum corps members in the world. You’ve never seen anything like it!

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PIT BREAK A Bleacher Creature’s Guide

The Venue The University of Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium was built in 1917 and holds more than 76,000 spectators. It’s the home of the University’s Badgers football team.

What to Do Overture Center for the Arts: With five performance spaces and an art gallery, Overture offers events ranging from classical music and dance to comedy, Broadway plays, rock and jazz. www.overturecenter.com The Monona Terrace: Inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, this Community and Convention Center on the shores of Lake Monona houses a state-of-the-art exhibition, meeting and public space for conventions, concerts, and more. www.mononaterrace.com The Madison Mallards: Members of the Northwoods League, a summer league for the top college players from the Midwest and across the country, the Mallards were champs in 2004. www.mallardsbaseball.com

DCI Director of the Year is Sal Salas Hats off to Sal Salas director of the Madison Scouts and recipient of the 2005 Dr. Baggs Leadership Award for the outstanding Division I director of the season. The award is a particular honor because it is voted on by one‚s peers: all of the Division I directors. “I was surprised, Salas says. “I think that it is a great honor, but I also think that even as cliché as it may sound, everyone deserves this honor.”

“Sal had an amazing impact on the activity long before becoming the executive director of the Madison Scouts,” DCI executive director Dan Acheson says. “What he has accomplished this season and the short few years before is incredible. He deserves all the recognition in the world.”

According to Salas, it’s essential to look at the bigger picture. “I think more than anything else, one of the things that we always strive for is to make sure that everyone becomes a better person and that we do everything that we can as instructors for the members.”

Salas will lead the DCI Honor Corps at the Disney World Christmas Day Parade this December (below).

Marching with Mickey DCI’s inaugural Honor Corps will make its debut this December, and it’ll have some company with big ears—none other that the major mouse himself.

Named during the 2005 World Championships in New England, the Honor Corps members are taken from the top 10 percent of their corps ranks (as nominated by their respective corps directors). DCI Honor Corps drum majors are Matt Rummel of the Magic, Matt Souther of Memphis Sound and Robert Chen of Taipei Yuehfu. The group will be under the direction of Sal Salas, the 2005 director of the year and executive director of the Madison Scouts. They’ll march in the 22nd annual Walt Disney World® Christmas Day Parade, which will air on ABC. The 2005 The 2005 DCI Honor Corps is a partnership between Drum Corps International, Disney Magic Music Days at the Walt Disney World Resort and GET Travel Events. Learn more at DCI.org/corps/honor.

Getting outdoors: Info on Madison’s many parks and beaches can be found at ci.madison.wi.us/parks/ Links madison06.dci.org visitmadison.com www.dci.org 10

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Audition Survival Guide

By Dendy Jarrett Auditioning can be tense for experienced players, and positively frightening for the uninitiated. We asked experts in brass, percussion and color guard to tell us what they look for.

On Technique “We listen for all of the general musical attributes: tone, pitch, slurring/flexibility, tonguing/articulation, range extension in both directions, intervallic control and overall musicianship on his or her instrument.

Past that, we try to get a feel for an individual’s personality and work ethic, as these are just as important in an activity such as ours.”—John M. Meehan, Brass Caption Head for Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps.

“Obviously the technical mechanics of the basics with flag, rifle, and sabre are the first things we evaluate. But because our shows are more and more deeply rooted in a theme, we now recognize the importance of a person’s ability to ‘step’ into a role and really convey it to the audience, much like an actor in a Broadway show.”

—Adam Sage, Color Guard Caption Head, Phantom Regiment.

“We usually ask the players to perform some exercises, an audition piece, and a composition of their own. [We look at] sound, tempo control, rhythmical accuracy, chops, the ability to mark time, and presence. Are they relaxed, tense, tentative, or confident?

Do they make it look and sound easy?”—Michael McIntosh, Percussion Designer, Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps.

“We want to see confidence, strength, openness, potential, and ambition. Smiles and initiative are big personality indicators, as they show that someone is receptive and teachable.”—Mark Waymire and Scott Boerma, Brass Co-Caption Heads, Madison Scouts

body is crucial. We think of it as one complete package and not two separate entities—body and equipment.”—Rosie Miller, Caption Head, Carolina Crown Color Guard.

"We pass the top tier of people from these auditions on to the next phase which is the first full brass camp. During this time, we check their progress and sight-reading abilities on the show music. Finally, about two weeks after the first full brass camp, we make a decision.”—John M. Meehan “We offer extensive movement classes where basic body awareness takes place as well as basic technique and fitness. We then differentiate the group and offer a more advanced class with multiple combinations. The more they understand that the body, form, and equipment work in tandem, the better.”—Bruno Zuccala, Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps, on color guard.

On Attitude “Drum corps is more than just playing ability. It’s about ensuring that a reasonable chemistry and awareness can be achieved with those who ultimately make the line.”—Jim Casella, Percussion Arranger, The Cavaliers.

“Nerves are normal and we expect that. We want to see guys who are working to perform for us without excuses or apologies and pushing through those nerves.”—Mark Waymire “I’ve seen folks on many occasions trying extra hard, ‘acting’ to fit the role and impress, all the while making it pretty obvious that they’re not really being ‘real’ in terms of who they are. Generally, a humble attitude and prepared audition candidate will shine above those who try too hard aiming to be someone they’re not.”—Jim Casella “These performers must live, breathe, eat and co-exist closely with others for almost three or more months! They must understand the concept of teamwork.”— Michael McIntosh

At the Audition “Being able to make equipment-work look effortless with the use of

Want to join a corps? Visit DCI.org/corps to find one today!

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Dear DCI Kassidy Rogers: Blue Devils Drum corps is actually the only reason that I decided to get my bachelor’s degree in dance. I had not taken any type of dance or movement class before going to college other than the instruction that I had received through the activity of color guard.

I found my love of movement, performing, and teaching through drum corps, and because of my involvement in the activity, I have found what I would like to do with the rest of my life. Drum corps ignited my passion for the arts and taught me countless things about music, motion, and the interpretation of each. I feel that I have a better sense of work ethic, dedication, drive, and team work because of the activity, and I feel like I can confidently pass this knowledge to my students in the future.

Becky Holst: Blue Knights Drum corps has definitely had a huge impact on my life. My life outside of drum corps has changed dramatically in the way I approach challenges and take chances. I tend to throw myself out there a little more, and my social skills have rocketed, which is very helpful for a career in the real world. Not to mention, my lifestyle has become healthier physically and mentally. My endurance has reached a new level and my physical fitness is the best it has ever been. I have learned how to work my hardest while still taking care of my body and mind…

On the bus ride home, I wasn’t sad because it was over, but instead I was ecstatic that I was able to march in one of the best shows of my life with one of my favorite groups of people. I savored every minute that I had left with my friends, and we enjoyed celebrating the most remarkable season that we had accomplished. I will miss drum corps very much, and especially the people in it. I love you Blue Knights!

Melissa Dougherty: Blue Devils I will never forget what my seven years in drum corps has done for me.

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Letters From The Corps

I think it has prepared me for life…I have met some of the most incredible people from different walks of life and different goals but with the same passion for drum corps. Now I am part of the Blue Devil family and that is something I will cherish forever!

To the future pursuers of this great activity I say this, “Don’t take any moment for granted. It will be over before you know it.” It still has not hit me yet that I will no longer be able to lead the Blue Devils onto the field. Although the experience itself lasts for years at a time, you will never forget the experience that you shared with your corps members.

If I were to go on and thank all the people that have influenced me in my five years, you would already have stopped reading. So my biggest thank you is to the Blue Devil organization for taking a chance with a 16-yearold young adult. And finally to DCI, the organization that keeps us all marching; Thank you for all of your hard work to give us young people something that we will remember for a lifetime and that will live on in our families forever.

Brian Cherry: Blue Knights Drum corps is about being great, as a person and a performer and I am very proud to have been a part of it.

Looking back at when I was younger, watching videos of rehearsals and shows, I saw these tan kids running all over a field and performing with the uniform on. All of them had this aura about them of being something a little more than human. And I just thought they were the deal, and come hell or high water, I would be just like

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Dear DCI them. And now, knowing that I can look at the videos and see myself, is a truly humbling experience. I had become who I dreamt of being. Finally, for a brief moment, I had become a little more than human. So I can reluctantly close the door on this chapter of life, but it was truly amazing. I did it, and I am proud to have finished it off as a Blue Knight.

Sara Magalli : Glassmen It’s been a wild ride and even in my last summer, when I thought I knew just about everything, I learned that, well, I didn’t. That’s been the best part of drum corps— every summer I walk away changed in some way.

Whether I’m more confident, more assertive, a better leader, a better worker, whatever, in three months a small part of me is transformed.

I guess in that way you can say that drum corps has really helped shape who I am. I wasn’t sad on the Finals field; I didn’t want to spend my last performance sad. Instead I approached it like every other show. I regretted nothing from my summers marching, so I approached my last few nights the same way. In the realization that I regretted nothing, that I loved the moments that were amazing and I can laugh at the moments that were awful, I became less sad about agingout, and more excited about finding new ways to participate in drum corps and have new experiences. Performing in drum corps is over, but experiencing drum corps is not.

Luke Lennon Bauerlein : Bluecoats Coming off the field on finals night after my last performance with the 16 www.dci.org

Bluecoats, I felt like a man divided, and yet completely whole at the same time. Inside me all at once were feelings of exhilaration and remorse. Exhilaration from the level of performance I’d just been a part of, a level we’d never reached as a corps before. Remorse, because I knew I could never have the opportunity to reach that level of performance again.

My spirit was absolutely soaring— but my mind and body were totally drained!

Three of the most important things I’ve learned from marching drum corps: 1) The things that you work the hardest for in life, are the most rewarding. 2) Most people on this earth don’t know just how much they are capable of. 3) It’s worth it to every individual to find out.

Erika Tapia: Pacific Crest Well, for one, drum corps has given me so much confidence and a new outlook on how I do things, every time I do things, I have to give out 110% and nothing less. Also, I made so many friends in drum corps that have become more like family. I’ve done many other activities besides drum corps, but none of them led to the goal of making friendships that last for a lifetime; drum corps did.

I will miss feeling a performance rush at a show site; the knowing feeling and bond that every performer there sweated, bled, cried as much as me and knew what its like to be doing something so close to perfect.

I will miss waking up in the morning worrying about where my shoes are in order to get ready for morning stretch/run in order to join my brothers and sisters. I will miss sleeping on a bus and waking up at some random state we drove all night looking for.

Drum corps is so much more than just an activity; it teaches so much about yourself and life itself...you learn about your limits-what you can and can’t do—to not be afraid to do something new and different, and to just simply try your best!

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Commitment to Excellence

Cadets Director George Hopkins 2005 started roughly for the Cadets, but persistence and belief led them to a historic Championship win.

“W

here are you?” asked a rather persistent DCI Today reporter, following up days of unreturned telephone calls, emails and already one missed telephone interview “Chicago. At a time-management seminar,” George Hopkins said with a laugh, sitting in what sounded like a crowded hotel lobby.

Hopkins has found downtime scarce since guiding the Cadets to their ninth DCI World Championship this past August, unintentionally neglecting his email inbox and office telephone. Perhaps David Allen’s tips on “Getting Things Done” is just what the doctor ordered.

“That’s the name of the seminar,” Hopkins said, “‘Getting Things Done.’ I’ve been to things like this before and I still haven’t learned how. Maybe after this I’ll be able to answer those 1,000 unanswered emails.”

Getting things done was exactly what his Cadets did this season. The Cavaliers, poised for another run to the top, opened on June 18 with an almost three-point spread (2.8) over the Cadets. With corps such as Bluecoats and Phantom Regiment

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breathing down their necks, Cadets whittled away at the point spread until getting to within 0.625 of the Green Machine on July 23 in San Antonio. Keeping at it, they got within 0.075 on July 29 in Murfreesboro, beating the early-season favorites a day later in Indianapolis by 0.075.

From there, the Cadets were literally—as their complex and innovative show was called—in “The Zone.” They won eight shows in a row to close out the season, including DCI Quarterfinals, Semifinals and their first World Championship since 2000 by a 1.525 margin over the Cavaliers, all while tying DCI’s all-time high score (99.15).

“Over the last two weeks of the season it became clear that this was the best performing ensemble we’ve had,” Hopkins said, a huge statement considering the eight other Cadets corps that have won gold over the years.

“It’s impossible to compare them year to year, but (the 2005 corps’) ability to perform at a high level night after night, beginning around the San Antonio show was something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before,” he continued. “We would sit down as a staff to plan rehearsal and giggle to each other because they were so good.”

In some 25 years at the helm of one of the most successful corps in the DCI (or any) era, two things made this year’s corps unique, according to Hopkins. In addition to its consistency in performance, the corps had to overcome obstacles related to its show design—a series of challenges the Cadets hadn’t seen in a while.

“Especially at the beginning of the year, we got a lot of criticism from fans and judges about our show,” he said. “Once we overcame some of the problems with our amplification and the characters in our show, things started taking off.

“But the kids never wavered. Their ability to perform despite the staff and I figuring out the show was the difference this year.”

Hopkins attributes his corps’ success to persistence, a commitment to staying with a challenging concept until it works. “Performance psychology isn’t something I’m really knowledgeable about, but once people started accepting us, and the scores began to climb, the kids’ ability to know who they were as a drum corps and what they needed to do was remarkable. That was definitely unique.”

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Free Day

By Marco Buscaglia

Mentoring Leading by example and attracting quality members make a corps— and a corporation—a success.

“M

entoring” has become a buzzword in today’s corporate world. Along with terms like “synergy,” “brainstorm” and “out of the box,” it’s often uttered without any real attention to meaning, context or intent.

But unlike its linguistic counterparts, mentoring does mean something. Used effectively, it helps create an unending supply of quality employees—the type you want working on your project, people you don’t mind joining for lunch. And for me, the lessons of mentoring were taught at an early age in drum corps.

Most people in companies can identify future stars early in their careers. Sure, it’s easy for an occasional employee to skate past the system and fool his or her supervisors with plenty of self-promotion, but for the most part, any company worth its annual report can weed out the blowhards and identify the thinkers, doers and achievers. And when programs are in place to keep those employees happy, they’ll stay at your company for a long time—and they’ll help it flourish while they’re there.

Of course, that’s a blueprint for a successful drum corps in a nutshell: Find determined, talented kids and keep them challenged and happy, and you’ll start achieving consistent success.

When I marched in the Cavaliers in the 1980s, the corps was going through a transition: local kids supplemented with members from out of state; high school graduates being replaced with college grads; drum corps lifers—the guys taught to play horn, drum and flag in the cadet corps—replaced with music majors. It wasn’t always a simple process, as some rituals became obsolete. But the decisions to do away with many old practices didn’t come from the band kids and music majors. It came from the long-time members of the organization—drum corps lifers—who figured there had to be a better way.

A better way to attract members. A better way to be competitive. A better way to remain true to the organization’s core ideas. A better way to succeed.

Long-time traditions that involved wannabe members and toothpaste, shaving cream, pennies and other household items fell to the wayside. No longer did the rookie from Rolling Meadows have to prove himself

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worthy of the organization by serving up a good dose of self-humiliation. He proved himself where it counted— on the practice field. And if the veterans wanted to, they showed the way by example.

It worked almost overnight. Granted, the tools we were given in programming and staffing were superior to those of Cavaliers before us, but I think by 1987, our second trip to the Top Three, we finally got it. Without the talent we’d attracted from our recent success, we might not have been able to stay in the top tier of drum corps that year. We finally put labels aside and helped new members find a place in the organization. We watched them become great Cavaliers, the corps’ longtime mantra of “kids from the streets” be damned.

Most companies work the same way.

New employees learn a lot by watching others. They get a quick grasp on company values, time commitments and more by witnessing the actions of employees who already work there.

Unfortunately, corporate life isn’t always as cut-and-dried as life on tour. Most employees don’t spend the night before a big presentation sleeping two feet from each other. We don’t wait in line for breakfast as a group and we don’t ride to one house at day’s end on one big bus.

If the lead trumpet who marches next to you at the opening set isn’t in her spot, you can probably bet she slept a bit late or didn’t plan on two functional showers instead of the assumed 20. When someone arrives late at work, it can be a number of things—sick kid at home, dropped healthy kid off at school, car trouble…you get the picture.

Still, people set patterns early. You can tell employees to arrive on time to work, but if they see senior members of the company waltzing in at 9:20 each day, those words mean nothing.

Fourteen years into my career in publishing, there are times when I realize I have to be less of a supervisor and more of a mentoring co-worker. The do-as-I-do model always works better than the do-as-I-say version. Want someone to rehearse more effectively? Have him witness the no-nonsense approach taken by the corps vets—the mentors. Want someone to take her job seriously? Have her watch the determined employee go about his daily work.

Surround yourself with good people and have them help you attract and retain good people. Drum corps.

Corporations. Same principles apply.

It’s taken me a while to learn that simple truth as a manager.

But I keep toothpaste and shaving cream in my drawer just in case.

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GETTING TO THE CORPS 22

BY EMILY TANNERT

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Everything You Need To Know About Drum Corps!

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Many capable and articulate adults stammer when they try to define drum corps. “It’s, ahh, well … it’s sort of like … marching band … but, ummm, only way better ….” Some call it marching band on steroids; others compare it to professional marching band; one director even refers to it as a cross between a Broadway musical and a marching band show.

It’s true, drum corps does very much resemble marching band; there are, of course, certain key differences. But before we talk about what drum corps isn’t, let’s talk about what it is.

Modern junior drum and bugle corps (“drum corps” for short) are independent youth organizations consisting of up to 135 14- to 22-year-olds who spend the summer rehearsing and performing an 11-minute show in which they play a variety of horns or percussion instruments, or spin flags, rifles, sabres and other implements, all while marching around a football field.

Now for those key differences: There are no woodwinds in drum corps, and a few of the brass instruments are constructed slightly differently from those you’d see on a local football field on a Friday night in the fall.

The intensity and difficulty level of the shows is much higher. Then, too, there’s the commitment: Drum corps members spend three to four weeks in daily rehearsals, and eight weeks on tour, doing nothing but drum corps, day in and day out. They even pay for this privilege!

Members generally have to pass an oftenrigorous and selective audition process to be admitted to membership to a specific corps.

And finally—and importantly—drum corps are, with a few exceptions, not affiliated with a school or university.

SMALL, MEDIUM OR LARGE Drum corps are split up into three different competitive divisions, which allow corps to select a touring schedule that works best with the corps’ financial and structural resources and educational philosophy.

The divisions are based on the number of members the corps marches. Division III corps are the smallest, with 30 to 70 members; Division II corps have 80 to 135 members, and Division I corps have up to 135 members. Corps with membership sizes between 70 and 80 have the choice as to whether to be Division II or III, and Division II corps

that wish to compete in Division I must go through a special process to move up. Ages tend to vary accordingly within divisions; the youngest Division III members often haven’t reached their 10th birthday, while few Division I corps will march a 14- or 15-yearold. DCI rules state that members must be 21 or younger on June 1 in order to be eligible to march; those that have passed this age limit are said to have “aged out.”

Each division is judged on a different scale of achievement or “sheet,” with Division I shows generally being the most difficult. Lower-division corps are sometimes organized as development or cadet corps for their Division I sister groups, so that a member who begins in a developmental group at age 8 can spend his or her entire marching career with a single organization, aging out in the upper-level group.

Other lower-level corps are organized on a purely regional, part-time basis. These groups rehearse at a local site two or three times a week and do shows only on the weekend. This is a good option for kids who can’t commit to a summer away from work, summer school, etc., and saves a corps the hassle of spending eight weeks away from their home base. It bears noting, though, that the experience of marching drum corps is equally valuable regardless of the division or touring schedule of the group. Or, in other words, it’s not where you march, it’s that you march.

CORPS COMPONENTS Drum corps members come in three forms: Brass, percussion and color guard. The brass line includes five different instruments: The trumpet (soprano voice), the mellophone (alto voice), the baritone (tenor/baritone voice), the euphonium (baritone voice), and the contrabass (bass voice). The deeper the voice, the larger the instrument. The trumpet weighs in at about five or six pounds, versus the contra, which can run as heavy as 50 or 60 pounds!

The percussion section consists of two subsections: the back battery (commonly known as a “drum line”); and the front ensemble, or pit percussion. The back battery includes snare drums; tenor drums (also known as quads and made up of four to six small pitched drums); and bass drums, which are pitched and come in several sizes.

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includes all the keyboard percussion—marimba and xylophone, which have wood or synthetic bars; and vibraphone and bells, which have metal bars—along with the timpani, concert snare drum, concert bass drum, concert toms, chimes, temple blocks, gongs, a variety of cymbals, any ethnic drums, and any number of small instruments such as triangle, tambourine, whip crack and more. The front ensemble stays just off the front sideline in a designated box, and the players don’t march.

The color guard enhances the visual presentation on the field by spinning flags, rifles and sabres. This tradition goes back to the wartime roots of drum and bugle corps, when a rifleman would literally guard the colors during battle.

Modern color guard rifles and sabers are constructed especially for the process of spinning on the field, rather than for combat! Color guards also engage in dance, body work, and all manner of theatrics to help illustrate the music.

In addition to the brass, percussion and color guard, one to three drum majors direct the corps on the field and help direct day-to-day logistics and communications between the members and the staff.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN Most corps hold their first audition camps over the Thanksgiving weekend.

By then the corps’ design staff—the heads of each section, or “caption,” of the drum corps—has been hard at work creating next year’s show, deciding on a theme and music, and choosing on an instructional program to fit the requirements of that year’s program. Audition camps, even for those who don’t get chosen for membership, are an educational experience. The selection process is finished for most corps by early in the new year, and the corps spends the rest of its winter and spring camps learning music and refining the program.

Most corps begin learning drill by the last few spring camps, and by the time the corps move in around Memorial Day weekend, the process of putting together the show is in full swing.

A corps spends late May and early June rehearsing eight to 12 hours a day, training at a corps’ home base. This period is generally referred to as “everydays,” “move-ins” or “spring training,” and during these three to four weeks, the members review and refine the exercises and basics they will utilize throughout the summer tour, and finish learning the field show. The corps may also learn additional tunes for parades or standstill performances such as encores. This time also gives the members a chance to get to know each other better.

By mid-June, the members load up the equipment truck, hop on the bus and embark on the eight-week summer tour. “Tour” is the competition phase of the season, in which most corps are in a new city every day or so, and play shows almost every night. In a typical show day schedule, the corps will wake up around eight, rehearse for a few hours, shower and pack up, play a show, and then 24 www.dci.org

drive all night to the next rehearsal or show site. On days the corps doesn’t play a show, the group rehearses all day, logging as many as eight or 10 hours on the field. Corps also schedule performances, including parades and standstill (non-marching) shows, other than DCI-sponsored competitions. Most groups also give several educational clinics each summer. The corps will also occasionally schedule free time in which members can do their laundry, shop for toiletries and other essentials, or just hang out.

Members usually get at least half their sleep on the bus during the nightly drives; the rest comes in “floor time” on the gym floor at the next housing site. Members shower in locker rooms and eat meals prepared by volunteer cooks in the corps’ cook truck, a semitrailer outfitted to resemble an industrialsize kitchen. Tour is the longest phase of the summer, lasting until DCI Championships at the end of the season.

The corps travels in a large convoy that usually includes several coach buses, two semis (the equipment truck and the kitchen trailer), a box truck that hauls the souvenir trailer, and a smaller van for running daily errands. Most groups log at least 12,000 miles in the course of tour.

Getting a corps down the road is expensive. Many of the Division I groups have budgets that range from $500,000 up to $2 million. While members pay anywhere from $650 to $2,000 in dues and camp fees, this generally covers less than 10 percent of the cost-per-member of keeping the corps afloat. Souvenir sales and paid performances add a bit to the bankrolls, but most corps rely on fundraising efforts and private donations to close the gap. Since members not only pay dues but also lose the ability to work during the summer months, keeping member costs low is of genuine concern to drum corps directors.

AND YOU PAY TO DO THIS? Drum corps members get to travel across the country and meet people from many walks of life. Working hard on a football field in all kinds of weather for several hours a day teaches discipline, perseverance, working towards a goal—lessons that members take with them long after they stop marching.

Ask 135 drum corps members why they love drum corps, and you’ll probably get 135 different answers. Many will talk about their friends in the corps, the rewards of hard work, or the chance to escape from “real life.”

But for most, the opportunity to don the uniform and perform in front of a screaming crowd is the reward for all their hard work.

The entire drum corps experience is massively rewarding, and the shared experience of having survived a summer tends to bind any two people in the activity together in a way that is hard for outsiders to understand. It’s an activity that inspires passion—some would say obsession— in its followers and fans, and brings people back to it over and over again.

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Personal Practice

By Ed Medina

Let’s Get

Physical To be ready for marching season, you’ve got to get in shape ith two years in The Cadets already in the books, it would have been easy for Justin Heimbecker to think surprises in drum corps were a thing of the past, something left for the newbies to experience and learn from.

That was until the second day of last summer’s spring training, also known as the 2005 world champion’s 22-day, pre-tour rehearsal binge at Camp Cayuga in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.

"It was the hardest day I have ever had in my life," said the freshly aged-out euphonium player, a senior music education major at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. During his previous two seasons with the Cadets, Heimbecker lugged a tuba and a baritone around football fields coast to coast, and he felt up to the challenge of marching euphonium for 2005.

"I tried to get in shape beforehand, lifting weights, doing reps, staying active," he said, "but on that day there was no amount of preparation that was going to save me."

Surprise! In an effort to make rehearsal time more efficient, members of the Cadets hornline were asked by their instructors to not only hustle back between drill sets—a long-established rehearsal etiquette with this nine-time DCI championship squad—but they were also asked to set with their horns up rather than wait for that magic word heard in just about every drum corps known to exist—"Set!" "People were struggling all day and for days afterward," he added, "even the trumpet players were shaking."

But the fun didn’t end there. Add to that an opener called "Liquid" and its, well, pages upon pages of drill and ensuing direction changes, then add The Cadets’ straightleg marching technique at a mere 196 beats-per-minute and you’ve got quite a laundry list of physical and mental demands—great to watch, but a drum corps member’s bodily nightmare, especially for those who aren’t in good

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physical shape when they show up for spring training.

"We knew the tempo was fast and we knew the drill was going to be tough," said Cadets director George Hopkins, who saw no fewer than 10 of his members go down with lower-body injuries over the course of the 2005 summer season. "But hitting the drill field this year at spring training was indeed a challenge from a physical standpoint."

Physical demand in drum corps, and its effect on members’ bodies, is nothing new. Realizing this, most corps, including those at all levels of the Division I, II and III classifications, are taking steps to prepare their members for the rigors of the summer season. The activity is about a lot more than notes or dots on pages.

"We’re asking kids to move in ways their bodies are not used to, and we’re asking them to do it for long periods of time, over and over again," said Jeff Fiedler, director of the Rosemont, Ill.-based Cavaliers, winners of four of the past six DCI world championships with two second-place finishes mixed in.

"We realized in late 1980s to mid-1990s that tempos were getting quicker and phrases were getting shorter. Instead of doing 32- and 24-count drill moves we were breaking them down into 16-8-8 or smaller chunks, including changes of direction and changes in step size and tempo.

We were noticing some wear and tear on our members and we felt we had to do something to prepare the kids for this intense assault on their bodies."

Enter Chicago-based fitness expert Randy Bichler, a former drum corps member with 13 years of professional acting and Broadway experience, who was hired by The Cavaliers in 1994 to develop an off-season physical training program.

"When I first started with the corps we began with cardiovascular work and some upper- and lower-body exercises," Bichler says. "As things have evolved over the years, our program has grown to include core strength training as well as educating the guys about the relationship of mind and body in fitness. We also use yoga and Pilates and we teach them about why they’re doing an exercise, including what they should be thinking about to get the most out of it. It’s very similar to what they will have to do on a drum corps field."

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year, uses Pilates that emphasize strengthening the back and legs, also touching on the shoulders, abdominals, and the pelvic region. Why strengthen these areas?

"Drum corps has the unique challenge of moving with major counterbalance responsibilities," shared John Bradford, visual staff member and conditioning coordinator for 10-time world champion Blue Devils. In addition to quick changes of direction at fast tempos, "we carry large horns and drums, which places atypical stress on the feet, shins, hip flexors and gluteals. Learning how to use these muscle groups and joints to successfully achieve movement vocabulary, and preventing immediate or long-term injury, is very important."

But physical training for drum corps should not end there. In addition to the unique muscular demands put on the drum corps player, cardiovascular health and training is key to performing, if not surviving, on a DCI tour.

5

THINGS YOU CAN DO TO PREPARE

The Cavaliers physical trainer Randy Bichler, a Master Pilates trainer based in Chicago, has the following five recommendations for anyone looking forward to a summer tour with a DCI drum corps. Always consult with your physician before entering into any new fitness program.

1.

Wear proper footwear. "Almost 70 percent of people engaging in physical activity need some kind of orthotics," Bichler says. He recommends cross trainers, which "have more side support for the foot and cushioning for the toe," which might not be present in running shoes or other athletic footwear.

2. Drink water. Sports drinks have benefits in terms of electrolyte and mineral replacement, "but plain old H20 is a drum corps player’s safest bet."

3.

In the off season, do as much abdominal work as possible. Watch "American Idol" from an exercise pad while doing crunches and sit-ups rather than from the couch. "This will aid your ability to hold the body in an upright position for long periods of time while holding extra weight, such as equipment, drums and horns."

4. In addition to building abdominal muscles, focus on leg strength. "Squats and lunges will work wonders," Randy says.

5.

To that end, most corps today include some sort of cardiovascular workout in their instructional programs.

The Cavaliers allot one-and-a-half to two hours during their monthly winter camps to teach Pilates and cardiovascular exercises for the members to do at home or while away at school.

"Shows these days contain high and low bursts of energy, which requires the ability to control the body and recover quickly," explains Bichler. "The key is to train this aspect of drum corps over the winter months so they’re used to it before they get to ‘every days’ in May." Truth be told, "there’s no way to prepare yourself 100 percent," for a summer of drum corps, Heimbecker said, recalling how once the physical issues were conquered the euphonium section helped push The Cadets championship hornline to the top.

"You’re going to find muscles you didn’t know you had… they’ll just hurt. The best thing you can do is to be as prepared as possible. Stay active in the off season."

Heimbecker’s college roommate Andy Bajorek, a fellow music education major and two-year baritone player for The Cavalers, agrees.

"Make sure you’re in shape," the 2005 age out said.

"Run every day and make sure that you are able to run for 30 minutes and feel comfortable doing it. The staff does its homework, and as members it’s up to us to do ours."

28 www.dci.org

Lastly, The Cavaliers swear by endurance work and interval training. The first step is subtracting your age from the number 220. This is your maximum heart rate. In endurance training, the heart rate should stay between 70 to 75 percent of its maximum during your workout. In interval training, your heart rate should start at 65 percent, which is the bottom of the aerobic zone, and work to 92 percent, which is the top of the anaerobic training zone. What does this mean? "Knowing how quickly the body can adjust is key to knowing your fitness. The more fit you are the faster your heart rate will fall from its anaerobic extreme."

—Ed Medina

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percussion

Lessons

By Dendy Jarrett

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hether it is preparing for an audition, a long rehearsal, or taking the field in competition, stretching is immensely important for drummers. Just like a runner preparing for a long run, drummers need to prepare their arm and hand muscles for the workout ahead. As part of your warm-up routine, try these three helpful stretching tips:

1] The Painful/Painful Position one hand as if you’re a waiter carrying a large platter.

With the other, pull down on your fingertips. Stretch one-at-a-time and then all together. With this exercise, you are stretching the tendons and muscles that serve your hand and fingers.

2] The Propeller Take a pair of sticks in one hand and grip them in their center. Extend your hand and twirl it in a rocking motion, as if you’re waving. The sticks will move back and forth like an airplane propeller. This exercise will loosen the arm muscles and get blood flowing to the arms and hands.

In this exercise, take a pair of sticks in both hands, with your hands facing upwards at each end of the pair. Pull one hand up toward your face; as that hand comes upward, roll it downward in front of your chest.

As your first hand moves down, start the upward motion with the second. Once you have mastered this stretch in a single step, it can be utilized in a fluid of motion sequence where you are constantly rolling your hands inside and out in a pretzel motion. This is the most difficult stretch, but one of the most beneficial, as it also stretches your upper arms and limbers your wrists.

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Illustrations by Alex Reardon

3] The Pretzel

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brass

Lessons

By Dendy Jarrett

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ndurance and technique are crucial in the world of drum corps. These exercises were part of the routine used by one of the best horn lines in DCI history, 1980s-era Suncoast Sound.

That corps’ former brass caption head, Robert

W. Smith, has become one of the finest arrangers in Drum Corps today. Smith’s brass exercises still hold true today if utilized in your quest for endurance and technique building. Before starting any new program, be sure to consult with your band director.

1] The Lion - A Mouth Stretcher A real simple exercise for brass players that loosens and strengthens the entire facial muscle structure, including the tongue. In this exercise, brass players open your mouth as wide as you can (and I mean wide open, much like you would if shouting at the top of your lungs). Hold your mouth open as long as possible. While your mouth is open, stick your tongue out all the way, and then pull it back in a slow, methodical and repeated fashion (this is best done while in front of a mirror). This stretching of all the muscles of your face, including the embouchure, will help with endurance and control.

2] Breathing Skats - Breath Endurance Builder This exercise will help build your breath control and endurance. This is best practiced while jogging (or fast power-walking), as these cardio builders will help with your field endurance. While in motion, practice the following: With your teeth slightly parted and your tongue at the back of your lower teeth, skat (in time with your jog) inhale two counts, SHEE- SHEE, and then blow out for two counts.

(Caution: Until you have built up some breath endurance, this may leave you light-headed. It’s best to start off by jogging in place. Consult your a physician before starting, and if you feel light-headed, stop immediately.) Your breathing pattern will be like this: SHEESHEESHEESHEE-

SHEESHEESHEESHEE-

BLOW BLOW BLOW BLOW

Breathe normally for four bars before starting the skat pattern again. You won’t believe what breath control this will give you. I’ve seen an entire horn line on a one-mile run doing these breath skats in unison!

32 www.dci.org

CONGRATULATIONS! to all of the Vic Firth Division I finalists!

The Cadets Division I World Champions Division I High Percussion

Blue Devils Madison Scouts Santa Clara Vanguard Boston Crusaders Blue Knights

We also commend the following corps for another great year: Colts Crossmen Capital Regiment Seattle Cascades Mandarins Pacific Crest Troopers Kiwanis Kavaliers Spartans

Division II Divisional Champions

Jersey Surf

Yamato Allegiance Elite Lake Erie Regiment Citations Les Stentors Cadets of New York Spirit of New Jersey Racine Scouts 7th Regiment H.Y.P.E. Targets

Special congratulations to:

Sal Salas, Madison Scouts - Director of the Year Casey Brohard, Blue Devils - Snare Drum Champion Tim Jackson, Blue Devils - Multi-Tenor Champion Blue Knights - Best Bass Drum Ensemble Colts - Best Cymbal Ensemble Pacific Crest - Best Mixed Ensemble Be sure to check out VICFIRTH.COM for exclusive behind the scenes rehearsal footage, interviews with staff and members, photos from the field and MORE! Only available at VICFIRTH.COM!

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movement

Lessons o much of drum corps guard movement of today is body oriented. If you start with the precision twirling of flag, rifle and sabre of the days of a more military drum corps, and merge that with the pageantry and choreography of today’s drum corps, you will see how so much of the moves of color guard are influenced by dance.

One of those basic moves is borrowed from a basic ballet move called a tondue.

S

By Dendy Jarrett contribution of technique

by Adam Sage, Color Guard Caption, Phantom Regiment

In ballet, the tondue is a fairly simple position where a person extends one leg forward while standing with the other foot. One arm is raised in an arch and the other comes out to the side.

To adapt this move as a basic warm up for drum corps, we look at three segments for three adaptations of the tondue: tondue front (the leg is extended forward), tondue side (the leg is extended to the side), and tondue back (the leg is extended to the back).

Tondue 1] The Lower Body Warm-Up This is a lower body warm-up segment. No equipment is used in this first exercise. The lower-torso ballet tondue move is used with the three adaptations: the leg is extended forward and held for four counts, then brought back for four counts.

The leg is then extended to the side for four counts, and then brought back for four counts. The leg is then extended back for four counts, and then brought back.

2] The Lower Body with Equipment Warm-Up In this segment of the exercise, the same steps are followed as above, adding either a flag, rifle or sabre while performing a basic drop spin. For even more strenght-building, grip the flag with two hands.

3] Adding the Upper Body In this final segment of this exercise, the upper body leans in the direction of the leg. When the leg moves forward, the upper body leans forward while performing the drop spin. When the leg extends to the side, the body leans in that direction, while performing the drop spin. And so on. Again, you can use two hands for a better workout.

This tondue exercise helps the body become one with the equipment, and one of many basic moves that are adaptations of modern and classic dance step. It is easy to understand why so many color guard corps members are encouraged to take dance classes in the off-season.

34 www.dci.org

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9/27/05 1:06:23 PM

Gearing Up New and noteworthy instruments and equipment for drum corps Balancing Act

.

A corps lives on its feet and proper footwear is essential. Check out New Balance’s new MX/WX715 lightweight trainer, designed to provide an optimal blend of speed and comfort, the 715 features Abzorb® in the heel and forefoot for improved shock absorption and a Stability Web® for superior midfoot support. Mesh uppers offer breathability, and support straps lock the foot in place. newbalance.com

Slick Sticks! m Check out Vic Firth’s new Multi-Application Series of keyboard mallets, developed with some of the very best DCI corps—including the 2005 DCI World Champions & High Percussion awardwinning Cadets. This series is great for drum corps, marching band, indoor marching, concert and solo playing. vicfirth.com.

Tension Topper c Designed to perform at incredibly high tension, Remo’s new CyberMax drumheads for Pipe Drums use the company’s unique “DuraLock” technology and state-of-the-art Aramid fiber material for increased strength, responsiveness, precision, stability and playing response. “When I am performing at the highest level of competition, I need to know that my drum head is going to give me everything I ask from it,” World Champion percussionist Jim Kilpatrick says. “The new CyberMax head has proven to be the most responsive and durable head I have ever played.” remo.com

b

Marimba Mania

Musser Classic Grand Marimbas are now available with durable steel Moto-Cart frames, making these popular concert instruments more suitable for outdoor use. Musser Classic Grand Marimbas are available in both 4.3 and 4.5 octaves and feature genuine Musser Kelon bars and high-grade light aluminum alloy resonators, finished in classic silver vein powder coating. The frames, made from heavy gauge steel and finished in a durable matte-black electrostatic finish, are braced for rigidity. The wheels also telescope for optimal balance when handling the extra weight of additional racks and other accessories. ludwig-drums.com

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b Get

the Message

Peavey’s Messenger Personal PA system weighs only 25 pounds, making it an appealing companion for musicians on the go. With a five-channel mixer and 100 watts of power, the Peavey is well suited to worship, smaller venues, teaching and clinics. peavey.com

b

Keeping Score

Arrangers and composers take note: There’s a new version of Sibelius. To its already formidable list of features, the music notation program includes some key additions for band directors and educators, including Dynamic Parts, which lets you make revisions to a score and update all of the relevant parts simultaneously (changes to individual parts automatically update to the full score, as well); a new Auto Layout tool that makes it easier to get pages ready for print; the ability to score to video, and more. sibelius.com

Train Gain m The Roland RMP-5 is a combination practice pad and rhythm trainer with a tunable mesh drum head and more than 40 PCM sounds, including snare, cymbals, and percussion instruments. An onboard Rhythm Coach helps improve your chops with functions such as Time Check, Auto Up/Down, and Stroke Balance to help develop consistent stick technique. The Rhythm Coach can grade your performance, letting you can chart your progress. With inputs for additional Roland pads, the RMP-5 can act as the core of a small electronic drum kit, as well. rolandus.com

b Nano

Second to None

Apple’s new iPod nano holds 1,000 songs—yet is thinner than a standard #2 pencil and less than half the size of competitive players. It comes in 2GB and 4GB versions, weighs under 1.5 ounces, and like other members of the iPod clan, works seamlessly with iTunes. apple.com www.dci.org 37

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AGE OUTEmileToFinal.qxd

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Age-Out

Tim Kelly Then: Baritone horn, Santa Clara Vanguard: 1967–1972 Now: Special Assignment Scout, L.A. Dodgers organization At the moment I am a Special Assignment Scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers. I cover the Major Leagues for potential trades, the Minor Leagues, and I also go to Asia and Latin/America to find players for the Dodgers.

I previously worked for the Angels for 12 years and signed such players as Tim Salmon and Troy Percival. I played professional baseball in the Oriole and Padre organizations. In high school it was tough combining baseball and drum corps. I try to help people who are caught up in that band vs. sports deal. You can do both and forget what people say about band geeks: I was one of them!

I marched with the Vanguard from its inception in 1967 to 1972. I remember marching four steps and marking time for four beats, for hours and hours at a time during the winter so that we could become as good as the Troopers—the superior marchers in drum corps at the time. We were out there rain or shine. We learned what kind of commitment it would take to go to the Midwest and East and not only compete against the big boys, but to beat them. Our goal was be to be one of the best, we were preparing to be the best. Our director Gail Royer taught us how to be our best.

At the time, our greatest competitor was the Anaheim Kingsmen. They were the epitome of class and decorum.

We were a fledgling drum corps in 1968, talented but really trying to find ourselves. In early 1968 we experienced a pivotal moment in the history and development of Santa Clara. We had already performed and the Kingsmen were filing into the auditorium for their 38 www.dci.org

performance. A couple of our younger color guard members happened to cut through the line of the Kingsmen. They went on to perform and beat us in a very close race. Don Porter Jr., the Kingsmen’s drum major, came up to Gail Royer afterward to offer his congratulations on a good performance, but added “Gail, you have a very good drum corps and you guys will come to take on the drum corps world—but you have no class.” Gail got us all together and said from that point forward we would respect every competitor we faced. Anyone who showed anything less than that would be immediately kicked out of the Santa Clara Vanguard, regardless of who they were. The Kingsmen and Santa Clara went on to compete at the highest levels of the drum corps world for years after that.

They pushed us and we pushed them.

The turning point came in 1970 in Racine, Wisconsin—the first big show of the year. We had been the upand-coming corps the year before, but not really a threat to top dogs.

We had a great show, great instructors, and we were ready to kick some serious drum corps establishment butt. When we finished our show that night the announcer even got carried away and said, “Great show, great show!” We were on our way. Before the summer was over we had beaten everyone and the Santa Clara Vanguard had arrived.

Drum corps taught me what work ethic was really about, what commitment was really about. I would not have had the success I have had in the incredibly competitive world of professional sports if I hadn’t learned the lessons I did being in the Santa Clara Vanguard. I have been out of the activity for 33 years, but I still think of it always, dream about it and treasure the moments I had in it. What else can we do in life that has that kind of hold over us? The feeling of wailing on my baritone, the drums making thunder and the audience standing and cheering, how great is that feeling?

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T

he best choice—Yamaha.

Why? We have world-

class designers, state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques and are committed to producing the industry’s most consistent, superior-sounding instruments available. Just three of the many reasons Yamaha is unparalleled in providing drum corps with the world’s premier line of musical instruments.

For more information about the Yamaha percussion instruments played by The Cadets, log on to www.yamahapercussion.com. ©2005 Yamaha Corporation of America

Yamaha is a registered trademark of Yamaha Corporation of America. All Rights Reserved. www.yamaha.com

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DCI Merch/SP_091305

9/13/05

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2 0 0 5 D R U M C O R P S I N T E R N AT I O N A L

World Championships CD & DVD Products 2005 Division I World Championship finalists DVD 4-disc set featuring top-12 corps: $98

Super bundle 2005 Division I World Championship 13-24 DVD 1 disc featuring 13-24 place corps: $39

Full Division I, II & III; all 3 DVD sets plus 2 CD sets: $189 (save $38)

Full Division I bundle Both DVD sets plus CD: $149 (save $27)

Division I DVD bundle 2005 Division II & III World Championships DVD

Both DVD sets: $129 (save $8)

1 disc featuring 12 grand finalists: $39

Top-12 DVD set plus CD: $129 (save $8)

Division I DVD/CD bundle

2005 Division I CD 4-disc set featuring 24 Division I corps: $39

2005 Division II & III CD 2-disc set featuring 12 grand finalists: $15

http://seasonpass.dci.org

The most complete online source for everything drum corps—spring, summer, fall and winter. Stay up to date with postseason video clips and photo galleries, stream your favorite shows from 1972 through 2005, or purchase Audio Performance Downloads and keep them forever. There has never been more drum corps content available at the click of a mouse button.

Visit DCI.org for the latest news & information 470 So uth Irmen Drive, Addison, IL 60101 • 800.495.7469 International 630.628.7888 • Fax 630.628.7971