WGI 2013 Winter FOCUS by WGIsportofthearts

focus the official news of wgi sport of the arts

winter 2013

FINDING YOUR BALANCE IN REHEARSAL

10 REASONS YOU SHOULD

BE IN DAYTON THIS SPRING

MORE ELITE EVENTS IN 2013 1_WGI_Cover.indd 1

Blessed Sacrament Stays on the Edge ALL IN THE FAMILY: WGI’S DEVOTED PARENTS

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focus

wgi

the official news of wgi sport of the arts

WINTER 2013 Volume 27, Issue 1

Winter Guard International Ron Nankervis Executive Director Bart Woodley Director of Operations Aaron Jenkins Marketing & Communications Manager Published By: In Tune Partners, LLC Irwin Kornfeld CEO Will Edwards President Angelo Biasi Publisher Mac Randall Editor-in-Chief Jackie Jordan Creative Director Robin Garber Production Director Barbara Boughton Business Manager Contributing Writers: Michael Boo, Debbie Galante Block, Cathy Applefeld Olson, Michael Reed, Ken Schlager Photography: Adam Alonzo, Jolesch Photography, Christine Rivard, Dan Scafidi, SFWGA, Linda Unser, Sid Unser WGI FOCUS is an educational publication of WGI Sport of the Arts. Its purpose is to broaden communication within the family of color guards and percussion ensembles. FOCUS is published three times per year. WGI FOCUS is a free publication with a circulation of 14,000 copies and 12,000 online viewers. All members of the WGI family may submit articles for consideration. WGI reserves the right to edit all submitted material. If your address has changed, please notify the WGI office. Failure to do this could result in the loss of your WGI FOCUS subscription. We don’t want to lose touch with you!

INSIDE 7 ENSEMBLE

New smartphone and tablet apps for a new season ... The debut of one WGI sponsor and the return of another ... Indoor marching fans get to share the excitement on Pinterest and Instagram ... Spinfest!! and Drumfest!! reports from the road ... What Fan Network viewers watched most in 2012 ... Walled Lake Central director Nick Pourcho profiled ... and much more!

14 CLOSE-UP

Blessed Sacrament has been a force in the color guard world for decades, and that definitely isn’t because they followed a formula.

16 SPOTLIGHT

The schedule and range of WGI’s Elite Events are expanding in 2013.

20 DON’T MISS DAYTON!

It won’t be long until April—here are our top 10 reasons why you need to make plans now for a trip to the WGI World Championships.

25 WHATEVER IT TAKES

From cooking to carpentry, from sewing fl ags and uniforms to driving group buses, the parents of WGI performers do it all, and the activity is immeasurably better for it.

28 CLINIC

We all know that good technique is a crucial part of performance, but how can you focus on it when you’ve got a whole show to rehearse?

For advertising information please contact Aaron Jenkins; phone: 937-247-5919; email: aaron@wgi.org WINTER GUARD INTERNATIONAL 2405 Crosspointe Drive Dayton, OH 45342 937-247-5919 office@wgi.org www.wgi.org

www.wgi.org

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The chest that Norwin HS guard members are leaning on in this picture was built by one of their parents.

30 SCHOLARSHIP

Northglenn High School’s Taylor Marvin credits WGI with giving him invaluable experience and offering important life lessons.

34 WHAT’S YOUR WGIQ?

See if you can find the differences between two seemingly identical photographs of Music City Mystique. Trumbull HS

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NEWS FROM THE FLOOR AND MORE

MARCHING APPS OFFER SEASON’S GREETINGS The 2013 season is nearly here, and for indoor marching performers around the world, the rehearsal process is about to get a lot more intense. What’s a good way to give yourself a break while still honing the kinds of skills that you’ll be demonstrating in front of event judges? Look no further than the smartphone and tablet apps that are taking the activity by storm. COLOR GUARD For color guard members, taking William McCune’s free Rifle Toss app for a spin is sure to amuse. This game allows you to toss a virtual rifle with the flick of a finger, then tells you if the toss was good enough to be caught. It’s debatable whether this will improve your actual tossing technique, but it may lead you to think about it from a new perspec7 Backbeater tive. At press time, the app was only available on Android phones, but an iOS-compatible version has existed in the recent past and should be available again soon. Go to rifletoss.crabapple.us for more details. PERCUSSION For percussionists, the iDrumTune and Backbeater apps for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad offer practical services. The former is touted as the first system to help with drum tuning by analyzing sound; if you hold your device over the center of a drum while striking it, the app will tell you which frequencies are most prominent and relate them to musical notes. The latter is a tempo-monitoring app that “listens” to your playing and lets you know whether you’re—so to speak—up to speed. Visit idrumtune.com and backbeater.com to find out more.

1Rifle Toss

GENERAL INTEREST With the Coach’s Eye app, you can record or import a video of any activity on your iOS or Android device and analyze it in slow motion, calling out specific areas with lines and shapes. Great for directors and performers alike, the app can be used for in-person review or for sharing both original and analysis videos through email, text, Facebook, Twitter, and more. You can find further information at coachseye.com. If you’re an ensemble director, you’re already familiar with CompetitionSuite, the website that provides scores, recaps, and judges’ comments for competitive events like the WGI World Championships. We’ve recently heard that the service will be debuting a mobile app soon (offering only commentary). Find out more at competitionsuite.com. Last but certainly not least is WGI’s own app, which allows you to access schedules and info for all WGI events, see scores as they’re posted, read the latest headlines from wgi.org, watch your favorite videos, and much more. This download for iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Android users is available on iTunes and the Droid Market for free, so there’s no excuse not to pick it up. Good luck in 2013!

TIME TO SHARE WITH PINTEREST AND INSTAGRAM

As the new season nears, WGI’s online presence keeps growing. Now, besides our official Facebook and Twitter pages, you can share pictures, stories, and links with other fans on Pinterest and Instagram. Go to pinterest.com/wgipins or instagram.com/wgisportof thearts. www.wgi.org

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Get Your Custom-Designed Flags in a Flash

This photo and below: Participants in the Ft. Lauderdale Spinfest!!

THE ROAD CONTINUES FOR SPINFEST!! AND DRUMFEST!! Early December 2012 saw the continuation of WGI’s popular touring color guard and percussion education programs. On the first of the month, Drumfest!! on Tour touched down at Arizona State University in Tempe. Among the day’s clinicians were Roger Carter, percussion caption head for the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps; Sean Gordon, front ensemble instructor for Ayala High School; Tony Nunez, percussion arranger and visual designer for South Hills High School; and Kevin Shah, front ensemble arranger and music designer for Arcadia High School. The very next day (December 2), Spinfest!! on Tour came to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For this event, which took place at Santaluces High School in Lantana, the clinicians were designer/choreographers Mykail Costner and Michael Raiford, who are probably best known for their work over the years with fi ve-time IW champion Fantasia but whose credits also include James Logan High School, Santa Clara Vanguard, Odyssey Winter Guard, and The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps. Spinfest!! and Drumfest!! events combine state-ofthe-art classes by acclaimed clinicians with a definitive presentation of adjudication philosophy—the same information given to WGI judges in their training for the 2013 season. All sessions are geared especially toward the A and Open classes but are appropriate for any instructor or judge.

This is the time of year when guards need fl ags fast, and McCormick’s is ready to help. As has been the case for over 40 years, the company designs and sews a complete line of fl ags for indoor and outdoor marching performances. What those fl ags look like is entirely up to you, whether you’re using the company’s online Virtual Designer tool, Designer’s Color Kit, or in-house design service. The McCormick’s staff also realizes that delivery time is of the essence, which is why they’ve expanded their sewing department to offer customers a special “fl ags in two weeks” deal. In short, they guarantee that your order, no matter how complex, will be completed within two weeks. Go to mccormicksnet.com for more information.

Keyboard Mallets Put Weight in the Right Place

Sandi Rennick—accomplished marimbist, original cast member of Blast!, and currently front ensemble arranger for six-time DCI world champion Santa Clara Vanguard—now has her name on a new line of mallets manufactured by Innovative Percussion. Available in four varieties (wrapped xylophone and soft, medium, and hard marimba), these mallets feature uniquely weighted synthetic cores that produce a more focused sound and put more weight in the player’s hands. This allows instruments to “speak” quickly, a special boon for those working with an amplified keyboard section. The mallets have birch handles with a matte finish for improved gripping, and are wrapped with a synthetic yarn durable enough to withstand everyday performance challenges. For more details, go to innovativepercussion.com.

THE FAN NETWORK 2012: WHAT YOU WATCHED

Santa Clara Vanguard’s “The Kiss”

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Another WGI Fan Network subscription year has come to a close, and the results are in: The most-watched performance video from the WGI archives in 2012 was Santa Clara Vanguard’s “The Kiss” from 2009. Pride of Cincinnati’s 2010 “Summer of Love” and Fantasia’s 2008 “The White Table: A Reflection on Youth” took the silver and bronze medals (figuratively speaking), while two more shows from 2010—Rhythm X’s “Inspired” and Onyx’s “Sleeping Giant”—rounded out the top five. Now it’s time to start a new subscription season, so if you’d like to have access to more than 30 years’ worth of great WGI performances, head on over to wgi.thefannetwork.org. www.wgi.org

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Thank You to Our Partners and Sponsors Presenting Sponsors

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Corporate Partners

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the best play the best Blue Devils – DCi WorlD Class Champion, high perCussion Blue Devils B – DCi open Class high perCussion oregon CrusaDers – DCi open Class Champion

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A FEW WORDS WITH NICK POURCHO Although Nick Pourcho has long been at the beginning of every practice for a talented percussionist—he was a both groups. These lectures are on member of DCI’s Cavaliers in their 2001 a handful of topics with three main championship season—he has never goals: 1) Teach members how to Be The marched in an indoor ensemble. But he’s Example in whatever they do. 2) Teach certainly made up for that lack of direct members how to eliminate their “potenexperience in the past decade or so as tial” and be great in whatever they do. director of the Walled Lake Central High 3) Help members become better human School drumline and program coordinabeings so they can help others. tor/front ensemble arranger for North How the meetings have changed Walled Lake Central 2012 Coast Academy. At the 2012 WGI World the group: The effect has been Championships, both groups won the amazing. These are young adults North Fans’ Favorite awards in their respective classes, a who know how to take ownership Coast testament to Pourcho’s teaching philosophy. As he for themselves better then most Academy puts it, “I’m entirely a ‘music to create people’ teacher, 2011 adults do. They’ve learned that not a ‘people to create music’ teacher.” they can push their minds and How he balances his various responsibilities: Honbodies harder then most kids their estly, it’s not too hard. It’s a matter of staying organized age. This is the biggest reason for and keeping yourself healthy: sleep, exercise, etc. When the growth of the group—from 20 memyou have those two things figured out, everything seems bers in our first year to consistently around 60 every year. to fall into place pretty well. What makes him proudest about his groups: The fact The inside scoop on Walled Lake Central’s weekly that the members leave here and are leaders in other leadership training meetings: We do a 30-minute lecture things they do. That they are Being The Example.

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D R U M

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I N T E R N A T I O N A L

For tickets, group rates & additional info, visit

P R E S E N T S

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2013 DRUM CORPS INTERNATIONAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS • AUGUST 5-10, 2013

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Close-Up

On the

Move

With Blessed Sacrament Veteran Guard Keeps Changing Its Game— and Succeeding By Cathy Applefeld Olson

ome color guards have a formula for success. Then there’s Blessed Sacrament. “Our formula is having no formula,” says artistic director Dolores Zappala, and she’s not kidding. Over more than 30 years of winter competition, the Cambridge, Mass.-based group affectionately known as “Sac” has hopscotched between the amped-up and the down-tempo. In 1989 the group delivered one of the most memorable moments in World Championship history with an ethereal performance set to Gordon Lightfoot’s “If You Could Read My Mind.” The show earned a silver medal and opened a flood of like-minded selections across WGI. “In some ways, 1989 became a formula for everyone else,” says Zappala. But rather than clinging to the aesthetic they’d established, Sac took a different tack with a series of high-energy shows, including 1994’s dazzling Elvis Costello-themed number. This year they’re putting a unique spin on k.d. lang’s haunting “Barefoot.” Although the group is a consistent World Class finalist, medals are not their primary motivator. “If you base your success on competitive results, it will make you crazy,” director Ed Devlin explains. “And it gets in the way of developing different types of programs. If we win, we win. If we’re second, if we’re eighth, it doesn’t matter, as long as the kids have had a great process and journey.” That razor-sharp focus on the quality of the participants’ experience has defined Blessed Sacrament since

the organization’s nascent days back in the 1930s, when an all-female drill team formed as a summer activity in an urban neighborhood just outside Boston. The focus shifted to co-ed winter competition in the ’60s, and today Sac is a leading WGI force, drawing members from as far as New Jersey and Pennsylvania, who make the trek just to be part of the magic. Given Blessed Sacrament’s deep roots in the community, it seems fitting that the story of longtime directors Devlin and Zappala is closely intertwined with that of WGI itself. Devlin is the current president of WGI’s Board of Directors, a post Zappala previously held for a decade. Both celebrate the extension of the WGI age limit, and the organization’s streamlined way of doing business these days. Challenges include financial strains and the tangled web of securing music rights for shows. “I know legally why this has to happen, but it’s part of the reason everyone sounds the same,” Zappala says. “A couple years ago we were using a Green Day song and did a Regional with it, then they came back and said no and we had to change the whole thing.” What’s next for Blessed Sacrament? Although they aren’t looking to make an exit any time soon, both Devlin and Zappala are aware that a passing of the baton is inevitable. “We need to look at our organization for people who could step into our roles,” Devlin says. “It’s tough these days to get that level of involvement—but we have something special going on here.”

“If you base your success on competitive results, it will make you crazy.”

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to explore, to create, to perform… With over 40 years in the activity, our leading guard designers share your passion and offer guard accessories that give life to your creation.

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Spotlight

Building a

New Elite

WGI Expands Its List of Regional Championship Events By Ken Schlager

magine an event that resembles the WGI World Championships—but with just a little smaller spotlight. That’s what the leadership of WGI had in mind when they staged the first fi ve Elite Events in 2011. “These events are designed to provide a competitive experience that is as close as possible to World Championships,” says Dale Powers, WGI’s Director of Color Guard. That means color guard and percussion groups compete in an arena before championship judges. This year, the Elite Events are expanding from six to eight events, starting the weekend of March 9-10 with the Mid South Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn. On the following weekend, March 16-17, the Mid East Championship will take place in Cincinnati and the Southwestern event in Dallas. The blockbuster weekend of March 23-24 will bring Elite Events in Kingston, R.I. (Eastern Championship); Orlando (Southeastern); San Diego (Western); Bowling Green, Ky. (Mid South); and San Bernardino, Calif. (Western). The latter two contests are percussion championships. The Kingston event at the University of Rhode Island’s 7,600-seat Ryan Center marks the return of the Eastern Championship, while the Chattanooga event at the University of Tennessee’s McKenzie Arena, a 10,000-seater, is a new addition aimed at serving the Georgia/North Carolina area. “The Atlanta circuit has used this arena in the past so it is ‘color guard-friendly,’” Powers says. “Plus, the familiarity of the guards in that area with the facility made it a good opportunity.”

Vanguard will be one of the ensembles competing in 2013’s Western Percussion Championship.

The largest of these two-day meets can attract as many as 75 groups in six different classes, with 2,000 spectators and 1,000 participants watching the finals. Some of the ensembles that go to Elite Events go to Dayton too; others don’t. “It’s almost always geographical,” Powers explains. “Many groups, due to budget considerations, don’t travel as much as guards did in the past. When it comes down to it, a guard has to decide if doing two local regionals is better competitively for them than traveling to one Elite Event.” Powers expects the Elite Events to get even bigger in the future. “People see the value in exposing their members to 10 championship judges,” he says. “It really does

“The Elite Events give people an

experience that they typically don’t get competing at a circuit show.”

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prepare them for championships if they are going, but also gives them an experience that they typically don’t get competing at a circuit show.” WGI already is thinking ahead to 2014, when some of the events could move into larger venues. “We are looking at facilities in many parts of the country,” Powers says. “In some cases we may return to facilities we have used in the past as we try and rotate some of these events within a region, and in other cases we’re looking at new opportunities.” www.wgi.org

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50 YEARS LATER, VIC IS STILL ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC.

When Vic Firth hand-whittled his ﬁrst pair of sticks in his garage, he had no intention of starting a company. He just wanted a better product for his performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Today, our focus and determination is the same as it was 50 years ago. To make a great product that feels better, sounds better and inspires you to play your best. ©2013 VIC FIRTH COMPANY

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PERFECT. PERFECT. A FULL MEASURE EARLY BUT

Music City Mystique

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0 1 DON’T T O PNS TO GO TO THE

REASO I WORLD S WG ONSHIP PI M A H C IN 2013

BY MICHAEL BOO

MISS

DAYTON!

The indoor marching season is now underway,

and soon the 2013 WGI World Championships will be calling us back to Dayton, Ohio, for the 27th time since the University of Dayton Arena first welcomed us in 1983. It wasn’t until WGI’s sixth year that the organization took its big show to the city now synonymous with indoor pageantry arts, but since then, we’ve left for other cities only four times. Here are just 10 of the multitudes of reasons why fans and participants keep returning, and why you should join us for our biggest celebration of the year.

Exploring Local Favorites

During whatever limited free moments there are between weekend events, or on Sunday before leaving town, countless WGI participants and fans check out the Dayton area’s most popular destinations. The world-famous National Museum of the United States Air Force is an absolute mustsee, while the Wright Cycle Company, the fourth bicycle shop owned by Wilbur and Orville Wright, opens a window on the brothers’ early experiments with aviation. Over the years, the Dayton Art Institute has also hosted a variety of world-class touring exhibits during Championship time, from a Princess Diana retrospective to a display of Chinese terracotta warriors.

The “Kiss Wall”

#1 National Museum of the United States Air Force

To get from the UD Arena’s entry level to the competition floor, all performers walk down a long tunnel. At the bottom of that tunnel is an area that has become popularly known as the “Kiss Wall.” A few years ago, to wish themselves good luck, guard members started to kiss what has become the activity’s version of the Blarney Stone. According to Bart Woodley, WGI Director of Operations and Sponsor Relations, “Every shade of lipstick known to exist ends up on that wall. It’s quite a sight to see.”

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#6 The Drum Circle

Orange Slices

Guard and percussion ensemble members are exhausted after their performances, but their work isn’t over. Before they can relax, they’ve got to haul all their equipment, tarps, and scenery back up the tunnel they’d just come down a few minutes earlier. Knowing that orange slices will be waiting for them at the top helps keep them going. Prepared and offered by volunteers known as the Dayton Ambassadors, the fruit is purchased and supplied by the Dayton/Montgomery County Visitors and Convention Bureau. Donna Michael, services manager for that organization, says that 2,500 pounds of oranges were consumed in 2012 by guard and percussion line members, who head for the Ambassadors’ table while applause is still ringing in their ears.

Hearing ”Stars at Night”

Just a few years ago, there weren’t that many guards out of Texas. Now the Lone Star State is home to a huge number of mostly scholastic guards in World Championship competition. Although many groups have special cheers for other guards from their own state, the Texans stand out for their boisterous singing when another Texas guard takes the floor: “The stars at night are big and bright…(clap, clap, clap, clap)…Deep in the heart of Texas.”

The Lot

All who attend the WGI Percussion Championships know the meaning of those two words. Hundreds of fans huddle together out in www.wgi.org

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the UD Arena parking lot, surrounding various drum lines as they engage in pre-show preparation by their equipment trucks. It’s a chance for fans to get up close and personal with the performers and to learn about each ensemble’s warm-up techniques. When they’re lucky, fans get rewarded with an inside glimpse of complex performance segments. It’s fun, it’s educational, and it’s free.

The Drum Circle

A couple hours prior to the World Class Percussion final, facilitators from Bongo Boy Music School in Indianapolis lead a mass drum circle. WGI sponsor Remo sends over dozens of ethnic drums for those who don’t have their own instruments. Drum line members and fans gather outside the UD Arena and lock into a groove supplied by the facilitator, improvising on the beat and rocking Dayton with the joyous sound of hundreds of people—drummers and non-drummers alike—getting in touch with their primal inner rhythms.

Growing the Wristband Collection

Each participant in the WGI World Championships receives a wristband that must be worn to gain admission to the competition sites. These wristbands have become badges of honor; some performers wear them until they fall off. Look closely at #5 The Lot the arms of guard and percussion members in summer drum corps rehearsals and you’ll see quite a number of these colorful bands still attached, a sort of non-verbal communication to others who’ve marched the WGI season. www.wgi.org wgi focus 21

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10 T O P

Seeing Old Friends, Making New Ones

It’s challenging for guard and percussion #10 Great enthusiasts to spend quality time together—or performances, even find each other—between perforlike Onyx’s IW gold medal-winning mances at the arena. That’s one reason show in 2012 why walking around the expo tent has turned into a common social event for guard and percussion line members, staffs, ees entire routines while paper from the previous night’s and fans alike. In the tent, old friends get to confetti cannons is still falling from the rafters. Eager catch up and new friends share good times. guard members fight through their weariness and muscle And if you’d rather not leave your meetings up aches to learn from these masters, extending the joy and to chance, you can always choose seats near camaraderie of the weekend just a little longer. friends via WGI’s online ticketing system.

The Day After Clinic

Just hours after the World Championships reach their conclusion, up to 500 guard members gather on the UD Arena floor to learn from some of dance’s greatest choreographers. In recent years, Mia Michaels (three-time Emmy winner), Sonya Tayeh (So You Think You Can Dance), and Zach Woodlee (Glee) have taught attend-

Witnessing Amazing Performances

This one pretty much goes without saying. Nowhere else but in Dayton this April will you witness so many phenomenal presentations delivered by the pageantry world’s most enthusiastic performers. Everyone associated with WGI hopes to see you in Dayton for all the above reasons—and hundreds more!

Percussive Arts Society awards over $30,000 in scholarships and grants every year to PAS student members. For more information about scholarships and grants, visit pas.org and become a member.

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Being the parent of a WGI performer requires a special commitment and a willingness to do…

R E V E T A WH

By Michael Reed

TAKES

The Bailey family of Center Grove HS together after WGI Finals in 2005. From left: Chuck Bailey, Spencer Bailey, Terri Bailey, and Sean Bailey.

ho are the most loyal, emotionally invested fans of a color guard or percussion ensemble? Who are the people who wake up hours before sunrise and spend enormous amounts of energy volunteering their time to make sure that the group gets everything it needs? Whose hearts are pounding every bit as hard as the performers’ when the scores are announced? Mom and dad. Because the focus of a WGI event is always the amazing performances out on the floor, it can be easy for casual observers to overlook the selfless devotion parents provide to help their children have the best experience possible. Parents do so many behind-the-scenes tasks that it can be a challenge to keep track of them. For example, the list of roles parents play in Arcadia High School’s winter program includes overnight trip planner, miscellaneous www.wgi.org

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item orderer, fundraiser, and host of a local circuit show, according to director Mindy Cobb. If you see a prop on the floor, odds are a member’s father designed and constructed it. If a fl ag or costume needed sewing, a hardworking mother likely did the task. Many booster organizations run concession stands at athletic events or county fairs, and when it’s time to feed the troops on contest day, it’s common for groups to have a chuck wagon to fill the tummies of the hungry performers—run by parents, of course. What are the traits of a supportive band parent? Josh Torres, director of Center Grove High School’s award-winning percussion program, feels that the primary one is a belief in putting the kids first. “The ideal parent understands that this activity is about the students,” he says. “We’ve had parents who have done whatever it takes to make sure that the group has whatever it needs, even WGI FOCUS 25

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though it might be inconvenient, it might be time-consuming, and it might mean they live at the high school for the week! I also think that it’s important for parents to understand that the activity isn’t about competition. Sometimes parents can get more wrapped up in the scores than the kids do. Supportive parents realize that their role is to support the entire group of students.” It’s no secret that the economy has been a major issue in recent years, and the parents whose dollars fund competitive color guards and percussion ensembles have felt the pinch. The directors interviewed for this article were unanimous in their commitment to providing educational performance opportunities for all their students, including developing ways for those less fortunate to still participate. Parents are instrumental in all of it, whether they’re organizing fundraisers, soliciting sponsorships for individuals, or simply understanding the need to be as frugal as possible while maintaining the quality of the groups. “Fees are always a concern because everything seems to keep getting more expensive,” says Warren Central High School’s Jeff Wroblewski. “We try and keep fees as low as possible while offering a production standard matching the goals of our program. Our boosters have been very supportive by offering ‘scholarships’ to students who may need a bit of financial support.” Although there are thousands of parent volunteers who may never get the recognition they deserve, most programs have a few shining stars who go above and beyond to help the group succeed. One such individual is Rick Luke of Norwin High School. Director Tommy Allen describes his efforts with appreciation: “Rick is responsible for every prop we’ve used at Norwin. He designs, drafts, and constructs every-

The late Ed Schreiner, much missed by all at Arcadia High School

thing, and prides himself on the details, safety, and craftsmanship of his work. Rick understands the importance of staying within tight budgets and crucial production timelines… He and his wife Cindy accompany Norwin to practically every long-distance competitive trip, and to most of our local contests throughout the fall and winter seasons. The Lukes cook all the meals on our away trips and provide assistance with our travel needs. Rick and Cindy feel much like family to all of us, and I know that we would have to heavily reconsider how we operate without them.” Sometimes parents leave such a mark on a program that their influence remains even after they pass away. Arcadia’s Ed Schreiner, according to Mindy Cobb, “dedicated his life to volunteering with the program... Ed volunteered for over 15 years after his kids graduated. He built anything, painted everything, and drove the diesel everywhere—including taking the drum line to Ohio for over 10 years. Ed donated his own truck to the program early in his years as a volunteer. Later he purchased a 25-foot trailer and also donated that. He passed away last year unexpectedly and is greatly missed by all the students, staff, and parents at Arcadia.” Likewise, the names of two Center Grove parents trigger fond memories for Torres: “Chuck and Terri Bailey were the head pit dad and box mom, respectively, when I arrived at Center Grove in 2007. They were such great people to be around, and they helped show me the ropes of how our indoor program had been run in the past. I don’t know what I would have done without them. Unfortunately, Terri passed away in 2011. In 2012 her family created the Terri Bailey Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded to a graduating senior who has participated in four seasons of marching band and four seasons of indoor percussion at Center Grove. Her legacy will live on forever.” This winter, when watching your favorite indoor pastime with a few thousand of your closest friends, you may notice the people selling tickets, moving equipment, or giving a hug when needed. They are the unsung heroes who devote hours upon hours to the activity out of sheer love. If the mood strikes, thank these parents for their dedication. It will brighten their day and offer just a small bit of welcome acknowledgment to those who do so much for the Sport of the Arts.

“The ideal parent understands that this activity is about the students, not about competition.”

Norwin High School’s indispensable Rick and Cindy Luke

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Clinic

Making

Time

for

Technique in Practice

The Secret to a Great Routine: Get Away from the Routine By Debbie Galante Block Trumbull HS

en years ago, if you’d have asked a color guard or percussion ensemble director whether the physical feats seen regularly in competition today were even possible, chances are they’d have said no. But more advanced routines mean greater challenges, and one of the greatest is watching the clock. How do you find the time to rehearse a full program while also devoting enough attention to the specific techniques required to make that program a success? Daniel Riley, director of Pembroke Pines, Fla.’s West Broward High School color guard, sets aside a regular day, “Technique Tuesday,” for focusing his group on technical matters—making sure, for example, that all performers can spin on their left side. “People are feeling pressured to constantly change routines and that’s time-consuming,” he says, “but not practicing technique is a bad idea because it will be evident [in performance]. Also, I want my kids to be able to go elsewhere and still be successful.” Riley admits he’s fortunate because he has his students in class every day, sometimes focusing on one particular technique each day. His students will go through their whole routine and determine which techniques it employs most; then Riley creates a 6.5-minute warm-up featuring exercises that help develop those techniques. John Lemire, show designer for Alter Ego and Trumbull High School in Trumbull, Conn., says that his groups spend most of their rehearsal time during the fall on movement and equipment technique. Throughout October, November,

and December, most mornings are spent in physical training exercises, followed by a dance class. “We then shift the focus to equipment technique before spending the remainder of the rehearsal on staging and choreography,” Lemire explains. “From January through April, our technique sessions are shortened so we can focus on perfecting the program.” For Tom Aungst, percussion director at Dartmouth High School in Dartmouth, Mass., the ensemble’s music, exercises, and warm-up process all become one. “Because of the time crunch,” he says, “I try to make music part of the exercises. By the end of the season, I could have 20 or so exercises.” Directors agree that taking time away from rehearsing the main program to focus on technique is usually more helpful than harmful. In Lemire’s words, technique “is crucial for the performers to continue to understand and apply when approaching their choreography. From time to time we’ll incorporate additional rehearsals to allow sufficient focus to be spent on all aspects of the choreographed show as well as technique. If a rehearsal can’t be added, we’ll reevaluate the goals for any particular rehearsal and adjust the plan accordingly.” “Every year we do something different,” Aungst says, “but technique is always a part of that. In what I do, everyone has to get an A in the class to succeed, or I have to find another way to do it. We are being tested when we’re performing and competing. Everyone has to stand up and be accountable.”

“Every year we do something different,

but technique is always a part of that.”

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Scholarship

Experience Gained,

Lessons

Learned

Six WGI Seasons Instill Lasting Values in a Young Musician By Taylor Marvin

Northglenn High School Northglenn, Colo.

s guitarist for the Northglenn Percussion Theater, valuable knowledge that my peers knew they could draw I’ve learned many things that will aid me in my from. I took over jobs like managing the truckload and schooling and career. My six seasons in WGI have having rhythm section-specific sectionals to share some been an irreplaceable influence on my playing. I gained of the things I learned. Without my time in winter percusperformance experience and a solid music background sion, I know I would not have been chosen as marching that many other guitarists my age lack. Few eighth-gradband drum major in my senior year. I was able to directly ers can boast that they played in front of a sold-out translate the leadership skills I learned inside the gym college basketball arena crowd. I also developed strong to the football field. I was in charge of many more people reading and listening skills that lessons (my constituents to that point had been a alone could not have taught. Keeping bassist, a set player, and a synth player), THE DeLUCIA together with a band of four is difficult, but the basis of leadership remained. I SCHOLARSHIP but keeping together with a band of 40 is knew when I had to be a strong leader and much more so! take the group through hard times and When percussion teacher, Having the playing experience that arranger, clinician, and judge when I had to step back and be “one of is an inherent part of winter percussion the guys.” It became clear that people will Dennis DeLucia was inducted will prove to be very beneficial in college, respect someone who respects them, and into the WGI Hall of Fame in but even more useful will be the values will follow someone whom they admire, 2006, Yamaha introduced a of responsibility and leadership that my not only as a leader but as a friend. time in the activity instilled. I learned how scholarship in his name. The As with many high school subjects, Yamaha/Dennis DeLucia to balance my time between rehearsals, the technical details of winter percusscholarship, awarded every shows, practicing, achieving the rank sion are secondary to the larger lessons of Eagle Scout, and maintaining a 4.2 year to one deserving percus- learned there. If you leave the program GPA. I learned when it was time to take as a better person, a better leader, sion student, is both a way to a break and have fun, and when it was honor DeLucia’s contributions and a better manager of your own life, time to buckle down and get things done. it doesn’t matter if you don’t know the to marching music and a I learned how to cooperate with other modes or proper four-mallet technique. continuation of Yamaha’s long players and how to take direction and Drum rolls come second to leadership history of supporting music criticism. roles, and being a good member of a WGI education. For more informa- group will almost always lead to being a I was never pit section leader because tion about the WGI Scholarof my chosen instrument. But as a freshgood member of society. man who had already played two seasons, ship Program, visit wgi.org/ Taylor Marvin received the Yamaha/ or a senior who had played fi ve, I had Dennis DeLucia Scholarship in 2012. contents/Scholarship.html.

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BLUESTARS

People always ask what you did to get that tan. We know it’s hard to explain. Maybe it’s better that way...

W W W . Q U A N T U M M A R C H I N G . C O M

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What’s Your

WGiQ?

At first glance, these two photographs of Music City Mystique at the 2012 Percussion Independent World Finals look identical—but they’re not. There are eight differences between the shots. Can you tell what they are? To find out your WGIQ score, go to wgi.org/wgiq.

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watch the competition!

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

LIVE WEBCAST! Every 2013 Regional!

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