G7 (part 1) - background and qualifications

This post is "inside ball." If you follow drum corps intently in the off-season, you don't need more in the headline. If you don't, well, some very recent and public "differences of opinion."

On one side, you have the G7 (aka Blue Devils, Bluecoats, Cadets, Carolina Crown, Cavaliers, Phantom Regiment and Santa Clara Vanguard) position, which you can read at any of their websites; here's a link to one. The position of DCI you can read here; I know the non-G7 have positions that may or may not be official or public.

And ... I guess I have one as well. And ... it is mine alone. But I first need to get out some background and caveats.

I have a deep personal tie to 2 of the G7. I was there in 1990 right at the start of Carolina Crown (though not the original organization, the Charlotte Drum Corps Association). I served in a number of volunteer capacities both in working (occasional driver, show announcer, NightBEAT committee) and in board leadership (Treasurer, VP, President) positions. I have not been deeply involved for about 10 years or so, however; health, family and relocation took my focus. Officially, I am on the advisory board, which is - of course - a very unofficial role.

This corps is close to my heart. I remember early struggles to get into shows, to raise money, to be judicious in our spending, but most of all to judge success on two planes: (1) Did the kids have a good experience?, and (2) Can we - and what can we do to - offer the same or better experience next year? I had the honor of putting the feelings of the leadership into the mission statement. You see it everywhere in the organization. It, and the two items above, are the secret sauce to its success over the years.

The other corps is the Cadets. During the YEA! corps years I served as the Carolina Crown representative to the board. I have kept my relationship with them through the USSBA, where I have volunteered and served as an announcer. I was an early believer in the YEA! corps concept, and believe that it could have been successful if we had been able to maintain our board's focus on non-instructional/creative areas.

For a brief time I also served on the Marketing Committee of DCI, and have long maintained an interest in innovations designed to improve the educational and performance value for the kids, and bring people into the stands. Some may say the evolution of the former has led to the decline of the latter ... I'll get to that.

Now, outside of the G7, I have a son who has a place in a fast rising corps, the Blue Stars. I would never let one of my kids go to any corps that I did not believe had a strong program and infrastructure. In fact, I encouraged him to take a position with that corps over another, even if it is an alternate position right now.

In summary, as background, I believe in Carolina Crown, in the Cadets and their scholastic band program USSBA, and I believe in the Blue Stars. I believe that marching music has an impact on people's lives.

In one of the next posts (probably closer to when everyone meets in the board room and on the competitive field in Minneapolis), I'll give some thoughts.

A tale of three cities

MP is in a drum corps this summer. He went to camps with three world class, top 12 corps, before finding a home with one of them (although, as an alternate, he has work to do to get a spot on the field this summer).

If you know us, then you know two of the organizations, both with clearly articulated missions about building young people. Those camps were interesting ... and intense for a young man. Yet while the educational value was high, I found interesting the comments he made about one or the other.

"I like it here," he noted on one of them. "The people are friendlier." Interesting, because you don't always associate friendliness with the corps. Both corps are intense, and fairly focused on winning, although there was one in particular that was giving some skills in goal setting and planning that many adults need to hear.

But the corps where he settled he found friendliness, intensity, a desire to win and improve, and a place where the feedback on making him a better player and marcher was delivered effectively. And I found not a mission - although they have one - but a motto that is an even better shorthand for what he can carry all his life.

And so, this summer, he will end the year in the city above. Which is, coincidentally, where he will start the summer. In between, I hope it is an experience he'll learn from.

Welcome to the Blue Stars. And remember FCO, son. FCO.

The Quintessential Eight

Now that fall is over, we can start planning our summer. That's right, the 2010 tour schedule is out! Something to be thankful for!

Since it is Thanksgiving, in addition to food, family, a job, a home, I am thankful for this country, for its music, and marching music in particular - America's unique contribution to music, right up there with jazz. (Well, and a host of composers, too.)

Now that we can start making some summer plans, how do you introduce the wonderful world of marching music to a "newbie"? I like to take them to a drum corps show. And with the schedule now out, you can plan your trips this summer, too!

But what if you can't drag them to a show? What if you had 2 hours to show them what marching music is, and has become since they probably last tuned in. (You know, it's like trying to describe the marvels of HDTV to somehow who last watched on a 13" black and white.)

Accepting the premise (and I don't do that) that drum corps is the way to go, since there are literally thousands of high school marching band shows to choose from a year, and video is relatively accessible, what do you choose?

Here are my Quintessential Eight ... the two hours of drum corps I would use, for better or worse. And I tried to choose a corps only once, knowing that there are probably better shows they have done since the show I selected. That's the beauty of opinion.

So, in date order ...

8. 1983 Cadets - because from then on, the genre changed.

7. 1988 Madison Scouts - from start to finish, the power of the music and the drill, sans props and storylines. It is the building block for not forgetting that "the basics" matter and can carry the day if done right. And, from what I read, it seems that the Scouts are going back to basics now nearly 20 years later.

6. 1992 Velvet Knights - because performance should be fun! (Okay, okay, substitute the 1980 Bridgemen, if you must.)

5. 1993 Star of Indiana - because the genre changed again.

4. 1999 Santa Clara Vanguard - The copycat 90's ended with this championship performance. The musical variety: Philip Glass's minimalist "The Canyon"? Samuel Barber's "2nd" and "1st"? Frank Ticheli's jazzy "Blue Shades"? Oh yeaahhh. This show was just sheer performance - guard, brass AND percussion. The kalidoscopic drill AND body movement. "Vanguard!" Truthfully, SCV isn't my "favorite" corps, but I probably have collectively more favorite performances from them than about any other.

3. 2002 Cavaliers - 99.15. How much closer to perfection can you get?

2. 2007 (or 2009) Carolina Crown - Fans loved these shows. From a storyline perspective, the 2007 storyline was more captivating from the outset. (Typical response from viewers: "That was just 6th place?!") So, select what you will.

1. 2008 Phantom Regiment - Because a champion can come from behind to capture the points as well as the crowd, and because from the moment they stepped out of the tunnel, the performance was on and complete.

What?! I left off the Blue Devils*? Yup. And others. So, your turn.

* (Top 10? Okay - add 2000 Boston Crusaders and Blue Devils ... 1983 ... or 1992 ... or 1994 ... or the risky 1998. Or, what if we have to cut the list to the Top 4 from the 2000s because "I'm only giving you an hour" - oh, never mind.)

Go West! (A Review of Westminster, MD)

MP did the Cadets' Music is Cool! event again this year, the shorter (1/2 day) pre-band camp edition. Today is a bit of a sacrifice for them, less than a week before finals with a lot of cleaning to do.

Last year I was a bit of a helicopter parent at the event. This year I had to make myself hang back a bit. However, as before, he seemed to enjoy the experience, although there wasn't as much field time, there were at least more kids ("Twenty mellophones this time, not four").

The show itself featured five corps and a bonus.

The Troopers are America's Corps, and persist at the World Class level. Organizationally, I question if that is the right place for them. I think they need a chance to bring back some of the winning tradition, and creatively what they put on the field was a nice Open Class show. The Troopers displayed some humor, which was unexpected but pleasant to see. This corps faces design challenges just by being, well, the Troopers. There is the iconic image and musical style, and the familiar sunburst and "Ghost Riders", that at least this year they worked into a program about the old west railroads, or "The Iron Horse Express." I guess I lost my senses, though, in scoring. I said 76, MP said 89.65 ("Too generous", he said after the show), and the judges went with a more accurate 81.10.

Although I didn't realize it at the time, I think the Crossmen were the corps that was most "on" tonight. The gentlemen seated next to me - whose story made me appreciate the time with MP even more - remarked on the visual offering of the corps. Even from a few nights ago, the visuals were better, the guard was stronger, and the silks were well used at the end. I thought they improved to an 86, MP said 89.30, and the judges said 85.05 - still better than Thursday but not as good as Saturday. Go figure.

The Blue Stars were our fourth Blue corps this year, having seen the Devils and Knights twice and the 'Coats once already. It looks like 1/3 of the top 12 will be Blue this year, with this one bringing a splash of yellow. I was asked by a friend for an instant impression, and it ws that this was the best band show of the year. Maybe that's a compliment? Although the opening sound and visuals were strong, I don't think the concept was executed as well as envisioned. I could not tell whether it wanted to be literal (which is was too confusing to be) or conceptual (which it was to specific to be). I was actually disappointed in a way, given that the "race" run by the Tarpon Springs HS Band at the Bands of America Grand Nationals several years ago was better executed. Maybe Kevin Ford, who was the designer behind Tarpon Springs (as well as Carolina Crown's "Stormworks" and "Chess ... and the Art of Strategy" that propeled the corps into the top 12), "re-cycled" a bit. My seating neighbor liked it, commenting on the more subtle body movements corps are employing these days. (But he was not a big fan of the Cadets' narration, so sometimes change only goes so far!) I said 89, MP said 91.23 (where he gets the precise fractions is not from me!), and the judges were less impressed: 87.90.

How do you find fault with a 95? How do you find fault when you finally get to see "your kids" win a show outright against top corps? Carolina Crown had a strong Allentown finish, but seemed to try to give this show away tonight. They seemed "off" (was it the lights? was it the sound?) enough that a fan a few seats away commented, "They seemed flat tonight." Maybe they were just tired, and were just getting past releasing some of the pent of tension of the weekend. The sound was clear, but it seemed to me the corps was afraid of the field, as if the corps before them said as they walked on, "Psst - watch out for the divots ... pass it on!"). I marked them down a bit, to 95, MP said 95.2, and the judges went with 95.15. A winner, but not as winning as last week.

The Cadets, as I noted to open this post, made a rehearsal sacrifice for the Music is Cool program. Maybe that had an impact, or maybe, like Carolina Crown, they were just off their game a bit after Allentown and realizing the organization seemed to shift gears to 2009 this past week. Quite frankly, they had a better rehearsal than performance. The impact points the design staff is writing in made better sense - I see even more clearly where they are going - but the timing was off (with another sabre drop that had been hit at every run through I saw that afternoon), and the ending is not quite yet ... "snapping" ... with some lost emotion from before. I suspect they'll get there by Saturday, but "there" is probably not where they really wanted to be. I said 94, MP said 94.50, and the judges said 93.9.

The bonus corps was The Commandant's Own, the U.S. Marines Drum & Bugle Corps. I remember every year they would do a nightly performance at the Texas State Fair, and every year when I went to the fair I would plan to be "on the 50 yard line" of the small performance venue. There were much as I remembered, and with music from Shostakovitch to Souza, from Jersey (Boys) to Malaguena, this corps (also founded in 1934 and celebrating a diamond anniversary next year) reminded us of all of some of the traditions of drum corps.

A quick note about the venue. I must say the Westminster HS Band Boosters were well organized hosts, and this is probably the best high school stadium for watching marching music that I have been to in Maryland!

This is the end of my 2008 live reviews. The corps now go west to Bloomington, but I'll stay home in Maryland. However, I'll get to watch on the big cinema screen on Thursday night, and on Friday at our neighbor's house where they are hosting a big screen webcast. Music is cool - and how cool is that!

A Family Affair (A Review of West Chester)

This is the show the entire family looked forward to attending! "Our" favorite corps, Carolina Crown, was there. We were there when this baby was born, and of course even after 19 years we want to see how our kids are doing!

Also, this show allowed us to see another teenager: Jersey Surf, featuring several teens from the high school band including my neighbor a few doors down. Although the theme of the show is about the "Jersey Surf ... So Far" (in their growth, as they prepare for the 2009 step to World Class), I didn't really get it. But, in this case, that's okay. Whatever they were trying to do, they did it well. The horn line played strongly, and the color guard was engaging with skilled performers. I wrote 87, scratched it and wrote 88, but the judges said 86.35. Whatever the score, if you get the chance, catch the wave!

In 1992 in this stadium on a relative cold and damp July night, this San Antonio, Texas, native boy volunteering on tour with Carolina Crown fell in love again with a group introduced as, "From West Chester, Pennsylvania, The Crossmen"! That year was the first of three exploring planet earth. This year, I came to West Chester to see the San Antonio boys (and girls) take on "Planet X". From the opening notes, it was apparent that the World Class level corps had arrived. The new take on the popular "Planets" of Gustav Holst was unique, and was well performed. The corps seemed a bit compacted in the drill, and until the end it lacked some color. But they ended postiviely (it was evident that was well learned) and the crowd was satisfied. I said 85 and the judges marked 84.60, so no surprises there. Well, maybe one: Bones - guardian of the Crossmen family secrets - did not mysteriously appear backfield in the old home turf ...

The Glassmen then brought their "Carnival" to the field, and for the first time in a long time (probably since the Moody Blues show) I enjoyed what I was seeing from this corps! The show was lighthearted but not done lightly, and the audience (and all my kids) connected with what was going on. (Caveat: The audience also was a good bit of high school band campers.) The show was visually effective, and though the body work did nothing for me, the use of balloons (I won't give it away) was neat and was about as effective as when Suncoast Sound released one (1!) in 1984 without being as cheesy as when the Sky Ryders went over the top with "Over the Rainbow" in 1982. I said 87, and the judges said 87.40. But there was a twist ...

... as tonight, they beat the Blue Knights (given an 85.90 by the judges and an 88.50 by me). I reviewed them nearly a week ago, and nothing much changed except my perspective. Being a bit closer to the field, I saw and heard some really talented kids out there on the field. What they have been subjected to in terms of design, however, really wasted that potential. I thought there were a bit better than the Glassmen because of that, but the judges did not agree.

Now, the feast - Carolina Crown! What was the difference? A week ago they were just staring to hit their stride in performance. Now, they are in it! The kids are clearly enjoying their show and performing it, and they still have room to improve and seem to want to do so to get this show to "Finis" at just the right time - Saturday night, August 9! I am still amazed by the brass line, and look forward to seeing them all over again in just a few days. Yes, I'm partial, but ... if you disagree, at least check them out. A well done classic, with a twist! The judges said 2nd (as did I), and gave a 93.80 (as I nearly did, marking an 93.50). Sentimental favorites, yes - all my kids are Carolinians. But they deserved it tonight!

The Blue Devils performed next, and are clearly in championship mode as well. They are not coasting, but definitely cruising, and expect to knock out a few points here and there. While lacking the audience "wow!" and punch of Carolina Crown, they nonetheless leave you knowing why they are still in the lead to this point. I gave them first with a 1.5 lead over Carolina Crown, but the judges narrowed that gap to 1.05 (scoring 94.85). It will be interesting to see what happens when Phantom Regiment and the Cavaliers rejoin that mix.

The host Cadets (who just announced a "name change" on their website) are better. But they are not their best. The score, 92.90, is closing on Carolina Crown (less than a point) but reflects the relative difference, just as comparing Carolina Crown and the Blue Devils. The impact points are developing, now that the storyline is better told (although someone who had seen an earlier edition in Clifton remarked that it seemed to be "trite" now). There is better use of the guard, and the audience really wants to like the show because of this. (You could tell by the audible "aww" at a dropped sabre - there was a cheer just begging to come out!)

This show is about family, when you get right down to it, but there was a lot of clutter early that is still being refined. I almost would drop the stage (but how can you at this point?) and let the corps and guard (which, as an afterthought, seemed like an afterthought) supplement the narration. I can see and hear elements indicating this show should really kick into gear in about 2 to 2 1/2 weeks.

Unfortunately, they - and we - have only 1.

It was a nice night for families, corps and neighbors and friends! My kids seemed to enjoy the performances, and I am sure tomorrow (I am posting my own thoughts first at 0200 on 8/1/08) I will have some reactions (and maybe a visual image or two) to edit in.

Letter from - and to - Home

I've been some hard thinking about organizations over the last week. I'm drafting a post now, but I had to put this up today. The title is from the middle piece of the Cadets 1991 show. That song gets me all emotional, sometimes nearly making me cry. (Friends tell me they cried throughout the entire show, but I think it was for different reasons!)

After I had been blogging a bit, I came across a book called "The Last Lecture" by a computer science professor named Randy Pausch. Don't be deceived - the title may sound depressing, but the book is really upbeat! When Randy found out he had pancreatic cancer, he re-focused his life, moved his family, geared up for the fight, but still found time to return to Carnegie Mellon University to give the traditional last lecture, the original source of the book.

If you don't know about it, stop reading after this paragraph and come back later ... after you take about 75 minutes to view this video.

----- ----- -----

This morning I will climb on an airplane for a quick trip to the Big Easy. I fully expect Southwest Airlines to bring me home tonight, so I'm not about to get weepy. But I do need to say, to my family at home (and not at home) ... I am on the plane today to do something I do pretty well with the hope of being able to help you pursue your dreams.

Family is so, so important. It's all that's left where there is nothing but Bones (right, Crossmen and Alumni?). When things are turbulent in your life, as this last week was for me, family keeps you going.

This is a mid-season thank you drum corps families, too, for what you are doing for your kids. I would talk about it during my time with Carolina Crown, but I haven't lived the experience of turning your kids over to a group for 2-3 months (3 weeks was about it for us!) and holding your breath every night as they move about the country. And you paid for the privilege!

And this is a pre-season thank you band families. Our band director has this right: this is the last 4 years you get to spend with your kid. These are neat years in their growth and development, so you better make it count, because you will never, ever, get it that time back.

I was thinking about the irony here. How often has music been a generational divisor at home? "Turn that down!" "How can you listen to that junk?!"

But then there is band and drum corps. This is the music that brings generations together. And that just just way too cool ...

----- ----- -----

Randy Pausch died late last week. He didn't get to see his kids achieve their childhood dreams. But he definitely laid the groundwork for that. I'm going to keep trying to do that myself. Maybe you should do so, too.

This post brought to you by the letter "E"

I was taught that efficiency is doing things right, and effectiveness is doing the right thing. What I just learned, however, is that efficiency is clean, and effectiveness can be quite messy. I learned this watching the Cadets rehearse last week.

The rehearsal, in the rain, was controlled chaos. And having been on tour with corps in the past, I can tell you that any drum corps moving down the road is. It wasn't "efficient", and inefficient is expensive. But in the end, in the art form we call drum corps, will sticking to the efficient at the expense of the effective elevate the corps? (How many "e" words was that?!)

I read in the Saturday/Sunday edition of the Wall Street Journal two other e-words used to describe movies (particularly "Wall*E"): entertaining, and enthralling. Some of this may apply to this weekend's results as well, with the "upset" win (if you can call what I think is an earned win an "upset") of Carolina Crown over the Cadets.

Certainly the Cadets are not without controversy. I think that comes with being on the leading edge of the activity. Looking over shows from 1980 to the present in the All Access feature of their website, they have not so much as pushed the drum corps activity than pulled it along. I always loved the long left behind slogan of "Tradition:Innovation" (and the upward G arrow logo from the Garfield days)!

Carolina Crown, on the other hand, is playing it (somewhat) safe - familiar tunes, but done very, very well. I haven't seen (but have heard!) the show, admittedly, but I wonder how this year's efficient entertainment compare to last year's "Triple Crown", which was to me effective enthrallment? Maybe not, but at this point the judges and the fans are saying it beats effective entertainment (or non-entertainment, if you feel that way about narration!). Certainly, though, the two leading corps seem to be producing what they generally do: effective enthrallment!

It is certainly a new matrix for back-of-the-envelope judging. Maybe now my "how hard is it to do what they did" and "how well did they do it" needs to be adapted.

I am looking forward to seeing how this next week shakes out as the corps converge on my birth-town, San Antonio. I am eager to see them in Murfreesboro! This year may bring some excitement after all!

... and the Pursuit of Happiness

It's July 4th (or Independence Day) weekend, and the Cadets stopped by Maryland today in their pursuit of happiness. I pursued some happiness, too, I guess - I went to watch ensemble rehearsal (in the rain*). I marvel at the specialness of those ordinary young men and women who dedicate hours to perfecting "something".

After watching, I am eager to see the result of the work I witnessed. It was messy work**, I hope that readers can appreciate that working for something makes achieving it so much better.

Sometimes things seem to be so easy that we just "phone it in." Maybe some can do that and be successful. I don't know, though. Where is the satisfaction in that? Is that the pursuit of happiness, no matter what we do? We tend to phone in so much - parenting, voting, working, relationships.

The ensemble was not a full run though, but I got a nice appreciation for what they are attempting to do. I look forward to seeing what comes from this pursuit.

P.S. Hey, Hoppy ... the Zone was a few years ago ... ;)

Audio sampling

"My corps" did phone it in last night, though. Well, kind of! My neighbor is in the Jersey Surf, and his Mom called me as Carolina Crown took the field so I could listen. Technology is great, but limited, yet it was nice to get my first listen of the competitive season.

I had been told that the show was good but "something" was missing, and listening as best as a I could I noticed it, too. I think it is the familiarity ... we are imposing something on the show that isn't there or isn't meant to be there. It's still early, however ... way early.

* Overheard: "How is life on the road?" "It's been good. Just wet. Everywhere."
** Watch for a future post on an insight on efficiency and effectiveness.

A Tradition is not a Value

I remember when growing up that one of the favorite musicals of my family was "Fiddler on the Roof". If you don't know the story, it centers on how a poor Jewish milkman, Tevye, struggles to maintain "Tradition" against the tide of rapid change (the backdrop being the Russian Revolution some 100 years ago). Like Tevye, we all want to keep our traditions. But so many of us confuse traditions with values.

Values are what we stand for, deep down. Traditions are how we express our values. Values are timeless. Traditions can be too ... but not always.

Lately, I have reflected a lot on my life's calling, my career, my family, and even the organizations I have been part of.* I see so many organizations dying from the inside today. They are dying because they cling stubbornly to traditions (two pistons! no amplification! no dance!) that have eventually poisoned the water.

And this is not just drum corps. Community organizations are literally dying - old members are aging and new ones aren't joining. There are organizations that say they serve young people but don't even know how to reach them anymore. The list is long of drum corps that have taken tradition right into the grave, and a number of kids are poorer for not having the opportunity. (Maybe some I discussed in the post Loss below).

Young people like to question traditions, but they don't do it with maturity, and so we more, um, experienced folks react viscerally to defend the traditions when they do. But we have to learn how to questions traditions, too, only with maturity. How? By asking, "Does this tradition enhance or hinder our values?"

It is funny that I remember the time the Holy Name/Garfield/of Bergen County/Cadets used the motto Tradition: Innovation. To me that said it all. And look at how old they are (founded in 1934), and how young they continue to be in the new and innovative ideas they bring to the competition field. The Cadets have traditions, but mostly they have values that have been infused over time.

So, anyway, most of last week I was at a work conference. On Monday of that week it was announced at the meeting that my fellow professional association members have humbled me by asking me to join their Executive Committee, which comes with a path toward leading the organization in a few years. I hope I can help find ways to strip out the unnecessary traditions, and enhance the values.

Look at the organizations you belong to, and whether or not they are dying by traditions instead of living by values. If not, you will be the one who needs to come up with the new traditions to enhance the values.

Some people call it "Thinking outside the box." The Cadets are my favorite corps for doing this, and doing it successfully. I think it is because they also know this: "Thinking outside the box implies that you know how to think inside the box to begin with."


* Okay, "of which I have been a part." That is grammatically correct ... but clunky. I tossed tradition for a bit there ...

Rules Are Made to Be … ReWritten

Yeah, I'm a rebel.

This weekend I’m heading to a work related conference in Tampa, but there is another conference going on 80 miles away in Orlando that could be just as ... ok, more ... fun! DCI is considering 12 rules changes, which you can read about here. Most are proposed George Hopkins, the quiet and unassuming director of the Cadets.

Riight. George Hopkins is a lightening rod, the man “traditionalist” love to hate. And I hate as well … hate to admit that he has challenged me to challenge tradition. Hoppy can be agitating for agitation sake. He’s hard to figure, even up close, where I have seen him. But he is a very, very bright guy, reading and thinking at levels that I would like to reach. (Hey, George, you can send the check to me later.)

Hoppy has proposed new rules on amplification, on using water as an effect, on changing judges. Hoppy may not win this time, but it seems that over time he manages to drag drum corps into the future, kicking and screaming all the way. (Which, when the fans see what happens, usually results in waving and screaming!)

Back in the late 1980s drum corps brass was two piston bugles pitched to G. Slowly a third piston was added (more notes), and then “conventional” brass was adopted. All of these events were to mark the end of drum corps. In fact, I was one of those that said “Keep 2 Pistons”, even though I had never played one myself! But I was wrong.

Sometimes I want to be the Hoppy of my profession. Well, a bit of Hoppy, and a bit of Tom Peters! I’m not sure I ever will get there. But at least I have a target, albeit a moving one!

Our first band ...

There is a lot to say now that I can, but let's start with a band. My high school band was small; micro by Texas standards. The one I saw on Saturday was larger than the one I was in, but it is in the small Group 1 on the Tournament of Bands circuit.

This band took a complicated concert band literature by David R. Holsinger (based on scripture - 2 Samuel 11, 1 Chronicles 20) and made it about the modern war. I have a long memory, so I remember the Cadets doing this music in 1993, before most of the kids doing this show were even born. Whenever a band tries to do music that a corps has done, especially one that won a DCI World Championship with the show, I wonder what the staff was thinking. Why do this to the high school kids, setting them up for constant criticism by failing to achieve what kids 3 to 4 years older dedicated a summer to perfecting?

Sure enough, it started out that way. The first part was a bit too literal for me, like the staff was thinking about how to make the music work on the field from an interpretative standpoint, but gave up.

But when the black scrim came down between the guard and the band, magic began. The sheer scrim with a soldier on one side mirroring the guard member on the other, touching like a reflection on the Vietnam Memorial Wall ... it was a reminder of the sacrifice that others have given, no matter what your opinion is on this current war.

The band placed its uniform helmets on the ground and then moved away, leaving the form where they stood as a silent, graveyard like reminder. The band and the guard were elsewhere on the field, but the image of the space they left was moving me and the audience to near tears. Then came the haunting Taps, as the solider walked away with head high, into the backfield corner.

Oh yes, I remember the scrim and the helmets from other drum corps shows (Suncoast Sound, Phantom Regiment). But this time the unique take in the modern setting just clicked, and I hope everyone was suddenly jolted back to understanding that a real war has real sacrifice.

Thank you, band, for honoring the memory of our fallen soldiers, and reminding me of their sacrifice.


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Marching band is like that for me. The kids moving me to cheers or tears, and making me think. Yes, adults design, but the kids make it happen, and these kids did. Their size was irrelevant - larger bands performed that day but the performances were flat. Maybe since it wasn't under the lights (it was an afternoon show), they weren't into it.

This band was willing to say, "Forget how small we are, because we can perform." I hope through this blog I'll introduce you to - or remind you of - the commitment of performance in band and in life.

No matter what the size of your "band", performance is what matters.* What you get out of it will be what you put into it. If you think you need to be in a big band to "win", then look inside. Small may make you think it is hard, but performance when you are out there exposed makes the achievement so much sweeter.

I got a lot out of my marching band experience. We weren't much - legends in our own mind - that the effort in my last year that resulted in a II rating in the only UIL contest I remember - tops in our class! - the fun of putting a show on the field - that sense of achievement drives me even today.

Well, that and the two biggest lessons I learned from my band director:

1. "Always leave early so if you're late you'll be on time."

2. "I don't care if you have been in this band room since 4 this morning. If you are not in your chair, warmed up, ready to go, when the bell rings, you are late!"


* A shout out to the 1983 Laredo Nixon HS Band, Texas Class 5A champions - the smallest of the finalists that year.