- Drum Solo Artist

INDOOR MARCHING • DRUM CORPS • PIPEBAND • FIELD PERCUSSION
WGI
Scores
The Essential
Packing list
Ask A PRO
The
Mike Mcintosh
Interview
BLUE KNIGHTS
“SUPERSTARS!”
Volume #1 • July 2003
COLLECTABLE PREMIER EDITION • FIRST ISSUE
CONTENTS • SUMMER 2003
Note from the Publisher
Page 3
Letter from the Editor
Page 4
Volume 1 • Summer of 2003
www.drumpromagazine.com
Sr. Editor/Publisher
George Shepherd
Pros vs Cons - The Reviews
Page 5
Editor/Content
Brad Deason
Ask a Pro
The Mike McIntosh Interview
Page 8
Web Resources for Drummer
Page 10
The Essential Drum Corp
Packing List
Page 12
Division 1 Corps list
Page 14
Contributing Writers
George Shepherd
Brad Deason
Robert Keding
Art Concept
Raymie Chapman
Photography
Bateman
Photography
Web Site
Stryder
Division 2 Corps list
Page 15
Collections
Guido
Division 3 Corps list
Page 16
Security
Conner
Blue Knight “SUPERSTARS”
Page 18
Complaints
Spike
Young Guns
featuring Dave Martin
WGI SCORES!
Lessons Learned
Building a high school line
Page 20
Publisher
CDI Publications
Page 22
Page 24
Hands On
Back to the Basic series
Page 26
Double Jointed
Page 28
P. O. Box 11388
Newport Beach, CA
92658
For Advertising Information, please
contact George Shepherd at:
[email protected]
(310) 908-6961
Article submissions to Brad Deason:
[email protected]
Questions, comments, hatemail or otherwise,
send to: [email protected]
DrumPro Corps magazine is published quarterly
by CDI Publications.
Unless otherwise indicated, all content © 2003 by CDI
Publications. Reproduction in whole or in part without
written permission of the publisher is prohibited.
Note from the Publisher
T
he world of drumming is as limitless as the midnight sky. Our community knows no ethnicity, no borders and has no
political agenda. We are simply brothers and sisters of one universal rhythm.
In undertaking such a unique project as the DrumPRO Magazine family, I have seen the best and the worst
in people. It’s funny how a simple thing such as a “idea” can frighten a few people enough to lash out and
become the bully that not so long ago, was cowering before it’s carnivorous predecessor. Have we, as a
society, become so selfish that no one wants to help the little guys who are trying to do something good,
for fear that they themselves may one day become obsolete?
I recently witnessed the demise of a truly groundbreaking drum publication. Some of you may have
heard of “Stick It”. I had the privilege of working with the former publishers of this magazine and
near the end I even tried to save it. Well, you might think, if it was such a great resource, then why
is it gone? The answer is support! Only after the decision had been made to cease publication, did
readers call in and voice their opinion that Stick It was an enormous inspiration to them. But it
was too little, too late!
We have a responsibility to, not only drumming community, and ourselves but to all those
who will come after us. If you see someone that is trying to do something new and good,
if you believe in the ideals that might spawn a revolution for the betterment of all, you
MUST support it or YOU are solely responsible for it’s death!
If you are an American, you’ve been taught that our founding fathers were
inventors, radical thinkers, outcasts and even slaves. But they all believed in a
common destiny, they all had the vision and the courage to sacrifice themselves
for the good of their posterity. Who is willing to do this today? We’ve become
lazy and manipulated, brainwashed by daytime television and the “Reality”
show. You might even say “frightened” by the goliath that we have
become. Where are the inventors and radical thinkers? We have again
become the outcasts and slaves. Our vision has been clouded by greed
and social stigma.
I am proud to be associated with individuals whom I consider
innovators, radical thinkers, outcasts and yes we are still
slaves. WE ARE willing to sacrifice ourselves in the name of
Evolution and the Art of mankind. We have a common vision
of something great. If you like what we and others like us
are doing, you must let us know! Show, tell and spread
news of the coming revolution. Embrace it and become
part of the change.
It wasn’t long ago that we left our doors unlocked
and people did business on a handshake. What
have we become and where are we headed?
What happens next, I leave to you!
Welcome to the revolution!
www.cdipublications.com
www.drumpromagazine.com
George Shepherd
Publisher, Drummer & Brother.
DrumPRO CORPS 3
Letter From the Editor
Hello All,
Welcome to what is soon to become the worlds most thorough corps
style resource. You will find anything and everything having to do with
marching and rudimental percussion. Drum Pro Corps will concentrate
on marching percussion from all over the world. If you strap it on, hang
it on a carrier or wheel it onto the field, you’ll find it all here in these
pages.
Drum Pro Corps provides information from Winterguard International,
Drum Corps International, Bands of America Drum, Corps Europe and
Asia, Pipe Band Drumming and anything else we can get our hands on.
I encourage all of you, our community, to become involved in the growth
and the development of information and general knowledge of our Art
form.
A bit about me: I have been involved as a performer, writer, designer,
teacher, consultant and judge in all areas of marching percussion here in
the United States. I marched from 1980 to 1986, throughout high school
and college. I was that guy with the hard luck story. I was preparing to
march in drum corps with the Star of Indiana. At my going away party
I was playing basketball and broke my ankle in a couple of places…such
is life. I went on to teach at the drum corps level with the Knights out of
Illinois. Teaching in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana and Illinois, I
have seen it all and dealt with everything you could think of, from terrible
equipment to band directors, corps directors, drum instructors, parents
and administrators that just didn’t quite get it. As I am sure that many
of you can relate.
All of our content has a real world point of view with NO fluff and NO
politics! I am looking forward to learning about the marching percussion
activities from all over the world, as I am sure you are as well.
We are setting out to unite the activity and bring this unique and creative
Art form to world awareness. Please let us know how we are doing. Tell
us if you would like to see a particular branch of marching percussion,
innovative techniques, up and coming members of the activity, or you can
write us to just blow off some steam!
I want to again welcome you to our first issue of what will become the best
information source for the marching percussion community.
Brad Deason
Editor
4 DrumPRO CORPS
Summer 2003
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The Art and Heart of Drum Circles
By Christine Stevens
Have you ever felt that you’d like to give something back to the drumming community?
How about organizing a drum circle. There is something magical about drumming and
feeling the pulse of a group of drummers living through the rhythm. Christine Stevens has
masterfully written a guide to anyone interested in organizing and operating a drum circle.
The Art and Heart of Drum Circles, published by Hal Leonard, explores important topics
such as instrumentation, arranging, cues, experiential learning and just plain having fun!
This book, with CD, is a great aid for even a skilled drum circle leader. To learn more visit:
www.ubdrumcircles.com Book and CD retail price: $14.95 US
Loops and Grooves
By Todd Souvignier
Ok, before you all freak-out and think that the drum world as we know it is coming to
an end, this new book published by Hal Leonard, gives us light at the end of the tunnel.
Throughout history, people have feared what they don’t understand and it has been the
undoing of some of the world’s greatest civilizations. I challenge you to understand and
evolve! Here’s your opportunity. In Loops and Grooves, Todd gives a detailed history
of the evolution of modern electronic recorders and samplers. He goes on to express the
importance of thinking like a drummer or dancer. The only way to think like a drummer
is to become one or hire one! That’s right, this could be a great opportunity for a drummer
who knows loops and digital groove manipulation. This book is a must have for all studio
musicians and drummers looking to expand your opportunities. The accompanying CD
contains sound examples of many cutting edge looping techniques. It also contains demo
versions of software programs Ableton Live, Fruity Loops, Reason, Rebirth, ReCycle and
Acid Express. For more info, visit www.halleonard.com Book and CD retail Price: $19.95
US
Drumsense
By Colin Woolway
Drumsense, published in America by Hal Leonard, is a beginners guide to drum set
coordination studies and fill variations. Colin is the creator of the Drumsense Method
which includes a uniform counting method. It is intended to help drum students learn and
understand the world of drumming in a much simpler way. The beginning of the book is
reminiscent of Carmine Appice’s “Realistic Rock”, another great text for drum students.
By the end of the book, the student should be able to read basic drum set patterns, have a
grasp of drum fills and execute simple rudiments. For more info, visit www.halleonard.com
Book and CD retail price: $12.95 US
www.drumpromagazine.com
DrumPRO CORPS
5
Reviews
Tipbook “Drums”
By Hugo Pinksterboer
This 134-page book is a great reference guide to all things drum set related. The “Drums”
Tipbook, distributer by Hal Leonard, gives thorough explanations of the principles of
acoustics and tuning, muffling, design and construction, set-up, purchasing, maintenance,
hardware, sticks and cymbals. Diagrams and pictures help in understanding the information
throughout. And to top it all off, the end of this reference guide features a glossary of
common drumming terms and resource lists for further study. All in all, this reference
is a cool tool for any drumming enthusiast. Retail price: $9.95 US www.tipbook.com,
www.halleonard.com
Bass Drum Control Solos
By Colin Bailey
This new book and CD, published by Hal Leonard, is a great tool for strengthening the
relationship between hands and feet. Primarily laid out in a “Linear” fashion, this material
lends itself well to linear grooves, fills and solos. Great for getting your bass drum chops
together. Book and CD retail price: $17.95 US www.halleonard.com
Snare Drum Duets
By Ron Spagnardi
I’ve always been a fan of drum duets and this book has some cool ones. As everyone
knows, Ron is the publisher and founder of Modern Drummer Magazine. Snare Drum
Duets contains 25 duets for two snare drummers, but of course you can apply these duets to
any percussion instrument. Cool book Ron! Esse Quam Videri… Book and CD retail price:
$14.95 US www.moderndrummer.com
Funk & Hip-Hop Drumming
By Ed Roscetti
This is definitely a great book for studying the drumming styles of Funk and Hip-Hop.
It progresses from beginner to advanced somewhat quickly. Syncopated grooves and
funky fills demonstrate that there is much more out there than 16th notes around the kit.
Ed has also included in his book, charts for various styles of Funk and Hip-Hop. A great
tool for teachers. Published by Hal Leonard, this book and CD retails for $14.95 US
www.halleonard.com
40 Intermediate Snare Drum Solos
for Concert Performance
By Ben Hans
Concert & Orchestral performance is a different animal than drum set or hand percussion.
It takes finesse and attention to detail to execute a masterful solo. Snare Drum Solos,
published by Hal Leonard, is a well-written book encompassing the various aspects of
concert performance that you might encounter. I’ve found that most students cannot read
very well. This book is written in the intermediate-advanced range. Sticking, dynamics and
varied articulation make this a good study. Too bad it doesn’t come with a CD! This book
retails for $7.95 US www.halleonard.com
6 DrumPRO CORPS
Summer 2003
Reviews
Drum Set Warm-Ups
By Rod Morgenstein
Published by Berklee Press, Rod’s book is packed full of great coordination studies. It
contains syncopated grooves, ostinato studies, rudimental exercises, odd note rates, stickings
and fill exercises. Very cool book! Book retails for $12.95 US. www.berkleepress.com
Drum Tuning “the ultimate guide”
By Scott Schroedl
Well, I never thought that I’d see a book devoted entirely to drum tuning, but here it is.
One question that I have personally been asked time and time again is “How do you tune
a drum?” I never really understood why this was such a difficult topic for one to grasp.
I guess I just learned from experience. Never the less, Scott’s book is very in-depth and
thorough on this topic. It’ll save you years of hit and miss experience. If you’re the type of
person that takes 10 minutes to adjust your throne, you’ll probably want to read every page
of this book twice. Book and CD retail price: $12.95 US www.halleonard.com
Snare Drum Method
By Rick Mattingly
I am glad to see a book that focuses on snare drum reading that includes a CD! The CD
features drum parts played with a real concert and marching band. The book starts out
very simple with the fundamentals of reading and counting. It then progresses to include
stickings, dynamics and arrangements. Definitely a good teaching resource for learning
concert and rudimental music. Book and CD retail price: $10.95 US www.halleonard.com
Instant Guide to Drum Grooves
By Maria Martinez
This 31-page book contains the essentials of grooves that all working drummers must
know. Maria’s book is a good reference for students wanting to get a broad overview of
various styles that a “GB” or “Casual” gigging situation might require. It contains grooves
in the styles of Jazz, Shuffle, Country, Rock & Funk, New Orleans, Reggae, Calypso,
Brazilian and Latin. Of course, you can’t get too in-depth within only 31 pages, but for
it’s suggested retail price of $9.95, you can’t beat it! Book and CD retail price: $9.95.
www.halleonard.com
Drum Backbeats Encyclopedia
By John Thomakos
The Drum Backbeat Encyclopedia, published by Alfred, builds from the practice method
of layering different hi-hat patterns over a set of bass drum patterns. John’s book is a good
reference for students that don’t have the facility to write out these patterns neatly or are
just too lazy and would rather give someone $20 to do it for them. Oh, and you get a CD.
I’m not bagging on John’s book. I would like see a concept and formula being taught
to students rather than spoon-feeding the masses instant drum gratification. If you look
deeper into the exercises you will see the formula. And it has other stuff too like ghost
notes, left foot splashes and a few stylistic features. If this is something that you’ve never
done before, then it is definitely worth studying. Book and CD suggested retail: $19.95
www.alfred.com
www.drumpromagazine.com
DrumPRO CORPS
7
Ask A PRO... The Mike McIntosh Interview
Mike is one of the most talented young teachers in the
drum corps world. He is also the percussion specialist
at Carmel High School in Indiana. Mike is the current
caption head of the Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps.
The Cavaliers percussion section is responsible for
helping shape the current state of marching percussion.
In this interview, Mike lets us in on the process of not
only existing in the tough world of drum corps, but also
excelling in it.
ASK: Back in the old days there was a just as you can tell Scott Johnsonʼs
specific difference in west coast vs east
coast playing. You are an old west coast
guy having marched with the Blue Devils
and today being with the Cavaliers. Do
you see as much of a difference now days
and if so what are those differences?
from Bret Kuhnʼs. The differences
today are more in the interpretation of
music as opposed to earlier when the
difference was interpretation of rhythm.
west coast/east coast. Going back 20
years, In a nutshell, Ralphʼs (Ralph
Hardiman) early 1980ʼs SCV (Santa Clara
Vanguard) lines played with a pretty strict
interpretation in regard to diddles whereas,
the Bridgemen played a more open style.
When Tom Float went to the Blue Devils
in 1982, he brought with him a two height
system tiered towards strict interpretation
of heights and diddles which also lent itself
to the West Coast “strict” and East Coast
“slurred” perception which is a glossy way
to explain it. As the 80ʼs progressed, a
stricter interpretation of the space between
the attack and first diddle became more
universal as lines took what they liked
from other lines and made it their own. In
the mid 90ʼs, Star of Indiana and the Blue
Devils brought back the large arm motion
so prevalent earlier in drumming history
and started a familiar “trend” of drumming.
This high sticking has found its way
into many lines, west, east and midwest.
Today, the Blue Devils are known for
“aggressive” playing but I thought the
cadets were very aggressive last year
also! The differences east to west these
days are more compositionally based. You
can tell Aungstʼs beats from Jim Casellaʼs
major keys to getting ready for an
audition like the one the Cavaliers put a
performer through.
PRO: There are still differences between ASK: Could point out a few of the
8 DrumPRO CORPS
PRO:
Preparation is everything!
Memorization of all exercises, as well
as, the street-beat, on-line warm-up and
audition excerpt are key. All exercises
should be played at tempos ranging from
very slow to very fast. All prepared pieces,
streetbeat etc, should be played with great
quality of sound at indicated tempos. Make
sure you are practicing with a metronome,
in front of a mirror, on a drum...all very
important. Record yourself playing to
create perspective. Your eyes/ears will be
opened when you see/hear yourself play
as a “spectator.” All of the above are keys
for a good audition. Also, try and stay
relaxed as possible, a relaxed sound is a
good sound. Also BREATHE! Sounds
funny but youʼd be surprised at how
many auditionees nearly hyper-ventilate
during there audition! Breathe and relax!
The Cavalier audition process is as follows:
Friday of the November camp is a master
class from 1pm to 11pm. We start with
“these are your sticks” and go through
grip, hand positioning, sticks in/out, style,
intensity of stroke, rhythmic interpretation,
exercises and finally the audition excerpt,
usually in that order. We are very detail
oriented and this usually takes all of
Friday. Saturday are individual lessons/
auditions where we spend several minutes
with each player critiquing and also
encouraging and teaching. We get a lot of
players just at camp for the experience.
They pay a lot of money to be there and
we want them to get there moneysʼ worth
by being able to bring something back
to there high school programs and also
have a firm educational understanding
of what they as a player need to work
on in order to eventually make the line.
Saturday night, we post social security #
ʻs of the players that made the first cut.
The rest of the evening is spent drumming.
We encourage those that did not make
the first cut to stay through till the end
of camp and drum on pads. Sunday, we
will take all those not making the first cut
and do another hour long question/answer
master class to make sure the musicians
are set up to succeed for next year.
ASK: Being involved with the Cavaliers
now, you see such a large number of
performers at auditions every season.
What are your key points you are
looking for when choosing 2 snares out
of 60 or 1 tenor out of 50 and so on?
PRO: Cool hair! Seriously, you gotta
have major chops, that gets you in the
door. From there we are looking at tempo
control, attention to detail, maturity
(mental and musical), and preparation
and growth camp to camp. Because we
have so many musicians come through the
door, there are lotʼs of intangibles we tap
into. Is the auditionee getting along with
others in the food line? Is he sitting by
himself at lunch? Does he get frustrated
easily? Any knee/joint problems? Are they
diagnosed with ADD? (Not an issue with
todayʼs medication) These are little things
we keep an eye on because they could be
factors finals week when the pressure is
on. We want musicians with an open mind.
We teach “a” style, not “the” style and that
is important the player know this. Being
standoffish because another drumline
Summer 2003
chooses a different style or approach
is UNCOOL! We want our players to
understand there are many different ways
to drum and to learn as much as you can
about each. We really strive to teach kids
to teach! Not just to drum. Kids that learn
to teach will be the ones writing/cleaning
the percussion music of tomorrow.
ASK: How do you pace yourself for
such a long season in drum corps?
Meaning you have 3 months to
sometimes only move 4 points or so. Let
us in on your mindset for the long haul
of competition.
PRO: We believe in organization. We
try to be as detailed and smart as possible
with our day, itʼs about quality practice
time, not quantity. The day should follow
a “micro” to “macro” formula. During
the season, a basic day in the life of
the Cavalier drumline is as follows:
Breakfast, warm-up in sub sectionals
(snares, tenors, bass on there own). This
gets us warm and also allows us to be more
detailed with our individual sections. Any
changes will go in during this time (letʼs
pretend the changes are at measures # 6068) Will also take any radical formations
from the show where the listening
environment is “wacked” and warm-up in
those forms to acclimate the player to the
difficult listening environment. We will
then be on our own field as a drumline
with the full music staff and visual staff
person. We donʼt track (form a parade
block and march while warming up or
playing music) because weʼve found with
the level of player we have, itʼs more
beneficial to actually march and play in the
drill. I think tracking has its benefits based
on the level of player in the line. My high
school tracks like crazy! They love it for
some reason, and it makes them stronger,
musically and mentally. Ok, when weʼre
on our own field, we may be working
on measures #60-68 of the opener (the
changes put in earlier in sub-sectionals).
The front ensemble will come over the
last hour and we will end the morning
block with a larger chunk of music to get
a feeling of continuity on any new muscle
memory (measures #38-128 for example).
The horn line and color guard wouldʼve
www.drumpromagazine.com
been on there own fields doing the same
thing. Sometimes we donʼt always get our
own field and have to plan accordingly.
After lunch, weʼll warm-up as a line and be
involved in a music ensemble block with
the winds. We will work on a larger chunk
in ensemble (example measure #10-150)
and eventually the color guard will join
us the last part of the afternoon and weʼll
end the afternoon block with 1 or 2 runthroughs of the full show. As you can tell,
we started with one or two measures in the
morning, and throughout the day keep
taking larger and larger chunks of music
hence going micro to macro working on
essentially the same part of the show. A
lot of groups will have the snares working
on the snare break, the tenors on the ballad,
the basses on the 3rd movement and the pit
on the pit break. Early in the season this is
ok, but when we are trying to get better in
specific musical situations, communication
and
organization
are
the
key.
We will eat dinner, go to the show, warmup, perform, and the first hour of the bus
ride to the next site will be comprised of
meeting about tomorrowʼs schedule and
inputting any changes into the computer.
The Cavaliers staff are all finale-savy
and we hype on the fact if someone
showed up to teach, we could hand them
a full score of EXACTLY what was
played the night before with drill sets,
heights, dynamics, mallet selection in the
pit and which front ensemble cymbals
are actually played when. The horn and
percussion staffs update the same score,
which helps keep us musically organized!
With so much to do, we really donʼt have
time to dwell on anything. Itʼs go-go-go
all the time and obviously...WE HAVE
FUN! That is important, if your not
having fun, your not doing it right! The
staff has been together a long time and
itʼs a group effort to make it all happen.
myself as an educator and trying new things
to see what works. We are blessed with
smart kids at Carmel and the things Richard
Saucedo (The Cavaliers brass composer
and director at Carmel) and I learn at The
Cavaliers as far as approach to sound,
ensemble, timing etc. are things we are
able to implement at the high school level.
ASK: At one point Carmel had a very
successful WGI line as well. Do you have
plans to continue that program and
is there ever a chance that we will see
Cavaliers have an indoor program in
the future?
PRO: We loved competing at WGI!!!! This
year, Carmel competed in the SWC class in
the Indiana Percussion Association circuit
and did not go to WGI because of a spring
break conflict. We did IPA in 1998, WGI in
1999 and 2000. The PAS call-for-tapes in
2001, a wedding ensemble playing LOTS
of literature for my wedding in 2002 and
performed in world class concert this year.
I try and keep the program diverse. I think
if you plant the same seed in the soil every
year, the soil goes bad. Plus, I get so burnt
out going from summer to fall, to winter
and back to summer immediately! I try
and keep Carmel away from being known
as a “drumline only” school. I respect
programs that churn out incredible winter
drumlines every year, just not our cup of
tea. Next year Carmel will again compete
in the world concert class at the IPA level.
We have talked about The Cavaliers doing
indoor, nothing has come to fruition yet.
ASK: You have been involved with
competitive marching percussion for
most of your life. What are your views
on competition and percussion?
PRO: I think competition can be a good
ASK: Also being a very successful high thing. It drives the kids to want to perform
school instructor for a very high caliber
band program like Carmel...What are
the differences between dealing with a
high school performer and the type of
player you have at the Cavaliers?
better. It, with anything else can be taken
to a negative level, but overall, I think it
can be a positive factor in the growth of
kids and instructors alike. Itʼs important to
remember.....“ itʼs just drumline!”
PRO: We model some of the things we
do after The Cavaliers. Our style may be
different because I am usually pushing
DrumPRO CORPS
9
Web Resources for Drummers
By George Shepherd
As everyone living today knows, the Internet is an
amazing tool for research and the exchange of information.
“Knowledge is Power!” I’m sure that everyone has heard
that phrase a time or two. And the power of that knowledge
will set you FREE! As in the multitude of FREE drumming
resources on the Internet.
Typically, we have gotten our drumming vocabulary through
recordings, private lessons, drum magazines, clinics, videos,
books and hanging out after performances hoping to get a
few minutes to rap with one of our drum heroes. The Internet
can now allow us to do all that and more, 24hrs a day while
hanging out in your Spiderman underwear, eating chips. You
know who you are!
The digital age has given us the power to communicate
musically with cultures from all over the world in the “blink
of an eye” (that is, if you have high-speed access). If you’ve
searched the Internet for drum-related topics, you know that
the amount of information available is simply mind-blowing!
And finding all the good stuff could take days or even weeks.
Well, we here at DrumPRO Magazine, have decided to make
your quest for “knowledge” a whole lot easier.
There are several websites offering free or paid lessons.
Check out www.drumbum.com for over 400 links to free
drum lessons or www.webthumper.com/drums for FREE
lessons and more. I’ve compiled an extremely comprehensive
links list of “Drumming/ Drummer” resources and placed
them on the web for you to visit at our site under the links
heading (www.cdipublications.com). You will also be able
to submit links that aren’t already listed by emailing us at
[email protected].
In researching the topic of drums on the Internet, I came
across a site that completely blew my mind. www.virtualdru
mmerschool.com
The following is from an interview that I had with Salvador
Niebla, creator of Virtual Drummer School.com
10 DrumPRO CORPS
Q: Why did you choose to embark
on such an incredible project like
the VDS?
A: In the last 15 years, I have given
many master classes with Roland,
Premier, Paiste, Regal Tip, Evans
and Audio Technica in Spain and
South America. During my travels,
I have noticed that there was a huge
lack of information regarding the
Drumming and percussion world
and a lot of difficulty that all these
students or aficionados had in getting
any information. Don’t forget that
not everybody lives in New York
or the important cities and capitals
of the world. Therefore my interest
in new technologies made me
realize that we could use internet to
transmit all this information around
the world and give access to all the
people interested in drumming and
percussion to the work of the great
masters in this field.
Q: What is your vision for the
VDS? And drumming on the
Internet in general?
A: I think that Internet is a tool
not only of the future but also of
the present, now we can only see
the peak of the iceberg of all the
possibilities that it can offer us.
Presently, I am working on a project
for Internet 2, where the velocity
of transmission is 2 GB. Imagine
what you can do with this! My
project wants to take advantage
of all the possibilities offered by
the growing technology in order to
give the students in their own home
the lessons with the maximum
quality available. We have many
Summer 2003
and another year of work with
programmers and designers to
ideas in the pocket that will be apply the ideas.
possible to apply with the advance
of technology. This will make our Q: As simply as possible, Can you
website a “living” element that will describe, in your own words, how
be constantly transforming itself your site works?
with time. In this, the comments
and suggestions of our students are A: It is exactly like a school: to
very important for me, we take into enter you have to register and before
consideration all of them because registering if you wish, you have
we want our school to mirror at best information in the “tour free” and
the “VDS Club”. We have different
there needs.
areas with different teachers -each
Q: Your site is absolutely one has his own department with
incredible! How long has it taken lessons- , “News” department
with our own news and with news
you to create?
from different magazines around
A: Thanks for your compliment! It the world, a “Forum” department
is always such a pleasure to hear where you can ask about whatever
this because behind it there is a subject you are interested in, a
huge amount of work, not only “Blackboard” where you could put
mine but that of a whole team. your own advertising, department
The idea started 7 years ago, but at of “World Music” in which we
that time it was impossible to send have now opened the Flamenco
videos through Internet. Two years division and are now researching
later, a Spanish publisher offered the Middle Eastern Music and
me the opportunity to put together many other ethnic music, a “shop”
a new drumming method “Virtual department, etc...
Drummer”. There came the idea
to do a CD Rom and prepare the
first steps of what later became
the Virtual Drummer School. We
opened our website in September
2000 after one year of planning
www.drumpromagazine.com
A: The first difficulty we have
encountered is the velocity of the
Internet lines even though this
is improving with DSL. Another
problem is the different navigators
(Explorer, Netscape) and the
different types of computers. To
make a website compatible for all
is a very difficult task and it is the
aim of all of us. The first success is
that our students have understood
the majority of these problems and
had a great amount of patience with
us (we now have 4,500 registered
students). And the best surprise was
that when we have contacted the
best drummers in the world, they all
liked the idea and for me, working
with all of these great masters - as
you can imagine - has been one of
the best gifts of my life.
Q: What would you like to say
to the drumming community?
(Completely open)
A: The only thing that I would like
to say is that I put in this website
all the information I used to crave
for when I was fifteen years old.
Today a drummer, a student or an
aficionado have this incredible
opportunity to have access to an
open world of information and
education through the Internet. This
is a dream come true for all of us
and don’t forget that through the
interactive relationship we have
with our students, we welcome
any idea or suggestion to make our
project a better school.
Q: What difficulties, if any, have
you come up against in developing For more information
the VDS? And what surprise contact, Salvaor Neibla at:
successes have you have you www.virtualdrummerschool.com
experienced along the way?
DrumPRO CORPS
11
The Essential Drum Corps Packing list!
By Brad Deason
After going through the summer of a few Drum Corps tours you learn certain tricks of the trade that
makes that already very difficult activity a little easier to handle. When I was marching and teaching
during the summer it was always easy to find the rookies. They were the kids with 10,000 things with
them when we left for tour. In the end, half of the stuff was left at housing site from here to there. Drum
Pro Corps has put together a little list to hopefully help in your pursuit of a carefree summer while
enjoying your bright sunny carefree days during tour. Well maybe not carefree but at least we hope it
makes your drum corps experience a little more fun.
While on tour
-10-12 sets of undergarments
- 6-8 T-shirts and shorts
- 2 long-sleeve T-shirts
- 1 pairs of wind pants or sweatpants
- 1 sweatshirt, fleece, or warm jacket
- Off-day clothes -- you’ll want to look nice when you have the chance. A pair or two of long and short
pants like jeans.
- Shoes: athletic shoes -- some people like to bring an extra pair in case of rain, shower shoes and
sandals for around housing sites
- Uniform extras—You need to have a couple of extra T’s in whit or black (depending on the corps) and
bring some extra socks, 4 pair, in white or black (depending on the corps) for shows only.
In the bathroom
When packing, it may help to keep track of how much you use for a week or two, then multiply that
by how long you’ll be gone. You will generally have a few opportunities to restock, so this is one case
where it’s better to have too much than too little. Also bring some zip lock bags for anything that can get
squeezed out of its tube. There is nothing worse than opening your bag to find half of your sunscreen or
shampoo all over your cloths!
- Toothpaste, toothbrush, toothbrush case and floss
- Contact solution, contact case (get a couple of these…very easy to forget one at housing), lens drops,
glasses and glasses case (make sure it is a hard case).
- Shampoo and conditioner -- the “family size” will generally last all tour
- Body wash or bar soap make sure you have bar soap case.
- Razor, extra blades (or razors), and shaving cream
- Body lotion
- Towel(s)
- Hairbrush/comb, gel, hair ties/clips/bobby pins
Medical
Your corps will carry first-aid supplies, but it’s helpful to have a few of your own things.
-Band-Aids - the “active” variety hold best
- Neosporin
- Aspirin
- Ace bandage
- Cloth athletic tape
- Any braces (knee, ankle) that you may need
- Gold Bond – It can cure many things!
- Personal prescriptions -- be sure to bring enough for the time your gone. Your doctor can write you a
one-time prescription for three months
12 DrumPRO CORPS
Summer 2003
In the bus
It’s often better to wait to get what
you need to outfit your bus seat
until you’ve actually had a chance
to look at what space is available.
You can also ask the vets in your
corps for advice.
- Bungee cords
- Fitted twin sheet to cover your
seat -- it’s nice to be able to wash
what you sit on every day
- Bus box -- a Tupperware-type
box works best-- be sure to ask
someone how much room is
available under the seat.
- Blanket – It can get very cold on
the bus at night in the AC.
- Pillow
- Reading material
- Practice pad and sticks/mallets
On the field
- Water jug -- at least a gallon is best. In my experience the tall Rubbermaid water coolers endure the
tour treatment the best.
- Folder with clear sheets for music.
- Hat-- bringing an extra is always a good idea.
- Sunglasses (not an expensive pair… this is tour)
- Chapstick/lip balm with sunscreen (DCT or brand like that works well).
- Sunscreen, waterproof, SPF 45
Miscellaneous
- Sleeping bag
- Quarters for washers and dryers for wash day -- your local bank can give you rolls of quarters.
- Laundry bag for dirty clothes
- Extra batteries
- Watch -- this is essential.
- Sewing kit
- Multitool or Swiss Army knife
- Scissors
- Duct tape and/or white or black electrical tape
- Ziploc bags -- several each sandwich size and gallon size.
- Kleenex and/or toilet paper.
- Pens and pencils
- A pad of notebook paper
- Envelopes and stamps
- Camera and film
- A container for jewelry
- Essential addresses, phone numbers, etc.
- Cell phone and charger
- Calling card - for emergencies and/or when you have no cell phone signal
www.drumpromagazine.com
DrumPRO CORPS
13
Division 1 Corps
Blue Devils
Colts
Mandarins
[email protected]
http://www.bluedevils.org/
[email protected]
http://www.colts.org/
[email protected]
http://www.mandarins.org
4065 Nelson Ave
Concord, CA 94520
(925) 689-2918 Phone
(925) 689-0384 Fax
P.O. Box 515
Dubuque, IA 52001-0515
(563) 582-4872 Phone
(563) 582-7317 Fax
P.O. Box 22297
Sacramento, California 95822
(916) 395-8310 Phone
(916) 395-6104 Fax
Blue Knights
Crossmen
Phantom Regiment
[email protected]
http://www.bknights.org/
[email protected]
http://www.yea.org/
[email protected]
http://www.regiment.org
1137 S. Jason St
Denver, CO 80223
(303) 777-1937 Phone
(303) 777-9599 Fax
Bluecoats
P.O. Box 2733
N. Canton, OH 44720
(330) 699-1572 Phone
[email protected]
http://www.bluecoats.com/
P.O. Box 506
Bergenfield, NJ 07621-0506
(201) 384-8822 Phone
(201) 384-6982 Fax
Glassmen
P.O. Box 352080
Toledo, OH 43635-2080
(419) 452-6553 Phone
(419) 452-6600 Fax
[email protected]
http://www.glassmen.org/
Boston Crusaders
Drum & Bugle Corps
PO Box 51391
Boston, MA 02205-1391
(617) 268-4600 Phone
(617) 687-2551 Fax
[email protected]
http://www.crusaders.com/
Capital Regiment
1444 Demorest Road
Columbus, OH 43228
(614) 539-0366 Phone
[email protected]
http://www.capitalregiment.org/
Carolina Crown
227A Main Street
Ft. Mill, SC 29715
(803) 547-2270 Phone
[email protected]
http://www.carolinacrown.org/
14 DrumPRO CORPS
202 W. State St., Suite 514
Rockford, IL 61101
(815) 965-6777 Phone
(815) 965-6381 Fax
Pioneer
4601 Holt Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53219
(414) 486-1961 Phone
[email protected]
http://www.pioneer-corps.org/
Santa Clara Vanguard
25010 Highway Market RPO
Kitchener, Ontario N2A 3A2
(519) 894-0222 Phone
1795 Space Park Drive
Santa Clara, CA 95054
(408) 727-5591 Phone
(408) 727-8730 Fax
[email protected]
http://www.kavaliers.com/
[email protected]
http://www.scvanguard.org/
Madison Scouts
Seattle Cascades
Kiwanis Kavaliers
1475 West Main Street
Sun Prairie, WI 53590
(608) 837-0707 Phone
(608) 834-8909 Fax
[email protected]
http://madisonscouts.org/
Magic of Orlando
PO Box 690426
Orlando, FL 32869
(407) 518-0006 Phone
[email protected]
http://www.magicorlando.org/
16325 Fifth Avenue NE
Seatle, WA 98155
(206) 367-6695 Phone
[email protected]
http://www.seattlecascades.com/
Southwind
218 Patchen Dr. #408
Lexington, KY 40517
(859) 268-5244 Phone
(608) 834-8909 Fax
[email protected]
http://www.southwind.org/
Summer 2003
Division 2 Corps
Spirit from JSU
Allegiance Elite
Esperanza
[email protected]
http://www.spiritdrumcorps.org/
[email protected]
http://www.allegianceelite.org
http://www.EsperanzaCorps.org
P.O. Box 1295
Jacksonville, AL 36265
(256) 782-5562 Phone
The Cadets
P.O. Box 506
Bergenfield, NJ 07621-0506
(201) 384-8822 Phone
(201) 384-6982 Fax
[email protected]
http://www.yea.org/
The Cavaliers
P.O. Box 501
Rosmont, IL 60018-0501
(847) 685-8412 Phone
(847) 685-8413 Fax
[email protected]
http://www.cavaliers.org/
3650 19th Street NE #15
Calgary, AB T2E 6V2
(403) 250-2263 Phone
Blue Devils B
4065 Nelson Avenue
Concord, CA 94520
(925) 689-2918 x3900 Phone
535 North Beverly
P.O. Box 375
Casper, WY 82609
(307) 472-2141 Phone
(307) 235-6236 Fax
[email protected]
http://www.troopersdrumcorps.org/
Jersey Surf
131 S White Horse Pike
Berlin, NJ 08009
(609) 767-0223 Phone
http://www.JerseySurf.org
[email protected]
http://www.bluedevils.org
Pacific Crest
Capital Sound
1475 West Main Street
Sun Prairie, WI 53590
(608) 837-0707 Phone
(608) 834-8909 Fax
http://www.capitalsound.org
East Coast Jazz
Troopers
P.O. Box 502591
San Diego, CA 92150-2591
(858) 391-1311 Phone
P.O. Box 53
Malden, MA 02148
(781) 388-9411 Phone
http://www.eastcoastjazz.org
21231 Fountain Spring
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
(888) 727-4697 Phone
http://www.pacific-crest.org
Patriots
2145 Buffalo Road
Rochester, NY 14624-1507
(716) 247-9670 Corps Hall Phone
http://www.patriotsdrumcorps.com
Revolution
9155 Tree Village
San Antonio, TX 78250
(210) 682-9052 Phone
http://www.revolution-corps.org
Spartans
73 E Hollis Street
Nashua, NH 03060-6303
(603) 889-2760 Corps Hall Phone
http://www.spartansdbc.org
Vanguard Cadets
1795 Space Park Drive
Santa Clara, CA 95054
(408) 727-5534 Phone
http://www.scvanguard.org
www.drumpromagazine.com
DrumPRO CORPS
15
Division 3 Corps
Americanos
Blue Stars
Decorah Kilties
[email protected]
http://www.canos.org
http://www.bluestars.org
http://www.decorah-kilties.org
1615 Drum Corps Drive
Menasha, WI 54952
(920) 722-5543 Phone
Bandettes
103 River Road
Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 6C3
(705) 759-3192 Phone
P.O. Box 2523
LaCrosse, WI 54602
(608) 782-3219 Corps Hall Phone
Cadets of New York City
Dutch Boy
http://www.cadetsofnyc.homestead.com
http://www.dutchboydrumcorps.com
359 Herkimer Street
Brooklyn, NY 11216
(718) 363-0266 Phone
http://www.soonet.ca/bandettes/
Blue Devils C
4065 Nelson Avenue
Concord, CA 94520
(925) 689-2918 x3900 Phone
http://www.bluedevils.org
Blue Saints
Box 1302 Station B
Sudbury, ON P3E4S7
(705) 692-5646 Phone
http://www.bluesaints.com
509 Goose Island Drive
Decorah, IA 52101
(319) 382-4363 Phone
Citations
PO Box 369
Burlington, MA 01803
(781) 272-1821 Phone
[email protected]
http://www.citations.org
Colt Cadets
1101 Central Avenue
P.O. Box 515
Dubuque, IA 52004-0515
(563) 582-4872 Phone
200 Borden Ave. South
Kitchener, ON N2G 3R8
(519) 744-3291 Phone
Edmonton Strutters
Box 20055, Beverly PO
Edmonton, Alberta T5W 5E6
(780) 473-3584 Phone
(780) 473-3584 Fax
[email protected]
http://www.strutters.org
Kingsmen
307 Hobbs Road
Joliet, IL 60435
(815) 834-1500 Phone
http://www.colts.org
Lake Erie Regiment
113 W 10th Street
Erie, PA 16501
(814) 456-5300 Phone
[email protected]
http://www.leregiment.org
Lehigh Valley Knights
P.O. Box 786
Allentown, PA 18105
(610) 504-4072 Phone
[email protected]
http://www.LehighValleyKnights.org
Les Stentors
CP 24001 Belvedere
Sherbrooke, QC J1H 6J4
(819) 563-3013 Phone
http://www.interlinx.qc.ca/~stentors/
16 DrumPRO CORPS
Summer 2003
Division 3 Corps
Marion Glory Cadets
434 W. Church Street
Marion, OH 43302
(740) 382-3013 Phone
(740) 375-8073 Fax
[email protected]
http://www.marioncadets.org
Oregon Crusaders
32838 Old Bunker Hill Road
St. Helens, OR 97051
(503) 397-4876 Phone
San Diego Alliance
P.O. Box 20227
El Cajon, CA 92021
(619) 561-2807 Phone
[email protected]
http://www.sandiegoalliance.org
Scenic City
P.O. Box 11072
Chattanooga, TN 37401
(423) 877-3164 Phone
http://www.buglecorps.org
http://www.oregoncrusaders.org
Phoenix
738 Pine Drive
Brick, NJ 08723
(732) 920-5257 Phone
Spirit of Newark
120 Roseville Avenue
Newark, NJ NJ 07107
908-925-1172 - Phone
http://www.spiritofnewark.org
[email protected]
http://www.phoenixnj.org
Springfield Targets
Quebec Alliance
1446 Lepine
Joliette, Quebec J6E 4B5
(450) 753-5686 Phone
Quest
P.O. Box 26724
Brooklyn, NY 11202
(718) 649-3256 Phone
276 Spiknard Circle
Springfield, MA 01129
413-783-2405 - Phone
[email protected]
http://www.targetsdbc.org
St. Johnʼs
[email protected]
http://www.questdbcorps.org
61 Usher Street
PO Box # 28070
Brantford, Ontario N3T 7X5
(519) 759-3600 Phone
Racine Scouts
Teal Sound
[email protected]
http://www.Racinescouts.org
http://www.tealsound.org
PO Box 085298
Racine, WI 53408-5298
(262) 989-7876 Phone
Raiders
P.O. Box 133
Hillsdale, NJ 07646
(201) 573-8302 Phone
[email protected]
http://www.raidersdbc.org
www.drumpromagazine.com
[email protected]
830 Cavalla Road
Atlantic Beach, FL 32233
(904) 249-6462 Phone
Yamato
8955 Poppy Lane
Riverside, CA 92503
(909) 352-9573 Phone
[email protected]
http://www.yamatodrumcorps.org
DrumPRO CORPS 17
Blue Knights “SUPERSTARS”
What are your names, ages and experience
with the Blue Knights Organization?
Joey Mendoza, 22 years old.
Open Ensemble: 1998,1999
World Ensemble: 2000,2001,2002,2003
Drum and Bugle Corps: 2001,2002
Nate Cowing, 20 years old
Open Ensemble: 1999
World Ensemble: 2001,2003
Scott Ryplewski, 20 years old.
World Ensemble: 2003
--------------------------------------------------At the beginning of the 2003 indoor
season, what did the three of you as well
as the rest of the ensemble decide the
long-term goal was for the Blue Knights?
Joey: Our long-term goal at the beginning
of the season was to perform the show to
the best of our ability in order to have a
CD and video that are amazing. Being
successful competitively is a byproduct
of this.
Scott: Personally, my goals being in Blue
Knights were to improve my drumming
ability by learning and witnessing new
Nate: I am a product of the Blue Knights
system. I was very fortunate to have high
school staff that were the section leaders in
the ensemble. All I wanted was to be like
them and make the world ensemble snare
line. I looked up to them as if they were
giants. So, I hope that by doing what Iʼm
doing now, I have the same positive effect
on them. I march in the ensemble because
--------------------------------------------------- it is so much fun and rewarding, but more
importantly, so that hopefully I can inspire
Being what the Blue Knights are to someone else to fill my shoes.
the Denver area indoor scene...what
responsibility, if any, do feel you have for Scott: Having joined RMPA, the local
the young people that come to watch your Front Range circuit in my eighth grade
shows and warm-ups in the lot?
year, I was blown away the first time I saw
the Blue Knights in a competition. I knew
Joey: The first time I saw the Blue Knights, I wanted to be in that ensemble one day.
I told myself that I would do whatever I worked hard in high school and would
it takes to become a member. I used to go to auditions for Blue Knights to learn
watch the center snare and think, “I want and give it a shot. I used Blue Knights as a
to be exactly like him.” This past season, goal to help me become a better player. Itʼs
I found myself standing in the center of also allowed me to have a lot of great
the line, doing what I had dreamed of experiences. In performing for younger
doing when I was 15. With that, came the people now, I hope I am inspiring someone
realization that things had come full circle, else to join me and/or take my place when I
that the young people standing before us am gone. I want them to experience such a
were potential members, watching our character building program.
every move and hopefully dreaming the
same dreams. I felt it was my duty to draw --------------------------------------------------people into what we do, and to make them
want to be a part of it.
The Blue Knights have such a great
tradition in WGI...where do you see
this past seasons line fitting into that
tradition?
drumming and teaching techniques. As a
snare line and ensemble, our goals were
for perfection in sound, making friends,
having fun and feeling good about our
performance in Dayton knowing we did
the best we could. We did not want to have
any regrets.
Joey: Our tradition has always been
pushing the boundaries of the activity while
increasing our abilities as members. The
success of this season should be measured
in the amount of potential created for next
season. With only two age outs this year,
the essential core of the ensemble remains
and will start next season from the level we
ended at in April.
Nate: It is hard to say how we are perceived
as a whole when youʼre on the floor, but I
feel that we really bonded as an ensemble
inside and outside rehearsal and I believe
that it came across in our performance.
I believe that the key to a successful
ensemble is family. The communication
needs to be there to be persuasive
musically. If everybody is on the same
page in the family, then communication is
second nature.
18 DrumPRO CORPS
Summer 2003
Blue Knights “SUPERSTARS”
Scott: Blue Knights have always had captivating shows that people remember and talk about years after. I
hope this show will be memorable with a lot of people referring to it in the future as one of the better shows
that the Blue Knights have produced. But, with the youth we have, I hope this is just the starting block of
we can become.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What do you see as being your long term commitment to drumming and the young people coming up
behind you?
Joey: As an age out, my only remaining contributions to this activity can be in the form of a teacher and
a fan. If my job ever allows me to take enough time off to teach, I will do it. Until then, I will be a fan,
creating energy in the form of hoots and hollers, helping the current members push themselves that much
harder, showing me how far theyʼve come, how far they intend to go and making me wish I was 15 again
seeing them for the first time.
Nate: I can only hope that by doing what I do, a young aspiring musician will want to do it too and even
better. I feel that I have a responsibility and a desire to teach what I have been taught. I feel that it is very
important that my commitment to drumming is not limited to what my hands are playing on a snare drum,
but to what Iʼm playing does to people. I hope that what I do will make it easier for others to do what they
want too.
Scott: I hope to march again, to improve my playing. By pushing myself and the program, when other
kids join, the ensemble will be much better along, having built upon what I did, as I have built upon the
members before me. I also hope to teach in the future, to help inspire more players and potential WGI
members.
www.drumpromagazine.com
DrumPRO CORPS
19
Young Guns
featuring Dave Marvin
Dave Marvin has been involved with the marching percussion activity
for over twenty years now. That makes him not such a “Young Gun”
but, none the less a designer that needs to be highlighted. Dave and
his team at Northglenn High School and the Blue Knights have been
responsible for changing the face of the indoor activity. In this interview
you will learn some insights into how Dave puts together some of his
amazing programs as well as some of his favorite programs.
I started marching with the Blue Knights in 1970 when I was 11. I
saw them in parade and joined the following Tuesday night. I played
cymbals the first year, went to snare the next and stayed there for my
“career”. I stayed with BK through 1977 as a member. I was offered
the percussion position at Northglenn in 1977 when I was 17. I
returned to teach BK in 1979, marched my age out year with Troopers
in 1980, taught both Corps in 1981, and remained caption head with
BK until 1984. I currently write and arrange full time for marching
band and indoor percussion.
DPC: What were some of your coolest
ideas that were just a little to over the top to
actually pull off?
I think most of our ideas have worked
out pretty well so far. Sometimes, they
just arenʼt as “competitive”. The most
misunderstood was certainly the Senses
show. The surface was a turn of the century
picnic, but every second of the show
was based on sight, sound, taste, smell,
and touch. We tried to create a show that
anyone could just watch and enjoy, but
those who know what we do could really
have fun trying to find all of the “hidden”
messages.
I have seen an aerial ballet of DRACULA
done completely off of the ground in
a theater. I havenʼt figured out how to stage
that in 90 seconds yet....
DPC: Do you see the visual idea first and
then put the music to it or is it the other
way around?
DPC: How long have you been at DPC: When it comes down to designing a Usually, the concept comes first. For NG,
Northglenn High School and the Blue show, could you fill us in on the process of We had the music for Pirates, Waterworld,
that design?
Knights?
and Interstellar Suite first. The Art of Chess,
life after life, the Senses, Lost Inhumanity,
I have been with Northglenn for twenty- The design process is crazy. At NG, I like Spider Dreams and FM were all concepts
five years and Blue Knights World to go 180 degrees from what we did the first.
Ensemble since 1999 with the “History of year before. A couple of examples are life BK, History of Flight, The Elements, In
after life followed by the Senses (Fourth of The Lot, The Elements of Art and The
Flight” show.
July) show. Or last years Spider Dreams vs Zodiac were all concepts first.
this years FM with no props, backdrops
DPC: Could you tell us who your design and just under 8:00 minutes of music. I
donʼt want the group to be “typecast” or do DPC: Could you explain your roll with
team is at each place?
the same kind of show over and over again. each of the programs you work with?
John Crouch and I are the design team at It is one of the most rewarding things when
NG along with my wife, teaching pit and I hear people say they canʼt wait to see With the Blue Knights, I come with an
my great friends Scott Reno teaching hands what we are doing this year.
idea, and everybody else works really hard
and Jimmy Bell with the bass line.
to make it work. I try to make the set look
I come up with the show concept, At Blue Knights, I throw an idea out to the right and help balance out the visual ideas
staging and write the book. John writes rest of the staff, try to make what I see clear to the music presentation with John. At
the drill and everybody else does the real enough that they get it and turn it over to NG, I develop the concept, write the book
Mike to create the pit book. He writes with and then turn over the detail work to an
work.
At Blue Knights, I come up with a show that image in mind, passes it off to Doug amazing staff. I work the overall ensemble
concept, Mike Nevin and Doug Rosener Rosener to do the battery book and then to music and snares when needed. I take the
write the book, John writes the drill and I John Crouch to teach the drill. I just try to blame at the end of the day.
make sure the visual thing works for the
try to mediate between visual and music.
music team. That can be quite a challenge
with Johnʼs drill antics. Somehow at the
end it turns out to be a show.
20 DrumPRO CORPS
Summer 2003
Young Guns
DPC: What is, in your opinion, the best DPC: After such great shows as
product you have ever done as a designer Waterworld, Life after Life, The Senses
and why?
Show (or Fourth of July) and so many
others...would you let us in on any of your
From strictly a design standpoint, I think future plans?
life after life was pretty cool. It was
Christmas break and I had completely I just donʼt know yet. The activity is
scrapped a show idea and had no clue what certainly taking a change in direction. So
we were going to do. Iʼm having dinner many groups had more of a color guard
with my future wife at a nice Chinese look to their design and movement (a lot
restaurant playing word association to of movement/velocity without as much
brainstorm an idea. The whole place is red emphasis on “storytelling”). That seemed
with white linens and I say, “red”. She says to work well this year, but it is probably
“blood”, I say “heart”, and looked down not a direction we will take. I take pride
at the white linens. That was it. I told her in being a storyteller of sorts and will most
I had it and laid the whole show out right likely avoid the trend.
there. It was all about that contrast between
blood red and white linen. As a staff, we
had already listened to a ton of music and
it was pretty easy to piece together the
moods I wanted to create. The blinds were
a constant work in progress to utilize them
as best as we could.
One of my personal favorite audio/visual
moments was Adagio for Strings in
The Art of Chess. Most people donʼt
know that all of the moves in that
battle scene were actual chess
moves. That allowed us to
set up bringing back the
White queen in the end to
finish off the Bad queen.
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I have an idea for a show that ends in an
event. But to get to that event, the show
would move simultaneously from lets say
point A to point M and point Z backwards
to point M. So the listener/viewer
would see the development leading up to
the event, as well as, the aftermath leading
back to the point of the event. So point M
is really the end of the show, but by the
time you get there, you have seen both the
history and the future relating to point M.
Make sense?
DrumPRO CORPS
21
WGI Scores!
April 12, 2003
Nutter Center
Scholastic World Finals
Winston Churchill HS - 93.20
Avon HS - 92.45
Choctawhatchee HS - 91.25
Centerville HS - 91.05
Mission Viejo HS - 90.05
Ponderosa HS - 88.80
Thousand Oaks HS - 87.30
Ayala HS - 87.25
San Marcos HS - 85.45
Northglenn HS - 85.10
Pomona HS - 84.60
Eagan HS - 83.55
Independent World Finals
Independent Open
Blue Knights - 96.25
Black Knights - 94.60
Riverside Community College - 94.60
Mystique - 93.45
The Project - 89.40
Aimache - 88.55
Rhythm X - 88.20
Momentum - 85.90
Penn State - 83.80
Northcoast Academy 93.35
Pariah 92.50
United Percussion 89.15
Tomball Independent 86.50
Eastside Fury 86.45
Eminence 85.60
Pride of SMSU 84.50
Stryke Percussion 83.95
Plan B Percussion 82.00
Scholastic Concert World
Scholastic Open
Fort Mill HS - 95.30
Tarpon Springs HS - 94.10
Tunstall HS - 94.10
Franklin Central HS - 93.95
Gateway HS - 90.80
John Overton HS - 87.45
New Albany HS - 87.15
Thomas Worthington HS 94.40
Everett HS 92.45
Irondale HS 91.60
Center Grove HS 91.40
Acadia HS 90.05
Kings HS 88.25
Longmont HS 87.35
Centennial HS 87.15
New Palestine HS 85.05
Pacifica HS 84.70
Springboro HS 82.65
Rancho Cucamonga HS 81.90
Scholastic Concert Open
Portsmouth HS 92.40
Anderson 91.95
Modesto HS 90.45
Buena HS 85.80
Kettering Fairmont HS 83.95
Independent A Finals
L.E.A.P 86.65
Arthur Hill 83.90
B2 Percussion Ensemble 82.80
Motor City 76.45
Scholastic A Finals
Clovis East 94.45
Salem 91.75
Wauseon 90.75
Lebanon 90.50
Washington Twsp 88.90
Las Banos 87.90
Enterprise 87.85
Ben Davis 86.45
Harrison Central 85.00
Maconaquah 84.75
Francis Howell 83.00
Mt. Juliet 81.85
22 DrumPRO CORPS
Summer 2003
LESSONS LEARNED
Building a high school line
When you start the journey of becoming a high school drum
instructor there are several things that you think of first. You
think how cool it’s going to be to have your own line, decide what
kind of hats to wear, designing the drumline shirt and so on. The
romantic ideas always come first, but then you have to realize that
there is so much more to making a drumline not only successful as
a musical entity, but also one that works within the framework of
the school and band that you are now so closely tied. This article
will touch on some of those most crucial points that you must be
aware of before you begin your journey.
Find a school in need: Talk to your local music shops or even
your old band director to see if they know of anyone looking for
a “drum person”. Most programs will start looking for staff as
early as January, some not until June or even July. So if you have
a late start, don’t worry, you could still get a gig somewhere. Once
you find that program you will need to talk to the band director
about what his goals for the drumline are. You should also tell him
what your goals are as a teacher (i.e. starting and indoor program,
having extra practice during the summer ect.). Working with this
band director is paramount to your long-term success. Remember
that the band director is ultimately responsible for the overall
success or failure of the program. You will have to make some
concessions to make things work in the long term, but get used to
making sacrifices…it’s part of the business.
Learn how to budget and make an inventory: You more than likely are responsible for the purchases made for the line. Learn how to
find the best deals and start a relationship with your local drum/music shop. Try and determine what the line will need and then project
that out long term for the budget of the line. Use the knowledge of the band director to help in this project.
Develop a good summer schedule and fundamental program: After talking to the director and determining what kind of practices you
can hold, make a schedule that will accomplish the log term goals of the line. After that schedule is done, take some time and develop
a solid fundamental program to get the line started in the correct direction. This is the most important piece of the puzzle for your
program. Find any older instructors in your area or even go online and ask the drumming community for ideas and guidance on the
formation of a good fundamental program. In the end nobody wants a drumline that is operating on a great budget or has a spotless
inventory if the line can’t play!
Be a leader/disciplinarian/big brother or sister/the good guy and bad guy: You will need to be all things to your kids. Remember this
piece of advice, if you make all of your decisions based on what is best for the kids, not yourself, then you will be just fine. Never let
your ego take charge of the line. Sometimes you can be wrong on decisions. Be an adult and accept your mistake and move on, BE
THE EXAMPLE! These kids that you are teaching are drummers. Never forget how important your instructor was to you…now you
are that instructor. Sometimes the weight of what your kids will bring to you will be a little more than you can bear…communicate
with your band director. Being a young instructor can be very intimidating at times, but it is a job that you have decided to undertake.
Above all else you MUST be an example for these kids. Don’t make it a habit to tell stories of that last party you went to or the last
girlfriend/boyfriend you had. It should be a friendly but professional atmosphere.
The Lessons Learned article will have information in it, from issue to issue, that will help begin your pursuit of becoming a high
school instructor. The job is much more than walking around with a pair of drumsticks hanging out of your back pocket and looking
cool. Being an instructor is one of the most important jobs you as a musician can do for our community. You can instill a new love
and respect for our youngest and best.
24 DrumPRO CORPS
Summer 2003
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DrumPRO CORPS
25
HANDS ON
Back to the Basics
By George Shepherd
In this series, we will be exploring the fundamentals of warm ups and street
beats. There are a few basic warm ups that you will hear in the parking lot
of every DCI, WGI and BOA competition. With the complexity and mixed
variations that have evolved from these fundamental exercises, we must be
careful to never loose sight of the ultimate goal of the warm up. That is to
“WARM UP”!
In a corps style competition, a single loose attack could cost you the
sweepstakes. Playing fast is a good and fun thing to practice, but playing
“clean” is the one thing that seems to be overlooked by many younger
players.
First Things First
To properly warm up, first we must get the hands moving and the blood
flowing. This might take sometime, especially in parts of the country where
it’s quite cold. Be patient, if it takes 10 minutes, your line will play tighter
and faster.
Next, you have to exercise the mind with a little more complexity. A simple
diddle or roll exercise would be perfect.
Grid exercise variations are great for mental and physical dexterity. The last
thing you should be concerned with is running the book. When everything
else is together and clipping along, you are now ready to run the show or
trouble spots.
Just before playing the book have the line play through the entire show in
their heads, without drums or vocal drumming. If everyone in the group truly
thinks of what they are individually playing, your run-through should be
exceptionally clean.
Here are a few of the basic exercises that every line should be able to play
cleanly. This series is open to the exercises and ideas that you feel are
important to the development of a solid line. If you’d like to send us material,
please mail a copy and we’ll review it for publication.
26 DrumPRO CORPS
Summer 2003
HANDS ON
EIGHT ON A HAND
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R...
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/ .. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ..
DOUBLES
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/ .. œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œœ œœ œœ œœ œ œ œœœ œœœ œœœ œ œ œœœ œœœ œœœ œ œ ..
TRIPLET DIDDLES
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GRID
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/ .. œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœœœœœœœœœ..
Accent Substitutions:
#1. As Written(single hand), #2. As Written(alternating), #3. Flams, #4. Diddles, #5. Cheezes, #6. Flam 5's
/
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DrumPRO CORPS
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28 DrumPRO CORPS
Summer 2003
Double Jointed
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30 DrumPRO CORPS
Summer 2003
Double Jointed
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32 DrumPRO CORPS
Summer 2003
Double Jointed
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DrumPRO CORPS
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