Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and well wishes to everyone who reads this blog. Regardless of your religious beliefs, or lack thereof, I hope that you have a great end to 2007 and that 2008 is the best year of your life.

JR and I have been working really hard on the 2008 Fusion program "Momentum". I finished the opener, "Fractal Speak" by Jeff Beal a couple of weeks ago. Since passing it on to JR, we've gone back and forth a bit on certain sections...how to really hit home the message we're trying to convey in that part of the show (force), and the best way to bring the song to a rousing conclusion. I'm confident that what we have is going to be absolutely killer on the instruments. I can't wait to hear it.

Of course, to design a show like this you have to have confidence in your staff and members. You have to believe that you have a staff team capable of effectively teaching the required techniques in the show, and you have to believe that your members will buy in and take their job seriously...personal responsibility. I'm sure I've talked about that somewhere in my blog before. That's what drum corps, and really life is all about.


I'm completely finished "Today is the Gift" by Samuel Hazo. A lot of corps are doing Hazo's stuff this year, but no one is doing this chart in particular...and I'm surprised. It's been around a while and I think it lends itself so perfectly to drum corps...if for no other reason than it's completely scored for brass and percussion. All the woodwind players sing. It was easy to get the notes on paper, but turning it into a drum corps chart was a little difficult. There are key considerations, and the fact that I need to design in effect elements that give us a better shot on the judges sheets to do well. Plus, you also have to take into account the acoustical environment that a drum corps is in versus a symphonic band, which it was originally written for. There are things that work fine on a stage in a hall that won't necessarily translate well on a field in an open air stadium while moving around.

I love it, though. I think it turned out really great, and I can't wait to hear the brass line play through it. It's not "hard" from a note standpoint, but the expression, the dynamics and articulation, and the great demand on the musician to PERFORM the music is impressive. It's going to take a great deal of control to play, but I think our line is up to the task. I know our staff can get them to sound good...it's just up to them to take it, learn it, and make it their own.

Next up, JR and I are collaborating on an original introduction to the show that we're calling "Kinetic Energy". I've never written original music for a band or corps, so I'm looking forward to the challenge. Honestly, it's going to be mostly percussion anyway...seemingly random sounds and notes that layer in over time to form a musical phrase that continually gains "momentum". The brass and guard are going to be handling a lot of visual responsibility during this part, and then end with an "in your face" moment that will really put an exclamation point at the beginning of our show. Should be a cool moment. I can't wait to get started.

Before that, however...I'm going to get started on "Ride". JR has a lot of music to write...filling in some spots in "Fractal", and then writing "Today is the Gift". This should take a while, because "Gift" is full of African hand percussion...and there's going to be a nice moment for the battery and pit in the middle of the song to take center stage.

"Ride" will be interesting. We have some great ideas for this piece, but it's going to take a while to score it out and make it happen. We'll probably go back and forth more than a few times with this one before we're satisfied with what it is. We know what it needs to be...it's just getting there. I want to have the whole show in the brass members' hands by the end of February. That's an achievable goal for me, and I think that JR and I are ahead of the game enough that we can get it all written and revised at least once before putting the stamp of approval on it in February. Izzy starts writing drill in March, and shortly thereafter Larry and Steve of the guard will do their thing. It's all coming together.

On the side, I've been hired to do some arrangements for the Reilly Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps, an alumni corps based near Philadelphia. I went up a couple of weeks ago, and it really was refreshing to see a ton of people enjoying drum corps...just being together with their friends and doing the activity they love. It's not what I'm used to at all. In fact, it's something I never thought I could even appreciate...but I guess with age and experience I've become less of a drum corps snob. I enjoyed my time with them a great deal, and I'm excited to pen some charts for them. It really is an honor to have been asked to contribute to a 50+ year old library of brass charts penned by many a drum corps hall of famer.

It's a little overwhelming, actually, considering that writing music is all I've ever really wanted to do. Some people want to be firemen, some want to be astronauts...I want to write and hear my arrangements and compositions played by world class performers. I never thought it would happen, but here I am...starting back down a road I thought was closed for me. I wrote for about 5 bands from 97-03. In 05 I wrote for no one. I had all but given up. 06 was a huge band year for me, and then 07 flattened out. Now here I am going into 08 with at least two drum corps on my resume'. I'm going to work as hard as I can to give them the best music possible. Maybe someday I can actually do what I love for a living...until then, I'm honestly just ecstatic to be able to do what I love at all.

Enough of that. It's Christmas time...my favorite time of the year! It's the first time I've ever been able to spend it with Dena, and I'm excited about it. This year has been pretty bumpy. The last 13-14 months or so have been pretty rough, but I've pulled through...I think I'm a much better and more mature person for the experience, and I'm in a good place to face the challenges of 2008. I'm looking forward to it.

Hopefully I'll write more before 08, but if not...have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

2008 Fusion Program Announcement

Fusion Drum and Bugle "Core" is proud to present our 2008 program:

MOMENTUM

Featuring the music of award winning composers Jeff Beal and Samuel Hazo.

“MOMENTUM” will showcase music in several styles and genres, and will explore the concept of “MOMENTUM” in four parts:

• KINETIC ENERGY
• FORCE
• ACTION / REACTION
• TERMINAL VELOCITY

Coming off a successful inaugural season, Fusion is focused on the future and on building on our "MOMENTUM" in 2008. With a restructured/expanded staff, and a championship-caliber program in place, "the Core" is excited to embark on our 2008 journey this Saturday, December 1st at 11am in Rahway, NJ. (more information below). More specific show details will be announced on that date.

Fusion is dedicated to providing the best drum corps experience to all members while providing world-class instruction and programming. If you are interested in joining the FUSION REVOLUTION, please visit our website and fill out the form at http://fusioncorenj.homestead.com/membership.html.

Open House Information:

Fusion Drum and Bugle “Core” will be hosting the annual Open House and first rehearsal of the year on Saturday, December 1st at Rahway High School in Rahway, NJ. ALL are invited to attend, regardless of age, instrument, or experience.

Registration will begin at 11am, and the day will end at 5pm. A good turn-out is expected, so if you are able to bring your own instrument, mouthpiece, sticks, equipment, etc…please do. There is no registration fee to attend our open house! Yes, a free day of drum corps. Rahway High School is located at 1012 Madison Avenue, Rahway, NJ 07065. You can find directions at http://fusioncorenj.homestead.com/Rahway.html

A special thanks to Kevin Sefass for providing the incredible artwork!

A New Chapter

Well, it's been a few months here since my last post. Hopefully I haven't lost all of my faithful readers, and some of you still check in from time to time to see if I've made good on my promise to continue this blog, even if the subject matter is going to change slightly.


For the uninitiated, the purpose of this blog last year was to chronicle my experience as the drum major of the Bushwackers. I tried my best to give you honest commentary on how things were going with the corps, what my feelings were regarding the season, and basically what goes through your mind as the field leader of a top-flight "all age" drum and bugle corps.


Flash forward to now, and I have taken on a new role with a new corps. I am now the program coordinator and brass arranger for a new corps, Fusion "Core" from Morris County, NJ. My job is basically to design a show with the design team (arrangers, drill writer, guard designers) and manage the entire creative process form conception to creation. On top of that, it's my job to set the educational agenda for the drum corps each weekend, manage the staff as far as setting goals and monitoring achievement, being a go-between for the staff and administration, and basically making sure we are on track...and if we're not, getting us back on track. Finally, it's my job to write all of the brass music for the drum corps.


This is my dream job. I've been in the marching arts since 1991, and after being a drum major, this was my biggest goal. I'm really excited to be doing the type of work I'm doing, and hopefully I can do this for many years. I suppose a lot of that hinges on the quality of work I do this year and over the next couple years as I establish my style and try to build a championship caliber drum corps from almost scratch. Of course, I won't be doing this on my own. I have a very good team assembled around me, and I know that they're all as dedicated to the project as I am...but when it comes down to it, the program is my responsibility, and if the program doesn't work...I won't be working either.


I'm fine with all that. I understand that, and if I can't do it, then I shouldn't. I can, though. I'm confident that my team and I are going to give the members a fabulous vehicle to showcase their talents and passion for the activity. When it comes down to it, it's their drum corps and it's all about the 10 minutes of show THEY do during the summer. All I do is watch them. I can't save them; I can't coach them during the show. I and the rest of the FUSION staff just has to give them the best tools we can give them and let them fly on their own.


A drum corps is a community and a family, but in many ways it's like one body...each facet operating in harmony with other facets, and all coming together to create a very special piece of art. I'm just happy to be a part of it, and especially with a corps going on just its second year ever...this is the perfect opportunity for all of us to just go for it. We have no history to live up to...we're writing our history. We are setting the bar. We are establishing our standards and identity...exactly what it means to be a member of FUSION. That's exciting to me, and hopefully is to everyone else involved with the organization.


So, the focus of this blog from this point forward will now shift from being a drum major and trying to be an inspiring leader to the perspective of one designing the show and managing the entire process. It'll be a different perspective to be sure, but one I hope that you'll find entertaining and maybe even a little educational. I know I'll sure find the process educational, and I have no problem sharing with you my failures as well as my successes.


...and so it begins.


The show has been planned and music picked for some time now. We chose two of the songs right away...back in September, I guess. We've teetered back and forth with an opener that will fit the theme for a while, but I guess about 3 weeks ago we locked it down, obtained copyright permissions, and away we go. I'm not at liberty at this point to disclose exactly what all that music is, but after our open house on December 1st, I'll be able to tell you a bit more.


...or you could come to our Open House and find out for yourself. :) That would be better! See http://fusioncorenj.homestead.com/home.html for directions and more information.


Anyway, back to this...


The programming of the show is what took time. I'm not a "pick 3 songs and BAM, you have a show" kind of guy. I find that boring. I refuse to program anything that I think is boring. It's not fair to the members, the fans, or me. I want to give them a show they can sink their teeth into...something with substance that won't get old. This year, we decided to choose an abstract thought or term...something open to interpretation, but something that we could easily express through visual and musical motives. The theme acts as an overall umbrella over the production, providing thematic ties between numbers. This approach to programming allows us to choose whatever music we want, regardless of style or genre, as long as we're able to tie it together via the theme. So, 3 different styles...vastly different styles are what we got, and I believe the show is much better for it.


I finally sat down to writing the opener on Wednesday. I've had it written in my head for a while now. Generally speaking, I like to listen to a piece I have to write over and over again...for weeks when possible. I write it in my head, hear what I need to hear, lock it into the old memory banks, and then explode on paper when the time comes to write it. Well, explode I did. Wednesday was one of the more fruitful writing sessions I've ever had. I knocked out nearly the entire tune in just a couple of hours, and almost all of it has survived a few rounds of revisions. It is likely that I will be passing out the entire opener to the brass line at the open house. That's awesome.


Of course, I don't work in a bubble and as the coordinator as well as the arranger it's my job to make sure that the other elements (percussion, drill, and guard) are all cohesively conceived and executed. So, I sent my music off to the percussion arranger (JR Bechtel), and let him stew on it over the Thanksgiving holiday. We got together on Saturday night at 10pm to chart out the introduction and discuss some outstanding issues about the closer, and then wrote almost non stop for the next 6 hours. JR and I have been writing together on and off since I began writing back in 97. We're able to hear what the other WOULD write and anticipate each other's creativity. By 3am, he had written battery parts and filled in most of the pit parts I didn't write for almost all of what I had written on Wednesday. I moved on and wrote the entire next section, while making revisions to the A theme (not A-Team).

So, right now we have a bunch of music completed. We'll get together a couple more times before Friday night and pour over everything we've written one last time before passing it out to members. I'm going to make sure that there's a good quality control system in place, so that huge changes aren't necessary. We expect to have to tweak things all winter and once we go outside, but nothing is worse than getting drill with wrong counts or something like that.

Bottom line is that we're prepared and excited for the show...we're ready to go and kick start this thing on Saturday. I'm energized for drum corps, and can't wait to meet the members and then start the building process.

Check back soon for updates and all that.

The Next Chapter

First of all, a special shout out to Michelle, an avid "Drum Major Blog" reader and Bushwacker color guard member who sent me some feedback via email. Thanks again and congratulations on winning high guard at finals!

So, it is official now...I have stepped down as the drum major of the Bushwackers. 9 years as a conductor and 12 years as a member...that's an awfully long chapter (with many sub-chapters) to have come to a close. It still hasn't completely sunk in, but I'm sure it will soon enough.

More details will follow in the coming weeks and months, but the long and short of it basically is that I want to arrange music, design shows, and teach. I have learned tons in my time with the Bushwackers and with the various high school programs I've taught and/or have written for over the last 12 years or so, and it's time. It's just time.

I've received a lot of emails and phone calls expression support and wishes of luck. I've also received some "less than happy" communications from various people as well. It's difficult for everyone, and I understand that. I wish I could make everyone understand, but I can't...and even if I could, understanding and acceptance are two different things.

So, onward.

I am where I am because of my experience with the Bushwackers. There were years when the corps was the only stable thing in my life. Early on, I was in college, then not in college...my family blew up...I had a hard time finding places to live, often having to move around from one friend's sofa to another...there were years when I didn't know where my next meal was coming from. Some of the worst years of my life. Through it all, at least I knew where I was going and what I was doing every weekend.

That's why, when it appeared as though the corps was going to fold in the late 90s and early 00s I fought so hard to do my part to keep it alive. I threw all of myself into the Bushwackers for years. Years. I lived, ate, breathed the Bushwackers from 2000-2007. I don't regret it. It was hard, but it was worth it....and in that time I grew as a man. I learned a lot about myself and what I'm capable of (and what I'm not). I came to grips with things, screwed a lot of things up, made amends, and moved on. I became the face of the organization, and it's going to be weird for me and for a lot of other people to hear someone else's name announced as the drum major before the show.

...but it's time. The Bushwackers have never been about the "superstar". Laurie Kunzle and Laurie Nielsen-Hall were great drum majors and led this corps to 6 world championships between them. There were no tributes when they stepped down. It was just time for someone else to step up and be what the Bushwackers needed from the position of drum major. Every corps needs and expects different things from their drum majors...even bands. It's different everywhere. It's an especially hard job at Bush. No job description is given to you, you're just expected to be the best and to do everything and anything asked or not asked of you. You simply have to BE the Bushwackers. That's the only way I can put it. To be an effective drum major that is respected by the members the way a drum major needs to be, you have to bleed magenta and blue. You have to eat magenta and blue. You have to BE the Bushwackers.

It's so hard to figure out what that even means. It took me years to realize that you have to get yourself to a point that when people think of the corps, they think of you. It's so hard to deal with the kind of pressure that sort of responsibility brings, but damn it that's drum corps. Drum majors shouldn't have it easy. Everyone else is out there busting their butts to be the best they can be. If you're going to have the big seat on the podium, you'd better already be the best you can be...and then prove it over and over again while constantly trying to be better than the best you can be.

9 years. One as the assistant to the amazing and legendary Laurie Nielsen-Hall. One as the co-drum major with drum corps legend, and the best baritone in drum corps history, Jerome Kimbrough. I was the longest tenured drum major in the history of the corps. I wore 7 different uniforms in that span. Man. Here's the whole Bushwacker DM lineage, because this is my blog, and I can make this as long as I want. :)

Bushwackers Drum Major Lineage

1982 - Jim Jordan & Mary Ellen Mc Cann
1983 - Dave Kapp & Al Di Croce
1984 - Mike Jedwabnik, Jim Dugan, John Hannigan
1985 - Matt Tracey
1986 - John Gough
1987 - Laurie Kunzle & Bob Tobin
1988 - Laurie Kunzle
1989 - Laurie Kunzle
1990 - Laurie Kunzle & Marie Kronyak(Downs)
1991 - Laurie Niesen(Hall) & Marie Kronyak(Downs)
1992 - Laurie Hall & Marie Kronyak(Downs)
1993 - Laurie Hall & Tom Willms
1994 - Laurie Hall & Tom Willms
1995 - Laurie Hall & Andrea Cassidy
1996 - Laurie Hall & Chris Kilian
1997 - April Golden
1998 - Jerome Kimbrough, Brian Law, Terrel Smith
1999 - Jerome Kimbrough & Chris Kilian
2000 - Chris Kilian & Dave Linton
2001 - Chris Kilian & Glennis Flint
2002 - Chris Kilian, Bob Stike & Steve Behnke
2003 - Chris Kilian & Dave Linton
2004 - Tom Willms & Dena Berry
2005 - Chris Kilian & Kris Gerace
2006 - Chris Kilian & Brian Law
2007 - Chris Kilian & Emily Fleck

I know so many of the people on this list...I'm marrying one of them. lol

In 1996 I was declared the assistant drum major by Dennis Argul after being at my first rehearsal at Harrison High School for all of 2 minutes. In 1997 I auditioned for the head position (Laurie had a baby the previous year, and needed to move and raise her family), and got cut in favor of April Golden. Needless to say, I was REALLY mad.

I'm glad it happened, though, because I got to march...I was in the trenches with the baritone line in 97, and marched soprano after auditioning for (and hating) Cadets and Crossmen that winter. I probably should have gone on tour, in hindsight, but it was a really terrible time in my life, and going back to Bush was exactly what I needed. Spending that kind of money and time on something all summer would have just made my situation worse...so Bush it was.

In 99, Dennis Argul made me drum major again. I conducted the ballad and closer from the podium. I had to wear the worst uniform ever...even worse than 96, when I had to wear a leopard print vest, white collarless dress shirt, and black pants and shoes. Of course, it didn't help that I wore my hair in a pony tail either. Someone should have smacked me.

In 00 Jerome decided to return to the horn line, and I was made the head drum major. That year we came in last in open class finals, and at nearly every show all year long. My worst drum corps memory was from that year, at finals. It started to rain during awards, but I proudly represented the Bushwackers on retreat. After we came in last, and awards were over, I turned to return to my drum corps just to find that they had already left the field and started back to the bus...without me. There are more terrible memories that follow that story, but this is the only one that's drum major related.

01 was great and trying all at the same time. There was a serious strain in the relationship between myself and the assistant DM that year, which really defined the summer for me. I learned a lot about leadership that summer, and became much the drum major I am today. 01 was a pivotal year as far as what type of DM I was to become, and in determining how much BS I was going to accept from ADM's and members.

02 was great, in the sense that I got to team up with one of my best friends. Bob Stike was thrown to the fire, because in one of his first weekends I got in a major car accident that nearly killed my girlfriend at the time, and rendered me completely unable to participate in rehearsals or parades that weekend. He tried hard, and earned a lot of respect from the corps that weekend. The quote of a lifetime came when Laurie Nielsen-Hall came up to rehearsal one day in Reading. I introduced her to Bob and she said to him "Oh, hi. Is Chris as mean to you as I was to him?" That meant a lot, because she was kind of mean. lol

03 was frustrating. I though we should have been a lot better than we were, but the whole year seemed disorganized. I tried to do my best as a drum major to keep things together, but there's only so much you can do.

In 04 I stepped down (for the first time) to take on a teaching role. I recruited my now fiancé' Dena to take my place, and she partnered up with former Bush ADM Tom Willms. I marched soprano and had a pretty good time. It was a nice break after such a rough year in 03.

In 05 I came back to the corps after leaving entirely to take on the brass caption head position at a division 3 corps. I quit because they didn't pay me and they kept canceling camps. The corps later folded, but before that happened I bailed and went back to the Bushwackers. I asked to be drum major again, teamed up with long time Bush'er Kris Gerace, and the corps surged that year under new brass leadership. We would have come in 2nd place, if not for that lousy penalty for trooping the stands at finals. It was a stupid mistake made by some smart people. It shouldn't have been a penalty anyway...according to DCA rules, it's a fine. So, we came in 2nd. Blah. No captions, though. I had a great time in 05...probably my favorite year ever, except that I realized that it sucks to march with your girlfriend when she's 4'11'' and marching with a baritone. Ugh.

In 06 I was in from the beginning. 25th anniversary and it was a good year. It took a while for us to come together as a corps, and we got beat pretty good for the first half of the year. At finals we took high brass and high guard. Accepting those awards on retreat was one of the highlights of my career...especially after representing us coming in last in 00. It was a lot of fun, and the parking lot run through afterwards was unreal. Following that run through was the now famous tirade by our director about coming back for "Two thousand f&*$ing seven!" Good times. I love when Jay gets all fired up and starts yelling things.

You know about 2007. If you don't, read all of my other posts. lol I knew from the outset that this would likely be my last season as the drum major. I didn't know about whether I was going to leave altogether or what. I could probably write a book about the pre-season and how some things went down over the course of the year, but I won't. My feelings basically boil down to this:

The Bushwackers are a hard fighting corps...I just wish they didn't have to fight so hard. They shouldn't have to.

I have a million memories and funny stories from my time with the Bushwackers. They're all swirling around the ol' noggin right now, but I will share them with whoever feels like reading them in some future posts.

I want to personally thank Laurie Hall for giving me a thick skin. How you were with me in 96 is how I needed you to be, although I didn't realize it at the time. I learned a lot from you. It wasn't easy trying to fill your shoes.

I want to thank the entire 1998 Bushwackers. The corps could have easily died, but we didn't let it. We first sang the corps song, and we cried many times together...but that drum corps established the foundation on which the modern Bushwackers are built.

I want to thank the 2001 Bushwackers for BELIEVING.

Thank you to Dena Berry for picking me up when I was down...for not trying to change who I am, but instead bring out the best in me...for being my biggest supporter and my biggest fan, but also keeping me grounded in reality...for giving selflessly to the cause of the Bushwackers, and to the cause of you and I...for doing things you never thought you could do...for being the biggest badass in such a small package...for being content with letting me shine when you know you are a rock star...for loving me unconditionally for who I am, not what I am and not what you think I could be...for saying "yes" when I asked you to marry me...for innumerable other things. Thank you. I love you.

Thank you to Bob Kidd for recruiting me, teaching me, and caring about me as a person. You're the big brother I never had, and one of the only people in the world I can talk to about absolutely anything. You take a lot of flack from people, but you are the Bushwackers. You're a big part of the success of the corps, and I hope that people recognize that.

Thank you to Kate Koeberl for being there. We've been through a lot. You're a good friend and a good person with an incredible heart. You deserve a lot more credit than you've ever received for the selfless things you've done for this corps. Regardless of what anyone else says, you rock...and your name should have been on at least one Bushwacker of the Year award.

Josh Cohen is the man. Enough said. Bushwacker of the Decade.

Thanks to BWCG06 and BWCG07 for putting "DMCK" audible in the show. Much love, y'all.


There are many other people to thank: Bob Stike, Emily Fleck (hopefully my successor), Steve Rinda, Ed Medina, HANK Manfra, Lisa Martin, Del Nevis, Gwynn Davies, Marie Kaminek, Jackie Coladonatto, JR Bechtel, Jeff Schrimmer, Jerome Kimbrough, Chris Carl, Tina Nightlinger, Jamie Coolbaugh, Joe Exley, Scott Marshman, Dennis Argul (and the whole Argul clan), Chris Hawkins, Jeff Bittner, Maria White, Jess D'Andreamatteo, Dave Minero, Jay Morlot, and on and on....I know I'll think of more very, very important people to me after I publish this post, but I can always add to this. :) If' you're offended, get over it. lol

To all Bushwackers everywhere, it has been an honor to serve you as your drum major. I had the best seat in the house for a long time, and it has been a joy. Every moment I spent with you guys is part of me, and you are all my family and a huge part of my life. I wish I could have figured out a way to be the kind of drum major I was, yet a little more approachable. That's probably my only regret. I hope that I contributed positively to your experience as a Bushwacker.

Thank you to everyone who ever cheered or booed me, to those of you who mentioned my corps and/or I positively in your online rantings...and to those of you who didn't. The point of music and art is to make you feel emotion. I've felt many in my time here...and I hope that I and the Bushwackers have contributed to your emotional portfolio.

The time has come to turn the page to the next chapter, which for me is a big deal (if you didn't guess that by reading all the stuff above). I have a show to go design and some dreams to fulfill. I hope you continue to read, and as always...feel free to contact me with any comments.

DMCK

Finals...

It's Tuesday now, and I've had sufficient time to bask in the afterglow of the 2007 DCA World Championships in Rochester, NY. It'll probably take a long time for me to be able to articulate all of the many emotions that come along with saying goodbye to a season and letting go...but here are some of my impressions of the weekend, as well as some other stuff...

First of all, this was a great weekend for the Bushwackers. From Friday until Sunday night we gave it everything we had. We made incredible improvements from even just last week! I don't know why it took this long for everything to click together (I have my theories, but no need to go into that here and now), but at least it DID click together. Some years it never does, but not 2007. We peaked and became a top to bottom DRUM CORPS...a body of individuals acting as one. It was exciting to watch this happen from my extraordinary vantage point as the drum major. I enjoyed every moment of this weekend.

Friday was a great day of rehearsal. It started a little slow, but as things got rolling along you could sense the energy and the commitment to do things right. Sets that I had never really seen before began to click...not readable...CLEAN! People began putting their understanding of marching concepts into action, and we were able to really lock down some previously unsettled and unsettling parts of the show.

Warm ups and sectionals went well, and ensemble rehearsal was amazing. We had a great run of the show, and everyone was excited going into Prelims and Finals day.

The hotel we stayed in (Quality Inn) was spectacular. It wasn't exactly conducive to loud parties and running around from room to room...but we don't exactly do that sort of stuff much anymore anyway, so it was perfect. The place was clean, they had a room cleared out so that individuals could go and practice if they wanted to. They saved all of their old towels and gave them to us to clean our horns with. They gave us the banquet room to collect uniforms and instruments in on Sunday. They were most accommodating and for that I give Quality Inn a big ol' drum major two thumbs up, with a snappy salute. Thanks!

I already wrote about Prelims. Again, I thought it was a clean, safe performance. At that point, we still had not figured out how to perform Lonely Town and Part 1 "Galop"...yes, with one "L".

Sunday was an interesting day. The corps showed up tense. It didn't take long for that to go away, though. We went right into full corps visual rehearsal (which happens less and less anymore...seems like drum lines have an aversion to learning and/or cleaning drill with horn lines and color guard. I'm not sure why, but I don't like it), and everything we had cleaned the previous 2 days was sticking wonderfully. The drill block flew by, and we went on lunch. After lunch was a great sectional block and then into ensemble.

In lieu of doing a full run through of the show, we had recently taken to working on the opener, then doing a production run of the opener. Break. Come back, work on part 2, do a production run of part 2. Etc, etc...and work our way through the show like that. It's a little less taxing, and it allows you as a performer to focus on what you need to be focusing on. We did that both Prelims day and Finals, and it worked out great. We had extra gas at the end of rehearsal, and we were focused and ready to go.

Warm up was okay...didn't seem like anything all that special to me, except that we had a pretty huge crowd watching the drums. Putting on the uniform for the last time was a little emotional. It's never easy to say goodbye to anything, much less a season full of memories and relationships. We marched to the gate where we met up with the brass and guard, and it was the first time all year that I actually could feel the anticipation and excitement of the drum corps. I miss that. I don't know where it's been lately, but I miss that feeling...the combined excitement of 100 people as you're about to enter the field of battle. You can sense that sort of thing. It's one of the things I love about drum corps, or loved about drum corps. I miss it, and I wish that it would have shown its face earlier in the year. We might have been in a different position.

Anyway, the opener was amazing. I could feel the energy from the corps, and it was the first time all year that they opened up and really performed it. After part 1, we've always been good at performing the last 2/3rds of the show, but part 1 has been where we get comfortable, calm the nerves, and then have fun and relax the rest of the show. Not tonight. When the drums and brass and pit and guard all coordinated to create that first big impact, it was drum corps euphoria for me. I was washed over by a wave of sound that nearly sent me flying off the back of the scaffolding. It was why I love being drum major. It reminded me, in that instant, of my first experience with the Bushwackers in 96.

While I had seen drum corps live before, I had never really been all that close to one. When I first came on as a rookie ADM in March of 1996, we had a stand still concert that night. I was in the audience taping it, and was absolutely blown away by the sheer power and volume that a quality drum corps can create. It's like nothing else, and that was my first experience with it.

This reminded me of that. I knew then that this would be the best show of the year. It was.

Top to bottom, it was the most solid, powerful, emotional production of 2007. It wasn't perfect...in fact, from an ensemble stand point we were probably a little more solid on Saturday night at prelims. The guard I know was upset because of one small section of the show. It didn't matter, though...the energy and performance made up for any inadequacies that we may have had. I was incredibly pleased with the show, and proud of how we ended the year.

We lined up for retreat, all knowing it was the last time some of us would ever wear the uniform. We knew that there was little chance that we'd leap anyone into the top 3, and that 4th was the most likely possibility for us. We didn't care so much about that, though...because we were satisfied with the job we had done. We collectively breathed a sigh of relief and release, and let it go. There was no disappointment when we were awarded 4th place with a score of 94.5 and change. We were a little disappointed when they mistakenly announced the wrong corps as the color guard champion...but they recanted and awarded it to us, which was exciting. The guard certainly deserved it. It's a testament to their staff and the creative minds they have. No one performed a more sophisticated, well designed, detail oriented program as the Bushwackers Color guard. Scott Marshman and his team are the best, and the Bushwackers are lucky to have them. They provided their members with a show that would give them the best chance to succeed, and the members simply performed the hell out of it. Bravo.

So, 4th place and high color guard. Not bad for a year in which many of us doubted whether we should field a corps at all! We haven't placed 4th since my first season in 96. We were disappointed then, just 3 years removed from an undefeated season and a 6th world championship in 8 years. This year there was some of that again. Falling out of the top 3 isn't exactly what many of us had in mind when we started the season, but there are so many moving parts to a drum and bugle corps that determine the success or lack thereof of the season, that it's silly to be disappointed in a placement like that. I think that, while there were many failures on every level of the organization this season, we rose to the challenge and went out there and did what Bushwackers do...FIGHT...and we ended the season with several amazing successes.

I feel satisfied.

Now it's time to focus on the future. I have band to think about, and the progress of my students. I'm getting married in a little over a year, and it's time to put more energy into that. I have a little nephew who needs as much love and attention as I can give him. There are also some other things going on in my life that I'm excited about and need to focus on. Satisfaction following a season is the best possible outcome. You can win finals and have had a bad performance and it will eat at you. Satisfaction allows you to move on, breathe some fresh air into your life, and concentrate on improving your life and have a good time doing it.

Traffic sucked on the way home. 81 is garbage.

So...that's the 2007 season. I hope you've enjoyed my blog. I've done my best to give you some truthful insight into our season from my perspective. It's been frustrating and rewarding, but many seasons for many drum corps are. This blog will stay alive, but will obviously shift focus as I get into the band season here with Archbishop Ryan and whatever else my future in the drum corps activity holds for me. Thank you, as always, for reading.

Signing off...

Chris Kilian
Drum Major
Bushwackers Drum & Bugle Corps

Prelims...

It was a great show last night. The corps was solid from top to bottom. The stadium is a little weird to perform in...kinda dead from the field level. As a spectator, though...it's great. You really hear and feel the energy and emotion coming off the corps. That's great for fans, but something to get used to for us performers. Now we can go into tonight with that in mind and just lay it out there.

The corps is marching their butts off. It's a hard drill in a lot of ways, and last night we finally executed some tough moments in the show. We're excited about the rehearsal today and the show tonight. It doesn't feel like the end, but it most certainly is. Time to lay all of our cards on the table, and hope we have a judging panel willing to give the scores we deserve.It's been a long, hard season in so many ways, but this is the way to end it. Finals weekends like this make everything that came before it worthwhile. It's my hope that we can put our season into our performance and leave it all out there as we write this final chapter.

Dinosaur BBQ was amazing last night, too. If you've never been, it's worth the trip. Holy Moses!

This is it!

I'm about to sign off my computer in work, go teach the Ryan-ites and then get ready to leave early in the AM for Rochester, NY! We've been waiting all year for this trip...all of the hard work, all of the sweat; all of the nonsense comes down to THIS!

I've said it before...this is a strange year for us at Bush. I still don't really have a handle on what kind of corps this is. There have been times where I thought they were fighters, and there have been times where it would have been really easy to just give up. Tomorrow we have rehearsal from 2-8. I would say that by about 4 we should know what kind of weekend we're going to have.

Just in talking to a lot of the members via email and other communication outlets, it appears as though the corps is fired up. And why shouldn't they be? We're ranked 5th. Does that suck? Yeah...by our current standards it does a bit, but to put it in perspective, there are years where we would have killed to be ranked 5th. There are corps that won't make finals this year. We're very fortunate to be where we are, regardless of whether or not it's exactly where we want to be. And, we're still in this thing.

In 1986 the Bushwackers won the first show in their history...DCA Championships. They were ranked 3rd after prelims going into finals. It can be done. Are we slotted? Do we have a chance? Does it even matter?

I don't think it really matters. The only thing you can control is your own performance and let the numbers take care of themselves. This is a championship caliber show. If we pull it off and execute...each one of us having an awesome show at the same time, who knows what can happen.

Either way, I'm going to have a fun weekend. This weekend, for me, is a celebration....not just of the season, but more so the 12 seasons I've been a part of. This year is a milestone for me...10 years as a drum major, both in corps and in band. A decade is a long time to do any one thing, especially something as lonely as being a drum major. I consider myself blessed and lucky to be the longest tenured drum major in the history of the Bushwackers. I have tried my hardest to fill the shoes of other great Bushwacker drum majors of lure, like John Gough, Laurie Kunzel, and Laurie Nielsen-Hall.

In my experience here I have run the gamut of emotion and competitive success (or lack thereof some years). I have been scared, like in 96 when I was a rookie ADM filling in for a legend while she had a baby. I have been proud, like in 2001 when we surged from 10th in 2000 back into the top 5. I have been angry, like after retreat in 2000 after coming in last...I turned around and my drum corps had already left the field. I have been upset, like in 2005 when we got a penalty that dropped us from 2nd to 3rd (we have never placed 2nd in our history). I have been nostalgic, like in 2007...um, now! I've been in love, I've been out of love, I've been in love again and now I'm getting married. I've conducted victory concerts, and I've consoled a drum corps defeated. I've been booed, I've been cheered. I've been told that I'm a classless A hole, and I've been told that I'm the best drum major in the circuit.

In the end, I just want to be known as a Bushwacker who did his job to the best of his ability, and did all that he could to put his corps in a position to succeed. I love the Bushwackers. I love the silly name, the logo, the people, and the memories. I don't love everything ABOUT it, but I love the philosophy. I live QUALITY. I am a Bushwacker.

...and no matter what happens this weekend, or what my future holds...I will always consider myself a Bushwacker at heart...and that's where it counts.

If we have internet access in our hotel, I plan on posting my thoughts and impressions immediately upon returning from the hotel on Saturday and Sunday. I hope you tune in. Root us on.

Winding Down...

I missed blogging last week due to band camp. I look forward to band camp every year...taking time off from work to work harder than I work at work. :) It's definitely worthwhile if you have the energy to keep kids focused on goals instead of each other for 12 hours a day. The show is coming along great, the student leaders are really stepping up and taking ownership of the program, and we're having a good time. It's nice.

As for drum corps, we've had two shows since last I wrote...one in Scranton, PA and one in West Haven, CT. Scranton seems like a month ago, so I don't know how much I can really write about it. It was a very cold day and night. It was awful for tuning, because the temperature kept fluctuating...but we had a solid show and gained back a bunch of ground that we had lost with our lack-luster performance in Kingston. The corps was really satisfied with the effort and had a great rehearsal in Weeeeeeehawken, NJ on Sunday.

This past Saturday we landed in West Haven ready to go. We had a great day of rehearsal and really had a pretty darn good show on Saturday night. There was a lot of energy being exchanged between the corps and the crowd, who gave us multiple standing ovations during the performance. That's one of the best feelings as a drum major...to be standing in the middle of that energy exchange...it's amazing. I can't even describe it, but in that 10 minutes I remembered exactly why I do what I do.

Drum corps is powerful when it's emotional.

We did not score as well as we had hoped. The fact is that we leave too many points on the table. The design is there, but we give away the little things. Horn angles, uniform approach to dynamics and articulation, etc, etc. We're good at all of that stuff...but we're inconsistent. Other corps are not. That's fine. We have 3 rehearsals and 2 shows left to get the details nailed down...and then let the chips fall where they may.

Sunday was our family day in Weeeehawken. A good amount of people showed up to watch the corps against the backdrop of NYC. This has been a very long season. With all that has happened, it's amazing that we are where we are. I'm looking forward to championships this weekend to see which Bushwackers drum corps shows up.

I plan on rehearsing this weekend as if it's my last. You never know where life is going to take you, and at my age with my number of years of service, my arthritic back and deteriorating rotator cuffs that probably need surgery in the near future...who knows what 2008 will hold for me. I hope the rest of my corps rehearses that way too...with a sense of urgency as if it is the last time they will ever march in a drum and bugle corps. I just hope we can throw it down two times and get the crowd up...make a few fans for the Bushwackers, and represent ourselves and our alumni well. The funny thing about alumni is that someday we'll all be one. I respect all of them for their contribution, and I hope that they can check out the scores online on Sunday or maybe make the trip to Rochester to see us and will cheer us on as we roll it out there for the 26th year.

As I say to my students, we can see the finish line...and now the decision must be made to walk to it or run like hell. I intend on running.

Recovery

Sorry it's taken a few days for me to get my blog on. I needed a little time to put things in perspective and collect my thoughts. I'm not sure that I'm there yet, but it's probably as good as it's going to get so I might as well blog away.

I'm having a hard enough time figuring out what to title this blog...not to mention writing it!

Saturday found the drum corps in Kingston, NY...home of some historically BAD Bushwacker performances. We're not exactly popular in Kingston, and that's fine...but we have a bit of a history of laying an egg on the field and calling it a show. Saturday night wasn't really all that different...in fact, it lived up to history in a big way.

The unusual thing was that the day was stellar in many ways. The weather was cool, but REALLY sunny. It got warmer later on, but usually it's a hot, humid mess of a day in Kingston. Not so in 2007. Drill rehearsal was focused and productive. I hurt my shoulder a few weeks ago (actually I hurt it in 2001 and re-hurt it in a big way a few weeks ago), so I couldn't really conduct during visual rehearsal so I got to go out on the field and work with the mellophones a bit with drill. I love teaching. I love being out there in the trenches hearing the conversations, learning the personalities, watching someone's light bulb go off because of something I said or put a different way than they had thought about it before. It's so fulfilling, and it brings a part out of me that I really like...a positive, patient person who truly cares about his members. I can't say that's the kind of drum major I'm known for being. I'm more of a fiery, no nonsense, do your job and let's rock and/or roll type of major.

Anyway, the point is it was fun and we got better.

Sectionals went well, and ensemble rehearsal, while hot and exhausting, was one of the best ensemble blocks of the year. This had the makings of a throw down show.

Side note...another guard member had to go to the hospital on Saturday after unsuccessfully trying to catch a flag with his head. Brian is very talented and a real trooper...he went got done what needed to be done at the hospital and was in the show that night. I won't even pretend to understand colorguard one iota, but I think it's awfully telling that we have people who have aches and pains who sit out reps, and the guard is constantly getting whacked and hit and bruised and yet you would have to pry their hands from their equipment and chain them to the gate to keep them off the field.

I don't think they get enough credit for that. Yes, they talk constantly and wear "interesting" clothing to rehearsal...but you have to give it up. That which goes up must come down, and more often than not it hurts...and yet there they are with a smile continuing to perform.

Warm ups went okay, by all indications...I spend my warm up time with the battery percussion, so I can only go on 2nd and 3rd hand information for the other sections. I really thought we were primed to go out there and claim the top spot for ourselves. We certainly have it in us. We certainly have the show to beat anyone. We have the talent. We have the instruction.

We didn't have "IT" on Saturday night, though. "IT" = the intangible spark...that energy and intensity that makes drum corps cool. We didn't have it. I could tell from the first note of the brass warm up that this just wasn't going to be the night. I did everything I could do...people on the field were doing everything they could do...but it just wasn't there.

How do you manufacture "IT"? See...to me it's just something you have inside you...a love for the activity, the adrenaline rush of standing at the gate waiting for your enemy to get off YOUR field...the rush of seeing the crowd and the stadium lights, and the knowledge that you have the ability to make all of those people FEEL. We didn't. The crowd was apathetic, and so were we. We didn't want to be, but we were...and the judges gave us an apathetic number that we deserved.

I don't get it. It doesn't compute in my brain, and I can't identify with it. How do you lose intensity from warm up to the gate? How can you do drum corps without that inner drive and intensity inside of you? What is it going to take to light your soul on fire for 10 minutes while you hold the collective emotion of a few thousand people in the palm of your hand?

MUSIC and ART have the ability to elicit emotions, both good and bad. We did not do our jobs. We failed our art on Saturday night in Kingston. We did not make anyone feel anything except disappointment. The crowd was disappointed because they paid good money to see the defending brass and guard champions rock their socks off. We were disappointed because we KNOW that we have it in us to be WORLD CHAMPIONS, and yet we squandered a precious opportunity to make up ground. The judges were disappointed because they've come to expect more out of us.

But how do you "turn it on"? What is the key? Is it too late to teach this group, this young group of many new Bushwackers who have been to hell and back with this drum corps this season, how to flip the switch and become animals? I don't know. For me, I'm able to draw upon the experiences of the entire summer as my inspiration. I go out there with rage for how our winter went with the move to Franklin, the "corps hall", the move back to Ridgefield Park, the parades, the revolving door...all of it. We're still here! We're ranked 4th in the world, and were only 2.1 away from the #1 ranked team just 2 weeks ago! All that nonsense this year, and we're still right there! How do you not walk a little taller, puff your chest out and walk around like you OWN the place? How? Why? What is it going to take?

Well...maybe it takes getting your butts beat. In this situation there are only two ways you can go. You can quit and give up, or you can fight like hell. There is no middle ground. Status quo is quitting. Going full out from here to the end is fighting. What is it going to be?

I don't know about everyone else...but I know what I'm going to do. (so do you, if you've been reading this blog for a while.)

Let me say, for the record, that there is nothing unique to the Bushwackers about what I've said above. We're not an apathetic group of people. We're a passionate corps that loves what we do. We love our show and we love each other and for this to happen is a major disappointment because we know we're better than that. We've had electric shows...just two weeks ago in Chambersburg we lit it up. We have it in us and we know it.

Even the stuff about the move and the failure that was the "corps hall" experiment and the infamous "revolving door" is not unique to the Bushwackers. Many, many corps go through it every year. It's a reality for nearly all senior corps...even if they won't admit it or talk about it (which none of them will). It's the eternal struggle between weekend hobby and a way of life. I'm the latter, and many are the former. It's just the way it is.

We need to figure it out, though. We, as a drum corps, need to decide to go or stand aside. We need to decide between top 3 and making a hell of a run for the top spot, or bottom 5. This is not a bottom 5 drum corps. This is a championship caliber drum corps with flashes of brilliance.

I believe in the Bushwackers. I've been around long enough to know that every year has its own personality, but the Bushwacker in us always comes out at some point...that rabid fighter that refuses to go down without a battle of epic proportions. Even if we come in last, we're going to fight. If we can find that, harness it, and roll with it this weekend in Scranton...I'm telling you this thing ain't over...not by a long shot. You can dismiss me, but I know my corps and I know this circuit. I honestly, 100%, beyond a shadow of a doubt still believe that this corps...the 2007 Bushwackers...are absolutely capable of winning a world championship THIS year. Don't even bother telling me that we can't.

I don't believe in slotting. I think that it's an aberration that bad drum corps believe in to justify their bad scores without having to look in the mirror.

I believe the windows of opportunity are just that...windows, and windows are made of glass...and glass can be broken.

I believe that emotion, not execution, fuels this activity...at least in DCA...and that even the most "esoteric" show can be entertaining if it's performed and emoted.

I believe in rage and anger...I also believe in elation and love...and I believe that you can harness them and put them into your performance.

I believe that the corps that wants it the most will get it.

I know I want it.

Yeah, I know...REAL Cadet moment there with all of the "I believe" stuff.




...but the time has come to put up or shut up. The time has come to drop the egos and do your flippin' job. In fact, it's been that time for months now.

You either are a champion or you're not. These next two weeks will complete the story of the 2007 Bushwackers. It's been an amazing story so far, with plenty of ups and downs...like any good story. It's been anything but boring. I just hope we have a good ending in us. I believe we do.

Visitors

No show this past weekend...just a lot of work tightening down the show and getting ready for the stretch run. We all knew we needed to come in focused and ready to work. We also knew it was going to be ridiculously hot (and it was). We got a lot better this weekend, and we're all very excited to take the show to Kingston, where we go on last, and roll the dice.

I rented a car this weekend and brought the drum major and 3 of my 4 captains from Archbishop Ryan HS up to corps with me on Saturday. We use a very similar rehearsal system at Ryan (obviously), and I wanted them to get a chance to see things in motion, how they should be, etc. They spent most of the day on the scaffolding with me observing the corps, discussing various ensemble situations, etc. They were absolutely blown away by the drum corps, and it was obvious at rehearsal last night that they got a lot out of the experience. I spend a lot of time with our leaders, running clinics, talking to them before and after rehearsal, taking them to drum corps. It's important. Good solid student leadership is the foundation on which you can build sustainable success with any program over the long term.

We put in a new end to Part 3 that works a bit better than what we had. The ending of the show is new as well, and far more effective than what we had. The rest of the show is tightening up. Endurance is coming rapidly. I think we're going to be able to make some significant noise from this point on as long as what needs to happen happens.

Sunday we met in Weehawken, NJ at a brand new sports facility right on the banks of the Hudson River. If you face away from the drum major podium you have a beautiful view of all of Manhattan. This is inspiring and appropriate considering the theme of our show. It's also nice because we're so close to the water, and there's always a cool breeze making our day a little more tolerable. It's an astroturf field, with plenty of room for us to split up for sectionals. The corps will be there every Sunday for the month of August. A big thank you goes out to Brian Fallon who secured us the facility and asked for nothing in return. Brian never was a Bushwacker. He marched in the 60s and happened to find out that we rehearsed so close to his home last year. He came around to check us out, and next thing you know the guy has Bushwacker clothing on and is helping to unload our truck in the morning before rehearsal. Now, he hooked us up with easily the best rehearsal site this corps has ever had. While he never wore our uniform, Brian is most definitely a Bushwacker...and we appreciate him for his heart and genorosity.

Here are some pictures courtesy of Al Nielsen (click for larger image):

Say Goodbye to July!

What a weekend. As usual, it was filled with its ups and downs…this one had more “ups”, at least for me.

There are years where I always know what to expect from the corps. They’re predictable in their behavior and in how they’re going to react to certain situations. Then there are years where I have no idea what to expect. This is one of those years.

Just like last week, this show was a bus trip. The corps loaded the buses at 6am and traveled to Harrisburg, PA to participate in the annual Pridefest Parade. Last week’s bus ride show day was less than successful, and resulted in a tired and generally unfocused drum corps. Throw an early morning parade into the mix (which equals less rehearsal time), and who knows what you’re going to get.

I rode up with our visual caption head, as did my fiancé and one of our euphonium players. I got to see my mother who lives in the Harrisburg area. We actually got to spend quite a bit of time together, which was really nice. Unfortunately, I don’t get to see her very often. She wasn’t going to be able to see us in Chambersburg because my sister and my 3 month old nephew were coming to visit (actually, my mother was going to Philly to get them and bring them back)…so she wanted to come see us in the parade and get her annual drum corps fix. I’m a little sad that she didn’t get to see us perform, but I understand. She’s a grandmother now, and that little boy is the most important thing in all of our worlds…especially since the boy’s father is a worthless piece of garbage. He needs all of the love he can get…and he gets lots of it, believe me. I could write all day about that little guy (picture below)…but I won’t. I will tell you this, though…he was all fussy last week and Uncle Chris (me) calmed him down by telling him how he could learn to play trumpet and march with the Vanguard some day…before becoming their drum major, of course. He liked that. So does Uncle Chris. J It’ll make his mother mad. (evil laugh).

Future Vanguard drum major, Nathan Kilian:

Anyway, it upsets me a little bit that no one in my family will get to see me perform this year. Most people in my family actually have no interest whatsoever in even hearing about drum corps…even though it’s such a huge part of who I am. Then they complain that they don’t know me very well. Hmmm. I’m sure a lot of you who march out there understand where I’m coming from with this. If you have a supportive family…even one who complains about it, but still comes to see you…you’re very lucky. Go give them a hug and thank them for caring, even if they won’t admit that they do.

The parade went fine, except for the fact that one of our guard members took it on the chin…literally. She got whacked with a flag on the chin during the parade, and was bleeding pretty bad. Luckily we were right outside of a hospital. Since a few of us had driven to the parade, we let the buses go and took her to the hospital where she received 4 stitches inside the wound, and about 5 outside. It was pretty nasty, but the doctors were quick and did a good job. Before long we were on the road again heading to Chambersburg where we would meet with the corps.

Rehearsal was already in progress when we arrived, and the guard member with the stitches jumped right in and rehearsed hard all day. Good for her! Unfortunately, we were on the worst rehearsal field we’ve had all year. No grass…lots of dirt. Oh, and painted yard lines don’t stick on dirt so well…so no lines either. I’m not going to go off on too much of a rant here about it, but I think that it’s BS to give any corps a “field” like that…especially when they’ve traveled hours to make money for this show sponsor…and especially when they’re a top 3 DCA corps that is a draw for fans, thus bringing in more money. Boo.

It was probably the most humid day of the year, the members were breathing in dirt, there were no yard lines, we took a bus for hours to get there, and we had already marched in a parade. Tensions were a little high, and people were a little down. It was like trying to push over a brick wall…no matter how hard you push, the thing just ain’t movin’. That’s frustrating, but part of drum corps (and really everything in life) is learning how to effectively deal with frustration and turn it into fuel.

In spite of all that, the run through was solid. Tempo problems we usually have at the end didn’t exist. Maybe it was because I decided to mark time there while conducting. Maybe it was because it’s just locking in now for some reason. Regardless, I’m not going to stop marking time. I’m not taking that risk. Lol

We left and went to the stadium to take the coldest showers ever. Not only was there no hot water, it was as if a pipeline from the Arctic Circle was pumping in freezing water just for us. I saw a penguin. No lie.

We had plenty of down time, which ended up saving us, I believe. We all got showered, relaxed, had some food, and then a nice relaxed warm up. Dena's parents were there and decided that we neede protien after working so hard...so they bought us some Italian hoagies for dinner. THANK YOU! Delicious, and it made me feel much, much better. I couldn’t tell what kind of show we would have. Everyone was pretty loose, which could be good or bad.

I could tell from how loud my voice sounded giving the commands that this was a “live” stadium, and that we were going to be able to fill it with some good sound that night. From the bari/euph duet at the beginning of the show I got goosebumps…the sound was really carrying and you could tell that the members knew it. Instantly, energy built up and we rocked for 10.5 minutes. It was a good show. There were still a few hairy spots, but the tempos locked in for the most part, we performed for the first time as a full corps, and we really pushed to the end. Stamina is coming quickly. People are more comfortable with the show. This doesn’t usually happen until August…

…which is why we have, what we call the AUGUST PUSH. Some people hate talking about it, and that’s fine. You can’t deny, however, that it exists. The Bushwackers are pretty famous for turning it on in August. There have been more than a few years where we’ve had our butts handed to us all year long, just to surge in August and bushwack them all…winning championships that way. Everyone knows it, and it’s just part of who we are. Ideally, we’d like to do our August Push all year long…coming out strong out of the gate and steamrolling through the season. That just doesn’t seem to work for us, though.

There is more demand in our shows than most, if not all of the rest of the circuit. The judges acknowledge that. Our designers know that. We don’t go out there playing easy stuff with 59 sets of drill in our show. We run around, we play a crap load of notes, and it just flat out takes a long time to build the strength and stamina needed to perform these shows at a high level for 10+ minutes. Plus, it takes us a couple months just to plug everyone in and have people comfortable with the show. It’s just the reality of the way we program shows. Is it smart? I don’t know…if we win, the designers look like geniuses. If we lose, they look like morons. But at least they take the risk. If you’re not willing to risk it all, why do it?

It appears, though, that we have reached this level of comfort and stamina a week premature this year. We’re now within 2.1 points of the top ranked team. That’s closer than we’ve been probably in years. We are a contender, regardless of what you may have read on the internet or heard from your drum corps buddies. I keep saying in this blog to not count out the Bushwackers. Why people don’t listen is beyond me. That’s okay, though….count us out. We haven’t counted ourselves out. We’re coming for you and everyone else. We’re cleaning. We’re getting stronger in mind, body, and in our family bond.

We believe.

Belief and a quarter will buy you…um…nothing, but if you want it…if you’re hungry, you have a chance. That’s all we’re asking for…a chance. Give us the show, get us to the stadium, and give us the chance. We’ll take it from there.

This weekend is a camp weekend for the corps. No show. We’re putting in some last minute changes (end of the show, end of part 3). I’m going to have my officers from Archbishop Ryan up there to check things out and clinic with the corps for the day. That will be fun. After that: Kingston, Scranton, West Haven, Prelims, Finals, DONE. We’ll learn a lot about the 2007 Bushwackers in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned.

Quality

The Bushwackers philosophy, and hopefully the official "theme" for this upcoming weekend:
--

QUALITY

We know it when we see it

and if we have personally contributed to its presence

it is a special joy.

The common denominator is concentration:

concentration of talent

concentration of experience

concentration of energy

extra hours, extra efforts, extra pains.

Of course, that's the cost of being better,

but for those who strive to set the standard

there is no other way.

Any performance can be better.

Every note, every movement improved

and few of us are satisfied.

Quality is yearning to be the best,

but few are willing to pay the price.

But we, as a corps, intend to continue...

searching...striving...sometimes soaring.

Our commitment is to add new dimensions to the meaning of Quality

and to be the rule by which others are measured.

Growing Pains

"Show me that smile again. (Show me that smile)
Don’t waste another minute on your cryin’.
We're nowhere near the end (nowhere near)
The best is ready to begin.

Oooohhh.

As long as we got each other
We got the world spinnin right in our hands.
Baby you and me, we gotta be
The luckiest dreamers who never quit dreamin’.

As long as we keep on givin’
we can take anything that comes our way
Baby, rain or shine, all the time
We got each other Sharin’ the laughter and love"

Yes, growing pains. Just call me Dr. Jason Seaver trying to deal with the never ending drama of a family who loves each other and who is full of characters like the mischievous Mike Seaver, the brainy but neurotic Carol Seaver, and the dumb Ben Seaver. Occasionally throw in the wayward teen Luke Bower, and you have yourself a clash of very different personalities.

You find this type of clash in every large group...but it can be especially magnified when it's a group of artists, musicians, or other creative types. We tend to be a fiery sort, and are steadfast in our belief that WE are correct and that YOU are wrong.

Of course, it always leads to bickering, grandstanding, and other ridiculousness...depending on the maturity of the individual.

I know that every group I've ever been in or taught has gone through periods like this...usually right smack in the middle of the season, and sometimes it can be quite scary. These are all growing pains of a large group of creative people who all CARE beyond measure about the product and about the other people. Things are still dirty, so everyone wants to fix it. People say and do stupid things, so others want to lecture them ad nauseum about their indiscretion. It happens all the time, and I truly believe it's simply a byproduct of spending so much time together and caring so much about your group and your season.

Complete togetherness and harmony are not the opposite of discord and occasional acrimony. In fact, they are quite close in the sense that they are all the result of passion. Apathy is the opposite, and that is something we at the Bushwackers rarely ever see from our members.

So, while others are worried that two trumpets aren't getting along (go figure, lol), or that these two passionate long time members over here are arguing...I'm not worried. I've done this long enough to know that they're all striving for the same goal...climbing the same mountain, but taking different routes to get there. In the end, they will meet in their journey and help each other because they love each other for wearing the uniform, they love the corps, and they love their art and what it stands for.

This comes from years of experience, and it's something that any student leader in any high school should take to heart. It may happen in your band...in fact, you can probably count on it. Remember that we're all here because we're passionate about what we do...we love it, and we love our teammates. It's just a long, hard season that you put so much effort into. It's human nature to see the finish line far off and want to start running your guts out. Keep it steady and relaxed, with a sense of urgency and I guarantee you'll get further faster and more efficiently.

Just understand where your members are coming from before you start exploding and declaring your season dead. You can't teach passion...positive or negative...you can just harness it and use it in performance.

So...things are great with the corps! We did not have a great rehearsal on Saturday, and consequently pretty much laid an egg on Saturday night in Lewisburg. There are many reasons why...but all of them are excuses. The fact is we have risen above far greater challenges than what we faced on Saturday. We as a drum corps just didn't get it done...and we darn well know it.

...wait...that doesn't sound like things are great!?!?!

Well, greatness can not be judged on one show in the middle of June alone. Sunday was much better. We cleaned Part 3...one of the most impressive portions of our show. The day was focused, and the corps did what it needed to do on little sleep and a lot of caffeine. The run through was weeks better than the prior night's show...and that was encouraging.

We ARE getting better. Every time we hit the field we get better...and that's the goal, right? The unfortunate thing is that we just didn't perform on Saturday night. Our sound and visual projection hit the imaginary glass pane of on the front side line and slid down like a bird flying into a sliding glass door.

Lesson learned.

This weekend we have another road trip...an early morning bus ride to Central PA (again) to participate in a parade in Harrisburg, PA...then down to Chambersburg, PA to rehearse and perform in the last competition in July (and the last one for 2 weeks!). We simply must perform our butts off...have fun with the show, and execute the way we know that we can. Whatever it takes. I'm confident that we will.

While there is tension in some areas right now, I believe that those folks care and will harness that passion and put it into their rehearsal etiquette and performance this coming weekend and beyond. I also believe that it's moments like these where a corps comes together. We're not that far out of this thing....definitely within striking distance of all of them...and you can NEVER turn your back on the Bushwackers in late July and August.

In 1986 the Bushwackers placed 3rd at prelims and had never won a show in their brief 5 year existence. Later that night they came from nowhere to win their first show...the DCA World Championship.

In 1988 the Bushwackers had horn numbers in the low teens in June and were no where near contending for anything but an early exit at DCA's. They never gave up and tied for the championship later that year.

In 2000 the Bushwackers, after fighting to stay alive for 3 years, were dealt a (seemingly) fatal blow by placing 10th out of 10 at the DCA World Championships in Syracuse, NY. Nearly the entire staff quit afterwards, and the corps...by all accounts...was dead. Not so. A small core of members and staff returned to fight, claw, and scratch their way up to 5th in 2001.

Tenacity + Passion = Meaningful Success

No one said it was easy to be a Bushwacker...but it's a group that I and many others have always felt was worth fighting for. Most things in life worth anything take work. This is definitely worth it to me. I just hope that we can get past these typical and usual "growing pains" and get on to some badass drum corps. This weekend would be nice. :)

...kinda gives the words to that "Growing Pains" song a new, personal meaning to me. Hmmm.

PS...

Feel free to post replies to my blogs. I'll make every effort to answer you. You can also feel free to email me at kilian.chris@gmail.com. I love talking drum corps and band with my fellow geeks out there.

You can also come out to a show and speak to me in person there! Here's the rest of the Bushwackers schedule for the summer:

July 21 - Lewisburg, PA
July 28 - Chambersburg, PA
August 11 - Kingston, NY
August 18 - Scranton, PA
August 25 - West Haven, CT
September 1&2 - DCA World Championships in Rochester, NY.

I usually wander around the stadium in uniform after every performance (unless we're on last), so look for me and say hi!

From Pretender to Contender

It's no secret at all that we (the Bushwackers) did not fare well two weekends ago in Bridgeport, CT. We scored a 71.963. That's 8.712 points out of 1st place. I won't lie and say that we felt great about it. We didn't. In fact, we were quite upset. It's not easy to go from 3rd in the world with a couple of caption awards to put on the mantle all the way to "not a very good drum corps" over night.

The fact is it wasn't over night. This winter was VERY rough for this drum corps...for many reasons. There was the move to Franklin which resulted in no new members and a community that didn't want all the noise. There was the usual revolving door of members that plagues nearly every senior corps. The fact is that we stuck with it. When things get rough, this drum corps typically keeps pushing.

We very easily could have folded at least twice since I've been with the corps. In 1997 we were in championship form early in the year. We marched finals with our biggest horn line ever, but in-fighting, design issues, and other problems stunted our progress...and we finished 5th. Following that season there was a mass exodus of members, and we were left with 5-10 members showing up to winter camps for the 1998 year. Money issues, truck issues, membership issues, staff issues...we easily could have folded. We went to Bridgeport that year with 19 total brass. We sucked, but we were there. Instead of packing it in, we worked our asses off...knowing we didn't have a shot at top 5.

In 2000 we placed last at the DCA championships in Syracuse. That entire weekend is my worst "moment" in my 12 years in the organization. We could have easily folded after that night. Nearly the entire staff quit after the show. Instead, we put together a new, re-tooled team, came out with a more positive approach to programming and instruction, and we took our 31 total brass players, small drum line, and good color guard to a 5th place finish in 2001.

Hard work. Tenacity. Dedication. Commitment.

These are words that describe the Bushwackers and its members.

So, following that abysmal start to the season in Bridgeport, we could have easily mailed in the rest of the season figuring we weren't contenders. I was interested to see what drum corps showed up last weekend for our "camp weekend" with no competition. We worked hard through the heat and humidity and made the show better. We just put our nose to the grindstone and went for it. We improved from Bridgeport, but that seemed of little consolation to us. Improving a little each weekend just wasn't enough for us.

So, we show up Saturday morning to prepare for the Clifton show, and thing started clicking. The show didn't seem frantic...it seemed more comfortable. Drill sets and musical phrases that had been muddy or completely unreadable were clean-ish. Members were more comfortable with their individual responsibilities within forms, within the sound, and within the overall landscape of the show. Rehearsal etiquette was the best it had ever been, and it seemed as though this was a corps that believed in itself and in its show. Why? They had no reason to believe when our only evaluation of the year to date had been so negative.

With a great rehearsal day under our belts we traveled to Clifton to see how our show would fare. The vibe was positive and the members were excited to get under the lights and make the crowd (which has NEVER been Bushwacker friendly...EVER) stand up. Scores seemed inconsequential...we wanted, more than anything, the satisfaction of seeing marked improvement in our performance. We wanted to take it to the next level, and if we received validation in the form of scores...that's great, but it was more important to experience a solid performance in which everyone clicked and injected themselves into the show.

That's what we got. Were we clean. NO! Hell no. We have a long way to go, but we know that. We take this thing one weekend at a time, and will continue to. We were, however, MUCH better than in Bridgeport. The show made more sense. The members were comfortable, and therefore let lose a little bit. We performed. The crowd stood up for us numerous times. It was a performance to remember, and the members were PROUD and very satisfied with how everything went.

Many members opted to not even come into the stadium for awards. They were uninterested in hearing the scores, because they didn't want it to negatively impact their view on how the night went. They received so much validation from themselves and each other that they could have cared less what the judges had to say. I admire them for that. I, of course, had to go to awards...because I had to accept them. :)

Long story short, too late, we came in 3rd, but with an 80.588. That's a jump of 8.625 in one show. Unbelievable. Even more unbelievable...we closed the gap between us and the first place team to 3.1. Yes...we went from 8.712 points away from that team to 3.1. We made up 5.612 points...that's 64.42% of the total deficit.

Can you tell that I'm a data analyst for a living? lol GEEK ALERT!

Anyway, we're a corps on fire right now. Sunday was a great rehearsal day. We spent over an hour cleaning the opener. We changed part of said opener to be shorter and have better continuity with the rest of the program. Everything is coming together...we are now back in the game...CONTENDERS...and we intend to stay there.

As I said in an earlier blog (after the Bridgeport show)...images in your rear view mirror are closer than they appear.

Onward.

Officer auditions at Archbishop Ryan have concluded, and we have named our officers. There are some very excited and some very disappointed students right now...but that's part of how it goes. I explained to all of them that it's the staff's job to put the right people in the right positions for this band at this time. It's not a contest. That's cold comfort to a kid who has always dreamed of being drum major and is now a senior clarinet player. I understand that and I sympathize with them. But, we have to do what is best for the band...and we believe that our choices for our officer positions will best suit our organization.

We at Ryan place a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of our officers and upper classmen. We firmly believe that strong student leadership builds a great program that has sustainable success over the long term. It hasn't always been that way there, but it is now...and we'll see how it goes. It worked last year, jumping from 14th to 2nd overall in one year. Let's see what it can do for us this year.

Kids can handle a lot more responsibility and pressure than many people in our society believe. In fact, I've found that they want the responsibility. They want to be held accountable. They want OWNERSHIP in what they are doing...even if they don't realize it at first. In a system like this, they are more than just cogs in the machine...they own the product. It brings a great deal of pride to our kids and the organization as a whole when they believe in what they are doing because it is a direct reflection of themselves and their hard work.

I'm very proud of all of my students, and I'm looking forward to getting into some of the Rite of Spring and Firebird this year.

Back to drum corps...

The Bushwackers travel to Lewisburg, PA this coming weekend. I'm really interested to see how the corps responds to a good drum corps crowd and a nice Astroturf field....plus a long bus trip and shortened rehearsal day. I believe in this corps and these members. I honestly believe that we turned a major corner this weekend. I wrote before that we're becoming fighters...well, not only are we fighting...we're succeeding and we believe in ourselves and each other. We're become a drum corps, and ceasing to be a group of individuals. Our TEAM is starting to take shape...and when you have a group with heart, talent, and fire in their belly that believes in themselves and their ability to overcome all odds...you better watch your back.

We have our collective eye on the prize. An aggressive and relentless drum corps has emerged from the ashes of Bridgeport, CT. I'm looking forward to seeing what it can do against the rest of the big boys in Lewisburg this weekend.

Drum Corps in the Heat...

This past weekend was the hottest of the year, by far. Of course, rehearsing on a parking lot doesn't really help that...but what are you going to do. As Joe Exley said over and over, "Yes, it's hot...but at least you don't have Chlamydia." (no offense to anyone out there who does).

In a perfect world, we would have a week off after the first show to refine and solidify our production. Oh...yeah...we did. That was the theme of last weekend. While half of DCA was all the way in Rochester performing, we opted to stay in New Jersey to fit in a few new people and rehearse. While it was ridiculously hot in New Jersey, I can't say that I was upset that we didn't drive all the way to Rochester to compete. We have a lot of work to do, and by staying home we got to rehearse for about 10 hours on Saturday and 7 on Sunday. The show is in much better shape (darn near unrecognizable compared to what it was just two Saturdays ago in Bridgeport), and the corps is really starting to pull together.

Every season the drum corps has a new personality. There are always underlying themes that go along with the identity of the corps...we still act, play, rehearse, hang out like Bushwackers...but there are different characteristics that begin to come to the forefront as the corps begins to mesh, gel, and assimilate into one performing body. There are a lot of comparisons going on right now by the members and the staff...comparing this year's corps to last year's corps and 2005's corps. From time to time someone busts out a comparison to the 2000 corps. These can be both positive and negative comparisons, depending on how you look at it.

I personally believe that any year over year comparisons are bogus and a waste of time and energy. This is a new year, a new corps, and a very different show. We had a decent amount of membership turn-over after last season for many reasons...and now we have a large group of first year members who bring different things to the table than last year's group. While you can try to hold the 2007 Bushwackers to the benchmarks that the 2006 Bushwackers hit, I still think that's not fair, and that you have to alter your approach with each year and each influx of new blood...especially in DCA where attrition and turn-over are so prevalent as people move on to get married, have kids, sit on the beach, etc.

This year's drum corps is still developing it's personality. The corps has shown flashes of being a fighter...pushing through adversity and coming out better on the other side. There's a certain tenacity with this group. Most of them seem to see the issues, put their head down, and charge ahead knowing it may hurt and it may suck for a while, but that if they push and fight they will become stronger. Now, not everyone is like that...but as the season goes on those people are really starting to stick out. Of course this frustrates the members who are putting their nose to the grindstone. There are several things that can happen in this sort of situation:

For the people who ARE fighting:

1. They go from frustrated to angry to downright hostile.
2. They go from frustrated to helpful, yet stern.

For the people who are NOT fighting:

1. They realize that they are being "that guy" and conform, knowing that it will help us achieve our eventual goal
2. They don't care and get dragged along.

There are lots of other things that can happen, but these examples illustrate the decisions being made by our membership, and probably the membership of many drum corps out there this summer. I think it's great that people are starting to stick out for NOT giving it their all and pushing. It just means that the majority of the drum corps comes to rehearsals prepared and excited to fight through the weather, the long drives, and all the other BS involved with being a Bushwacker. Drum corps is SO not about the 11 minute show. Here's some more fun with math:

11 minutes x 9 performances = 1 hour 39 minutes of performing for the ENTIRE SUMMER.

For the sake of argument, let's say that we average 7 hours of rehearsal for two days per weekend during the competition season (it's more than that, but you'll get the picture):

7 hours x about 20 rehearsal days during the season = 140 hours of rehearsal.

So...

140 hours of rehearsal vs.. 1 hour 39 minutes of performance.

What do you think drum corps is about? What do you think defines a drum corps season? This doesn't even take into account the shared experiences of dining together during lunch, the occasional excursion, parades, long bus rides, car pooling, Friday night rehearsals, practicing at home, etc, etc, etc.

We do this for the love of that 1 hour and 39 minutes of intense performance under the lights, but we as a drum corps MUST max out the 140+ hours that we are together OUT of uniform.

The Bushwackers are becoming the Bushwackers and figuring that out. This hot, sticky, disgusting weekend was a huge step in that direction. The corps is getting STRONG very fast. If anyone counts us out now, they had better be prepared to feel dumb very soon.

...of course we're counted out every year. The predictions and reviews are like broken records...and not good records. We're not talking about Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall" album which was AWESOME...we're talking about David Hasselhoff's "Looking for the Best" here.

So, go ahead and count us out. Maybe we won't win. Maybe we'll do what so many want us to do and just fade away. Maybe we'll stop beating your favorite team who gives you the same thing year after year.

Then again...

None of this has been about being a drum major. These are just my observations. I'm doing my best to continue my transformation into a positive leader...I've always been positive and caring and all of that...I'm just bringing it out so that others can see it. Hopefully I'm being the kind of leader that the corps needs this year. Like I said before, this is a different year...a different group with a different personality. For me to deal with them the way that I dealt with any other corps from 1996-2006 would be wrong and lazy leadership. I need to assess their needs, and lead in a way that will be effective in helping us to achieve our goals in 2007.

I'm am looking forward to our show on Saturday night in Clifton, NJ. The crowd will be packed with Caballero fans, which is fine...it is their home show after all, but there should be a fair amount of Bushwacker alumni. I hope more alumni start coming out to shows. We could really use the support and encouragement. Besides...we're good. :) You'll like it.

If you're reading this and will be at the show, please say hi if you see me walking around. Emily (the other DM) and I usually walk around the stadium after our performance. Hope to see you!