Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend - the official kick off of the drum corps season! DCI corps are now pretty much all in training camp and DCA corps are in high gear. For the Bushwackers, we have our annual preview concert and BBQ every Memorial Day weekend for alumni, family, and friends. It's usually a good time, and it's always nice to see some faces I haven't seen in a while, meet new people, and show off a little bit.

...it also means parades.

I'm not a fan of parades...at all. When I'm finished marching, I cannot imagine ever going to see a parade. Sunday's parade in Saddle Brook, NJ was long and hot. We always "track" a song from our show for parades to get extra rehearsal time in on it...and this year we were using part of our opener: "Galop". Unfortunately, it's at 168 beats per minute, so it was quite brisk. On top of it all, this was one of those "stop and start" parades...so we were out there baking in the sun for hours. "That which does not kill us only makes us stronger" right? :)

Monday's parade in Elmwood Park was shorter, straighter, and moved along at a pretty good pace. We were in and out of there in no time, and many children were seen shielding their ears from the volume. I always get a kick out of that.

As for the rest of the weekend, Saturday was a rehearsal day in Franklin. We learned the 16 pages of drill for part 2 of the show, "Ain't Got No Tears Left". It's a jazzy piece that changes tempo every few bars...and on top of that we're marching in double time for a lot of it. This is, without a doubt, the hardest show I've had to conduct since becoming a drum major of the Bushwackers. The scores itself is challenging, but it's all of the double time, half time, and whatever else time marching that really makes my brain melt. From an ensemble standpoint, the drill does the job just fine...but there still are a lot of cues and a large responsibility on my shoulders to conduct it the way they have to march it. My job is to make their job easier so they can play loud and good. If it wasn't challenging (and sometimes REALLY frustrating), I can't imagine that I'd be interested in doing this any longer. Anyone can conduct...

So, Saturday was a good day. We were able to march and play all of part 2, and we got some work in sectionals on other parts of the show. I'm encouraged with our progress, and in a lot of ways we're further ahead than previous years. Next weekend we'll just be reviewing parts 1 and 2 of the show, fitting in new people, and making sure we have a good, solid production from the top of the show to the end of part 2. It'll be a good chance for me to completely wrap my brain around my responsibilities from an ensemble standpoint, as well as from a timing and communication standpoint with the percussion ensemble.

Sunday, after the parade, we reported to the Duck Pond facility in Franklin. Here we rehearsed for about an hour and a half, and then gave our annual preview performance. There weren't too many people who made the long trek out to Sussex County, but the turn out was more than what I expected. The preview went okay, except for a "blip" in the opener that I will take the blame for. Otherwise, the show resonated well with the crowd...even though it's really a departure for us. This is a very different show for the corps.

So, all in all it was a positive weekend. We picked up members in all sections, and we're chugging right along. From this point until Labor Day is my favorite part of the very long drum corps season. This is what it's all about...being out in the sun, learning the show, polishing it up, putting on the uniform, and going to battle. I'm looking forward to the battles to be sure.

I'm also looking forward to returning to Ridgefield Park next weekend. We've added RP to our list of rehearsal facilities, more as a convenience thing to our membership than anything else. Franklin is very nice, and we've made great strides in making it our home. At this point, however, almost our entire membership lives closer to Ridgefield, and housing for members becomes easier. It's exciting to have both places as our disposal. I can't wait to go back to my favorite deli in RP this weekend!

That's it for now. If I don't post before the weekend, I will again next Monday. Have a good week.