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!

First Show of the Year

Hey...it's good to know that there are people out there actually reading this! Feel free to leave comments or email me with any questions or comments that you might have. If you have complaints, you can kindly keep them to yourself. :)

This past weekend was interesting. We really didn't know what to expect on Saturday. I mean, think about it...before Saturday we had only done one full run-through of the show. We had 7 new people who knew the drill for parts of the songs, but not much. How much could we possibly get done in one day in order to put on a good showing at our first competition of the year in Bridgeport, CT?

Well...plenty. We ran a pretty efficient and highly effective rehearsal. We were able to get all of the new folks in the beginning of the show and the closer. The addition of those individuals made a huge difference visually. Forms and intent became more obvious and readable. When they were playing, the sound and volume of the line filled out. It's going to be something special when they're all in 100% after this coming weekend.

Anyway, the run through was a little rocky. It was emotional and energetic for sure, but the timing wasn't good between the horns, batter, and pit...especially in the closer, which flies by. We have some work to do there....it was definitely going to be a finger crossing moment.

Everyone was excited, though, and with rehearsal over we made our way to the stadium to prepare for the show. Dinner, shower, and dress...I ran through some of my pre-show superstitions, and was prepared (albeit somewhat nervous) for the show. There are only 2 parts that I was a little afraid of...the middle of part 3 with all the messed up counting (see an early entry of mine), and the end of the show.

The show, only our 3rd full run through of the show to date, was good! It wasn't as energetic, loud, or exciting as the run-through at the end of rehearsal, but it held together much better...which as a drum major pleases me. I was encouraged by the way the corps pushed through and got it done. We represented ourselves very well, and I think most people felt pretty good about the show.

The issues with the show are too obvious at this point, however. We didn't fare well competitively, but I'm not really sure what more we could have done...and I'm certainly not worried about being competitive over the long term. We have a championship caliber drum corps here, and I believe that our show and our members will rise to the occasion over time. It's just going to take some patience and some efficient rehearsals. We don't have a lot of time in senior corps to rehearse. Luckily, there is no show this weekend local enough for us to attend...so we're taking the entire weekend as a "death camp" type weekend and we're just going to beat the show to death. If we can come out of this weekend more comfortable, with more stamina, and with everyone plugged into the drill for the whole show...we'll be in good shape.

No one in the corps is worried. The show is very difficult, and we all know it...but we refuse to let it beat us. This corps, unlike last year's corps, is a fighter and is fighting very early in the season. The programming definitely took a step up this year, and our members are up to the task...it's just taking some time. We will get the scores we want and deserve. Hopefully that occurs sooner rather than later.

In the end it comes down to making good decisions. Every member individually is faced with small decisions to make all the time. Should I bag this rep because I'm tired and thirsty? Etc. It's little stuff, but all added up it's huge. Drum corps isn't easy and let's face it, we live in a society where easy is best...and hard work is too hard. The successful drum corps have staff, administration members, and corps members who make good decisions. I'm hoping that my corps makes the right decisions this week to prepare for a hard weekend of drum corps. Make no mistake about it, this will be an ass kicking weekend of drum corps. I can foresee us easily going 12 hours on Saturday just breaking everything down set by set. It would be easy to get upset about it, complain about lack of water breaks or how hot it is, etc. It's hard to stand there and take it and give it all up every rep knowing that, because you worked hard now, later you will be good...and that every time you bag a rep, you're affecting everyone around you as well. It's not fair, but it's through the shared experience of personally busting your own ass that you develop relationships with the people around you doing the same damn thing.

Drum corps is hard work. That's it. If you don't like that, do something else. It really is that simple.

The spread between us and the other corps is what bothers me...but there really isn't anything I can do about it, except make sure I have my crap together and help my fellow members get their crap together. Many years have we started with scores in the mid to high 60s with 5-10 point spreads between us and the next team...and we plug along and do our thing, and next thing you know we're climbing and climbing. Jump 5 points one week, 2 points the next, 7 points the next...and we're right in the hunt. We'll do that again, and I'm not worried about catching anyone. If we do what we need to do, with the show that we have this year and the heart and talent of our drum corps, I have no doubt that everything will take care of itself.

But we have to work. We can't lie down. We can't give up. We have to put our heads down and go. Ask questions later. GO!

So, we'll see what happens. We have rehearsal all weekend long, which is great...and I think that everyone is looking forward to the opportunity to lock this baby down and get ready to rock and/or roll in Clifton the following weekend. It's going to be fun...and we're going to learn a lot about ourselves by this experience. I definitely see this as a good thing...a motivator to push and achieve greater things. I don't know if I would enjoy it as much if success came easy to us. I kind of like the adversity a little. I don't like adversity that we cause for ourselves...and we're in the process of eliminating that sort of destructive decision making. It's hard, because so many people are new Bushwackers this year. They're just now figuring out how to be Bushwackers...and in the process they're making better decisions, working harder, and learning/retaining faster and faster.

If I were in one of the corps ahead of us, I wouldn't be content. Images in your rear view mirror are closer than they appear.