First Weekend Outside...

...in the history books! Fusion took to the field (albeit an asphalt field) last weekend to begin drill and get used to playing outside. Spring training is here! It finally feels like drum corps!

There's just something about being outside...something about eating a PB&J while sitting on a cooler in the middle of a parking lot that, to me, says drum corps. The weather was supposed to be crappy, but the weather gods smiled and gave us an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day. I got my first sunburn of the year! As I type this I'm itching and peeling. It's like freakin' Christmas! :)

Most of the corps was there this weekend. Again, school commitments are just something that modern corps...especially it seems all-age corps, have to deal with. Lucky for us, the folks we have are extremely dedicated and come prepared. The corps is obviously working hard on their own during the week. Evidence: we've only ever blocked through the closer. All day I heard trumpets busting out the double tonguing and tubas playing the hard unison lick...and we hadn't even started working on it at that point! It's a hungry corps, and I like that. If they're able to maintain that hunger and enjoy what good drum corps is all about, it's going to be a fun summer.

...the trick is maintaining that intensity and desire over the marathon of a drum corps season.

Regardless, it was a great weekend. We got through the introduction to the show, visually speaking, and we were able to put music and drill together. Very cool...very successful first weekend.

This weekend we're back at it again. We'll review and move on. Every rehearsal we're pushing to conquer a difficult show and make an entertaining production out of it. It's very exciting to finally see and hear this whole thing coming together.

In other news, the Reilly Raiders Brass Ensemble had their first ever performance this past weekend. I wasn't there obviously, but they apparently represented themselves very well. The piece I arranged for them (an interesting combination of Danny Boy and Sing, Sing, Sing) was well received, and they did a good job. I'm excited for them, and I'm really looking forward to getting out there to hear them (and play with them) again in the near future.

My band shows are coming along. I had to learn Sibelius last week, which was interesting. The percussion writer for Penns Grove uses it, so I figured it was a good excuse for me to take the time and learn a new composition program. Man, was that first day painful!!! The logic of the program is, at times, completely different than Finale...and I've been using Finale since 1995, so that's one hell of a comfort zone to break out of. It was worth it, though...I really like Sibelius. It's a great program, and I'll probably start using it as my default program in the future.

The show for Penns Grove is coming out really cool. The show (click here for a brief description) is one of the more creative I've worked on. It'll be a lot of fun for the kids, that's for sure...it's just going to take an amazing amount of coordination. Luckily, she has a good, young staff that's dedicated...and the parents seem really eager to help out with all the building and other stuff that needs to be done to really pull a "production" show off. I'm having a blast writing "Spain"! Can't wait to hear it on the horns.

I signed on to write for and teach at Archbishop Ryan again this year as well. It's likely that they will, at some point, compete against Penns Grove, but I really don't feel bad about that. To me, this is about exposing as many kids as possible to a positive, fun, competitive experience. It's not like football where I'm going to watch film of the other team and then craft our offensive and defensive scheme accordingly. This is about me writing the best music possible for both groups, and teaching them to march and play clean. That's it.

Ryan is in quite the state of flux right now. The good news is that the program isn't going anywhere, and the new (and old) band director is committed to recruitment and turning around the junior band program. That's important. I'm interested to see who comes out for band. The sad part about it is that it seems like the placement at championships has tainted the kids' opinion of the show and the season last year. That's a real shame. We did a progressive show, sure. Was it entertaining? Probably not unless you like Stravinsky...but it was sophisticated and challenging. It was just different, and the kids loved it when they were winning show after show after show after show with it. Then we come in 6th at championships (out of 20 something, mind you) and all of a sudden it was a bad show.

Sigh.

Onward. I love designing shows. It's amazing to me that I get to do it on a quazi-professional level. I never thought I'd be writing for drum corps and multiple bands, but here I am...and I intend to make the most of the opportunity. I feel like I have a lot to say...musically.

...just an aside, my nephew Nathan turned 1 on Sunday the 13th of April. Happy birthday, Little Buddy. He's growing up fast, and I'm happy that I get to be here for him every step of the way.

Lucy M. (Bompadre) Kirkwood. My Grandmother.

Lucy M. (Bompadre) Kirkwood
KIRKWOOD
LUCY M. (nee Bompadre), age 83, March 18, 2008. Loving wife of the late Harry. Beloved mother of Ron (Betsy), Dennis (Rita), Kathy Marcinek (Len), Jeanne Kilian, and Carol Hosack (Fran). Stepmother of Denise Roth (Kerry) and mother-in-law of Rick Kilian. Cherished by 16 grandchildren and 7 great grand-children. Dear sister of Phil Maraini, Tony Bompadre, Alex Bompadre, and the late Sr. Amelia Frances, I.H.M. Relatives and friends are invited to her Viewing Tuesday 9 A.M. at Our Lady of Calvary Church, 11024 Knights Rd., Phila. PA 19154. Funeral Mass to follow 10 A.M. Interment George Washington Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, family prefers donations in her memory to Camilla Hall, P.O. Box 100, Immaculata PA 19345.