April reflexions

April has come and gone...and we know a little more about ourselves as a drum corps now. I have a good sense for what the members are about, where the show is going, and what to expect from the staff.

We currently have 25 pages of drill learned...that's the entire introduction and just about half of the opener. Not bad...about 3 minutes. We could be further ahead, but attendance was spotty last weekend due to school commitments, so why push forward if we're just going to have to teach it over again. It wouldn't have been a big deal if we weren't off this weekend, but we are. No drum corps for the last time until September.

The staff has done a good job so far. There's still some adjusting going on...and that's to be expected. In each section there except the guard there is a combination of people who have come back and new people. Any time that happens there is going to be a period of adjustment as they get to know each other's teaching style and approach. I've never worked with any of them in the capacity I'm in...so everyone is getting used to me, whether they knew me previously or not. It's been quite the learning experience.

Honestly, I didn't know what kind of coordinator I'd be. I knew I could do it...and I've done it at the high school level, but drum corps is different...staff at the drum corps level are different. It's completely different when you're dealing with your peers or people older than you...yet you are the one responsible for the entire package. Luckily for me, there's a good amount of respect to go around. Everyone has an ego to some degree...because they're great at what they do. That's to be expected. The thing is to respect each other in spite of our own egos...that's huge, and that appears to be what we have.

Are things perfect? Not yet...but we're 4 months into a long term plan that's enormous in its scope. The goal is not to win A class this year, or next...the goal is to win Open Class...a lot...sustained success over the long term. We want Fusion to be the standard...to be able to weather any storm that comes our way, and come out on the other side successfully because of who we are. We're a long way from that...but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

...and not everyone will make this long journey with us. Hell, I might get fired or life might take me in an unforeseen direction that does not allow me to finish what I've started here. You never know. I just want everyone on our staff and all of our members to understand that whether they are here for one year or ten, that they are leaving their mark on the corps...their unique finger print...and they will never be forgotten.

That's one of the things that makes drum corps special...you never have to stop, or you can stop any time you want. It can be a hobby for one summer, or it can weave itself into the very fabric of what makes you YOU. For me, it's most definitely the latter...but I'd never begrudge someone for choosing the former.

The members of Fusion are still quite an enigma to me, as I'm sure that I am to them. The vibe is quite different than what I'm used to, but that's not a bad thing. I'm just still trying to feel it out and get comfortable with my new surroundings. Most of them have been welcoming and hospitable. Most of them, actually, are awesome...completely awesome people who want to be the best at what they do. I love that.

There are some, however, who have been somewhat less than welcoming. I figured there would be some backlash...new guy coming in trying to change everything. I get it. They don't want to sacrifice the family/fun atmosphere of Fusion for competition. I don't either. I don't think you have to make a choice. I don't think the two are mutually exclusive, necessarily.

I know plenty of corps that have a great time, but are a dirty bag on the field. I also know plenty of corps that work their asses off, win all kinds of awards, and hardly anyone enjoys themselves. I think there is an impression out there that that's what I'm about...beating the corps until they're good and hoping that they find their fun in the blood, sweat, tears, and frustration of a drum corps season.

Definitely not. Of course, there is a sadistic side to drum corps. Why would we do this, otherwise? Why would we choose to spend all of our summer weekends and all of our money getting yelled at, marching on blacktop in 100 degree heat, marching in the pouring rain, wearing long sleeved/long pants uniforms in the summer (who's idea was that anyway???), and all the other nonsense that comes along with doing drum corps?

You have to be sick! Don't you? Yes...you have to be a little off in the ol' mental department. But, that's fine! That's where you get a lot of the joy of the activity...that's why the PAYOFF of having a great performance means so damn much! That's why grown men and women cry finals weekend. You face all the ridiculous adversity not as an individual, but as one of many...you face it together, and it's through the shared experience of all of the above that lifelong friendships are born. After all...if you can make it through a summer of drum corps together, can't you make it through anything?

...but I'm delusional enough to think that this is what it's all about. It's not. There is a social and fun side to drum corps and I want that for Fusion. I want them to hang out after rehearsals and have fun...get to know each other...do ridiculous things and laugh for hours about something that normally wouldn't be all that funny. I want that for them AND for myself.

But to me...in my mind...all that is magnified and becomes more fun when you're good. You could join a local community group and make friends to be yourself around. You can experience that in drum corps, but you don't need drum corps to experience that.

What you do need drum corps for is to enhance those experiences through hard work, and all of the "nonsense" of drum corps I listed above. Being good is fun. Having a killer show that kicks your ass until you kick its ass back is fun. Standing at parade rest in a parking lot in the blazing heat is FUN. Why? Because in drum corps, unlike many other sports and activities, you get out what you put in. Drum corps changes your life and enhances your friendships. The people you normally wouldn't hang out with become your brothers and sisters because of what you go through together, and what you collectively sacrifice for the greater good of the group. That's how you learn to bleed the colors of your corps.

I understand this because I've been doing it forever. Many of the people in this corps have not, and are learning. That's cool. I love watching someone "get it". I love watching people's lives change because of drum corps. You can see it. Sometimes it's progressive...sometimes it's an "epiphany moment". I've seen it a hundred times...when drum corps finally creeps into your blood. You can deny it, but it's there.

I love my job with Fusion. I love every member, whether or not they love me yet...because I know what they're sacrificing to be there. I love them for that. I respect them for that. The same thing goes with the staff. We're a second year Class A corps. There's no money in drum corps. I'm sorry to break it to you aspiring techs and caption heads out there. You have to be the luckiest son of a bitch alive to make any real money doing this. What I get paid this year won't even cover a third of what I'm going to spend...so I can imagine what everyone else is dealing with. God bless all of them...the entire corps...and all the corps. God bless everyone who makes sacrifices for the good of the corps. Drum corps is the ultimate team sport...and everyone from the director to the support staff person filling up a water jug sacrifices more than they ever should have to.

Why do they do it? Because nothing is like drum corps. Music is a language without words...the greatest of all art forms for its divine ability to convey emotions without words...to make you feel. Combine that with dance (guard), hand drawing (drill writing), and the intense intellectual side of drum corps...talk about living on the edge! There's so much thought, passion, and energy that goes into every single second of every single production...

...or at least there should be.

I don't think it's about the competition. It's about the art...the truly unique art of drum corps...a visual and musical masterpiece produced by many acting as one for those 10 minutes. When it works, sure...you have the competitive success...but you can't control that.

If we all strive to be the best in the world at what we do, imagine what we could create on that football field.

That's what I hope for Fusion. I hope that they will strive to be the best in the world at what they do...scores be damned. I look forward to every moment in that parking lot, and I hope that they get the payoff they deserve. If they continue to sacrifice as they have been...and if they just trust in the process and the program...what an amazing summer we are going to have!