We had our first design meeting of the year this past Sunday at the old American Legion Post in Harrison, NJ. Most of us were there, and it was a lot of fun.
The Legion was home to many a Bushwacker party back in the early years. The corps partied there after their first show ever...and again after they won their first world championship in 1986. Apparently it became quite the hangout for not only Bushwackers, but members of other area corps as well. I've been there a few times...twice for design meetings, and a few times for drum line rehearsals back when I was drum major. I love the place and would LOVE to hang out there in the future. Hopefully we can do that.
Harrison itself was home to the corps for many years. All 6 DCA World Championships were won when the corps was from Harrison. We used to rehearse in this random parking lot..."TriChem" as it was affectionately known. No one ever went back there except Bushwackers, the folks that worked there (although we rarely saw them), and probably the kind of folks you'd see on the Sopranos. Cops came back only to make sure we were okay or to have a burger with us. It was great to be able to work your butt off all day and then hang out afterwards and blow off steam. I feel strongly that this is a big deal for us "weekend warriors"...and it's something we NEED to get back to at the Bushwackers. We have to find a way.
I just felt that it was appropriate for us to have our first meeting of the year in Harrison. I would love to find a way to re-locate the corps to Harrison once again. In a lot of ways, we need to get back to our roots...to the core of what we really are as the Bushwackers. Sure, there are aspects of the corps that had to change with the times, and our move to Ridgefield Park was absolutely necessary when it happened...but there is definitely something that has been missing these past few years. Maybe it has nothing to do with the location of the corps...but I think it has something to do with what goes on around rehearsals, not necessarily in them. We're still the same hard working, butt kicking corps we always were, but we're missing that hang out time. The fun stuff that adds that special layer to the season.
It wasn't the corps that provided the time or the resources for the fun times...it was the members who made it happen. We still do, but it was easier in Harrison because once rehearsal ended, we just opened up the coolers, fired up the grills, and blasted the music for hours. We couldn't do that in Ridgefield Park.
ANYWAY...the meeting went well. We have a definite direction for the show. We didn't talk too much about specific music, just about the direction we need to go, the theme of the show, the structure and storyboard...all that stuff. So, now we have a wire frame for the show, and it's up to all of us to start laying the bricks and working out all the details.
I'm very excited about the show and the direction we're going. Last year's "Gypsodic" program was quite popular. Lots of folks who don't necessarily normally like the Bushwackers were intrigued and entertained by the program. Expect another show out of us like that. Not from a theme standpoint, but from an approach standpoint.
Expect music with a flair for the dramatic. Expect a color guard that will take your breath away. Expect another drum line that makes your jaw hit the floor, and expect a larger, louder, aggressive Bushwackers Brass Line. It's going to be cool!
This weekend we have another fall brass clinic in Ridgefield Park. We'll be playing through a bunch of music and just having a good time. Hopefully we get a bunch of folks, but the REALLY important date is November 30th. That's our Open House and First Rehearsal of 2009!!! Everyone is invited, regardless of what you play, how long you've been playing it, where you've marched before, etc.
I have heard from people in the past that they have wanted to try out for the Bushwackers...but don't think that they'd make the line. They've gone elsewhere or just didn't march at all because of the fear of being cut from the corps. Of course, I know this is absolutely ridiculous because I've been around and have seen people who have never done anything like this go on to become major contributors. I also know that there are no "cuts" in the Bushwackers. Yes, that's correct...no cuts.
"Well, how the heck does that work?"
It works like this: it's our philosophy that the people who want to be Bushwackers will be Bushwackers. The people who don't have the desire and who aren't willing to do the work will cut themselves, and they almost always do.
I am a saxophone player. I marched baritone and soprano with the corps and was a drum major for 9 years. Now I'm the brass caption head! I have not only learned how to play brass, but more importantly I've learned how to teach it effectively.
The Bushwackers TEACH. At the same time, we don't shy away from writing challenging programs...shows that challenge even the most seasoned drum corps veteran. We've learned that if you set the bar high, and you educate and inspire your members...that they'll reach the bar you set more often than not. Will it always be pretty? Nope...especially early on in the winter and spring. BUT, what you have at the end is a killer show being performed at very high level by people who WANT TO BE BUSHWACKERS. That is the most important thing of all...and it's what makes the corps very special.
We've had drummers and guard members play brass instruments, and still win High Brass at finals. We've had 14 year old rookies who can barely keep their feet in time when they come to us go on to win world championships.
Make no mistake about it...The Bushwackers are dedicated each and every year to putting out a show and a corps capable of winning a DCA World Championship. We have an intense competitive spirit that drives us and helps fuel our performances. We mean business.
...but we will do it with the people who want to be here, regardless of their ability level or experience when they walk through the doors for the first time. If you do the work, take it seriously, and keep coming back for more...YOU can be a Bushwacker.
That's the deal, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
So, there are no auditions for my brass line. You won't have to perform solo pieces or sight read or play scales. All you have to do is walk through the doors at a rehearsal and jump in the line. After that, do what the staff and myself ask you to do and practice at home. Next thing you know you'll be taking the field at the DCA Championships saying "Wow...how did I get here!"
If you're a DCI age out, a trained musician, or someone with some serious chops...don't think that this is band camp here and we coddle people. That's not the way it is either. You'll get better too...and you'll have a great drum corps experience. We've worked hard to find that balance between educating and challenging our members...and it works. The results speak for themselves.
All of you are welcome, and I hope to see you on November 30th. If you're interested, email me or send me a message through here. More information is on our website at www.bushwackers.org. There's a big poster on the main page with all the info...click on that poster and it'll take you to the directions.
More to come soon enough!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
I'm baaaaaaack...
...in more ways than just one.
#1, the blog is back. I haven't posted much of anything this summer, and that's for a lot of reasons. The main thing is that I was up to my eyeballs in responsibilities and other things going on. For one, I was running the program side of a corps in the hunt for a DCA Class A World Championship. On top of that, I was helping to plan my wedding, I had 7 bands to write for this year, two bands to coordinate programs for, band camps, etc, etc. It's been wild.
So, to catch you up in chronological order...
Fusion: My summer with Fusion ended with a 2nd place finish at the DCA World Championships in Rochester, NY. In only the corps' second season ever, Fusion placed 2nd in Class A by just tenths of a point and won the following captions: brass, visual, and colorguard. A lot of the percussionists blamed themselves for coming in 2nd, but really it was losing GE that did us in. The fact was, Alliance was a damn good corps and either one of us could have walked away with the big prize that night. It just so happened it was them. We made it close and had a great ride...that's all that really matters.
Finals weekend was a spectacular weekend of drum corps for us. We had our best attended, most focused, most productive rehearsals of the year...at the right time. It was a good way to end a great season. I couldn't be happier for the members or prouder of their accomplishments. The members of the corps are absolutely amazing and deserve the best drum corps experience available. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for welcoming me, listening to me, and believing in the program. I told them it would be rough at times. I told them to believe and to work and that everything else would fall into place. It did. They did what it took to be one of the best corps on the field that night...one of the best in the world at what they do. Bravo.
Off the field, it was a frustrating, sometimes fun, awkward time. There was a lot of talking...mostly TO me. A lot of conflicting feelings and emotions. There was a lot going on in my brain because with the end of one season comes the beginning of another...and I had not yet made up my mind whether I was going to be a part of another season with Fusion.
This was nobody's fault. I have no ill feelings towards the Fusion organization, the administration, the members at all. I don't hate the color purple, think the name is silly, or anything like that. I didn't get in a fight with the director or make ultimatums, or had ultimatums imposed on me...except one...that I make my decision on whether or not to return before my wedding. I wanted to wait until afterwards so that I had time to decompress and to think clearly without all of the emotions that finals weekend brings. That was not going to be possible, and so I made the decision to not return for 2009. I offered to write the show and was taken up on my offer...then later asked to not write at all.
I don't blame them for wanting a quick decision, but it was not something I was prepared to do at the time. I had a rough year...getting laid off twice, a wedding 2 weeks after finals...there was just too much going on at that moment for me to make a promise and a decision that would effect not just myself but my new wife, all the members of the corps, my family, etc.
Regardless, the end result is the end result and that's just the way it is. I enjoyed working with my friends again: JR, Al, Genny, Jess, Simon...etc. I made a lot of new friends in the process, including some of the staff I inherrited when I took the job. Hopefully we can all remain close and/or work together in some capacity somewhere someday again. Who knows. It was fun while it lasted.
Wedding: On September 13th I married Dena Berry (now Dena Kilian) in Dillsburg, PA with about 110 family and friends. It was a stressful time leading up to the wedding, but the day couldn't have gone off any better. She was beautiful (pictures to come), our families behaved, and nothing blew up.
We flew to Disney World the following evening, and had a blast. What a great spot for a honeymoon! She had never been there, and I hadn't been there since I was in high school. There is PLENTY to occupy and entertain adults down there! We made our dining part of the experience as well and ate at some incredible establishments such as Citricos and Wolfgang Puck's. Unreal food every night. Great times. Downtown Disney is awesome.
Bushwackers: Jay Morlot, director of the Bushwackers, contacted me after finals and we talked about me coming on board as the brass caption head for 2009. Apparently, Joe Exley was looking to take a step back and spend more time with his family and/or look into other options and situations as an instructor. Joe had asked me a couple times during the summer to come back in 09 and help or take his job or whatever...so I knew that the interest was there. I hadn't really given it any thought because I was happy with my situation at Fusion and wasn't really considering leaving until faced with the decision the day after finals.
I agreed, and once I came back from my honeymoon I set about the business of putting together a staff, organizing the caption, getting my arms around the recruiting and technology situations with the drum corps, etc, etc. There was/is a lot of work to be done to help get this brass program back to the top.
I'm excited to be back with the Bushwackers. I mean...I spent 12 years here. I was the drum major for 9. I put everything I had into the Bushwackers for a long, long time...so of course I'm elated to be back so I can help continue to build this thing again. I'm excited to work with the kind of people we have on the staff and on the design team. I'm excited about the opportunity to come "home" and take the reigns of a top teir brass program that is only 2 years removed from winning the caption at finals. BUT, there's no time to be excited or to bask in the wonderfulness of it all. I have a lot of freakin' work to do.
Last season, the Bushwackers had less brass players than we had at Fusion for most of the year. It didn't end up that way by finals, but that's a frustrating way to spend your season. I want to overcome that. There's no reason why the Bushwackers can't be full earlier. There's no reason why, out of the hundreds of thousands of brass players in the world, we can't find 45 of them to march Bush...
...but it takes determination and a lot of hard work. I have to convince the brass playing world that the Bushwackers is where they should be in 2009. I'm not sure how I'm going to do that...but I have to.
What I'm hoping is that those who have worked with me, marched for me, or marched with me in the past will see me in this position and decide to come check it out and give me a chance. I have been a program coordinator before, and I've done the arranging thing now...but I have not been a brass caption head. I've learned from some spectacular instructors, and I have a lot of great ideas myself. I've also hired two guys with a ton of knowledge and we have one of the best brass arrangers in the business. There are a lot of reasons why everyone should want to come check this out.
If for no other reason, just the fact that it's a young, yet experienced, hungry, competitive, fun staff should be enough for people to want to hang out and do the Bush thing. I hope they do.
It's going to be a very organized effort on our part...and a TEAM effort. This isn't high school band. I'm not here to yell at people all the time and hold their hands as we go through things...no. This is about me doing my job, the staff doing theirs, and the members doing theirs. If we all understand our roles and responsibilities...and we execute...there is no reason why, with the program we'll have in place, that we can't again be one of the (if not THE) best in the activity.
There's no magic potion. There's no drum corps fairy dust. Do your job. Believe in the program. Execute. Love what you do and put that into your performance.
Done.
If you're reading this and not currently betrothed to another corps for 2009 (which technically, almost none of you are because there haven't been any rehearsals yet really)...I hope you come check us out.
Band: Since coming back from the honeymoon, it's been band all the time. Both Ryan's and Penns Grove's shows are complete and both bands took home victories this past weekend. We're having some weird judging things going on that I won't go into here, but it's fun to see all the kids starting to have a good time. October is when band really starts becoming more fun than work...and I think they're starting to get that. I've enjoyed working with both programs. We'll see what next year brings, but I thinkn it might be time for me to try my hand at judging during the fall and opening up my schedule for more arranging. We'll see how that goes. In the meantime, I'm still having fun most of the time teaching, and it's especially fun this year to hear two groups every week playing my arrangements and to watch one of those groups marching my first ever drill. Good stuff.
So...that's where we're at. I have a design meeting this weekend for the Bushwackers. The goal is to put together a blueprint for the 2009 show. There are a lot of cool and crazy ideas. A lot of people liked the Bushwackers last year. It was different, entertaining, hard, but accessible...fun stuff. This year, if we go down the road we're headed right now, will make last year pale in comparison. It's going to be very cool, very eclectic, and very cool. As usual, you just can't pin us down when it comes to style...but SUBSTANCE, you can always expect the best.
It's the offseason now, and there's not a whole lot going on in the drum corps world except behind the scenes stuff (which I'll share a bit of with you)until our open house on November 30th. Until next time, feel free to comment or email me at bushbrass@gmail.com Thanks for reading!
#1, the blog is back. I haven't posted much of anything this summer, and that's for a lot of reasons. The main thing is that I was up to my eyeballs in responsibilities and other things going on. For one, I was running the program side of a corps in the hunt for a DCA Class A World Championship. On top of that, I was helping to plan my wedding, I had 7 bands to write for this year, two bands to coordinate programs for, band camps, etc, etc. It's been wild.
So, to catch you up in chronological order...
Fusion: My summer with Fusion ended with a 2nd place finish at the DCA World Championships in Rochester, NY. In only the corps' second season ever, Fusion placed 2nd in Class A by just tenths of a point and won the following captions: brass, visual, and colorguard. A lot of the percussionists blamed themselves for coming in 2nd, but really it was losing GE that did us in. The fact was, Alliance was a damn good corps and either one of us could have walked away with the big prize that night. It just so happened it was them. We made it close and had a great ride...that's all that really matters.
Finals weekend was a spectacular weekend of drum corps for us. We had our best attended, most focused, most productive rehearsals of the year...at the right time. It was a good way to end a great season. I couldn't be happier for the members or prouder of their accomplishments. The members of the corps are absolutely amazing and deserve the best drum corps experience available. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for welcoming me, listening to me, and believing in the program. I told them it would be rough at times. I told them to believe and to work and that everything else would fall into place. It did. They did what it took to be one of the best corps on the field that night...one of the best in the world at what they do. Bravo.
Off the field, it was a frustrating, sometimes fun, awkward time. There was a lot of talking...mostly TO me. A lot of conflicting feelings and emotions. There was a lot going on in my brain because with the end of one season comes the beginning of another...and I had not yet made up my mind whether I was going to be a part of another season with Fusion.
This was nobody's fault. I have no ill feelings towards the Fusion organization, the administration, the members at all. I don't hate the color purple, think the name is silly, or anything like that. I didn't get in a fight with the director or make ultimatums, or had ultimatums imposed on me...except one...that I make my decision on whether or not to return before my wedding. I wanted to wait until afterwards so that I had time to decompress and to think clearly without all of the emotions that finals weekend brings. That was not going to be possible, and so I made the decision to not return for 2009. I offered to write the show and was taken up on my offer...then later asked to not write at all.
I don't blame them for wanting a quick decision, but it was not something I was prepared to do at the time. I had a rough year...getting laid off twice, a wedding 2 weeks after finals...there was just too much going on at that moment for me to make a promise and a decision that would effect not just myself but my new wife, all the members of the corps, my family, etc.
Regardless, the end result is the end result and that's just the way it is. I enjoyed working with my friends again: JR, Al, Genny, Jess, Simon...etc. I made a lot of new friends in the process, including some of the staff I inherrited when I took the job. Hopefully we can all remain close and/or work together in some capacity somewhere someday again. Who knows. It was fun while it lasted.
Wedding: On September 13th I married Dena Berry (now Dena Kilian) in Dillsburg, PA with about 110 family and friends. It was a stressful time leading up to the wedding, but the day couldn't have gone off any better. She was beautiful (pictures to come), our families behaved, and nothing blew up.
We flew to Disney World the following evening, and had a blast. What a great spot for a honeymoon! She had never been there, and I hadn't been there since I was in high school. There is PLENTY to occupy and entertain adults down there! We made our dining part of the experience as well and ate at some incredible establishments such as Citricos and Wolfgang Puck's. Unreal food every night. Great times. Downtown Disney is awesome.
Bushwackers: Jay Morlot, director of the Bushwackers, contacted me after finals and we talked about me coming on board as the brass caption head for 2009. Apparently, Joe Exley was looking to take a step back and spend more time with his family and/or look into other options and situations as an instructor. Joe had asked me a couple times during the summer to come back in 09 and help or take his job or whatever...so I knew that the interest was there. I hadn't really given it any thought because I was happy with my situation at Fusion and wasn't really considering leaving until faced with the decision the day after finals.
I agreed, and once I came back from my honeymoon I set about the business of putting together a staff, organizing the caption, getting my arms around the recruiting and technology situations with the drum corps, etc, etc. There was/is a lot of work to be done to help get this brass program back to the top.
I'm excited to be back with the Bushwackers. I mean...I spent 12 years here. I was the drum major for 9. I put everything I had into the Bushwackers for a long, long time...so of course I'm elated to be back so I can help continue to build this thing again. I'm excited to work with the kind of people we have on the staff and on the design team. I'm excited about the opportunity to come "home" and take the reigns of a top teir brass program that is only 2 years removed from winning the caption at finals. BUT, there's no time to be excited or to bask in the wonderfulness of it all. I have a lot of freakin' work to do.
Last season, the Bushwackers had less brass players than we had at Fusion for most of the year. It didn't end up that way by finals, but that's a frustrating way to spend your season. I want to overcome that. There's no reason why the Bushwackers can't be full earlier. There's no reason why, out of the hundreds of thousands of brass players in the world, we can't find 45 of them to march Bush...
...but it takes determination and a lot of hard work. I have to convince the brass playing world that the Bushwackers is where they should be in 2009. I'm not sure how I'm going to do that...but I have to.
What I'm hoping is that those who have worked with me, marched for me, or marched with me in the past will see me in this position and decide to come check it out and give me a chance. I have been a program coordinator before, and I've done the arranging thing now...but I have not been a brass caption head. I've learned from some spectacular instructors, and I have a lot of great ideas myself. I've also hired two guys with a ton of knowledge and we have one of the best brass arrangers in the business. There are a lot of reasons why everyone should want to come check this out.
If for no other reason, just the fact that it's a young, yet experienced, hungry, competitive, fun staff should be enough for people to want to hang out and do the Bush thing. I hope they do.
It's going to be a very organized effort on our part...and a TEAM effort. This isn't high school band. I'm not here to yell at people all the time and hold their hands as we go through things...no. This is about me doing my job, the staff doing theirs, and the members doing theirs. If we all understand our roles and responsibilities...and we execute...there is no reason why, with the program we'll have in place, that we can't again be one of the (if not THE) best in the activity.
There's no magic potion. There's no drum corps fairy dust. Do your job. Believe in the program. Execute. Love what you do and put that into your performance.
Done.
If you're reading this and not currently betrothed to another corps for 2009 (which technically, almost none of you are because there haven't been any rehearsals yet really)...I hope you come check us out.
Band: Since coming back from the honeymoon, it's been band all the time. Both Ryan's and Penns Grove's shows are complete and both bands took home victories this past weekend. We're having some weird judging things going on that I won't go into here, but it's fun to see all the kids starting to have a good time. October is when band really starts becoming more fun than work...and I think they're starting to get that. I've enjoyed working with both programs. We'll see what next year brings, but I thinkn it might be time for me to try my hand at judging during the fall and opening up my schedule for more arranging. We'll see how that goes. In the meantime, I'm still having fun most of the time teaching, and it's especially fun this year to hear two groups every week playing my arrangements and to watch one of those groups marching my first ever drill. Good stuff.
So...that's where we're at. I have a design meeting this weekend for the Bushwackers. The goal is to put together a blueprint for the 2009 show. There are a lot of cool and crazy ideas. A lot of people liked the Bushwackers last year. It was different, entertaining, hard, but accessible...fun stuff. This year, if we go down the road we're headed right now, will make last year pale in comparison. It's going to be very cool, very eclectic, and very cool. As usual, you just can't pin us down when it comes to style...but SUBSTANCE, you can always expect the best.
It's the offseason now, and there's not a whole lot going on in the drum corps world except behind the scenes stuff (which I'll share a bit of with you)until our open house on November 30th. Until next time, feel free to comment or email me at bushbrass@gmail.com Thanks for reading!
Friday, October 10, 2008
more soon...
Stay tuned. This blog lives...I just haven't posted in a while.
Lots of new updates and news to come.
Lots of new updates and news to come.
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