wgi 2013 winter focus
DESCRIPTION
The 2013 Winter issue of WGI's FOCUS magazine. Read In-depth articles on our Blessed Sacrament spot-light and more educational resources.TRANSCRIPT
winter 2013 focusfocusfocusfocusfocusfocusfocusfocusfocusFINDING YOUR BALANCE IN REHEARSAL
10 REASONSYOU SHOULD BE IN DAYTON
THIS SPRING
MORE ELITE
EVENTS IN 2013
ALL IN THE FAMILY:
WGI’S DEVOTED PARENTS
Stays on the Edge
BlessedSacrament
focusfocusfocusthe offi cial news of wgi sport of the arts
Stays on the EdgeStays on the Edge
BlessedBlessedSacrament
Stays on the EdgeStays on the EdgeStays on the EdgeSacrament
BlessedBlessedBlessedBlessedSacrament
BlessedBlessedBlessedSacrament
BlessedSacrament
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www.wgi.org WGI FOCUS 5
INSIDE7 ENSEMBLENew smartphone and tablet apps for a new season ... The debut of one WGI sponsor and the return of another ... Indoor marching fans get to share the excitement on Pinterest and Instagram ... Spinfest!! and Drumfest!! reports from the road ... What Fan Network viewers watched most in 2012 ... Walled Lake Central director Nick Pourcho profi led ... and much more!
14 CLOSE-UPBlessed Sacrament has been a force in the color guard world for decades, and that defi nitely isn’t because they followed a formula.
16 SPOTLIGHTThe schedule and range of WGI’s Elite Events are expanding in 2013.
20 DON’T MISS DAYTON!It won’t be long until April —here are our top 10 reasons why you need to make plans now for a trip to the WGI World Championships.
25 WHATEVER IT TAKESFrom cooking to carpentry, from sewing fl ags and uniforms to driving group buses, the parents of WGI performers do it all, and the activity is immeasurably better for it.
28 CLINICWe all know that good technique is a crucial part of performance, but how can you focus on it when you’ve got a whole show to rehearse?
30 SCHOLARSHIPNorthglenn High School’s Taylor Marvin credits
WGI with giving him invaluable experience and offering important life lessons.
34 WHAT’S YOUR WGIQ?See if you can fi nd the differences between two seemingly identical photographs of Music City Mystique.
The chest that Norwin HS guard
members are leaning on in this picture was built by one of their parents.
focusthe offi cial news of wgi sport of the artswgi
WINTER 2013 Volume 27, Issue 1
Winter Guard International
Ron NankervisExecutive Director
Bart WoodleyDirector of Operations
Aaron JenkinsMarketing &
Communications Manager
Published By:In Tune Partners, LLC
Irwin KornfeldCEO
Will EdwardsPresident
Angelo BiasiPublisher
Mac RandallEditor-in-ChiefJackie Jordan
Creative DirectorRobin Garber
Production DirectorBarbara BoughtonBusiness Manager
Contributing Writers:Michael Boo, Debbie Galante Block,
Cathy Applefeld Olson, Michael Reed, Ken SchlagerPhotography:
Adam Alonzo, Jolesch Photography, Christine Rivard, Dan Scafi di,
SFWGA, Linda Unser, Sid Unser
WGI FOCUS is an educational publication of WGI Sport of the Arts. Its purpose is to broaden communication within the family of color guards and percussion ensembles. FOCUS is published
three times per year.
WGI FOCUS is a free publication with a circulation of 14,000 copies and 12,000 online viewers. All members of the WGI family may
submit articles for consideration. WGI reserves the right to edit all submitted material.
If your address has changed, please notify the WGI offi ce. Failure to do this could result in the loss of your WGI FOCUS subscription. We don’t
want to lose touch with you!
For advertising information please contact Aaron Jenkins; phone: 937-247-5919;
email: [email protected]
WINTER GUARD INTERNATIONAL2405 Crosspointe Drive
Dayton, OH 45342937-247-5919
offi [email protected] www.wgi.org
28
Trumbull HS
25
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NEWS FROM THE FLOOR AND MORE
www.wgi.org WGI FOCUS 7
The 2013 season is nearly here, and for indoor marching performers around the world, the rehearsal process is about to get a lot more intense. What’s a good way to give yourself a break while still honing the kinds of skills that you’ll be demonstrating in front of event judges? Look no further than the smartphone and tablet apps that are tak-ing the activity by storm.
COLOR GUARDFor color guard members, taking William McCune’s free Rifl e Toss app for a spin is sure to amuse. This
game allows you to toss a virtual rifl e with the fl ick of a fi nger, then tells you if the toss was good enough to be caught. It’s debatable whether this will improve your actual tossing technique, but it may lead you to think
about it from a new perspec-tive. At press time, the app was only available on Android phones, but an iOS-compati-ble version has existed in the recent past and should be available again soon. Go to rifl etoss.crabapple.us for more details.
PERCUSSIONFor percussionists, the iDrumTune and Backbeat-er apps for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad offer prac-tical services. The former is touted as the fi rst system to help with drum tuning by analyzing sound; if you hold your device over the center of a drum while striking it, the app will tell you which fre-quencies are most prominent
and relate them to musical notes. The latter is a tem-po-monitoring app that “listens” to your playing and lets you know whether you’re—so to speak—up to speed. Visit idrumtune.com and backbeater.com to fi nd out more.
TIME TO SHARE WITH PINTEREST AND INSTAGRAM As the new season nears, WGI’s online presence keeps growing. Now, besides our offi cial Facebook and Twitter pages, you can share pictures, stories, and links with other fans on Pinterest and Instagram. Go to pinterest.com/wgipins or instagram.com/wgisportof thearts.
GENERAL INTERESTWith the Coach’s Eye app, you can record or import a vid-eo of any activity on your iOS or Android device and ana-lyze it in slow motion, calling out specifi c areas with lines and shapes. Great for directors and performers alike, the app can be used for in-person review or for sharing both original and analysis videos through email, text, Face-book, Twitter, and more. You can fi nd further information at coachseye.com.
If you’re an ensemble director, you’re already familiar with CompetitionSuite, the website that provides scores, recaps, and judges’ comments for competitive events like the WGI World Championships. We’ve recently heard that the service will be debuting a mobile app soon (offering only commentary). Find out more at competitionsuite.com.
Last but certainly not least is WGI’s own app, which al-lows you to access schedules and info for all WGI events, see scores as they’re posted, read the latest headlines from wgi.org, watch your favorite videos, and much more. This download for iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Android users is available on iTunes and the Droid Market for free, so there’s no excuse not to pick it up. Good luck in 2013!
7Backbeater
1Rifl e Toss
MARCHING APPS OFFER SEASON’S GREETINGS
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www.wgi.org 8 WGI FOCUS
Early December 2012 saw the continuation of WGI’s popular touring color guard and percussion education programs. On the fi rst of the month, Drumfest!! on Tour touched down at Arizona State University in Tempe. Among the day’s clinicians were Roger Carter, percussion caption head for the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps; Sean Gordon, front ensemble instructor for Ayala High School; Tony Nunez, percussion arranger and visual designer for South Hills High School; and Kevin Shah,
front ensemble arranger and music designer for Arcadia High School.
The very next day (December 2), Spinfest!! on Tour came to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For this event, which took place at Santa-luces High School in Lantana, the clinicians were designer/choreog-raphers Mykail Costner and Michael Raiford, who are probably best known for their work over the years with fi ve-time IW champion Fanta-sia but whose credits also include James Logan High School, Santa Clara Vanguard, Odyssey Winter
Guard, and The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps.Spinfest!! and Drumfest!! events combine state-of-
the-art classes by acclaimed clinicians with a defi nitive presentation of adjudication philosophy—the same information given to WGI judges in their training for the 2013 season. All sessions are geared especially toward the A and Open classes but are appropriate for any instructor or judge.
Another WGI Fan Network subscription year has come to a close, and the results are in: The most-watched performance video from the WGI archives in 2012 was Santa Clara Van-guard’s “The Kiss” from 2009. Pride of Cincinnati’s 2010 “Summer of Love” and Fantasia’s 2008 “The White Table: A Refl ection on Youth” took the silver and bronze medals (fi gura-tively speaking), while two more shows from 2010—Rhythm X’s “Inspired” and Onyx’s “Sleeping Giant”—rounded out the top fi ve. Now it’s time to start a new subscription season, so if you’d like to have access to more than 30 years’ worth of great WGI performances, head on over to wgi.thefannetwork.org.
Get Your Custom-Designed Flags in a FlashThis is the time of year when guards need fl ags fast, and McCormick’s is ready to help. As has been the case for over 40 years, the company designs and sews a complete line of fl ags for indoor and outdoor marching perfor-mances. What those fl ags look like is entirely up to you, whether you’re us-ing the company’s online Virtual Designer tool, Designer’s Color Kit, or in-house design ser-vice. The McCormick’s staff also realizes that delivery time is of the essence, which is why they’ve expanded their sewing department to offer customers a special “fl ags in two weeks” deal. In short, they guarantee that your order, no mat-ter how complex, will be completed within two weeks. Go to mccormicksnet.com for more information.
Keyboard Mallets Put Weight in the Right Place
Sandi Rennick—accomplished marim-bist, original cast member of Blast!, and currently front ensemble arranger for
six-time DCI world champion Santa Clara Vanguard—now has her name on a new line
of mallets manufactured by Innovative Per-cussion. Available in four varieties (wrapped
xylophone and soft, medium, and hard marim-ba), these mallets feature uniquely weighted syn-thetic cores that produce a more focused sound and put more weight in the player’s hands. This allows instruments to “speak” quickly, a special boon for those working with an amplifi ed key-board section. The mallets have birch handles with a matte fi nish for improved gripping, and are wrapped with a synthetic yarn durable enough to withstand everyday performance challenges. For more details, go to innovativepercussion.com.
THE FAN NETWORK 2012: WHAT YOU WATCHED
Keyboard Mallets Put Weight in the
ba), these mallets feature uniquely weighted syn-thetic cores that produce a more focused sound and put more weight in the player’s hands. This allows instruments to “speak” quickly, a special boon for those working with an amplifi ed key-board section. The mallets have birch handles with a matte fi nish for improved gripping, and are wrapped with a synthetic yarn durable enough to withstand everyday performance challenges. For more details, go to
ba), these mallets feature uniquely weighted syn-thetic cores that produce a more focused sound and put more weight in the player’s hands. This
board section. The mallets have birch handles with a matte fi nish for improved gripping, and are wrapped with a synthetic yarn durable enough to withstand everyday performance challenges. For more details, go to
designer for Arcadia High School.The very next day (December
event, which took place at Santa-luces High School in Lantana, the clinicians were designer/choreog-raphers Mykail Costner and Michael
known for their work over the years
Right Place Sandi Rennick—accomplished marim-
Vanguard—now has her name on a new line of mallets manufactured by Innovative Per-
cussion. Available in four varieties (wrapped xylophone and soft, medium, and hard marim-cussion. Available in four varieties (wrapped
xylophone and soft, medium, and hard marim-xylophone and soft, medium, and hard marim-ba), these mallets feature uniquely weighted syn-xylophone and soft, medium, and hard marim-
ba), these mallets feature uniquely weighted syn-thetic cores that produce a more focused sound
the-art classes by acclaimed clinicians with a defi nitive
toward the A and Open classes but are appropriate
THE ROAD CONTINUES FOR SPINFEST!! AND DRUMFEST!!
Santa Clara Vanguard’s “The Kiss”
This photo and below: Participants in the Ft. Lauderdale Spinfest!!
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Thank You to Our Partners and SponsorsPresenting Sponsors Corporate Partners
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the best
play the bestBlue Devils – DCi WorlD Class Champion, high perCussion
Blue Devils B – DCi open Class high perCussion
oregon CrusaDers – DCi open Class Champion
Evans and ProMark are registered trademarks or trademarks of D’Addario & Company, Inc. or its affiliates in the US and/or other countries. © 2012 D’Addario & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
WGI_Temp.indd 1 1/4/13 3:04 PM
Although Nick Pourcho has long been a talented percussionist—he was a member of DCI’s Cavaliers in their 2001 championship season—he has never marched in an indoor ensemble. But he’s certainly made up for that lack of direct experience in the past decade or so as director of the Walled Lake Central High School drumline and program coordina-tor/front ensemble arranger for North Coast Academy. At the 2012 WGI World Championships, both groups won the Fans’ Favorite awards in their respective classes, a testament to Pourcho’s teaching philosophy. As he puts it, “I’m entirely a ‘music to create people’ teacher, not a ‘people to create music’ teacher.”
How he balances his various responsibilities: Hon-estly, it’s not too hard. It’s a matter of staying organized and keeping yourself healthy: sleep, exercise, etc. When you have those two things fi gured out, everything seems to fall into place pretty well.
The inside scoop on Walled Lake Central’s weekly leadership training meetings: We do a 30-minute lecture
at the beginning of every practice for both groups. These lectures are on a handful of topics with three main goals: 1) Teach members how to Be The Example in whatever they do. 2) Teach members how to eliminate their “poten-tial” and be great in whatever they do. 3) Help members become better human
beings so they can help others. How the meetings have changed
the group: The effect has been amazing. These are young adults who know how to take ownership for themselves better then most adults do. They’ve learned that
they can push their minds and bodies harder then most kids their
age. This is the biggest reason for the growth of the group—from 20 mem-
bers in our fi rst year to consistently around 60 every year.What makes him proudest about his groups: The fact
that the members leave here and are leaders in other things they do. That they are Being The Example.
A FEW WORDS WITH NICK POURCHO
Walled Lake Central 2012
North Coast Academy 2011
D R U M C O R P S I N T E R N A T I O N A L P R E S E N T SD R U M C O R P S I N T E R N A T I O N A L P R E S E N T S
2013 DRUM CORPS INTERNATIONAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS • AUGUST 5-10, 2013
For tickets, group rates & additional info, visit www.DCI.orgFor tickets, group rates & additional info, visit www.DCI.org
DCI 2013 Map WGI Focus (Dec 10).qxp:Layout 1 12/10/12 6:36 PM Page 1
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Tama DrumsOfficial Tama Drums@tama_USAOfficial Tama Drums USA tamamarching.com
Tama Marching Percussion is honored to have become the drum-of-choice for The United States Naval Academy Drum and Bugle Corps. "The Navy's Oldest and Finest," has been providing music for the Brigade of Midshipmen and surrounding community since 1852. Located at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the band is comprised of 68 professional, Navy musicians, who have studied at some of the best music schools and conservatories in the country, and who have extensive résumés in performance and teaching.
A Legendary Drumline Turns To Tama!
The Future in Marching Percussion
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www.wgi.org 14 WGI FOCUS
Close-Up
Veteran Guard Keeps Changing Its Game—and SucceedingBy Cathy Applefeld Olson
ome color guards have a formula for success. Then there’s Blessed Sacrament. “Our formula is having no formula,” says artistic director Dolores Zappala,
and she’s not kidding. Over more than 30 years of winter competition, the Cambridge, Mass.-based group affec-tionately known as “Sac” has hopscotched between the amped-up and the down-tempo.
In 1989 the group delivered one of the most memorable moments in World Championship history with an ethereal performance set to Gordon Lightfoot’s “If You Could Read My Mind.” The show earned a silver medal and opened a fl ood of like-minded selections across WGI.
“In some ways, 1989 became a for-mula for everyone else,” says Zappala. But rather than clinging to the aesthetic they’d established, Sac took a differ-ent tack with a series of high-energy shows, including 1994’s dazzling Elvis Costello-themed number. This year they’re putting a unique spin on k.d. lang’s haunting “Barefoot.”
Although the group is a consistent World Class fi nalist, medals are not their primary motivator. “If you base your success on compet-itive results, it will make you crazy,” director Ed Devlin explains. “And it gets in the way of developing different types of programs. If we win, we win. If we’re second, if we’re eighth, it doesn’t matter, as long as the kids have had a great process and journey.”
That razor-sharp focus on the quality of the partici-pants’ experience has defi ned Blessed Sacrament since
the organization’s nascent days back in the 1930s, when an all-female drill team formed as a summer activity in an urban neighborhood just outside Boston. The focus shifted to co-ed winter competition in the ’60s, and today Sac is a leading WGI force, drawing members from as far as New Jersey and Pennsylvania, who make the trek just to be part of the magic.
Given Blessed Sacrament’s deep roots in the commu-nity, it seems fi tting that the story of longtime directors Devlin and Zappala is closely intertwined with that of WGI
itself. Devlin is the current president of WGI’s Board of Directors, a post Zappala previously
held for a decade. Both celebrate the extension of the
WGI age limit, and the organization’s streamlined way of doing business
these days. Challenges include fi nancial strains and the tangled web of securing
music rights for shows. “I know legally why this has to happen, but it’s part of the rea-son everyone sounds the same,” Zappala says. “A couple years ago we were using a
Green Day song and did a Regional with it, then they came back and said no and we had
to change the whole thing.”What’s next for Blessed Sacrament? Although they
aren’t looking to make an exit any time soon, both Devlin and Zappala are aware that a passing of the baton is in-evitable. “We need to look at our organization for people who could step into our roles,” Devlin says. “It’s tough these days to get that level of involvement—but we have something special going on here.”
“If you base your success on competitive results, it will make you crazy.”
S
On the Move With
Blessed Sacrament
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F u e l y o u r
t o e x p l o r e , t o c r e a t e , t o p e r f o r m …
W i t h o v e r 4 0 y e a r s i n t h e a c t i v i t y ,
o u r l e a d i n g g u a r d d e s i g n e r s
s h a r e y o u r p a s s i o n a n d o f f e r g u a r d a c c e s s o r i e s
t h a t g i v e l i f e t o y o u r c r e a t i o n .
8 0 0 . 3 2 3 . 5 2 0 1w w w . M c C o r m i c k s G u a r d . c o mMcCormick’s Guard
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F u e l y o u r
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www.wgi.org
Spotlight
16 WGI FOCUS
magine an event that resembles the WGI World Championships—but with just a little smaller spot-light. That’s what the leadership of WGI had in mind
when they staged the fi rst fi ve Elite Events in 2011.“These events are designed to provide a competitive
experience that is as close as possible to World Cham-pionships,” says Dale Powers, WGI’s Director of Color Guard. That means color guard and percussion groups compete in an arena before championship judges.
This year, the Elite Events are expanding from six to eight events, starting the weekend of March 9-10 with the Mid South Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn. On the following weekend, March 16-17, the Mid East Champion-ship will take place in Cincinnati and the Southwestern event in Dallas. The blockbuster weekend of March 23-24 will bring Elite Events in Kingston, R.I. (Eastern Championship); Orlando (Southeastern); San Diego (Western); Bowling Green, Ky. (Mid South); and San Bernardino, Calif. (Western). The latter two contests are percussion championships.
The Kingston event at the University of Rhode Island’s 7,600-seat Ryan Center marks the return of the Eastern Championship, while the Chattanooga event at the Univer-sity of Tennessee’s McKenzie Arena, a 10,000-seater, is a new addition aimed at serving the Georgia/North Carolina area. “The Atlanta circuit has used this arena in the past so it is ‘color guard-friendly,’” Powers says. “Plus, the familiarity of the guards in that area with the facility made it a good opportunity.”
The largest of these two-day meets can attract as many as 75 groups in six different classes, with 2,000 spectators and 1,000 participants watching the fi nals. Some of the ensembles that go to Elite Events go to Day-ton too; others don’ t. “It’s almost always geographical,” Powers explains. “Many groups, due to budget consid-erations, don’t travel as much as guards did in the past. When it comes down to it, a guard has to decide if doing two local regionals is better competitively for them than traveling to one Elite Event.”
Powers expects the Elite Events to get even bigger in the future. “People see the value in exposing their mem-bers to 10 championship judges,” he says. “It really does
prepare them for championships if they are going, but also gives them an experience that they typically don’t get competing at a circuit show.”
WGI already is thinking ahead to 2014, when some of the events could move into larger venues. “We are looking at facilities in many parts of the country,” Powers says. “In some cases we may return to facilities we have used in the past as we try and rotate some of these events within a region, and in other cases we’re looking at new opportunities.”
WGI Expands Its List of Regional Championship Events By Ken Schlager
I
Building a
New Elite
Vanguard will be one of the ensembles competing in 2013’s Western Percussion Championship.
“The Elite Events give people an experience that they typically don’t get competing at a circuit show.”
Spotlight
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50 YEARS LATER,VIC IS STILL ALLABOUT THE MUSIC.When Vic Firth hand-whittled his fi rst pair of sticks in his garage, he had no intention of starting a company. He just wanted a better product for his performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Today, our focus and determination is the same as it was 50 years ago. To make a great product that feels better, sounds better and inspires you to play your best.
©2013 VIC FIRTH COMPANY
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©2013 Avedis Zildjian C
ompany
zildjian.comMusic City Mystique
PERFECT.THAT CYMBAL CRASH WAS
A FULL MEASURE EARLY BUT
PERFECT.
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DON’T MISS
DAYTON!
20 WGI FOCUS
Exploring Local FavoritesDuring whatever limited free mo-
ments there are between weekend events, or on Sunday before leaving town, countless WGI participants and fans check out the Dayton area’s most popular destinations. The world-fa-mous National Museum of the United States Air Force is an absolute must-see, while the Wright Cycle Company, the fourth bicycle shop owned by Wil-bur and Orville Wright, opens a window on the brothers’ early experiments with aviation. Over the years, the Dayton Art Institute has also hosted a variety of world-class touring exhibits during Championship time, from a Princess Diana retrospective to a display of Chi-nese terracotta warriors.
The “Kiss Wall” To get from the UD Arena’s entry level to the com-petition fl oor, all performers walk down a long
tunnel. At the bottom of that tunnel is an area that has become popularly known as the “Kiss Wall.” A few years ago, to wish themselves good luck, guard members started to kiss what has become the activ-ity’s version of the Blarney Stone. According to Bart Woodley, WGI Director of Op-erations and Sponsor Relations, “Every shade of lipstick known to exist ends up on that wall. It’s quite a sight to see.”
The indoor marching season is now underway, and soon the 2013 WGI World Championships will be calling us back to Dayton, Ohio, for the 27th time since the University of Dayton Arena fi rst welcomed us in 1983. It wasn’t until WGI’s sixth year that the organization took its big show to the city now synon-ymous with indoor pageantry arts, but since then, we’ve left for other cities only four times. Here are just 10 of the multitudes of reasons why fans and participants keep returning, and why you should join us for our biggest celebration of the year.
DON’T
DAYTON!10T
OP1010P10
REASONS TO GO TO THE
WGI WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIPS
IN 2013
BY MICHAEL BOO
#1 National Museum of the United States Air Force
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Orange SlicesGuard and percussion ensemble members are ex-hausted after their performances, but their work
isn’t over. Before they can relax, they’ve got to haul all their equipment, tarps, and scenery back up the tunnel they’d just come down a few minutes earlier. Knowing that or-ange slices will be waiting for them at the top helps keep them going. Prepared and offered by volunteers known as the Day-ton Ambassadors, the fruit is purchased and supplied by the Dayton/Montgomery County Visitors and Convention Bureau. Donna Michael, services manager for that organization, says that 2,500 pounds of oranges were consumed in 2012 by guard and percussion line members, who head for the Ambassadors’ table while applause is still ringing in their ears.
Hearing ”Stars at Night” Just a few years ago, there weren’t that many guards out of Texas. Now the Lone Star State is
home to a huge number of mostly scholastic guards in World Championship competition. Although many groups have special cheers for other guards from their own state, the Texans stand out for their boister-ous singing when another Texas guard takes the floor: “The stars at night are big and bright…(clap, clap, clap, clap)…Deep in the heart of Texas.”
The LotAll who attend the WGI Per-cussion Championships know
the meaning of those two words. Hun-dreds of fans huddle together out in
the UD Arena parking lot, surrounding various drum lines as they engage in pre-show preparation by their equipment trucks. It’s a chance for fans to get up close and personal with the performers and to learn about each ensemble’s warm-up techniques. When they’re lucky, fans get reward-ed with an inside glimpse of complex performance seg-ments. It’s fun, it’s educational, and it’s free.
The Drum Circle A couple hours prior to the World Class Percussion final, facilitators from Bongo Boy Music School in
Indianapolis lead a mass drum circle. WGI sponsor Remo sends over dozens of ethnic drums for those who don’t have their own instruments. Drum line members and fans gath-er outside the UD Arena and lock into a groove supplied by the facilitator, improvising on the beat and rocking Dayton with the joyous sound of hundreds of people—drummers and non-drummers alike—getting in touch with their pri-mal inner rhythms.
Growing the Wristband CollectionEach participant in the WGI World Championships
receives a wristband that must be worn to gain admission to the competition sites. These wristbands have become badges of honor; some performers wear them until they
fall off. Look closely at the arms of guard and percussion members in summer drum corps re-hearsals and you’ll see quite a number of these colorful bands still at-tached, a sort of non-ver-bal communication to others who’ve marched the WGI season.
www.wgi.org 21
#5 The Lot
#6 The Drum Circle
WGI foCUS 21 www.wgi.org
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Seeing Old Friends, Making New OnesIt’s challenging for guard and percussion
enthusiasts to spend quality time together—or even fi nd each other—between perfor-
mances at the arena. That’s one reason why walking around the expo tent has turned into a common social event for guard and percussion line members, staffs, and fans alike. In the tent, old friends get to catch up and new friends share good times.
And if you’d rather not leave your meetings up to chance, you can always choose seats near
friends via WGI’s online ticketing system.
The Day After ClinicJust hours after the World Championships reach their conclusion, up to 500 guard members gath-
er on the UD Arena fl oor to learn from some of dance’s greatest choreographers. In recent years, Mia Michaels (three-time Emmy winner), Sonya Tayeh (So You Think You Can Dance), and Zach Woodlee (Glee) have taught attend-
ees entire routines while paper from the previous night’s confetti cannons is still falling from the rafters. Eager guard members fi ght through their weariness and muscle aches to learn from these masters, extending the joy and camaraderie of the weekend just a little longer.
Witnessing Amazing PerformancesThis one pretty much goes without saying.
Nowhere else but in Dayton this April will you witness so many phenomenal presentations delivered by the pageant-ry world’s most enthusiastic performers. Everyone asso-ciated with WGI hopes to see you in Dayton for all the above reasons—and hundreds more!
Seeing Old Friends,
10TOP
#10 Great performances, like Onyx’s IW gold medal-winning show in 2012
Percussive Arts Society awards over $30,000in scholarships and grants every year to PAS student members.
For more information about scholarships and grants, visit pas.org and become a member.
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ho are the most loyal, emotionally invested fans of a color guard or percussion ensemble? Who are the people who wake up hours before sunrise and spend enormous amounts of ener-gy volunteering their time to make sure that the
group gets everything it needs? Whose hearts are pound-ing every bit as hard as the performers’ when the scores are announced? Mom and dad. Because the focus of a WGI event is always the amazing performances out on the fl oor, it can be easy for casual observers to overlook the selfl ess devotion parents provide to help their children have the best experience possible.
Parents do so many behind-the-scenes tasks that it can be a challenge to keep track of them. For example, the list of roles parents play in Arcadia High School’s winter program includes overnight trip planner, miscellaneous
www.wgi.org WGI FOCUS 25
Being the parent of a WGI performer requires a special commitment and a willingness to do…
WHATEVER ITTAKES
item orderer, fundraiser, and host of a local circuit show, according to director Mindy Cobb. If you see a prop on the fl oor, odds are a member’s father designed and construct-ed it. If a fl ag or costume needed sewing, a hardworking mother likely did the task. Many booster organizations run concession stands at athletic events or county fairs, and when it’s time to feed the troops on contest day, it’s com-mon for groups to have a chuck wagon to fi ll the tummies of the hungry performers—run by parents, of course.
What are the traits of a supportive band parent? Josh Torres, director of Center Grove High School’s award-win-ning percussion program, feels that the primary one is a belief in putting the kids fi rst. “The ideal parent under-stands that this activity is about the students,” he says. “We’ve had parents who have done whatever it takes to make sure that the group has whatever it needs, even
ho are the most loyal, emotionally invested item orderer, fundraiser, and host of a local circuit show,
The Bailey family of Center Grove HS together
after WGI Finals in 2005. From left: Chuck Bailey,
Spencer Bailey, Terri Bailey, and Sean Bailey.
By Michael Reed
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though it might be inconvenient, it might be time-consum-ing, and it might mean they live at the high school for the week! I also think that it’s important for parents to under-stand that the activity isn’t about competition. Sometimes parents can get more wrapped up in the scores than the kids do. Supportive parents realize that their role is to sup-port the entire group of students.”
It’s no secret that the economy has been a major issue in recent years, and the parents whose dollars fund com-petitive color guards and percussion ensembles have felt the pinch. The directors interviewed for this article were unanimous in their commitment to providing educational performance opportunities for all their students, includ-ing developing ways for those less fortunate to still partic-ipate. Parents are instrumental in all of it, whether they’re organizing fundraisers, soliciting sponsorships for individ-uals, or simply understanding the need to be as frugal as possible while maintaining the quality of the groups.
“Fees are always a concern because everything seems to keep getting more expensive,” says Warren Central High School’s Jeff Wroblewski. “We try and keep fees as low as possible while offering a production standard matching the goals of our program. Our boosters have been very supportive by offering ‘scholarships’ to students who may need a bit of fi nancial support.”
Although there are thousands of parent volunteers who may never get the recognition they deserve, most programs have a few shining stars who go above and beyond to help the group succeed. One such individual is Rick Luke of Norwin High School. Director Tommy Allen describes his efforts with appreciation: “Rick is responsible for every prop we’ve used at Norwin. He designs, drafts, and constructs every-
thing, and prides himself on the details, safety, and crafts-manship of his work. Rick understands the importance of staying within tight budgets and crucial production time-lines… He and his wife Cindy accompany Norwin to prac-tically every long-distance competitive trip, and to most of our local contests throughout the fall and winter seasons. The Lukes cook all the meals on our away trips and provide assistance with our travel needs. Rick and Cindy feel much like family to all of us, and I know that we would have to heavily reconsider how we operate without them.”
Sometimes parents leave such a mark on a program that their infl uence remains even after they pass away. Arcadia’s Ed Schreiner, ac-cording to Mindy Cobb, “dedicated his life to volunteering with the program... Ed volunteered for over 15 years after his kids graduated. He built anything, painted everything, and drove the diesel everywhere—including taking the drum line to Ohio for over 10 years. Ed donated
his own truck to the program early in his years as a volun-teer. Later he purchased a 25-foot trailer and also donated that. He passed away last year unexpectedly and is greatlymissed by all the students, staff, and parents at Arcadia.”
Likewise, the names of two Center Grove parents trig-ger fond memories for Torres: “Chuck and Terri Bailey were the head pit dad and box mom, respectively, when I arrived at Center Grove in 2007. They were such great people to be around, and they helped show me the ropes of how our indoor program had been run in the past. I don’t know what I would have done without them. Unfortunately, Terri passed away in 2011. In 2012 her family created the Terri Bailey Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded to a graduating senior who has participated in four seasons of marching band and four seasons of indoor percussion at Center Grove. Her legacy will live on forever.”
This winter, when watching your favorite indoor pastime with a few thousand of your closest friends, you may notice the people selling tickets, moving equipment, or giving a hug when needed. They are the unsung heroes who devote hours upon hours to the activity out of sheer love. If the mood strikes, thank these parents for their dedication. It will brighten their day and offer just a small bit of welcome acknowledgment to those who do so much for the Sport of the Arts.
26 WGI FOCUS www.wgi.org
“The ideal parent understands that
this activity is about the students, not
about competition.”
thing, and prides himself on the details, safety, and crafts-
The late Ed Schreiner,
much missed by all at Arcadia
High School
Norwin High School’s indispensable Rick and Cindy Luke
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www.wgi.org
Clinic
28 WGI FOCUS
The Secret to a Great Routine: Get Away from the RoutineBy Debbie Galante Block
en years ago, if you’d have asked a color guard or percussion ensemble director whether the physi-cal feats seen regularly in competition today were
even possible, chances are they’d have said no. But more advanced routines mean greater challenges, and one of the greatest is watching the clock. How do you fi nd the time to rehearse a full program while also devoting enough attention to the specifi c techniques required to make that program a success?
Daniel Riley, director of Pembroke Pines, Fla.’s West Broward High School color guard, sets aside a regular day, “Technique Tuesday,” for focusing his group on technical matters—making sure, for example, that all performers can spin on their left side. “People are feeling pressured to constantly change routines and that’s time-consum-ing,” he says, “but not practicing technique is a bad idea because it will be evident [in performance]. Also, I want my kids to be able to go elsewhere and still be successful.”
Riley admits he’s fortunate because he has his students in class every day, sometimes focusing on one particular technique each day. His students will go through their whole routine and determine which techniques it employs most; then Riley creates a 6.5-minute warm-up featuring exercises that help develop those techniques.
John Lemire, show designer for Alter Ego and Trumbull High School in Trumbull, Conn., says that his groups spend most of their rehearsal time during the fall on movement and equipment technique. Throughout October, November,
and December, most mornings are spent in physical training exercises, followed by a dance class. “We then shift the fo-cus to equipment technique before spending the remainder of the rehearsal on staging and choreography,” Lemire ex-plains. “From January through April, our technique sessions are shortened so we can focus on perfecting the program.”
For Tom Aungst, percussion director at Dartmouth High School in Dartmouth, Mass., the ensemble’s music, exercises, and warm-up process all become one. “Because of the time crunch,” he says, “I try to make music part of the exercises. By the end of the season, I could have 20 or so exercises.”
Directors agree that taking time away from rehearsing the main program to focus on technique is usually more helpful than harmful. In Lemire’s words, technique “is
crucial for the performers to continue to understand and apply when approaching their choreography. From time to time we’ll incorporate additional rehearsals to allow suffi -cient focus to be spent on all aspects of the choreographed show as well as technique. If a rehearsal can’t be added, we’ll reevaluate the goals for any particular rehearsal and adjust the plan accordingly.”
“Every year we do something different,” Aungst says, “but technique is always a part of that. In what I do, ev-eryone has to get an A in the class to succeed, or I have to fi nd another way to do it. We are being tested when we’re performing and competing. Everyone has to stand up and be accountable.”
T“Every year
we do something different,
but technique is always a
part of that.”
Trumbull HS
Technique for
TimeMaking
in Practice
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www.wgi.org
Scholarship
30 WGI FOCUS
Six WGI Seasons Instill Lasting Values in a Young MusicianBy Taylor MarvinNorthglenn High School Northglenn, Colo.
s guitarist for the Northglenn Percussion Theater, I’ve learned many things that will aid me in my schooling and career. My six seasons in WGI have
been an irreplaceable infl uence on my playing. I gained performance experience and a solid music background that many other guitarists my age lack. Few eighth-grad-ers can boast that they played in front of a sold-out college basketball arena crowd. I also developed strong reading and listening skills that lessons alone could not have taught. Keeping together with a band of four is diffi cult, but keeping together with a band of 40 is much more so!
Having the playing experience that is an inherent part of winter percussion will prove to be very benefi cial in college, but even more useful will be the values of responsibility and leadership that my time in the activity instilled. I learned how to balance my time between rehearsals, shows, practicing, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, and maintaining a 4.2 GPA. I learned when it was time to take a break and have fun, and when it was time to buckle down and get things done. I learned how to cooperate with other players and how to take direction and criticism.
I was never pit section leader because of my chosen instrument. But as a fresh-man who had already played two seasons, or a senior who had played fi ve, I had
valuable knowledge that my peers knew they could draw from. I took over jobs like managing the truckload and having rhythm section-specifi c sectionals to share some of the things I learned. Without my time in winter percus-sion, I know I would not have been chosen as marching band drum major in my senior year. I was able to directly translate the leadership skills I learned inside the gym to the football fi eld. I was in charge of many more people
(my constituents to that point had been a bassist, a set player, and a synth player), but the basis of leadership remained. I knew when I had to be a strong leader and take the group through hard times and when I had to step back and be “one of the guys.” It became clear that people will respect someone who respects them, and will follow someone whom they admire, not only as a leader but as a friend.
As with many high school subjects, the technical details of winter percus-sion are secondary to the larger lessons learned there. If you leave the program as a better person, a better leader, and a better manager of your own life, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know the modes or proper four-mallet technique. Drum rolls come second to leadership roles, and being a good member of a WGI group will almost always lead to being a good member of society.
Taylor Marvin received the Yamaha/Dennis DeLucia Scholarship in 2012.
A
Experience Gained, Lessons Learned
THE DeLUCIA SCHOLARSHIPWhen percussion teacher, arranger, clinician, and judge Dennis DeLucia was inducted into the WGI Hall of Fame in 2006, Yamaha introduced a scholarship in his name. The Yamaha/Dennis DeLucia scholarship, awarded every year to one deserving percus-sion student, is both a way to honor DeLucia’s contributions to marching music and a continuation of Yamaha’s long history of supporting music education. For more informa-tion about the WGI Scholar-ship Program, visit wgi.org/contents/Scholarship.html.
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W W W . Q U A N T U M M A R C H I N G . C O M
BLUESTARS
People always ask what you did to get that tan.
We know it’s hard to explain.
Maybe it’s better that way...
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www.wgi.org
WGiQ?What’s YourAt fi rst glance, these two photographs of Music City Mystique at the 2012 Percussion Independent World Finals look identical—but they’re not. There are eight differences between the shots. Can you tell what they are? To fi nd out your WGIQ score, go to wgi.org/wgiq.
34 WGI FOCUS
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watch the competition!
wgi.org/fannetwork
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
LIVE WEBCAST!
Every 2013 Regional!
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