Glassmen November Clinic/Camp Reports
The GLASSMEN kicked off the 2007 season with a couple of audition weekends this November in both Texas and Ohio. Temperatures were unseasonably warm in both places – and with an upcoming audition camp in Florida in December, it looks like the season is shaping up to be hot – hot – hot!
The inaugural Texas clinic on November 18th went very smoothly, with members auditioning for color guard as well as brass and battery percussion. Students were treated to a one day camp with staff members from the GLASSMEN that focused on teaching technique and exercises in a clinic atmosphere, with an added opportunity to audition for the corps.
Stuffed from their holiday dinners, hundreds of hopeful members packed the GLASSMEN West Rehearsal Facility over the Thanksgiving weekend for the largest Ohio audition camp in five years. Nothing could deter these anxious students who traveled from all over the U.S., Japan and the Netherlands. Squeezing into the gymnasium for the first corps meeting of the year, the prospective members shared their stories, and anxiously awaited the chance to dig into the 2007 production. Similar to the Texas camp, the Ohio camp was a three-day clinic that gave attendees a complete educational experience, which is important for those who may not be ready for a full-time marching position, but want a chance to see what drum corps is all about.
"The audition weekends are such a special opportunity for the organization, and a chance to positively affect so many talented, and excited young men and women," states Brian Hickman, Executive Director of the corps. "There was this great buzz the entire camp, and lots of energy. You can tell what the season is going to be like – right from the get go."
At the end of the Thanksgiving camp, members and parents packed the gym once again to see what the students had worked on all weekend. The percussion sections showcased some of the fundamental techniques and exercises that they will be utilizing this winter, and the color guard presented a dance and equipment routine using the techniques they had learned at the camp. The brass line played the three pieces they developed over the weekend – Madre (the corps song), Time to Say Goodbye, and the prelude for the 2007 production.
Both the November and December camps are "open audition clinic" weekends, and all students aged 15-22 are invited to participate. "This is a great opportunity for students to learn from experienced staff in an intensive training session, and get a taste of the GLASSMEN," said Hickman. "We have students that come back for multiple first camps year after year – just for the experience. Regardless of whether or not they actually they become a full-fledged member of the corps for the summer, they walk away with a real educational ‘experience of a lifetime’ – and that’s what we’re really about!"
More information about the upcoming camps in Florida on December 9th and Ohio December 15-17th can be found on the GLASSMEN website at www.glassmen.org.
