One Step At A Time

The drumline and hornline reviewed the first 20 pages of the show in the stadium this morning and then learned 11 new drill sets to finish Part One of “Carol of the Bells.” After lunch, the brass warmed up and spent some time working on music in sub-sections; then they combined as a hornline on the grass field beside the stadium to put music to all the drill they’ve learned so far.

I don’t think marching that drill while playing was easy for anyone out there today, but as always, some of the vets were able to play and march more confidently than some of the newer Cadets. The great thing is that everyone seemed to be playing—loud. The single most important and defining characteristic of a Cadet hornline is whether or not the rookies push themselves to play through fast, hard drill from day one, even when it seems physically impossible. If you lay out on the hard sets at Spring Training, it’s incredibly difficult to break the habit later on.

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