A very wise friend of mine named Jim Elvord once stood up at a corps staff meeting of a top national contender and asked the following: Who are we? Where are we? Where do we want to go? How are we going to get there? Everybody wanted to skip right to number 4. That would […]
One popular scientific theory holds that the universe continues expanding, a result of the incredible force generated by the Big Bang. There seems to be a good deal of evidence for this view. Whether this will go on forever is debatable, and even Einstein struggled with this problem. After all, why wouldn’t the collective mass […]
A hush falls over the audience as the ensemble turns backfield and shapes the hauntingly melodious beginning strain of a deeply moving ballad. The pit percussionists layer tasteful textures onto the rich brass sound, the timpanist applying a perfectly balanced and feather-light touch to a roll even as a gentle wind chime floats above it […]
A few days ago, I held in my hands a valveless trumpet upon which ringing fanfares were once sounded in the Royal Court of His Majesty, James II of England. This rarest of horns may also have served to enliven Shakespearian dramas and comedies of the period. Crafted of copper and brass in London by […]
On a Sunday afternoon in mid summer 1968 it’s oppressively hot and humid in Jersey City. We wear uniforms made of wool blend, and don’t care. The “breeze” feels like one of those moments in mom’s kitchen when you open the oven to see if the roast is done. It matters not. We have to […]
Ironically, there exist some individuals who have had a profound effect on the drum corps activity yet are generally unknown to many younger practitioners of the art. It’s the duty of the rest of us to pass along knowledge of their substantial contributions. That said, here’s a story about one of them, a man whose […]
It’s a blazing hot Sunday afternoon in 1962 and a couple of thousand of us are watching the Garfield Cadets challenge Blessed Sacrament for bragging rights to Jersey and the rest of the civilized world. They build a massive company front, push it forward to the very edge of the sideline and high mark time […]
Percussion General Effect has been around a long time. In his book “The World in Six Songs”, Daniel Levitin (“This is Your Brain on Music”) poses the following scenario describing why our ancestors who could drum held some distinct advantages: A small group of early humans are asleep in the pre-dawn, near the embers of […]
This year marks the bicentennial of the births of two extraordinary individuals, each of whom represents a legacy and a point of view that has shaped modern times. Their relevance and influence are clear and undeniable: Lincoln reminds us of our heritage and a people’s need for leadership that is strong yet wise and compassionate. […]
It’s a marvelous tale, spun out in classic Homeric fashion by a master story-teller. Before your very eyes, an entire neighborhood of colorful characters parades by in the saga of an inner-city kid with a disability who not only discovers his life’s true passion but a ticket to ride out of a dingy back alley […]
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