Scout House Cadets Adding Colour Guard In 2015
Preston Scout House Cadets of Cambridge have a new drum major and colour guard flag spin squad marching at the front of the corps, the third phase of the group’s development into a full drum and bugle corps. The Cadets started as a drumline with practice sessions beginning in September 2012. A brass section was added in September 2013.
The new guard unit, under the direction of Michelle Aguiar, has already performed with the corps in several Christmas parades in the Cambridge area. Drum major Nick Boyko, one of the youngest members of the Scout House Band horn line is doing double duty, playing baritone with the Band and marching at the front of the Cadets on parade.
Aguiar brings more a decade of colour guard experience to her first instructing opportunity. She is currently a member of the new Magic of Scout House winter guard, which will be competing in North Eastern Color Guard Circuit contests this winter and is one of the members of the rifle and banner spin line which added a new element to Scout House field shows in 2014. She placed second in the individual rifle competition, one of the contests in the Visual category of the Drum Corps Associates (DCA) Individual and Ensemble Championship in Rochester, New York during the DCA championship tournament on Labour Day weekend.
Her winter guard involvement began at age nine when she joined Sentenelles of Cambridge, continuing with the group until age 16. She then marched for one summer with Oakland Crusaders drum and bugle corps of Etobicoke. She also spent one season with Special FX winter guard of Stoney Creek.
The Scout House Cadets, including the new guard, have already performed in a number of Cambridge area Christmas parades, following a busy summer season. Drummers won their first Drumline Ontario competition in early May, then jumped 10 points on the score sheets a week later to win the provincial title in their category at a season-ending indoor contest at Sir Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. The drumline performed in early June at a major Tim Hortons golf tournament and dinner, a fund-raiser for Hortons summer camps for kids.
The June schedule included the Ancaster Heritage Days parade, Cambridge Mayor’s Celebrations of the Arts and Cambridge Arts Festival followed by the Preston Canada Day Parade and a performance in Preston’s Riverside Park on July 1. The Cadets performed on the field again during the Scout House Invitational Tattoo held at University Stadium in Waterloo in early August.
Scout House Cadets drum and bugle corps is open to boys and girls from age 10 to 18. The group was established to help mark the 75th anniversary of the Scout House organization since starting as a Boy Scout bugle band in 1938.
No prior music experience is required to join the Cadets. Practices are held Wednesday evenings at Scout House building, 1580 Queenston Road in the Preston district of Cambridge. The annual membership fee of $20 includes instrument, uniform and instruction.
Information about Scout House Cadets is available from the Scout House Band web site at http://www.scouthouseband.com/, from email pshcadets [at] outlook [dot] com or by telephone at (519) 886-7468.
