Most Influential Instructor

[PJS53]

Many of us talk about how drum corps helped make us the people we are today. Maybe in the sense of learning music or maybe in helping mold your outlook in life. For me it was both. I learned a lot about how to practice, play,listen, and dedicate myself to drumming correctly from one of my instructors. In a larger sense he was also a big influence in what I learned about loyalty, teamwork, goal setting, and many other beneficial attributes. Maybe for you it wasn't the drum guy but I'll bet somebody sticks out in your mind as sort of a mentor.

Mine was Jim Roussel. He was a great drummer in his own right and had the ability to pull together a pretty rag-tag drumline when he got there and make us believe in ourselves.

Thanks to Dan G. for bringing this to mind in a couple of correspondences we had.

So who's yours?

[MikeD]

Pete,

Great thread!!!!

George Tuthill, for me.

A grad of the Manhattan School of Music, George was WAAAAY ahead of his time in the late 60's through mid 70's.

Taught the Cadets in 70 and 71, and the Cabs as well prior to Dennis.

When Garfield let him go after 1971, just about the entire drumline quit in support. Most of us went to the Cabs, where he already was teaching.

I ended up going back to Garfield, but I refused to pay drums for the "new guy", so I picked up baritone instead. I was a music ed/percussion major in college, and I had brass class the coming fall, so I played bari. No way I was going to play in a non-Tuthill drumline taught by this "new guy"...................Fred Sanford.     ;)^

The sad thing to me in our 71 Revolutionary War show was how unable many of the old guard drum judges were to understand some of the stuff George wrote for us. The percussion book we ended up with at VFW's was a shadow of it's original self, as we watered down and changed stuff all season long.

One example:  A cannon shot on the two bass drums. We were still using thumpers at that time, a large and small drum. We wanted to create a cannon shot sound in or percussion feature, so George had first one play, and then the other as an echo right behind ("ba-doom" kind of sound). Well, we got ticked just about every show for the basses "not playing together". So......after fighting with judges show after show we took out the echo.

Another: We split the hornline into sops as the Americans and rest of the brass as the English/Hessians. We did a 3 against 2 spot in the show where the Americans played "Turkey in the Straw" or something and the English a minuet, complete with dancing. Well, George split the line into two halfs, 2 snares, 2 tri-toms, 1 bass, 1 cymbal to support the Americans in 2/4 and 2 snares, 1 tri-tom (me), 1 bass, 1 cymbal supporting the English minuet in 3/4, simultaneously. We got  zonked by the judges for 'splitting the line up', as it 'lessened the demand'.  Ended up taking THAT out too prior to Nats. It was VERY sad.

The above and other examples from that show in particular have probably contributed to the way I think about innovation and looking ahead and being free to accept new ideas. Which of course gets me into trouble sometimes in these forums.      :p

George also got me m first HS band teaching job. As a freshman music major in college in 1971, George brought me in to teach at a HS close to my college in NJ. He wrote the drum book and did some teaching and Larry Kirchner did the wind charts. I was what today would be called a 'tech'; at that time it  was the 'Asst Drum Instructor'. The band director was the Cadet's Asst Brass Instructor from 1971, Larry Schillings, a former Chrome Dome member.

Mike

[danguernsey]

Hi Pete,

I concur with Mike: great topic!

For me, there were 3 guys who I regarded as mentors, or role models, in my rudimental development. The first is an "unsung hero" by the name of Mark Riley, a fantastic snare drummer with the Madison Scouts from 1967 to 1971. Mark taught the Madison Jr. Scouts in 1970 when I was a young aspiring drummer, giving me my first lessons in the art of rudimental drumming. As a product of the 60s and Larry McCormick (indirectly Frank Arsenault), Mark was steeped  in the old Cavalier mode of drumming, playing many of their classic solos for us impressionable kids in Jr. Scouts, esp. the famous Cavalier solo from 1966. I had never seen drumming ability like that: I was immediately hooked. Mark's superior abilities told me that I was wasting my time in 7th-grade band. Drum corps drummers at that time (c. 1970) were light years ahead of the public school system. A band teacher with an one-semester course in drumming was not percussively interesting, nor was he going to teach me anything about superior technique, so I quite and never looked back (remember, marching bands copied drum corps at that time).

Then there was Mike Madigan. Again, another "unsung hero" and former snare drummer with the Scouts from the mid-60s to 1970. More than anything, Mike helped develop my sightreading ability as well as refine my rudimental technique in the early 70s.

Last, but not least, was the famous Fred Sanford, who instructed us in 1976. Before he came to Scouts,  I was already steeped in Fred's multi-tenor philosophy; that is, extending the rudimental difficulty and technical demand of snare parts to tri-drums. His SCV tenor charts from the early-mid-70s clearly anticipated those great tenor charts from 1978-80 (Scott posted the tenor chart from SCV's '78-79 closer the other day--great piece!). Those charts didn't suddenly come out of thin air; they were the culmination of Fred's tenor philosophy going back to the early 70s. Just listen to the recordings: its all there in embryonic form.

So, it was the "old school" rudimental style steeming indirectly from Larry McCormick/Frank Arsenault via Mark Riley and the "new" tenor philosophy of Fred Sanford that I synthesized in my championship tenor solos of 1976 and 1977. I salute those guys!!! I thank them for the education and journey.

Dan Guernsey

Madison Scouts, 1970-77

DCI multi-tenor individual champion, 1976, 1977

[charleschuchuta]

Tom Float.

[MusicAngelDiva]

Mine was actually my VERY first instructor (in four years I've had 3).

Dave Carbone

He is the REASON I started playing percussion in 9th grade. HE helped me see the true meaning of PERCUSSION and not just pit/drumline, and banging away at things. I played woodwinds, and completely converted to percussion. He was always willing to help anybody out with parts, or even problems not concerning the line. He was more of a mentor for me than an instructor. He was a talented musician, and incredible writer/arranger, and a great man.  He left us for a position as a director, and I think he is in the midwest somewhere. I know he marched I THINK, cavies in the early 90s?? maybe...

If anybody has been fortunate enough to work with this great man, you have truly been priviledged. It was an honor, to work with you Dave...

-Drogheda

[E-cho]

Totally Dro. Dave was an awesome person to work with.  Other than what happened with my instructing experience, he is what I try to model myself as when it comes to teaching.  

Another person I try my best to immulate is Joe Southard. He has been a great friend and mentor to me and many other young individuals.  Along with Ron Lambert, and Mike Washington.

[DevsBari02]

How about Tom Float or Thom Hannum?

[MikeD]

My daughter attended the Marching Band camp at Westchester U last summer and had Tom Float as her percussion  instructor. She can't WAIT to go back this year to see him again.

Mike

[Jeffsjetta]

Dan Delong and Mark Thurston.

[Trooper]

Mine were a couple:

Lou Boldrigini.  Taught the Troopers from 88 through 90.  Marched with Garfield in the 80's Championship years under Hannnum, then was the tenor tech in 87.  Also went to school at UMass.  He came from the Hannum school of drumming and teaching, so he was pretty hard on us, but he pushed us to be better everyday.  Truthfully, I was a horrible drummer when I went in my first year, but thanks to him pushing me, I came out that first year a million times better.  I don't think he has been teaching any DC since then, is a middle school music teacher somewhere in Texas.

and...

Pat Amann.  Currently is the caption head for the Blue Knights.  I went to High School with him and he taught me everything.  All the way from how to hold my sticks, to actually how to use them.  He marched in the Troopers from 85 - 89, and got me there in 89.  He then stayed on the staff for several years, and then went to the Blue Knights under Hardimon.  He went to UMass for a couple of years also.

Both great guys that taught me tons.  I never pick up a pair of sticks without thinking about both of them.