TomMoore Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 For me, it's very simple. I live in Reading, PA. There's a pretty good corps here with a venerable tradition and a style that resembles my two favorite junior corps (Phantom and SCV), which I admittedly knew about before I knew about the world of DCA. When I had some volunteer time a couple years ago, I thought I'd learn more about this local corps. Found out I liked the organization and the people in it, who welcomed me with open arms. Last year, not having played an instrument in 15 years and never having marched competitively, I thought I'd give being a marching member a try. I loved every minute of it. Now I give whatever time and talents I have to the organization in a different way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boneman2000 Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 I came out of a high school with a really good band program. Through that I learned a lot about DCI, but little about DCA. For years I wanted to march DCI, but I never seemed to convince myself to miss a whole summer of being home and being a normal college kid on summer break. I got as far as sending in my registration fee to the Cadets for the 2001 season, but didn't even make it to one camp. And then a fellow trombone player in college who marched Crossmen asked me to join in 2002, and I turned that down. Anyway, while I was in college, I knew a few people who marched Buccaneers. For a few years I had one of those people bugging the crap out of me to join, but I didn't really know what DCA was about and I was just being too stubborn to want ot join. Finally in 2004, I gave into pressure from a few of my friends and decided to check out a Bucs camp. The rest speaks for itself. I marched 2004 and 2005, and I became a better musician and teacher because of it. Even though I'm not actively marching this year, I still follow the corps and I've helped out at a few camps and such. Just enough to hold me over until I hope to return next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ESCONTRA4 Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 my high school band was taught by David Bruni, and I always admired the Statesmen whenever i saw them perform. When i became drum major of my high school, I went to borrow a tuxedo from the statesmen office, and Mr. B asked me if i ever considered drum corps. that same night i was holding a baritone and learning the show. 6 years later and i can almost play the thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 Born into it... Parents loved drum corps... Dad carried a gun guarding the A flag in the VFW guard in front of the corps... Big 'bro picked up a horn... and whatever big 'bro did... I did... (it was expected of me) and then little 'bro did too because his two big 'bro's did it... before you know it... 3 Peashey's as alumni of both Brigadiers and Crusaders... (and 2 of us as alumni of Fulton Gauchos, Mexico Grey Barons and Oswego Pathfinders) Although a number of guys marched both Brigs and Cru, I believe we are the only family with 3 horn players that marched both!! Donnie???? did you Tommy and Jimmy march both corps? Not sure about Tommy, but the illustrious Allen family is the only one that might have... You can add to that a sister in law alumnus of Cru, daughter and her hubby alumnus of Brigs, Empire and Cru and another daughter alumnus of Cru... Not to mention all the years the girls spent with Patriots... enough said... drum corps is family Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TealSoundBrass Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 I grew up in Bergen County and never saw drum corps before I graduated college with a music degree! It was 1987 and I went to a band show with a group I was teaching and saw the Rochester Crusaders. I thought it was pretty neat and wanted to get involved. I checked out all the corps' within driving distance, but non of them interested me and, unfortunately, Cru was a 6-hour drive to get there. A year later I went to a few rehearsals, but could not commit to the season. The following year, Tom Peashey called me up and told me how much Cru would like to see me there. I would teach all week, leave my school at 3 on Friday, get to Rochester, do the weekend, stop by and see my fiancee in central New York on Sunday evening, then be back home by 3am Monday to teach at 7:30am. The following year I moved to Rochester simply to be closer to the corps. To this day I still bleed green...but I think they know what causes that now :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 I left the NJ Sacred Heart Crusaders junior corps after the 1976 season. After six years there, it was time to move on. At first, I wanted to join the Garfield Cadets for the 1977 season. I went to a rehearsal or two (back in the days when corps started rehearsals in late September/early October, basically), and really liked what I saw. But I was just starting college, and looking ahead to that summer I knew I needed to get a summer job. As a result, I could not do the Cadets' touring schedule. My older brother Lenny and several of my friends from my Crusader days were members of the Sunrisers...... plus, Sun was bringing back French horns for the 1977 season. I had played French horn for five seasons with Sacred Heart, and spent one season on mellophone... and didn't like mellophone at all. (Quite possibly because I could play the Frenchie reasonably well, but I SUCKED at mellophone....LOL) So, after a couple of weeks of thinking about it (including one rather memorable "recruiting trip" with some of my Sunriser friends to a parade in Hazelton, PA, of all places!!!), I ended up with Sun. On French horn for the next six seasons. Fran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 Never even heard of Drum Corps when I first joined. Was looking for somewhere to keep playing after HS as I was going to a local Community College (so long MB). Guy in my HS band told me about a new "Drum Corps" (what?) starting up a few miles from my house. Corps wasn't going anywhere but I showed up for lack of anything else to do. Few months later the corps folded and I joined Westshoremen (who?). Somewhere along the decades I figured out the what and who questions. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalieguy Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 Having been slightly exposed to Sr. Corps at the age of 5, it must have been a natural progression. In kindergarten, a friend of my older sister Mary(RIP) and her husband used to babysit me 2 afternoons a week while my mom went back to work. Bill, the lady's husband was a member of the SCHMIDT Indians, later to become the Hamm's Indians. I got to see that fabulous uniform with the full eagle feather headdress..I thought that was so cool. I started playing a horn in 5th grade, and after 3 year layoff, I started again in HS. We had just an oversized Stage Band, no marching, and during the summer I started playing a baritone then joined the Letter Carrier band in Mpls. which my dad help start. I did a lot of parades, but never learned to march, per se. After I graduated from HS, I was hanging out at the bowling alley with my buddies, and I ran into a guy from Eau Claire, who was a friend of one of my friends from the Traveling League( the best Jr. league in the city). He was attempting to get people together to join a curling league..He asked one day if I played a musical instrument, and I said anything with valves or a slide. He took me over to Augsburg College on a Wednesday night (12/1/71 - to be exact) and after 1 practice with the funny looking thing in a weird key(and only 2 valves) I was hooked. The rest shall we say..is history. Wouldn't change a thing. Passed on 2 chances to march with the St. Paul Scouts..only small regrets..Still here after 35 years, 25 of them married to the same lady. Thanks to Dave Hillestad (Go Cru!) for teaching me to march, and guys like Jeff Burnham and Corky Whitlock for putting up with me all these years. Pat Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judojop Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 I remember walking into Post 199 with three other people (Matt, Ray, and Mary... all from Saddle Brook HS). I was going to a Hawthorne Caballeros Open House for the 1999 season. I have never heard of the Caballeros or the Drum Corps activity in general. It was never my intention to march, I was just along for the ride with my friends who wanted to march. After the Open House concluded, everyone broke into different rehearsal sections. The brass caption head, Chris Bernotas, asked me what I played and I said "an alto sax." So he looked at me funny and handed me a Euphonium and sat me down next to Matt Dodd, my first drum corps friend. I ultimately ended up marching for 6 seasons and had a blast! Even though I am no longer marching, I still take a stroll down Memory Lane and think about all the great times I had with my friends while in the Caballeros. You guys and gals are the best! B) ROCK ON CABS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniSopGuy Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 (edited) My way into a DCA corps is pretty short. I am a member of Bugles Across America. Another member of SoCal Dream is also. I went to the Tour of Champions in San Diego in 2004 and through chatting on the BAA forum found out we were sitting close to each other. This was about 3 weeks before DCA Championships and he mentioned they needed to fill some holes and invited me down. I went, learned the show real fast, and had a blast doing it. 2004 DCA Championships was my first time marching on the field with a corps. I previously did off season parades and such with a couple juniors way back when, but never the summer season. Now I am hooked for as long as I am able to continue to march. I must thank Sam for getting me down to a SoCal Dream rehearsal in the first place. Edited June 21, 2006 by MiniSopGuy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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