danjuan2000 Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Because that band is funded through a school and tax payer dollars, not fundraisers, souvies, and tour fees. And what is to say that Ronald Reagan high school was already good before this staff was in place? It is easy to get handed something, it isn't easy to build something from the ground up. I'm not saying that this is new Crossmen, but I'm not sure how well they know how things run in corps and not in UIL band. Just to clarify a bit: Ronald Reagan HS was opened in 1999, under the direction of Mark Chambers and Aaron Guidry. In 2000, they added Mark Koehl and Kevin Nix. In 2001, Craig Turner took over percussion duties. It was this time that Carol Chambers became orchestrating the music. In 2002, Aaron came back to Reagan as percussion director, and began as Reagan's arranger. In 2003, Alan Joanis took over percussion for Reagan. In 2004, Roland Chavez took over percussion duties. In 2005, Tammy Fedynich joined the staff. Basically, the staff that is going over to Crossmen, is the staff that built Reagan from the start. Aaron Guidry and Carol Chambers have continued to work on music since 2001. And lastly, though bands do recieve money from the districts, most successful band programs receive the majority of their funding from their booster organizations. Which make their money through fair share (tour fees in DCI), funraising, and business/corporate donations (I think DCI does a bit of this too, huh?). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerguy315 Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 Maybe so, but in the drum corps world, Crossmen is a legend and are a perennial favorite in everything they do. Change is not too hard to handle, elimination of the Crossmen or the overtaking of them by an organization that has no respect for what their history would be a sin. Having said that, I am cautiously optimistic that the new organization is making an effort to retain the "bones" (sorry for the pun) of the Crossmen. Build on it and I will continue to be a fan. Change it into something else and they will need to start a new fan base. "The Crossmen will be the Crossmen." - Mark Chambers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
txtubadude Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 Just to clarify a bit:Ronald Reagan HS was opened in 1999, under the direction of Mark Chambers and Aaron Guidry. In 2000, they added Mark Koehl and Kevin Nix. In 2001, Craig Turner took over percussion duties. It was this time that Carol Chambers became orchestrating the music. In 2002, Aaron came back to Reagan as percussion director, and began as Reagan's arranger. In 2003, Alan Joanis took over percussion for Reagan. In 2004, Roland Chavez took over percussion duties. In 2005, Tammy Fedynich joined the staff. Basically, the staff that is going over to Crossmen, is the staff that built Reagan from the start. Aaron Guidry and Carol Chambers have continued to work on music since 2001. And lastly, though bands do recieve money from the districts, most successful band programs receive the majority of their funding from their booster organizations. Which make their money through fair share (tour fees in DCI), funraising, and business/corporate donations (I think DCI does a bit of this too, huh?). Thank you for the clarification, I seemed to have mixed up the band with another school (for there are several schools within San Antonio). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrunchyTenor Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 Aaron is a percussionist with the Cirque du Soleil show, "Mystere" at Treasure Island. He has arranged some music, most notably a Taiko piece that was performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.Aaron is the arranger for Ronald Reagan, and Carol Chambers is the orchestrator. Aaron isn't the only drum corps guy in "Mystere". The bass player was a drum student of mine when he was in HS, and he also marched in VK. In addition to his bass playing duties, Chip also does the Taiko portion of "Mystere" on occasion. Garry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbones7480 Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 (edited) Maybe so, but in the drum corps world, Crossmen is a legend and are a perennial favorite in everything they do. Change is not too hard to handle, elimination of the Crossmen or the overtaking of them by an organization that has no respect for what their history would be a sin. Having said that, I am cautiously optimistic that the new organization is making an effort to retain the "bones" (sorry for the pun) of the Crossmen. Build on it and I will continue to be a fan. Change it into something else and they will need to start a new fan base. Twenty '06 Vets have contact CAA for assistance so far and we're already matching them up with donors. We also know of about 16 others that are planning on returning who haven't contacted us for assistance. Last year there were 15 members from Texas alone (don't know if they are going back though). My point is, we're still planning our traditional History Night for the corps. A few Texas Crossmen Alumni have also contacted us who want to start of San Antonio chapter of CAA and also want to get involved in History Night. The returning vets will carry with them all the traditions they have learned. The Crossmen will definitely be the Crossmen; Mark Chambers promises. Edited October 21, 2006 by xbones7480 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcifan2002 Posted October 23, 2006 Author Share Posted October 23, 2006 Yes, it is the 2006 full band show, HYPe 2: This Time It's Personal. This was performed at the first three football games before the band was ready to debut their competitive band show, "Transitions" The full band show uses every member of the marching band, while there are auditions for the competitive band. how many band kids does RR have ? seems like quite a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbones7480 Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 (edited) From YEA! Crossmen Name Roland Chavez as Percussion Caption Head Thursday, October 26, 2006 By: Caryn Goebel Front Ensemble Staff also Announced A drum corps veteran and accomplished educator will be leading the Crossmen Percussion Section in 2007 as the corps gears up for the season in its new San Antonio, Texas home. Roland Chavez was recently named the Percussion Caption Head for the Crossmen by the new corpsʼ director, Mark Chambers. Chavez brings to the job drum corps experience, having marched with the World Champion Blue Devils of Concord, Calif., in 1995 and 1996 and the Colts of Debuque, Iowa, in 1991 and 1992. Chavez, 32, is currently the Percussion Director at Ronald Reagan High School in San Antonio, Texas, where Chambers is the Director of Bands. Chavez also oversees the marching and concert percussion ensembles at Ronald Reagan as well as coordinates the middle school programs at Barbara Bush and Tejeda middle schools. Soon after the late September announcement that the Crossmen were relocating to the Lone Star State, Chavez was asked by Chambers to head up the Division I DCI drumline. The two have worked together for three years at Reagan with Chavez admitting it was always his dream to work with a high school band the caliber of Reagan. Now moving into the ranks of DCI, Chavez marvels at the opportunity provided him by Chambers. "The first couple of weeks it hadnʼt really set in, but now Iʼm making decisions...the wheels are turning," Chavez said. Auditions for the Crossmen are approaching quickly, with camps starting up Nov. 17-19 in New Jersey, then the first in San Antonio on Nov. 24-26. As start-up for the 2007 season nears, Chavez has already begun selecting music and putting together a team that will guide the front ensemble and battery section. He recently named Cliff Croomes and Eric Carroway, both former Cavaliers, to lead the Crossmen front ensemble. More announcements on battery staff are coming soon, he said. Chavez is a true Texan, born in Corpus Christi where he attended a fine arts school. It was there he discovered his talent as a musician and learned to play the French horn in the fourth grade, then later he picked up the piccolo. His father was a band director with a percussion background, so it was no surprise when Chavez started drumming in middle school. During his high school years, Chavez became an avid watcher of drum corps videos, fueling his desire to one day be a part of the Blue Devils drumline. As a sophomore he began sending audition tapes to the California corps as well as the Cavaliers in Rosemont, Ill. But one day, a newsletter came from a smaller corps in Iowa - the Colts - and Chavez decided to give them a try. Money to travel to monthly camps that far away was tight and the Colts were willing to hold a spot until Spring move-in time. "So thatʼs where my drum corps career started," Chavez said. "To me, it couldnʼt get any better. We get to drum all night, then wake up and start drumming again. I loved it." Chavez took some time away from drum corps following his two years with the Colts, but seeing the Devilsʼ 1994 show one evening at a friendʼs house again motivated him to pursue his dream to wear blue. "Once I saw them, I knew I had to get back into drum corps," Chavez said, and he immediately started working on an audition tape. Chavez still remembers the call from California inviting him to camps. He didnʼt have a spot at first, but hard work and dedication earned him a place in the renowned battery for two years until he aged out. Chavez graduated in 1999 from the University of Texas, earning a degree in economics, but the field wasnʼt as gratifying as he had hoped. While working through school, Chavez picked up a job working with a high school drumline and his desire to pursue a career in the music field ensued. In 2004, he earned a Bachelor of Music degree, graduating from of Southwest Texas State University in Austin. "What started out for the money turned into being about teaching, the kids, drumming and the visual arts," Chavez said. "I decided if I was going to do this, I needed to get my teaching degree." It only took one hour during an interview with Chambers for Chavez to realize Reagan was the place for him to teach. Chambersʼ vision and passion for the activity is infectious, he said, and getting the job in San Antonio was a fantastic milestone in his young teaching career. And now it just gets better with the Crossmen, Chavez said. He takes a holistic view in his teaching philosophies, stressing the importance of being a good musician, and a good person, both on and off the field. Being able to bring that approach to the Crossmen is something Chavez looks forward to. "The opportunity is here for me. I know I still have so much room to grow," Chavez said. "But Iʼm getting more excited every single day." Edited October 26, 2006 by xbones7480 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louielouie Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 WOW !!! they gonna ROCK ! Crossmen making some very nice moves. b**bs b**bs b**bs b**bs b**bs b**bs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xbones7480 Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 (edited) Here's who they have so far... ADMINISTRATIVE Mark Chambers - Corps Director Megh Healy - Director of Corps Operations BRASS Rick Villereal - Brass Caption Head Al Chez Aaron Goldberg GUARD Mike Sloan - Caption Head/Designer PERCUSSION Roland Chavez - Caption Head Cliff Croomes - Front Ensemble Eric Carroway - Front Ensemble VISUAL TBA Edited October 26, 2006 by xbones7480 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbc33 Posted October 26, 2006 Share Posted October 26, 2006 Marc Sylvester is the drill designer! http://www.yea.org/site/News2?page=NewsArt...ws_iv_ctrl=1003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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