Several members of the Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band took the field Saturday to perform and compete in the Drum Corps International Southwestern Championship at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
These contests are more than some high school’s rendition of ‘Louie Louie’ at halftime. Drum Corps shows are intensely loud colorful collaborations of musical and visual stimulation.
From the waist-up, the horn line and drum line strive to provide flawless musicianship. From the hips down, they combine style and athleticism to deliver precise forms.
The color guard spins and tosses rifles and flags at tremendous speeds and heights while dancing to the music. They are given no more than 11 minutes to impress the audience and judges, but the preparation takes much longer. Performers work diligently to perfect their shows, practicing 12-16 hours a day in camps leading up to the summer tour.
‘The Bluecoats members rehearse up to 14 hours per day perfecting their … competitive program. They sleep on high school gym floors in sleeping bags during the summer tour,’ the corps’ official Web site said.
Music education senior Megan McDonough can attest to that experience as a new member of the Bluecoats drum and bugle corps.
The Bluecoats’ show, ‘Imagine,’ features arrangements of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine,’ and helped them finish sixth in the competition.
Music education junior Adam Jatho, who is in his third year with the Carolina Crown Drum Crops, said the experience has immensely increased his work ethic. Jatho said he loves his friends in the corps, but realizes there are some negatives to the commitment.
‘I know when I’m tired I can go the extra mile, (but) it’s hard being away from friends and family,’ Jatho said.
Carolina Crown’s show, ‘The Grass is Always Greener,’ earned fourth place.
According to DCI.org, 59.6 percent of the college students involved in this summer’s competition are pursuing music education degrees, meaning many music-loving students with other careers in mind are a huge part of the contest.
Painting senior Natalie Steele is one example of those who contend purely out of love. This summer marks the second consecutive year she has competed in the Crossmen drum and bugle corps’ color guard. She said her experiences on tour have taught her a lot about dedication.
‘If you work really hard for things in life, you’ll really appreciate what you get,’ Steele said.
Steele added that living away from family and home was one of the hardest things about being on tour, but her teammates have become her ‘family away from home.’
The Crossmen performance features a variety of pieces and styles, from ‘Medea’s Dance of Vengeance’ by Samuel Barber, to an arrangement of Ben Moody and Amy Lee’s 2003 hit ‘My Immortal.’ The Crossmen finished 15th out of the 21 groups in their division.
More than 8,000 students travel across the country yearly to audition for the fewer than 3,500 spots available in the top competing division groups, which DCI calls ‘Marching Music’s Major League.’
Among these students is music education junior Justin Zarate, who has marched in drum corps for five years. This is his second year with The Cavaliers, but he previously marched with the Crossmen and Bluecoats.
Enduring a tradition for all second-year Cavaliers, Zarate felt his initiation into the brotherhood was the hardest part of this year’s tour. A member of Kappa Kappa Psi, the University’s honorary band fraternity, he sees many comparisons between his friendships on tour and his band at in Houston.
‘It’s like a fraternity- a fraternity away from home,’ Zarate said.
The Cavaliers is one of two male-only corps in DCI. Loyal Cougars, ‘Cavies,’ and other UH personnel and alumni serve as staff, and Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band Director David Bertman serves as a brass caption head.
The Cavaliers performed a stand-still encore that included one of their classic corps songs, ‘Over the Rainbow.’ The group finished second place overall in the final event of the Southwestern Series.
To learn more about Drum Corps International, visit http://dci.org
