Football field as stage

This morning I'm eating my imitation marshmallow cereal, creating Drum and Bugle Corps DVDs to save disc space, and thinking about past experiences in ministry. More about the ministry experience in a separate post, I'm thinking.

I think I should come out and admit that I am a bit of a Drum Corps addict. Ever since I saw my first show at Mile High Stadium in the summer of 2000, I was hooked. A Drum and Bugle Corps is very similar to a marching band, but there are several differences. There are no woodwinds (flutes, clarinets, saxophones) and no trombones, the corps is limited to something like 124 total participants under the age of 21, including usually 64-72 brass players, 14 marching percussionists, 12 pit percussionists, and the rest as color guard (flag, rifle and saber twirlers). A drum corps does not serve any athletics like football or basketball and is not affiliated with a school - they are independent and parent-booster supported.

In fact, Drum Corps are an athletic sport of its own: its season takes place in the summer time where, following almost a month's worth of all-day rehearsals, they tour all around the country and the world competing at football stadiums. The average drum corps will perform 25-35 shows during the summer. Being a clarinetist, I never felt it would be a good idea to play brass all summer, so I never participated. I regret that decision to this day. As a band-director-to-be it would have been a great experience for me.