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And the Beat Goes On….Connies, Bands and Drum Corps
Oberlin Conservatory is acclaimed for its orchestral and
choral programs, and Connies continue to surface in
leadership positions in orchestras and choruses
throughout the world. What's lesser known, perhaps, is that
the Conservatory also has a strong legacy of producing
leaders in the fields of bands - marching and field bands-
and drum corps.
John
Blickwedehl in performance with The Glassmen.
For example, did you know that Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Foley '64 is director of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band and music advisor to the White House? He has led the band in performances for presidents, prime ministers and kings. Read more about Foley and "The President's Own" in a fall 1998 Oberlin Alumni magazine feature.
Closer to home, three students - junior John Blickwedehl (Orchard Park, New York), junior Thomas Lukowicz (Mobile, Alabama) and senior Rick Pugsley (Orleans, Massachusetts) - direct, coach and/or perform with marching bands and drum corps.
Music Education major John Blickwedehl has marched three years with The Glassmen, a 128-member drum corps based in Toledo, Ohio, that offers a 28-city summer performance tour. Members range in age from 15 to 22. Originally formed in 1961 as the Maumee Suns, the drum and bugle corps performed throughout northwest Ohio as a parade corps until it entered Ohio American Legion Competition, and, was renamed the Glass City Optimists in 1967. In 1971 the corps became the Glassmen to represent Toledo, the "Glass Capital of the World".
Blickwedehl says, "Each summer we live on a bus, sleep on floors and learn to deal with living closely with people during the national tour. That tour provides the time for us to perfect an 11-minute performance for the final competition, this year, in Madison, Wisconsin in August. The competition and summer is an experience of a lifetime."
Last year marked Thomas Lukowicz's third year with the 10-time world champion Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, of Concord, California. The Blue Devils boasts more than 5,000 members, ages seven to 21 in its seven programs. Group literature recounts how more than 5,000 young musicians from 1,500 families have been served since the program's founding in 1957. The group tours nationally and internationally.
Thomas Lukowicz in a post-performance photo with The Blue Devils.
Lukowicz, a tuba performance major, describes that experience this way: "Last summer, we toured 32 cities in six weeks, traveling by bus and plane almost everyday and sleeping during whatever free time we had. Living on the road for that long, the bus becomes your house and you start to figure out how to sleep in weird positions and can sleep through any type of noise. It was a great way to see the country while getting the chance to perform for thousands of people each day."
According to Lukowicz, an average day with the Blue Devils requires at least12 hours of practice and/or performing. "A practice day," he says, "begins with breakfast at 8, followed by rehearsal from 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. After a break for lunch, rehearsals run 2-5:30 p.m. and 7-11 p.m. On a show day, we get to sleep till 9 a.m., with rehearsals from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-5:30 p.m. Then we shower, dress, go the show site, warm up and then perform for the show."
Senior voice major Rick Pugsley (community music
minor/assistant volleyball coach) is director of the Cape
Cod-based Spirit
of America. The group is
comprised of a marching/field unit (90+ instrumentalists, 24
color guard and eight honor guard) a wind ensemble (over 60
instrumentalists) and a fife and drum corps (20 members).
The individual groups operate year-round and perform
throughout New England, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, in concerts, field performances and parades.
Senior voice major Rick Pugsley, director of Spirit
of America
Spirit of America members - all volunteers - range in age from 12-58. And while some of the members are professional musicians, many more are lawyers, landscapers, retirees, and junior high and high school students. Repertoire includes traditional patriotic and service marches (Sousa, Gilmore, Alford); classical works (Mozart, Rimsky-Korsakov, Saint-Saëns); medleys and show-tunes (Rodgers/Hammerstein. John Williams and Jerome Kern); orchestral marches and suites (Elgar, Vaughan-Williams, Holst); and a selection of contemporary classical composers.
The Cape Cod-based Spirit of America in rehearsal
When asked what is unique about Spirit of America, Pugsley says, "This group is unusual in that kids work alongside adults. I think that mix is so important. You get the wisdom of the adults with the energy of the young people and they both learn from one another. The band tours high schools in the New England area each summer. These are dedicated musicians. Anyone who gives up two weeks of summer vacation to go on tour after spending every Saturday of the summer rehearsing has to be dedicated."
Pugsley adds, "Aside from teaching them the music and the moves, band members learn about teamwork and the amount of energy and effort it takes to pull off a performance. The whole group learns to support one another when it's 98 degrees outside, they're practicing in a dust-bowl, it's 4 p.m. and we've been practicing since 7 a.m. And that's just rehearsal! Unlike most drum corps, Spirit of America has only five off-season and nine on-season weekends to prepare a top-flight show. Spirit of America is one of the U.S. representatives in the WAMSB world championships held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on July 9-12.."
Pugsley says Oberlin training provided important musical and leadership training in his continuing leadership role with Spirit of America. "Studying voice requires a keen sense of self-knowledge, discipline and precision. Singing is a thinking-person's musical event. The voice faculty at Oberlin are fantastic at making one aware of the mental process: how to set the technical foundation so that in performance the balance between an emotional performance and technique is found. Hugh Floyd and John Knight have also been very helpful. There wasn't a single class that didn't help me with general musicianship. Some people begrudge theory, but I found that understanding the composer's intent allows me to present a more authoritative performance."
Last summer, Pugsley brought both Blickwedehl and Lukowicz to work with Spirit of America, and they've returned numerous times since then.
"That was my first time working with the group," says Blickwedehl. "We taught the basics: marching, breath control, maneuvering, posture, how to use feet in the most effective manner while playing, and isolation of upper body from lower body."
He adds, "They are simply a great group of people. It is pure joy to work with people who enjoy what they are doing and work very hard at being great at what they do. I feel privileged to work with such people and can only hope that they' ve learned as much from me as I have from them."
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