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The One That Advocates for African Americans In The Marching Arts
116 Plays22 days ago
Welcome back to On A Water Break! This week, we're diving into the incredible work being done by African American organizations that are changing the landscape of the marching arts community. From advocacy to support, we’re spotlighting the amazing people and initiatives making an impact.
Join Nicole and the crew as they chat with Errick Prince and Jarid Polite, two trailblazers working to elevate our community. Plus, we’re discussing the latest headlines in the marching arts, including articles on high school marching bands, the Southern University Human Jukebox, and the Free Players Drum Corps.
In this episode, we're also talking about organizations you can get involved with, like Melanin Mosaic and Our Marching Counts, as well as highlighting other initiatives like Simply Colorguard, founded by Courtney Coffee.
Important Links:
- Melanin Mosaic
- Our Marching Counts
- Simply Colorguard
- Southern University Human Jukebox at the Super Bowl
- Free Players Feature in the NY Post
- WGI Mourns the Passing of Rich Rock Kemp
Contact Us:
- Email: onawaterbreakpodcast@gmail.com
- Social Media: @OnAWaterBreak
- To be a guest on the show, fill out our Guest Form.
Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on your favorite listening platform. Share this episode with a friend who is passionate about the marching arts community!
Tune in, and we’ll see you next time On A Water Break!
#MarchingArts #BlackHistoryMonth #MelaninMosaic #OurMarchingCounts #SimplyColorguard #ColorGuard #MarchingBand #DrumCorps #MarchingArtsAdvocacy #BHM #BlackExcellence #OnAWaterBreakPodcast
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Transcript
Introduction and Episode Focus
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey, everyone, and welcome back to On a Water Break, the podcast where we talk about everything you and your friends are talking about at rehearsal on a water break. This week, we're connecting with amazing African-American organizations that are out here doing the work for our people in the marching arts community. We'll find out what made Ricardo say, why are you smiling? And I said, I just really love being here. And why Jared said, toast look better with jam and jelly. You put something on there?
00:00:29
Speaker
People are like, oh that's cute. All this and more in this week's episode of On a Water Break.
00:00:36
Speaker
a off the met and go welcome you on a water
00:00:52
Speaker
Hello, everyone.
Celebrating Black History Month in Marching Arts
00:00:54
Speaker
It's Nicole, and we are so excited to be here doing a month-long series of episodes about Black History Month. This week, we have some organizations and their initiatives that are out there helping our people in this activity. We have so much planned for this month, and we can't wait to get started to share it all with you. I just finished an interview with Madeline, who's one of the newest DMs at Blue Devils. And we have a whole performer episode that's coming up next week, so you don't want to miss that either.
00:01:20
Speaker
All right, before we start, let's see who's on the SADs lens this week. But before we actually do that, I want you to go and subscribe, hit the notifications on your favorite listening app, write us a review and leave us a share and share it with a friend. Got a question or a good topic to talk about.
00:01:38
Speaker
Email us on a water break podcast at gmail.com or find us on social media and DM us if you have anything or if you even want to just be on the show. We even have a form now that you can fill out if you want to be a guest.
Reflecting on Past Episodes
00:01:52
Speaker
We love having people on the podcast, so check it out. Our link is on the bio. All right, so now we can actually go see who's on the sidelines. Let's see. Ricardo, how are you?
00:02:04
Speaker
I'm wonderful. How are you, Auntie Nicole? Auntie Nicole's doing good. I listened to last week's episode. How was that doing that? That looked like a lot of fun. Oh my goodness. Let me tell you, it was family chat, you know like all of those people that like I lean on. And it was just like us sitting around and having a normal phone conversation that would happen. There were just more people, which also excites me about our guests today because they are also people that I sit and have phone chats with. So it's going to be another family talk night.
00:02:33
Speaker
You know what, me and you both, we don't really get to do episodes together that much anymore, Ricardo. Now, Jeremy tries to separate us. We both can't be on the same episodes. Except for this month when we have all the episodes together. Great, yeah. You had a great start to Black History Month. We're going to keep that going with today's episode
Jared Polite's Journey in Marching Arts
00:02:53
Speaker
two. So joining us today is Erik Prince and Jared Polite. Hello, guys. How are you? Hey, you're doing great.
00:03:02
Speaker
Hello, hello. Hey, thank you so much for coming and spending some time with us and talking and chatting and just having a good time. I will tell you that the first thing that we do here on On a Wide Break is have you do your 32 count life story. So, oh okay, we're practicing already. So Jared, since you made the noise, what we're going to do is give you eight counts on the Met and then you're in. Are you ready?
00:03:27
Speaker
I'm as ready as I'll be whenever I do this podcast. It's always, what am I going to say? Let's go with it. All right. Here we
Erik Prince's Contributions to Marching Arts
00:03:35
Speaker
go. Eight counts and you're in.
00:03:41
Speaker
My name is Jared and I'm the best. I'm just kidding. So my name is Jared Polite. I am the Artistic Director and founder of Melana Mosaic Performance Ensemble, formed in 2023. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, in Queens, New York. Started my marching arts career then.
00:03:56
Speaker
started Junior Drum Corps, horn player, drum major, March Jersey Surf, became a color guard person, and now I do color guard as much as I can for my own organization, which is supporting the African diaspora and BIPOC communities outside of competitive world of competitive marching arts. Ooh, look at that. On the, oh, on the, oh, yes. I think it's definitely doing precision. She wasn't ready. I wasn't ready. On the,
00:04:25
Speaker
yeah Yeah. Very nice. Okay. All right. Uh, brother Eric. No pressure. Jeez. That's a hard one. All right. You know what a met sound like. no Next rep. Repeat. All right. Here we go. All right. Okay. No Robin and with them from here, Eric Prince originally from Georgia.
00:04:49
Speaker
Drum Corps background, Spirit of Atlanta, and then Bluecoats. Taught Bluecoats, taught Spirit of Atlanta cadets, one of those cadets, Bergen County. ah Came back and taught Bluecoats again, Santa Clara of Vanguard, as well, BRAS staff, and now I'm a system BRAS caption head for the Blue Devils as well. Having a great time and also started the Our Marching Council initiative. And I spent some time in the Air Force, has a professional position there as a military member as well.
00:05:19
Speaker
Nice. Last note had to hang over just a bit, but that's okay. That's a lead from the player.
00:05:29
Speaker
So true. So true. Okay. All right. So now that we've all introduced ourselves, let's go ahead and jump into the news.
Discussion on Marching Bands and Achievements
00:05:54
Speaker
All right. So it looks like this first one's going to be with Ricardo. What you got for us, Ricardo? Well, I have to say that the New Yorker magazine has written a fantastic article about the Bourbon County Kentucky High School marching band. This article literally just it. It gives me an essence of Michael Boo. If Michael Boo was still with us, how he wrote an article and you know, would just make our world of pageantry seem like pick up all the nuance that we would want the outside world to get to know our world. um But you can go and check out this article. I'm not going to read it to you guys because it's a lot. And it's a lot of poetic mannerisms, if you will, describing um the Bourbon County marching band, but it is a
00:06:41
Speaker
a fantastic article talking about their season and their preparation getting ready for ah the BOA championships this year. So it's it's good. It's really good. So ah yeah.
00:06:54
Speaker
Bourbon County has always been, and I will tell you that I actually worked with them for two years. Bourbon County has always been that mighty little, like the mighty little toaster that could, because they're, out there they're small, but like their shows are so impactful. And for a moment there, and I haven't, I don't remember, I don't know if they still do it, but they used to do this double tonguing block in their show, every show with the trumpets. I know a high school, that's that small.
00:07:24
Speaker
Wow. So it was almost like how Warren Central does the double time. Double time. Yeah. make i didn' hear version That was their version of that. And they're always entertaining. So good for them in the New Yorker. I i love that. I'll have to check that out. Eric, what are you talking about today? Oh, topic wise, I had my magic list for the news to talk about the African-American Alumni Drum Corps initiative.
00:07:53
Speaker
I have the privilege of talking about the Southern University Human Jukebox, have some time to spend with them this summer, ah work with them during their high school leadership. And then just, it's been their year but from the Honda Battle of the Bands for the first time in SoFi.
00:08:09
Speaker
Stadium doing an amazing job there, and then connecting with a ton of students there at LA Unified School District as well. And then, lo and behold, they come from California and they go back home to Louisiana, and they're there at the Super Bowl. I mean, what more could you ask for? A parade pack full. Just so amazed with the work that Dr. Kendrick Taylor has done, and Professor William Young as well, put those musicians out there. And I also want to highlight about the human juke for the first time the Southern University, when some of them got to perform,
00:08:39
Speaker
at the Louisiana Music Educator Association Conference on stage doing concert literature as well. So nothing but props for the human jukebox and the dancing dolls were amazing as well. Great for the culture, amazing worldwide recognition. And just, I've got to give kudos to those students. You know, they just put the battery packs on and they keep going and they're amazing ambassadors for the culture and for music and marching arts overall. Kudos to them.
00:09:05
Speaker
No, I'm kidding. Can you imagine what it's like to be a and graduating senior right now? It doesn't get any better for me. Yeah, it's like, well what, you know, it's like, what can I do?
00:09:20
Speaker
Anything you want. here Oh, that's so good. They were, I watched, well, okay. So I'm not gonna lie. Football to me is like sports ball. Okay. I watch it for the for the concert that comes right into the middle. And so yes, I have been singing, they not like us all day. So. If I also may add, they also did, I think Shannon Sharp and Chad Okachosenko.
00:09:48
Speaker
They have the podcast as well. And they performed that and they donated $50,000 to so most the Band as well for performing for that. So just again, can't find enough superlatives, enough kudos for them. So amazing job. Did you do a J-Hud show as well? Were they on Jennifer Hudson's show? Yes, That's correct. Yeah, I saw a clip of that because the Dancing Dolls were working it out, honey. And then J-Hud tried to give her about eight counts.
00:10:18
Speaker
said all right You better try. to get it you gotta try Sometimes it counts as all we can get. Okay. I know that's right. Jared! Jared, what you got?
Melanin Mosaic's Mission and Sound
00:10:31
Speaker
Today I saw a New York Post article about a drum corps. A Long Island drum corps comprised of adults with disabilities has given nearly 50 members the experience of a lifetime playing at bengus from Disney World to Lincoln Center, Manhattan, and at Pro Football Stadium in Annapolis.
00:10:48
Speaker
so to let the free players and it's so important to me to talk about this because I often think that not enough of this community is highlighted or showcased in our world.
00:11:01
Speaker
And I think that the free players from Long Island is a great indication of the way that people are representing and showing diversity in the marching arts. So I'm wholeheartedly 1,000% cheers, kudos to everyone involved with the free players drum bugle corps from Long Island.
00:11:24
Speaker
Very nice, Bernas. All right, so the article I'm going to share, and it's I'm not going to share it because I feel like WGI did such a good job. I'm just going to go ahead and read it. and It's about three decades of adjudication for rich rock camp.
00:11:43
Speaker
So I just say that WGI mourns the passing of Rich Rock Kemp. The marching arts community is deeply saddened by the passing of Richard Rock Kemp, a dedicated judge, mentor, leader who made a lasting impact on the activity.
00:11:57
Speaker
Rock was a respected adjudicator for WGI for three decades, shaping the competitive experience for countless performers, instructors with his passion and expertise. A longtime resident of Evergreen Park, Illinois, but Rock was more than a judge. He was a leader and an advocate for the activity. He served as judge administrator for the Midwest Color Guard Circuit,
00:12:18
Speaker
helping to guide and develop the adjudication community. His influence extends beyond WGI as he held leadership roles with both BCI and WGI. Throughout his career, he also judged for multiple organizations across the community, bringing his knowledge, humor, and enthusiasm to a wide range of ensembles and competitions. His wit and humor made him an unforgettable presence in the judging community. Those of us who had the privilege of working alongside him can all recall a memory of rock that brings a smile or laugh.
00:12:48
Speaker
A testament to the camaraderie he fostered among his colleagues, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his fans, family, friends, and I can say fans as well, and all that we're fortunate enough to know him. me I maybe, as close as I ever got to Mr. Camp was a handshake, but he is one of those people that you know that can walk into a room and that knows everyone. So I'm pretty sure that his legacy will live on and I'm fortunate enough to know who he was.
00:13:19
Speaker
Okay, so we've got to go ahead and go ahead and get back on the floor so we can rep the last section and then we'll be back with more on a water break.
00:13:40
Speaker
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00:14:00
Speaker
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00:14:26
Speaker
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00:15:02
Speaker
And we're back. So everyone go ahead and put your equipment down. We're just going to get into the meat and bones of why we're doing what we're doing this on the floor for. And also with everyone else who's on the podcast with me, since everyone here in the best way is doing the most, let's get into it and talk about it and talk about the organizations and how other people can get involved.
00:15:24
Speaker
So since we are all pretty much it's almost like a web that we weave and we're all here and in here together. So let me go. Let's go with Jared first. Can you tell us tell us more about melanin mosaic and and how that became a thing and what it does.
00:15:43
Speaker
Melanin Mosaic came about honestly 15, 20 years ago when I first saw blast on Broadway and on video.
00:15:54
Speaker
And I realized that while there was that just started marching in 95, 94, 95. And I just, you know, blast to come out and round 99, such and such on PBS and all that kind of stuff. So it was all brand new. This whole activity was brand new to me. I didn't know that people were making a living down the street from me basically on Broadway doing this thing that I was doing under a bridge at 15, 16 years old. So it was it was really like altering to see marching arts professionally done. But unfortunately, I didn't see a lot of people like me or us on the stage and that bothered me. So fast forward now, 2023, you know, I always say one day I woke up and the ancestors said, now is time. And I said, okay. And I jumped on Miss Chat GPT and we created a name and some words and poof, there it is, was born.
00:16:54
Speaker
um But it really does exist to create opportunities for people of color and BIPOC communities so that we are making sure our stories are being told our own way without the need or restrictions of scores or judges tapes or anything like that because there's not a lot of freedom in the marching arts. It's very much go by these rules or else.
00:17:17
Speaker
And I don't want the marching arts to totally be about that for the rest of the marching arts career, no matter how long that is. Because right now it's people playing six grand to march. You're right. But those same people could be getting six grand to perform on a stage. So we have to look at the landscape of the marching arts and say, where are there places we can create avenues of interest just like a dance company does, just like an ensemble that does brass or whatever else does, but for people who look and sound and speak and have relationships and identities and experiences that are, you know, common to really bring something else to that activity um in a way that
00:18:01
Speaker
it hasn't been. You know, there is blast and there is, you know, some of these theme parks and things of that nature. And I just saw Disney is hiring their flag whore for next Halloween. That's great. But there's so many more opportunities out there if we just take them and run with them. And so Melon Mosaic is a part of a lot of hats running around. We do a lot of mental health work. We're doing, creating a whole, the legendary Mosaic sound, which our small ensemble that resembles more of a ah Future Core from Disneyland, that kind of identity. Is that the sound sport? That's like the sound sport, but we're participating in sound sport, but we're not a sound sport team. We're just performers who sound sport happens to be a great venue for us to perform in. We will use that venue and then move on to the next thing or come back and have a good time. You know, stage production and tours are our goal with that. Then we have our youth and mental health
00:19:00
Speaker
like I said, initiatives, we're working on creating a ah to prague program called the marching March Forward Wellness, which brings the collective of people in the marching arts together to create an identity that mental health is important in the marching arts and we don't talk about nearly enough. And sometimes it starts with the leadership and not the students because I have been, we are all been abused in some way, shape or form by the marching arts.
00:19:26
Speaker
especially when you're young and people talk to you all kinds of ways and it's just accepted, especially like 90s. What? A drumstick being thrown at your head or a shoe or a chair. Like, okay, next set. We're moving on. Got it. All the above at one time. All the above. So we need to just reset our mental state when it comes to all these things, especially when you come to thoughts of the incident that happened last couple of weeks ago in in Texas where A person who might have been mentally ill, I don't know, the diagnosis came up in a drumline competition and started doing some wild stuff. And unfortunately, someone got wounded. And that leaves scars that we don't even think about. We think about, all right, that's next weekend, another show. Let's go back. Instead of saying, hold up, is everyone OK? This happened in our safe space. How are you really addressing this kind of situation as an ensemble, not just more security in a building? Great.
00:20:27
Speaker
That doesn't follow me home when I go to a store now, when I go to school, when I go to another drum corps competition, when I'm walking down the street and I'm thinking it could happen any place, anytime, anywhere. How are we addressing those kinds of situations? And we're trying to bring something to the marching arts organization that really addresses mental health and wellness for everybody in our community.
00:20:44
Speaker
Yeah, very good. Where are some places that you have, well, I mean, I've seen Melon and Mosaic, you had your, which I shared a bunch, the Christmas video that you had. so Yeah, who did you have and who did you collaborate with for that Christmas video? So because we are a global collective, I have the freedom to work with groups from all across the country and around the world, even.
00:21:13
Speaker
We just actually donated a set of flags through our partnership at Style Plus to Empyrean Windegard in Puerto Rico so that they have a set of flags because they'd have no flags and no polls. So we're providing a set of flags and polls for them. Again, encouraging our partnership with Style Plus. Because I am just a free bird, I'm not attached to a location. I reached out to some people. I was going down to Florida for some business. This is just the day before election day. Like, ooh, that was cute.
00:21:43
Speaker
I went down to Miami. I connected with some people, reless Relentless Winterguard, Michelle Morales, who is a beautiful videographer and photographer in their own right, what they do on their own business, and Carlos Herrera and the team down at Relentless. And we had two weeks. It's like, hey, I have this idea. I'll be down there in two weeks. They mobilized the troops, rallied up, and created a beautiful piece of work. So yeah, it was really fun to go down to Miami and spend and move in.
00:22:11
Speaker
No, it was so windy. It was so windy. Y'all did make it look cute. So we'll make sure we put the clip or like, or something in here so that we can show people what you were doing. so Awesome. All right. So let me move this even more over to Brother Eric.
Our Marching Counts Initiative
00:22:30
Speaker
Hello. Hi. no Tell us more about your initiative or I should say our initiative, but you go right ahead. i don man Let's fix this rotation because it's hard to follow Jared, man. bro I mean, we'll switch it up. We'll switch it up. It's supposed to go top 12 to 1, not 1 to 75, which is where I feel. But anyway, I'll do a mash up here. But um the the primary thing is the Our Marching Counts initiative. And this was started out of ah around COVID time. um And I want to be clear as I explain this. When we celebrate ourselves, we're not diminishing anybody else.
00:23:15
Speaker
We're just, we're just highlighting what we do and and celebrating our wins. And there is nothing wrong with that. And it's kind of the, I'm a country boy. It's like the hit dog holler. You know, if you take it personal, I don't understand why. And this does not be preachy, but I'm just kind of like out of everything that we do, nobody has ever come up and found any data that says we're inaccurate or we're spreading false information. Now I'll continue on. So the OMC, our marching counts is a double entendre, double meaning in it, which basically is our marching does count.
00:23:45
Speaker
from the standpoint of contributions of folks that identify with the African diaspora. And it also means that so many of us have been the one or the two in a drum corps. And as we find our tribe united, we found out there are hundreds.
00:24:01
Speaker
of us. So we are getting our accounts together and organizing and literally celebrating our wins for what we do. So that is, that's one big one that came out of that and it's been very well organized from the standpoint of recognizing our pioneers as well. The James Elvoys and the the Jim Primes and Frank Williams and you know, Ralph Hardemans and all those folks. Alfred Watkins.
00:24:25
Speaker
Alfred Watt, of course. He's still with us. Wayne Harris, he's still out there to fight, but Wayne is a pioneer for us as well. So all those folks who literally were trailblazers for us and created a path when there was not one. So with that being said,
00:24:39
Speaker
I'm going to transition over it with our Marching Counts and 2, what I take a lot of pride in, which is our Stats Division. That falls mostly for our high school members from Marching Contest-wise, and it falls under the blue-to-blue o performing arts US bands portion. This was started when it was brought to me, and it was started from the standpoint of, hey, Eric, what's something going on that is missing or that is not being recognized or awarded in the Marching Arts? And I said, well,
00:25:08
Speaker
For the bands that do traditional marching style slash show style and their hybrid, there's not really a contest rubric that gets them adjudicated. So we created this entire format and what that stands for is standards and technical assessments for traditional and show style bands.
00:25:28
Speaker
Now, the situation is that when people see stats, they think it's only for bands that do that. No, that's one of the things I love. Nicole, Ricardo, you already know. The adjudicators, evaluators, and judges under this, we can judge everything. Doesn't matter if it's military style, if it's core style, if it's traditional. If you put on a doggone feel, we can evaluate it. And that's one of our high talents, is to put out so that those band directors do not have that Norman Clasher of, uh-oh,
00:25:57
Speaker
We're going to a contest, therefore, our kids are not going to be recognized. So that's where it came from. But it's also got a ton of recognition from other places. And Nicole, Ricardo, I have to give you credit. We started out, well, we started out a few years ago, but the big the big transition happened, we went to Louisiana, to the Shreveport-Bosier City Contest. Oh, we did. That was one of the those ah faith initiatives where I asked the hires to say, hey, let me put the panel together and let us go to Louisiana.
00:26:25
Speaker
And I promise it's going to be great. And it just so happened. It was just so happened that it was all African-American judges. I think there were nine of us that went. Eight judges and myself as a contest coordinator. And there were 26 core style bands that were there. No traditional, no show style. So we jumped out of those cars. and Everybody looked at us like, yeah, we're here for a purpose. But I want to say that was one of the wins because it went from having no contest in Louisiana to now there are five.
00:26:56
Speaker
And thanks to our initiative, Louisiana just had their first official traditional show style state recognized championship at Lake Charles. So that was amazing. With that being said, we've grown so much that now ah there's actual state championship recognized by the state fully educated for Mississippi come out this year. Wow. For the state of Mississippi.
00:27:22
Speaker
Georgia's about to be on the docket. We're working really hard here the next couple days. I think Texas, we're right here at it for Texas coming up for Texas UI as well. South Carolina just had their first one as well. So we're making a statement everywhere. And it's not to say that, hey, just like we're not monolithic, there are multiple arenas for where our kids can highlight what they do and be recognized for what they do. One of the big things I always say about the stat size is that, hey,
00:27:48
Speaker
I don't want my Mozart to sound like Beethoven. I don't want my Charlie Parker to sound like my John Coltrane. So what I'm saying is it could be different and have still the same recognition. The problem I have with it is if you're coming with your own biases.
00:28:03
Speaker
You penalize students because you have not done your homework and, or you have not familiarize yourself with the genre sub genre we have on a marching arts. It's not the poke the bear. It's just to say to, Hey, we should be recognizing and rewarding these students for what they do. I catch everybody looking at them on YouTube. So when they put it on the field, why don't we catch it live and recognize it and give them recognition for what they do. So I'm just going to highlight that from the, from the stat standpoint.
00:28:29
Speaker
Just win, win, win. Well, another big initiative under the Our Marching Counts is the Bridge Partnership that we did this past year with Blue Devils in our spring training in Wyoming. We brought band directors and students from Southern University, yeah um Albany State University in Albany, Georgia. We had Dr. Kelvin Jones, who's a Jackson State
00:28:52
Speaker
graduate, and he's also was a former director of the bands at LSU. We brought Dr. William Ervin, who's a Clark Atlanta grad, also a Con Selmer big week as well, who does a ton of stuff within the culture and marching arts as well. And then we brought Dr. Marcus Morris,
00:29:10
Speaker
out as well who's Assistant Band Director at the University of Georgia. I still can't believe that it's huge. What we did, we brought them out to work with Blue Devils and see how we do our process, how we make the sausage per se, and their young members got a chance to get in and work with our members and see how we start the process.
00:29:30
Speaker
And what it is that bridge is literally from the standpoint of when we get students together, they listen to the same music. They have the same mannerisms. They have the same habits and behaviors. It's just they just maybe have some different physical attributes that are there. So it's kind of saying, hey, there's really not much of a gap. So we were like, let's just bridge one side to the other. And that's how we should be doing the music overall. And that's been a huge win for us. And this summer, we're going to do more of that and Hattiesburg at the DCI show.
00:29:58
Speaker
and back in Atlanta again for the DCI Atlanta show. So just a lot of great stuff that's coming out that started from the Marching Arts on the our Marching Counts and it's just continued to grow and sky's the limit.
00:30:13
Speaker
And you know, I always like to hear you talk about it and even, you know, chime in when we can because Ricardo and I are both on the council for our marching counts. You know, so like when I tell you that this is relative, I really do mean that we are cousins. Come on. I guess my invitation is in the mail. I'll wait.
00:30:33
Speaker
Well, since you put Ricardo on front street, you're the first person that's ever done that. So Ricardo has to invite you to that section of the card table at the cookout. I agree. Speaking of, because of course I'm hosting tonight. So Ricardo, let me kick it to you to talk about the cookout.
The Cookout at WGI and Community Networking
00:30:54
Speaker
Well, friends,
00:30:56
Speaker
Just so everybody knows, the cookout is returning to WGI in 2025. And this year, it is going to be an actual cookout. We are partnering up with Jared and Melanie Mosaic and some other community partners from around the Dayton area to truly make a fun, you know, hangout gathering where people can get together, fellowship, have a little bit of community. The details are gonna be coming out soon, but I think I won't get in trouble too much with my boss, Nicole, if I say that it is gonna be the Saturday of WGI, and it will be in between open-class finals and world-class finals.
00:31:43
Speaker
information for that will be popping up. You'll start seeing some posts on my page. You'll see stuff on Nicole's page from the on a water break page and everywhere else about getting your tickets to the cookout 2025. Yeah, I do want to.
00:32:00
Speaker
I do want to go back and just let everyone know how that started. Just like Eric said back in, you know, during lockdown and everyone, you know what I mean? We all were in a way, okay? There's just no way around it. We were all in a way. The first thing that ah happened, I remember Vince and Thomas reached out to me and he was just like,
00:32:19
Speaker
We're going to do a Zoom. It's called Lean In, Lean On, Lean With. I want you to do a test. I want you to talk to everyone. And so I did. And then once that happened and I saw everyone's faces because I never knew anyone.
00:32:33
Speaker
you know And like as much as I've known Ricardo and know of Ricardo, I never worked with him. But then I saw all these other faces too, which is like, okay, I've worked with ah Vincent. And so the more that I saw all these faces around in our little Brady Bunch theme um screen, I was like, how cool would that be if we could all get together? Now at this moment when that was happening, though, we could never, we weren't even thinking about that we could all get together.
00:33:00
Speaker
We didn't know what was going to happen after being all along down and by ourselves. and Everyone's emotions were on, full alert. The first thing I did was just tried to put my thoughts together and be like, hey, how can I bring all of us together and do this thing? I was like, well, first of all, no, I can't do it alone. So then I reached out and that's when I got Andre Williams on. And then um I remember I reached out again and other people were like, Hey, I'll help out and I'll want to do this and whatnot. And I was like, Hey, bring it down because I will, I will take all the help that I can get. And then we actually brought it to fruition and we were in person.
00:33:40
Speaker
at WGI three years ago, four years ago? Yeah, three years ago. Yeah. And I mean, it's weird to have the thought in your head about this is what I would like to do for everyone. Okay. And like Eric, like you said, this is not to diminish anybody, but to lift everyone up. The cookout was not meant for just one kind of people to be there. The cookout was meant for all kinds of people to be there.
00:34:06
Speaker
And so I know that during that first year, that's when I met Jared. And Jared was like, I love this. This is awesome. And I was like, thank you. Thank you. And it it wasn't about Nicole getting the accolades for that. I wanted to have all these people, all these black and brown people with the white people and the Asian people coming together to be like, listen, look at how many of us there are.
00:34:28
Speaker
We don't even get to work together, you know, like probably more of the other folks that don't look like us get to work with more of us. So, you know, that's that whole reason why I was just like, okay, we need to see each other. We need to be around each other even more. And not to mention it was a networking thing.
00:34:44
Speaker
You know, I got to meet so many other people that way. And then the second year came too, and I was just like, I appreciate everyone that came in and helped. And so I was just like, we need to have this as an actual cookout. We need to be outside with the music, with the people and all this other stuff. And but after two years, it was...
00:35:04
Speaker
It was a little bit too much for some of us to take on. And even the people I worked with, they were like, we're going we're goingnna back off just a little bit. And then when we came back, the only, I would say the biggest reason why we came back was because of Jared, because Jared said, what did you say to me, Jared? I, Melon Mosaic is still new, fresh out of the market. So last year was our first time at WGI as organization representing as, you know, Melon Mosaic, nice little booth.
00:35:32
Speaker
for the people, it was cute culture, everything. But I wanted to do more for people connecting, networking wives. So seeing that Nicole, I didn't intend to first cookout and it was everything to me. I just felt right at home. So seeing it not happen last year was like, oh, but I always had the idea of having a get together, something with Melanomosdek. So when I approached Nicole, I was like, you want to do like a cookout, but like outside,
00:35:57
Speaker
She was like, yes. I was like, OK, let's do that then. And we just started putting pieces together last summer, almost, maybe last fall. And just piece by piece, brick by brick, we are building up our our cookout to be something that resembles something that we know to be a cookout, which is family, fun and friendship.
00:36:21
Speaker
and you color guard at this point and you know it became a why are we always so into our own little bubble when there are so many people out there we can help and work with especially myself as a marching arts enthusiast love connecting the dots outside of the marching arts and like collaborating because you just never know where people have to bring to the marching arts unless you go out there and reach for them So we reached some people and we were so happy that PFLAG Dayton was like, we are in, what do you need? We will help. They fully sponsored the location after like six months of trying to figure out what we're going to do. And they said, we got you. Signed the check. Here's the date. Here's a little time. Got you. And then we connected with Miami Valley Meals, which provides food to those who are underserved communities in Dayton, Ohio.
00:37:11
Speaker
So we're just bringing Dayton, Ohio, into what we do as a martial arts community and showing them that you know we're not just people inside of a gym doing flags and not caring about the communities we are actually taking over, running a muck in to two solid weeks.
00:37:27
Speaker
But it's like, hey, you know thank you for doing what you do in this community. Because without you guys doing this stuff in the community, all our Black, brown, queer allies would not have a place to feel comfortable. Because there's not ah all the places in the world, especially Ohio and the Midwest, they're not just places you can like, oh, we're going to go there and be happy and be safe and feel like we can walk around and be ourselves. And Dayton, Ohio, thankfully, is one of those places. So we're just giving back to the community that gives so much to us. Yep.
00:37:53
Speaker
Now, I know that there are other groups and um other initiatives that are actually going on. And honestly, I kind of want to open this up to any of the people that are going to be listening. I think this would probably be a good place to start sharing those initiatives.
Spotlight on Simply Color Guard
00:38:09
Speaker
I will tell you that I did get um information from ah ah a young woman today who does an organization that's called Simply Color Guard. I want to shout them out real quick.
00:38:21
Speaker
And this organization was founded by Courtney Coffey. And she gave me the blurb that says, finding information on ColorGuard shouldn't be difficult. Simply ColorGuard is an online resource created to help you find information on how to navigate the patentry arts quickly and easily. We want students and staff alike, no matter where you're located or your level of experience, to have access to the world.
00:38:44
Speaker
to world-class resources in order to be successful as possible. From our free industry blog, our Color Guard directory, our online spend school membership, and more. We have everything you need to grow as a performer, instructor, director, or fan. but Our goal is to ultimately have a transparency and the sport of the arts. After all, it is simply Color Guard.
00:39:06
Speaker
Mm-hmm. I Have had the honor of talking to Courtney a number of times especially following her her journey on like tick-tock and Instagram and I love what she's doing she's also her actress and she's making it work out there and lay and she's doing color guard and her tick-tock right now is blowing up I love it and It's really cool to see people Giving themselves information and knowledge where they can that's really cool.
00:39:32
Speaker
Very nice. Very nice. Y'all, we could kiki all day long. All day long. However, got to pay some bills. So we will be right back.
00:39:54
Speaker
Marching by Montes is a visual design business based out of Raleigh, North Carolina, but provides services to ensembles all across the country. Our services include custom drill and staging for marching bands, indoor winds, indoor percussion, and winter guards, as well as custom band and guard choreography for all three winter idioms and marching bands.
00:40:16
Speaker
We now offer program coordination for ensembles throughout the U.S. and custom graphic design for all of your uniform, props, flags, and floor needs.
00:40:29
Speaker
In-person and virtual program consultation options are now available through Marching by Montes, as well as custom sound design for your indoor winds backing tracks, winter guard soundtrack, and show soundscape needs.
00:40:42
Speaker
visit us at marchingbymontes.com, contact us at joey at marchingbymontes.com, and check us out on social media at marchingbymontes.
Cultural Insights in Marching Arts
00:41:06
Speaker
Okay, everyone. So we are starting a new segment called the 60 second tech block. Each week, one of our guests, our guest clinicians will be forced to give a 60 second tech block session that will, uh, with the session section, meeting it the most after the run. Okay. So basically our special tech ah this week, we'll have to choose from three topics that they think they can give a 60 second nonstop speech about and maybe help some people out there, you know, let them know what they don't know.
00:41:36
Speaker
This week, it's going to be Mr. Erik Prince. Shower us with some knowledge, please, Brother Erik. The three topics that you have to choose from are, one, dancing on the two and the four. Number two, proper footwear for the time of season and purpose. And number three, how close is too close when you are doing proper grooming? Okay, everyone, what topic do we want Erik to talk about?
00:42:05
Speaker
You know, I know I've known Eric for well over 10 years now. And so I know many things that he has given me 60-second or 60-minute tech box on. And I am definitely going to have to say, since we're all family here tonight, that I need Eric to talk about dancing on the two and the four.
00:42:28
Speaker
because this is a very serious topic and it needs to be addressed. And I feel like this is the forum that we can pull that out. This is what this was made for. This is exactly what this is made for.
00:42:41
Speaker
Jared, you started that clock. Let's get it. You point to me and let's get it. I'm with it. Let's just go. Show us the 60. Show us the 60. All right, here we go. All right. Here we go. And we go. I can only be me, y'all. And this is per the culture and per the social media stuff. So that being said,
00:43:00
Speaker
We know in 4-4 time that the strong beats are 1 and 3. However, for the sake of rhythm and keeping unity for the sake of the culture and outside of the culture, you cannot emphasize clapping on 1 and 3, and you cannot have your body be rigid on 1 and 3. The 1 and 3 are like the James Brown thing where you keep it there to keep the pulse going. But the 2 and 4s to loosen up the hips, let those beats be happy, and then get up in it.
00:43:28
Speaker
It's really okay. Look to your left and to your right. I'm all for everybody having their own thing, but you cannot function on your own time when it's like, hey, some folks may be dancing on two and four, but they're just in a whole different realm. It's like, stay in on it with us. And like I said, one and three are for the James Bond adage of it. But listen, loosen the shoulders up just a little bit. All right. Four, three into your soul. I beg you, please.
00:44:03
Speaker
soul. Sixty I am rolling right now.
00:44:13
Speaker
Anything inaccurate in that, though, was all truth. That was true. That was actual base information. The research has been done. Definitely did it. it' It's actual and it's factual. She writes. All right. Well, I think that now this is a perfect time to talk about what are we doing? What are we doing?
00:44:39
Speaker
What are we doing?
Challenges in Performance Focus and Costs
00:44:41
Speaker
And this segment, when we talk about what are we doing, it's pretty much a tongue in cheek, what grounds my gears about the marching arts. So first person I'm going to with this is going to be Jared. Mr. Prince already he told you he don't want to follow me. He already had done said he doesn't want to follow me. See, and this is where I switch it up. See, this is where I want to know. I switch it up. Go ahead.
00:45:08
Speaker
OK, being slightly serious, but a lot of serious, more women in the marching arts, dead stop. But on a funner note, what are we doing not teaching performance before skills? Because I am tired of seeing little Mammy, Sammy, Hammy, Dammy, Rammy counting to themselves, looking like they lost chickens out there, not performing, and looking like robots. Oh my god. Which sold us for earrings. Cheerings.
00:45:36
Speaker
like You on video now, girl. I don't keep your first show at like... Humble beginnings. It could be world class. It ain't nothin' humble about not performing your show. Mm-hmm.
00:45:49
Speaker
I think honestly, too, I will tell you this. That's one of the things I look and I'm like, performance quality. and You can't teach that. You know what I mean? Like there's a certain energy that comes with that with a certain kind of kid and then you can build upon it. And then some of them, you just got to keep pushing it out of them. But yep. Yeah. sarah were were It's a performance art. Thank you. And I think we're missing that part of it so much for cleanliness and scores and blah, blah, blah, that People are clean, up and down. Great. But you look boring. Gah. And that goes from lower generation class to world class. If you're not performing through your emotion, ah it doesn't give the ooh-ah sensation that your instructor was hoping for when they vision this in their head. They did not envision that, I guarantee you. yeah So keep pushing performance after or before the counts, because you can get a lot further performing
00:46:48
Speaker
What I say on line, toast look better with jam and jelly. You put something on there, people are like, oh, that's cute. Oh, you do the up and over girl. Oh, yeah. She sold it. So start selling your products. There you go. Start selling your products. I thought that's right. But yes, more women in the marching arts dead stop. Ricardo, what you got? OK, so I am exposing myself right now. Ooh. Not that way.
00:47:16
Speaker
but What are we doing about all these damn props? And I'm speaking to myself right now because I was, this is for you listeners, I was just a few minutes late to our recording tonight because I have so many props in my winter guard show that it took my kids 30 minutes to get out of the gym tonight. um he I think it's time for us to calm down.
00:47:42
Speaker
I think it's time for us to bow it back just a little bit on the proppage. I know we want to set the scene. I get it. But I'm pretty sure that all of your band parents will love you a whole lot more if you cut out all the damn props. And I'm really saying this out loud as a lecture to myself. So um if anyone else needs to hear this, take this as your warning. Calm down on the props. Yeah. What are we doing with all these props?
00:48:11
Speaker
What are we doing with all these crafts? All right, Eric, what are we doing? All right, I'm gonna poke the bear. um Jared hit it earlier. We've gone from a couple hundred dollars to Mars to a thousand to two thousand, three thousand, four thousand, five thousand, six thousand. Stop giving your money away. What do I mean by that? Study your craft in the winter.
00:48:35
Speaker
Learn your music, maximize your drill, make the staff earn the pennies that we literally get per day. It's very frustrating to have to drag someone through an entire production because you want to be told what to do instead of you owning what you do and challenging us. It is an equal relationship. I always encourage about and encourage me force me to be a better instructor and teacher.
00:49:00
Speaker
an adjudicator for you versus you just want to be spoon fed everything because nobody's paying to see this old age out head on the field they're there to see you so i'm saying maximize it i don't have money to waste so if i had to pay six thousand dollars you bet your behind everything is going to be on point 24 seven not waiting around for august just to have a good time in indy That's what I got to say. That's where I stand on it. And I will always challenge you. Because if I cut a check for my kid, you bet you're behind. He's going to be all over that music, all over that drill, all over that process. Maximize everything. Don't throw no food away. Don't waste no peanut butter and jelly. Don't you put that cup over there and get it all. And yes, Ricardo, I did say that. I'm good.
00:49:45
Speaker
said He said 10 posts. Damn. I just wanted to follow up to something I thought about today when someone, when you start looking at the Winter Guard schedule, we practice a very, very, very long time, up to nine months at some places, to then have like six, seven, eight shows. When I practiced, I practice like I performed so that those reps I was getting at practice felt like actual shows to me. I didn't wait till we got to a show to start pretending I was at a show. So those reps that I would get again were my money getting better
00:50:19
Speaker
to perform for the audience of a wall and to picture myself in those arenas and having a great time and pushing myself to be the best that I could be at every single time because you're paying for training. You're training.
00:50:32
Speaker
You are absolutely training. Just like these high school colleges and dance teams train, they get one show, two shows a year, but they're working as if they are putting on 16 shows a year. So that's one way to maximize your effort is pretend and but take it as if I get the opportunity to perform this show that I studied and practiced and trained on just for myself and the audience. And that's what I'm going to do and have a great time running this rep before I go home, because this is what I love doing. And I'm going to jump in really quick. I got to say this and he's on here to truth.
00:51:02
Speaker
When Ricardo was a marching member at Spirit of Atlanta, and when he went to the Cavaliers, let me tell you something, commanded attention. I'm being honest. I believe it. I believe it. I'm being honest. Commanded attention and was always on point, period. I used to get adjusted for every performance in the family. I mean, literally owning it, and he occupied his face and made the performers and the guard around him better.
00:51:28
Speaker
and ownership, and I never saw him break. I just didn't. And I'm gonna have a critical eye when it comes to the marching arts, especially drum corps, and I'm gonna continue to give you your flowers. Just absolutely stellar. Thank you, brother. Yeah, I actually did get in trouble for overperforming. Jeff Fiedler yelled at me one very, very hot day in Texas, and he was like, why are you smiling? And I said, I just really love being here.
00:51:55
Speaker
Exactly, especially people of color. We know that this is this is not our playground. So when we get in that bad boy, we take advantage of it. So I down. Yes, absolutely. Great job, everyone. Set your equipment down, go.
Panelist Achievements and Future Initiatives
00:52:16
Speaker
All right, so our next section is gush and go. Now, this is where y'all can brag about anything you want to. It does not have to be marching arts related. It can be whatever's going on in your house, in your family, in your world. You do it. All right. And remember, I told you I was switching it up. So Ricardo, what's your gushing and going about?
00:52:33
Speaker
Okay, I'm going to gush and go about the fact that we are two weeks into Black History Month and I have been recording this podcast with some of my favorite people on this earth. And last week was great. This week is even better. It's just so much fun to get to see all of my people and be in the room with you and that all of our listeners get to listen to a Wednesday night phone call that we would all have anyway.
00:53:00
Speaker
Very true, very true. Let's see, Eric, what are we gushing and going about? I'm gonna unveil the initiative we've been working on for the last several months, the DCI African American Alumni Corps.
00:53:13
Speaker
That's something that I'm proud of. We're going to launch that thing in 2027. Spirit of Atlanta has it this year. Phantom Regiment has it next year. In two weeks, we're going to submit the documentation to DCI. We got about 156 people already committed. So Friday Night Semis be looking for a great time at Punchbowl Social there in Indy.
00:53:33
Speaker
to get more folks signed up. And this is going to be a great thing for DCI overall. So we can get out there and show off what we do, highlight and celebrate our pioneers and our heroes. Great time for us. I have two quick gushing goes. One, Mellon Mosaic is a proud program now of the Warriors Alumni Drum and Bugle Corps from New York City.
00:53:56
Speaker
established in 1946 for the CMCC Warriors. They are an all-Black marching arts unit from New York City. Some of of the best performers and drum corps do come out of New York City, so just make sure that the history is still always representing. I'm very, very proud of that, to continue that legacy of marching arts excellence in the Black community. And also,
00:54:17
Speaker
I want to give a quick shout out to Sean Zachary, the director of the Black Fox Dance Team at Prairie View A.M. University and the National HBCU Azilary and Dance Directors Association, which is a ah conference they produced, the 2025 National Conference in Atlanta, March 20th to 23rd, Atlanta Evergreen Lakeside Resort. I found this organization about two, three years ago because they were on TV. Honestly, the Prairie View were on TV some station about marching arts and Black people. I was like, of course, I'm watching it. And then it just followed on social media and they do this wonderful thing where they bring together educators of the HBCUs, instructors, dance teams, color guards, and they have a whole conference that I didn't know it existed until it existed. And I'm always wondering, how can we get things like that in our communities of color? Soon, maybe, hopefully. We'll see.
00:55:16
Speaker
But yeah, I think it's a great program and they are really doing some great work in the marching arts because I always feel that we have our side and they have their side, HBCUs and them legacy drum lines and drum corps, the flag teams, 40 years deep, 50 years, 600 years deep. And we're brand new to about, are we doing flag over here? Like, yeah, okay. Y'all doing flag over here. They are doing flag over there. And everybody had their own style and it's like,
00:55:45
Speaker
It's so cool to watch. And they're in football stadiums. You might see them at the halftime show for Beyonce. It was a flag line in the back with the Texas group. So the flag line and drunk flag war is coming hard for the HBCU community. So keep looking out for that. I love to hear it. I love to hear it. I'm going to jump in this one. and too and give a gush and go. Mainly because i mean it does have a lot to do about like me and the cookout. and um Because I said earlier about how you know you can get a little burned out if you try too hard, but at the same time, there's literally all of you at one point in time has literally talked to me and give me enough
00:56:29
Speaker
Energy to keep going and so like I said before we do the most and sometimes yes doing the most does make you tired But when you can be supported by someone else who's doing the most to you ain't tired no more So as long as I still have my brothers i got called gush go not gushess day Let's go
00:56:56
Speaker
Y'all, I just want to say thank you for a great rehearsal this week and what a great way to celebrate Black History Month. So I do want to say thank you to our guest clinicians this week and good luck with your seasons and your initiatives and everything that you're doing. Tell us where we can find you on socials, Jared.
00:57:15
Speaker
You can find Melanomosaic Performance Ensemble at MelanomosaicPE or at melanomosaicpe.com. It's our full website. If you want to check out some of the book, click out. It's melanomosaicpe.com backslash cookout. And you'll find information about us and everything we're doing there. All right. And but Eric, where can we find you on socials?
00:57:36
Speaker
um Our Marching Counts is on Facebook and then at the same time the African American Alumni Corps group is also on Facebook as well. We'll be sending up some other initiatives here at the same time. And then for stats, those contests are going to be released for the fall 2025 on February 17th
Conclusion and Contact Information
00:58:00
Speaker
on that Monday. So you can go to U.S. Band's org And look at the stats tab and it will tell you there you can click on the password and see all the amazing adjudicators that we have. And we're adding eight more on this year to the panels because we are growing. So we have eight contests. Yeah. Good times. So happy to see it. All right. So just got a quick question or a topic that you want to email us about. You can email us at onawaterbreakpodcastatgmail.com.
00:58:30
Speaker
Or you can find us on social media, DM us if you want to be on the show. We even have a form you can fill out now if you want to be a guest. We'd love having new people on the podcast, so check that link out in the bio of our social media. Or you could just take out your phone and record yourself and send it to us, and you might even be on the podcast soon. So you know either one you want to do, try it.
00:58:51
Speaker
One more thing, don't forget, we have a YouTube channel now that has many of our interviews, it's full editions, so go subscribe and you won't want to miss any of those. Also, before you close out of your podcast listening app, go subscribe, write us a review, and share it with a friend. Follow us on social media at On A Water Break, and we'll see you at the next rehearsal on A Water Break. And go practice.
00:59:31
Speaker
The On A Water Break podcast was produced by Jeremy Williams and The intro and outro music was produced by Josh Lida. To learn more, visit ridamusic.com. And until next time, thanks for tuning in.