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On A Water Break: Water Break Weekly – DCI All-Age Spotlight
206 Plays17 days ago
Ricardo Robinson-Shinall (@ricardorrobinson) • Stephen McCarrick (@stephenmccarrick)
Co-host: Trish O’Shea (@trishdish1002)
Guest Hosts: Michelle Adcock (@michelleainpa) of the Hawthorne Caballeros (https://hawthornecaballeros.org) • Nick Coppock (@cantstopcop) of the Bushwackers (https://www.bushwackers.org)
Episode Summary:
We kick off the inaugural DCI All-Age season with your full panel: news headlines, a 60-Second Tech Block on video-feedback drills, a Water We Doing? rant on online negativity, and Gush & Go highlights.
Segments:
- 32-Count Life Stories – Origins and paths of Michelle, Nick & Ricardo
- News Roundup –
FAMU’s first female head drum major → https://www.si.com/college/hbcu/bands/florida-a-m-marching-100-makes-herstory-naming-first-female-head-drum-major
Beyoncé’s $100K to Texas Southern “Ocean of Soul” → https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/music/article/beyonce-donates-100k-to-tsu-ocean-of-soul-houston-20398428.php
WGI’s new Participant Protection (3P) training → https://www.wgi.org/participant-protection-training
NFL’s first twirler in 23 years → https://sports.yahoo.com/article/hartselle-native-twirl-tennessee-titans-123600911.html - 60-Second Tech Block – Michelle Adcock on using in-rehearsal video feedback (full guide on site)
- Water We Doing? – Why we need to champion positivity in the marching-arts community
- Gush & Go –
Trish’s All-Age show excitement
Stephen’s July 12 Rowan University clinic featuring Roger Carter
Ricardo’s post-tour adrenaline & student success shout-outs
Nick’s fitness-through-discipline journey
Michelle’s drum clinic buzz with elementary guards
Listen & Subscribe:
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEIZAjFybvq_AzpFUXvNJDQ
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/onawaterbreak
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-a-water-break/id1653637341
• Other platforms: search “On A Water Break”
• Guest Signup: https://forms.gle/7GcpYZLfY8Uo54pp9
Sponsors:
Peak Group Travel – https://peakgrouptravel.com (@peak.group.travel)
Guard Closet – https://www.guardcloset.com (@guardcloset)
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Teasers
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 are all about DCI all age, impractical jokers, and so much more.
00:00:14
Speaker
We'll find out what made Stephen say, oh man, I'm sponsoring lunch every day. Why Trish said, How did you feel? oh I was always crying. All this and more on this week's episode of On a Water Break.
00:00:30
Speaker
Adolph the Met and go. Welcome to On a Water Break. The where we talk everything marching arts.
00:00:42
Speaker
Everyone, bring it in. It's time for a water break. Hey everyone, it's Ricardo. We have a great episode
Listener Engagement and Participation
00:00:50
Speaker
this week. It's all about the folks who make up the DCI All-Age class and some of them are here to share their thoughts.
00:00:58
Speaker
Before we see who's on the sidelines this week, go and subscribe on your favorite listing app, write us a review, share this with a friend. Got a question or a good topic to talk about? Email us at on at gmail.com or find us on social media and DM us if you want to be on the show.
00:01:14
Speaker
We even have a form now to fill out if you want to be a guest. Check it out at our bio link.
Weather and Personal Stories
00:01:21
Speaker
Well, who's on the sidelines this week? Oh, it's my friend Stephen. Hey, Stephen. How's your drum corps season going so far?
00:01:29
Speaker
I feel like every year up here, once it hits July, it just starts to really cook. It hit like 101 degrees feels like this weekend, and we're just baking out there. Oh my goodness. But I can't imagine it's much colder in Arizona.
00:01:45
Speaker
So it has been crazy because I was at the BOA camp in Indiana and it was disgustingly hot. Like, yeah left Florida thinking like, I'm going to go to the Midwest and it's going to be cooler. No, it was hotter in the Midwest than it was in and Florida. And then I got on the road and the first stop for me was Vegas. And it was it was a day where we were having rehearsal and it was 104 and overcast. And I was like, crazy.
00:02:11
Speaker
um And then the very next day we get to California for the first show and we arrive and it was 57 degrees. So I was like wearing a hoodie. Oh, that's true. Trying to teach.
00:02:23
Speaker
So my body is completely out of whack right now with like what's going on temperature wise. It's, it's, uh, I don't know. I don't know. Climate change. your home You can settle in.
00:02:34
Speaker
I am home and for a few days anyway, and I am got this air conditioner cranked up and living my best menopause life. So oh there is that.
00:02:49
Speaker
Well, keep it cranked. Absolutely. that Power bill can be high. I don't even care. Trish, you are co-hosting and producing this week. How was your trip to Connecticut for the first all age show?
00:03:01
Speaker
It was so much fun. I was just telling Michelle before we started how proud I was of my two students at the Caballeros. And everybody was really, really good. it was a lot of fun.
00:03:13
Speaker
was a lot of fun. So all that was really, really looking forward to this week is the Grand Prix right down the block from my house. So that's going to be really hot in a lot of ways.
00:03:24
Speaker
ah I'm excited for you. I, you know, it's like there's so many shows that are happening and it's like once the season starts, man, it is just going, going, going. And everybody is just putting the pedal to the metal and it is, it's go for it at this point.
Marching Arts Insights and Anecdotes
00:03:42
Speaker
So joining us on the sidelines this week, we have the Color Guard caption head of the Hawthorne Cavaleros, Michelle Adcock. Michelle, welcome aboard. Hello.
00:03:55
Speaker
Great to be here. How was your season going so far? Oh, it was going slow and now it's fast. Now it's like 100 an hour. Yeah. yeah We traded coal, a very, very cold and rainy April and May for our first weekend of sunburns and 15 minutes till water breaks.
00:04:18
Speaker
And yeah, it just, we had no in-between season at all. It was pretty much just off and on is how I feel like the weather has gone this year. um For those of you who are watching this on the YouTube and who watch this on Clips Later, you can see right now I have my lovely highlighter on, which is not actual highlighter. It's my sunglass tans.
00:04:42
Speaker
I look like I have been painted. Michelle, we have this thing that we like to do with our guests on the show, and it's called a 32-count life story. So what we'll do is we'll give you eight counts off the mat, and you can tell us everything about your life from the beginning up to this very moment in 32 counts.
00:05:01
Speaker
Do you think that you can do that? I will attempt to do so. All right. Progress over perfection. Here we go. I love that. Hold on. right. Give me one second, Michelle. I'm going give you eight off the mat. Okay.
00:05:15
Speaker
Okay. Here we go.
00:05:20
Speaker
Oh, that was eight. I was used to 12. Okay. Here we go. So originally from the Pittsburgh area, started marching a baton and then color guard at the Mickey sport major adult team, German bugle core and East Allegheny high school, which led to still city ambassadors where I started life in DCA.
00:05:38
Speaker
Then I retired. Then I joined the Reading Buccaneers and marched there for several years. Some of the best marching experience of my life. In between all that, I did a bunch of different independent guards. And then I retired. And then I taught Raiders and Gold and Cavs and retired. And I teach Cavs.
00:05:59
Speaker
That was so bad. That was not bad. That was fantastic. You had a lot to cram into 32 counts. Especially when you've been around a few decades.
00:06:11
Speaker
How can you put an entire life into 32 counts? Michelle just showed us that we can do it.
00:06:19
Speaker
So also on the sidelines, it's our old friend, Nick Coppock from the Bushwhackers. Hey, Nick, what's happening? Hello. It's happened. It's July. It is July. So, Nick, you have already done a 32-count life story with us before. So why don't, instead of us doing a 32-count life story, why don't you just give us a quick update on what's going on in your world?
00:06:43
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. So I guess since the last time I was on the podcast, I've been working out with some other new high school students. I'm a front ensemble guy, so you know I like to write my beats, teach kids how to move their wrists up and down, basic stuff.
00:07:01
Speaker
It's a lot of fun. I've been having a wild time as of late. Other than just kind of teaching more high schools, I have also been involved with Imperial Dynasty for Indoor.
00:07:13
Speaker
They needed a person to take some photos of them this past season, and help out with their social media. So I decided, you know, I'm aged out. Why not? So was a lot of fun. And I find myself at the Bushwhackers once again for year number five.
00:07:30
Speaker
so Nice. Oh, will you're getting plaque this year. Yes. I get my five-year plaque. The Bushwhackers, every five years, you get a plaque for being a part of the organization. I missed mine. I only made four.
00:07:43
Speaker
You could always come back. i only made four, I know. Okay, well, so do they have to be consecutive, or can you just go back, Trish? No. You got another season with me. It could be any five. It could be any five years. So it doesn't have to be consecutive, but I feel like if you are involved in an organization like a drum corps for five years, you really should get it that plaque painted in gold.
00:08:05
Speaker
I don't know. It is gold-pointed. ah But it's been worth every second of it. Okay, folks, you heard it here. We got a spoiler alert. Trish is coming out of retirement next year.
00:08:19
Speaker
highly recommend. records what
00:08:26
Speaker
So, Nick, I have to ask because this is something that just popped up on my little feed right here. I understand that the Bushwhackers recently had a run-in with an impractical joker.
00:08:40
Speaker
Yeah, so I ran into Murr during Morning Block.
00:08:46
Speaker
That is definitely one of the sentences I never thought I would say, but here we are. At Bush of all places. I know. So, I mean, what brought this on? Were they recording an episode? Was he just hanging out? like so So it's a very interesting story.
00:09:03
Speaker
So Murr has a wife, and Murr's wife sells candles. Now... Have you ever been to like a festival during like the spring or the summer where you have food trucks?
00:09:15
Speaker
You have a lot of arts and crafts, like an arts and crafts type of show. Oh, I've been, I've, I've, I've frequented. Yeah. Okay. Fantastic. Well, Mer's wife was selling candles.
00:09:27
Speaker
Mer's wife was a vendor at this particular event that we were at. And we didn't, there was a rain out, it was rescheduled. So the camp that we were practicing at had rescheduled this for the same exact day where we were already basically contracted to be there just rehearsing.
00:09:47
Speaker
So, you know, we're just warming up in the morning, you know, getting our wrists nice and loose. We're starting to get into cleaning some show music. And all of a sudden, our drum set player, he looks up and he's like, what?
00:10:02
Speaker
No way. Went back to a rep. Nobody thought anything of it. Then all of a sudden, oh my God, that's Murr!
00:10:12
Speaker
He just perks up out of nowhere. He's like, oh my God, is this real? And then, lo and behold, We were all disbelief. The staff like completely stopped rehearsal. They're like, wait, what?
00:10:26
Speaker
Then we all on our phones were like, what? There's no way. And then we saw on his Instagram, oh, Murr is at Apple Farms today, which is where the Bushwhackers were rehearsing. And our minds were just blown. We're just like, how on earth could these two worlds, very different, just kind of run into each other, you know?
00:10:46
Speaker
The craziest thing. A lot of circumstances of just randomness all coming together for like the perfect moment. Not even kidding. He was walking over by the battery during warmup.
00:10:56
Speaker
He started playing paradiddles on his chest. I don't even know how he knows this. Yeah. like He's just drumming along.
00:11:05
Speaker
Is he a drummer? Like, did he play? and i guess. We should find this out. This is investigative reporting, right? This is the real, we're on the beat. Okay.
DCI All-Age Season Challenges and Preparations
00:11:16
Speaker
ah Yeah, myrrh, they make great candles. He got me good. He draws a real crowd at an arts and crafts fair, and he got me for about $60 worth of a fancy candles, but they smell great. i i got a picture. I'm happy with my spend.
00:11:33
Speaker
Steven, if I come over to your house whenever I'm up in the Northeast, I'm just going to... Yeah, we're going to like a myrrh candle. Yes.
00:11:42
Speaker
I think they're soy candles. Listen, I live for a good candle, so I am a fan already.
00:11:52
Speaker
So everybody on the panel today, this is the start of the DCI All-Age season. So, so far, I mean, you guys have been to a couple shows. You're all involved in many different aspects of it. who i think only one, you guys, right? There's one so far. There's one show so far. Okay.
00:12:12
Speaker
Well, who looks strong so far? Well, as always, the Reading Buccaneers are the team to beat. I'd say that's how pretty much every season starts. They have a great strong core and they rehearse on Sunday all winter long.
00:12:25
Speaker
So that is a good head start. so It's just tough to beat. But I do think that all the different DCA all-age cores, really ever since they got involved with DCI, at least I'm interested to hear about, Michelle, your perspective at CABS. But it's really like rocketed Bush to another level where we just we have to go fast. We ask a lot of the students and the members and they rise to that occasion pretty well.
00:12:49
Speaker
ye Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, the last time I was involved with CABs was 2018. So a lot of things have changed, obviously. I find what's really impressed me about the CABs organization, but I'm sure it's the same with all the other DCI All-Age, is how the organization on the back end really has stepped up their game.
00:13:10
Speaker
Like... Rehearsals are planned out to the minute transportation planned out to the minute everything not that it wasn't before but even more so there's a lot of behind the scenes even before we're standing there in front of the members we have plans and schedules and punch lists and so that when that because we are so short on time that every single minute of that rehearsal is put to good use.
00:13:36
Speaker
Mm-hmm Yeah, and I can tell you from like my personal experience as a member, I've seen that both during kind of like those DCA years I had and last year and now this year.
00:13:48
Speaker
It feels like a whole different beast. I mean, we're still doing the same thing, same activity. Maybe we have a little bit of a tighter timetable, but all of the hard work that I've seen, then of not only just the Bushwhackers, but I've seen and heard from other groups as well.
00:14:05
Speaker
I mean, it's all been... Just work, work, work, and get everything done, and got to make sure this is all planned out. so But it's been great. I mean, just to kind of see, just already, the quality I've been seeing from everyone. It's fantastic. I mean, people would have loved to have seen this, you know, like five years ago. Just the quality.
00:14:24
Speaker
I didn't get to see a lot last week because we were like second to last. But even just like, you know, seeing people in the lot and the warm-up areas and stuff, and it's Everybody just looks so much more polished than I remember being in this early time of the season.
00:14:41
Speaker
Uniforms are ready. Show flags are ready. Costumes are ready. You know, there's more color guard book filled in, like all kinds of things. A lot more details have been put in already.
00:14:52
Speaker
So it's just like everything's like at a supersonic speed compared the way it used to be. Yeah, i being on the junior core side of this thing and having directed DCA Corps back in the day, there's two completely different you know trains of thought and preparedness for getting ready for the season. And I know that like being a captive audience with a junior core you know, having them every day, all day for months on end, like there's so much that we can get done. But like these, these all age cores are doing the work and like a quarter of the time.
00:15:30
Speaker
It's just amazing at how everybody just comes in. Like what, from a planning standpoint, like how far out are you guys like planning, you know, programming and, and rehearsals and all of that stuff?
00:15:45
Speaker
i Well, I came in, I just joined back a little late in the game. So I was playing catch up, but I know that our design team has been communicating and working, you know, for a very long time.
00:15:56
Speaker
And right now, you know, the instructional staff, we, um, are constantly in contact. We use a lot of messaging apps and captioned head phone calls and Zoom meetings and things like that.
00:16:10
Speaker
So that every weekend we know what our goals are. We know how to execute those goals. But think we'd be remiss if we didn't shout out to the members because the members who are making it happen, because they're the ones that are practicing all week.
00:16:23
Speaker
So we're not like a DCI core where we have them all week. And obviously they have school, they have jobs, but you know we know that in their sections, either through their leadership or their caption heads, they're doing video assignments, they're doing other things to stay fresh so that they're making improvement and growth from week to week, even outside of rehearsal.
00:16:44
Speaker
Yeah, and I would say my experience at the Bush ah end of stuff is it's just a very high stakes schedule. We have to do this during morning block. And if we don't get this goal accomplished, there's not a very good chance that we're going to be able to circle back on this.
00:17:01
Speaker
So it's just a lot of you need to make sure we hit the different assigned goals for all the different blocks is kind of what DCA is for us. You know, but it's really, really true, too, because I mean, I remember back in my days of doing it.
00:17:15
Speaker
And then two years ago when the DCA thing was announced, but it wasn't happening until the following year, I remember being at the first show in Connecticut going crazy. How's this going work next
Logistical Hurdles and Creative Solutions
00:17:25
Speaker
year?
00:17:25
Speaker
Nobody has costumes. Nobody has a full show. But you know what? Kudos to you guys because you guys have pulled through and made it work. And, you know, I'm going give you a very slow applause here.
00:17:40
Speaker
And I think honestly, too, like we talk about costumes and all that stuff being done. I think that because... of costume companies, flag companies, all those people. Now, because we're in such a digital age, it's a lot easier to produce things than it was back in the day when everything had to be cut and sew and and you know all the intricate patterns and stuff. So I think that them understanding that there's a timeline that has to happen, because this is one of the first years, well, I would say last year as well, too, like seeing the first show
00:18:11
Speaker
And people having their show flags and being in their full costumes and the color guards not being in dress blacks and all that stuff. Like, they're figuring it out. Like, you got to get in that costume rotation early so that you start the season with your costumes on.
00:18:25
Speaker
You start the season with your flags. So I'm just in awe of everyone in that DCA, DCI all-age world because it comes to planning and it comes to member...
00:18:41
Speaker
accountability. And I think that's the biggest thing that DCI All-Age is famous for is because you don't have them all week. They have to know their stuff when they come back over the weekend. Absolutely.
00:18:52
Speaker
But there are some really cool shows out there. Like, I think y'all are bringing it. Like, I, um you know, the cab show. I mean, my two kids were bringing those lever rifle things to my spring training rehearsals. And it was like, what were they going to do a chat that? The check marks.
00:19:09
Speaker
Yeah, okay. And then, you know, then you see them out on the field. You're like, oh my God, that's really cool. I mean, and then, you know, and then you have Bush. I mean, the whole, I guess, being a Bushwacker alum, I get the whole infinity thing and how that evolves. and you know Do you like the S-curve prop that the guard is using? Love it.
00:19:28
Speaker
Love it. They have a too. And i mean, everybody, hurricanes, sunrisers, everybody write down. I mean, and of course you guys already brought up Reading Bucketeers. Everybody is just really, I mean, the shows are really, really good. I can't wait to see, you know, this weekend in Clifton, how much progress you guys have made.
00:19:45
Speaker
So that's going be cool. So speaking of Clifton, that's the big show that's coming up this weekend. What everyone's thoughts? Who do we think? Can we get some predictions on who we think is going to win? Who's going to be great? Well, first of all, we have to see how many players are actually going to be able to shower.
00:20:05
Speaker
Because I hear that's a big issue right now because I've been getting texts from people. Do you know any schools? And I literally live right down the road from Clifton. But do you know any schools that have showers?
00:20:18
Speaker
Because they just found out that the showers at the stadium aren't up and running. And now everybody's scrambling to try to find showers. So before we decide who's go to have a good show, I think we have to decide who's going to be able to shower.
00:20:30
Speaker
Now, let's say this, though. For anyone who's been doing DCA for a long time, not DCI all age, are we really that upset that the Clifton showers are gone?
00:20:43
Speaker
ah Oh, no. That part. That part. Yeah. Yeah. I remember from my marching days. Yep. Mm-hmm. So which core is going to your house, Trish?
00:20:54
Speaker
um Well- Oh, all of us? Okay. Like everybody on the podcast right now is. Okay. Yeah. Now, we have a special secret staff thing that we will take care of.
00:21:07
Speaker
And it may involve a Planet Fitness black card. I've heard about that. and for a Man, if that was a thing when I was um teaching Bushwhackers, I would have been all over it Lifesaver, man. Lifesaver.
00:21:22
Speaker
Man, I've heard about you guys doing that. Ricardo, do you know they do that? I did not know they do They joined Planet Fitness. You have to get the black card, though, not just one local club.
00:21:34
Speaker
The staff members all join Planet Fitness and they get the black card. So wherever the show is, they find a Planet of Fitness in that town. And that's where the staff goes to shower. That is the smartest thing I think I've ever heard.
00:21:49
Speaker
Fun story for everybody speaking showers. So we got to a housing site just a few days ago and found out that the showers in the school were no longer hooked up. so um our core managers had to figure out something to do. So they went and bought sprinklers and water hoses and we turned it into a fun outdoor water park for the students to shower in the parking lot.
00:22:17
Speaker
Back in the day, and by the day, I mean a long time ago the day, back when I marched in Steel City, that's what they did. You like wore your bathing suit under your rehearsal clothes and you just went to the hoses and then you got ready.
00:22:30
Speaker
i Back in the 1900s when I marched, yeah um we were at a housing site, Mississippi, and my parents and my grandparents came to see the show.
00:22:41
Speaker
And I remember this like it was yesterday. My grandpa pulled up in his car and we were standing outside and I was getting hosed down with the water hose. And he pulled up at that moment and he just looked at me and he's like, boo boo, what the hell you doing out here taking a bath outside?
Competitive Spirit and Future Involvement
00:23:01
Speaker
We paid all this money for you to go and do this. And you out here bathing with a water hose. That's my grandpa impression.
00:23:11
Speaker
I'm super excited to see how much progress you guys have all made because you guys are doing an amazing job. And I don't know. I think I think the people on this podcast, it's going to be tight between you guys for the next couple of weeks.
00:23:24
Speaker
you know Between Bush and Cabs, I think that's that's a little that's a little tight race there, I think. Love the race. The better everybody is, the better everybody is. and Right. Yes.
00:23:34
Speaker
And how we're pushing the activity forward because everybody's doing great. i And we're putting respect on the all-age name, too. I think because of DCI, I think a lot of people who just didn't know what DCA was kind of had in their heads that it's the old guy's smoking cigarettes in one hand and playing G-bugle in the other.
00:23:58
Speaker
Yeah. And it's not like that anymore. So... Maybe at the alumni corps. Yeah. and then thats yeah there That does happen. That does happen.
00:24:10
Speaker
No, yeah, it's great. like I'm just so happy to see everyone just get better. and I just remember hearing back in the day, like I was just about to graduate high school, and people were saying, well...
00:24:24
Speaker
you seem like you want to do drum corps. Like, have you wanted to do tour or something? I'm like, well, I don't have a lot of money. And plus, there's a lot of great local options to me here around Philadelphia. Like, let me see what I can do. And they're like, you sure?
00:24:40
Speaker
yeah sure it's not just like a bunch of old geezers that are just doing stuff? And I'm like, what? And then I actually talked with some people that were involved. And, you know, like, they're like,
00:24:52
Speaker
no it's not like that all and i'm like oh okay and it seems like ever since this whole transition into dci has happened it's just become more and more like oh this is definitely anything but that why is this why is that core like why are they all running running around the field at 200 bpm why are they doing gymnastics on the field live so it definitely does not have that perception now and I think we're all very happy about that.
00:25:21
Speaker
and And it's such an important, I think it's it's such an important piece of the whole drum corps universe because it's a combination of a great place for people to start ah who want to continue and go on to some world-class DCI course. It's a great place for people who just staged out and aren't ready to stop.
00:25:40
Speaker
And it's a great place for people who they have to work during the week. They have money issues, but they can still participate. So hopefully this, connection with DCI helps grow the activity.
00:25:53
Speaker
I think it will. I think in a couple of years, we'll see even more all age groups, especially from around the country might start to make it. Yeah. And I think, I don't want to talk like, I don't know for sure, but I swear there's a couple cores that are coming back this year that hadn't been before. guys probably know that more than I think it was Minnesota Brass is the big one. They won DCA, i believe Yeah. And They're finally returning back to the field, which is awesome.
00:26:22
Speaker
I do know that the Steel City Ambassadors tried to make a comeback. They were very close, I know. And I know the third really big one was the the Northern Lights out of Michigan, which is really cool. I had no idea. And supposedly, they're also, think, a relatively younger organization that saw this opportunity. And you know I think it's perfect. like The more, the better.
00:26:47
Speaker
Exactly.
00:26:51
Speaker
Yeah, DCI All-Age is definitely a viable option for many people, like for all the reasons Michelle said earlier. you know So who knows one day if I'm in my retirement from teaching full time, I might be popping out on a field somewhere nearby to do DCI All-Age for you know. You can still get your five-year plaque as a bushwhacker.
00:27:19
Speaker
We can just go get mine. Trish, we're coming out together next year. You're going to go. You're going get your five-year plaque. I'm going to start my journey on my five-year plaque.
00:27:29
Speaker
All right. Yes, let's do it. I'll fly to you every weekend and stay at your house and we'll do it. Someone actually did that last year for the Bushwhackers. They flew in from Arizona.
00:27:41
Speaker
And was hearing some people flew and did, I think some people did some stuff similarly in Bucks too. So it's, it's really cool. When I was in Syracuse Brigitteers, we have a large contingent from Canada and they used to come down on a bus from Montreal. Like it would take them like eight hours and sometimes they would get stopped at the border and we'd be like, for example, at the Wildwood show, it was like the Canada bus isn't here yet.
00:28:08
Speaker
So we're like, okay, that's like, you know, let's go to the core, you know, so let's, you know, let's practice. But yeah, they were great. They were awesome. Yeah.
00:28:20
Speaker
Well, okay, guys, we want to take this time to preview some amazing episodes and bonus content we have going on. Like, Steven did a fun interview with Neil from the Savannah Bananas. I am a huge Savannah Bananas fan. Indeed.
00:28:33
Speaker
Me as well. You should check that one out. That was a super fun one. He's got a lot of energy. I cannot wait. It is on my listening queue for this weekend.
00:28:45
Speaker
And then I did a Friends Pride episode, so definitely don't miss that one. We talked about people from the Indy Pride Guard and St. Louis, and it was just a great time.
00:28:58
Speaker
And our recent live podcast was a blast. um I did that one from a hotel room in Vegas the other day.
00:29:07
Speaker
So you take that how you want to, but you should check that out. And we will be back with On a Water Break after this commercial break.
Marching Arts Community Highlights
00:29:26
Speaker
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Guard Closet was founded as a consignment shop in 2000. Since then, it has grown to become your one-stop shop for the marching arts. Do you need consignment uniforms and flags for your color guard, marching band, or drum line?
00:29:41
Speaker
We have thousands of sets of consignments in stock and ready to ship. Do you need show design and custom choreography? Our designers have years of experience in the marching arts. Do you need to sell your items and clear out your storage areas?
00:29:55
Speaker
We take in more than 600 sets of consignments each year and return hundreds of thousands of dollars to our consignors for their sales. Do you need to have your students order shoes, gloves, and other equipment?
00:30:07
Speaker
We can set up a microsite for easy student ordering of a wide variety of items. Do you need custom costumes or flags? We can help get you great designs from our team through top vendors like Show Day Designs.
00:30:19
Speaker
Have you listened to our podcast on a water break? Weekly episodes and bonus content keep you entertained and informed with what's going on in the marching arts. For over 25 years, Guard Closet has been here to help.
00:30:32
Speaker
Check us out at guardcloset.com or follow us on social media.
00:30:49
Speaker
So now that we're back, why don't we see what's happening in the news this week?
00:31:08
Speaker
So I'm going to kick off this week's news stories with a Florida story. Oluwamodope Oliot-Yede was recently named the new head drum major of the Florida A&M University Marching 100, making her the first female head drum major.
00:31:30
Speaker
She will lead the band on the field as they begin the 2025 football season at the Orange Blossom Classic in Miami on August 30th, Sports Illustrated reporting, adding that she will blow the first whistle to start the show. I got to see a video of her as the assistant drum major.
00:31:48
Speaker
And let me tell you, this young lady is fantastic. She says, it's an immense honor And it's still setting in that this is happening. Now, Oleide is only the second woman to ever wear the drum major uniform at FAMU after Corey Bostic.
00:32:06
Speaker
However, this year, Oleide is the first female to lead the line. So she says, last year, my goal definitely was to be clean, precise, physically up to par, beyond par, excellent drum major.
00:32:20
Speaker
Now that I am a drum major, my goal is to show you that to bring myself to the job and I am a woman. There's no separating them. So being the head drum major this year, the beautiful burden of it is the integrity of the game that for people to do what I need them to do, I have to do it first.
00:32:36
Speaker
This is what she tells Sports Illustrated. so She's an Atlanta native, and this has been her dream since she was 11 years old. She was in middle school and she played the saxophone and briefly left her music dreams to do dance for a while until a teacher introduced her to her local high school band program. And she says that she fell in love with the band program before anything else.
00:32:59
Speaker
So she started at Howard University before transferring over to FAMU, hoping to make herself a member of the Marching 100. And she is now a senior with a theater background that she uses while she's performing.
00:33:14
Speaker
She says, I say nobody graduates from discipline. As you get older, you actually have to have more discipline to do more work. And I like that type of pressure. It keeps me on my toes. So I'm excited to...
00:33:30
Speaker
What she is going to do with the Marching 100, because you all know they are a global ambassador of excellence at HBCU since 1892. eighteen ninety two And they are known for their iconic performances at presidential inaugurations, the Super Bowl, Summer Olympics, and all sorts of international events.
00:33:50
Speaker
Yeah, so that's crazy. You must really relate to her having that theater background too. Oh, absolutely. That's why was like, this girl has got something else going on. I mean, you know, like any good drum major, especially when you come from the HBCU style, it is about showmanship above anything else.
00:34:08
Speaker
um It's less about the conducting aspect of it in a core style band. you know Drum majors are mostly responsible for the conducting. For HBCUs, it is the show. You are carrying the show.
00:34:21
Speaker
And from the video that I watched, I was like, okay, this young lady knows how to captivate a crowd. And that is going to take her far. I cannot wait to see what she does. I hope, I hope that I'm going to get to catch FAMU because they usually um pop up around here, do like the Martin Luther King parade and some other stuff. So maybe i will get to see her in action this year. That'll be great.
00:34:50
Speaker
Nice. Yeah, I hope so. It's pretty cool. I definitely respect like how physically difficult it seems. I remember the drum major at Penn State would have to run into a front flip and stuff. And like it really just is a much different beast than conducting or what we're familiar with and a lot of DCI stuff.
00:35:08
Speaker
I mean, even just like the drill formations just in those shows. I mean, it's not like anything you'd imagine just like a normal core style show. That's a very hard listening environment for like so many different percussionists and where time's coming from.
00:35:24
Speaker
So props to anyone that can work with that. That's impressive. Yeah. It's a discipline thing. I mean, you know if I ever get to see any of these HBCU bands rehearsing, I mean, they rehearse late into the evening, just perfecting the craft that they do because they are those groups that do different shows every week. Every football game is a different performance for them. And so just mastering that style and mastering the skill level and all of the elements that go into creating those shows, I mean, they are tremendous.
00:35:55
Speaker
Truly the definition of athletes. And so for her to be like the head athlete, to be the captain of the athletic team is just wonderful. And I mean, she's only the second female to ever wear drum major uniform.
00:36:11
Speaker
She's the first to be the head. ah am excited for this young lady. Mm hmm. Yeah. And speaking of HBCU bands, I have some additional news that comes down that vein.
00:36:23
Speaker
Beyonce's Be Good Foundation has awarded $100,000 to Texas Southern University's marching band. How about that? Yes.
00:36:36
Speaker
So as we know, Grammy-winning artist Beyonce has reinforced her commitment to historically black colleges once again through a substantial donation to Texas Southern University's marching band program.
00:36:49
Speaker
The Be Good Foundation recently announced a $100,000 grant to support the Ocean of Soul marching band, furthering her native Houston's dedication. Well, she's from Houston, right?
00:37:02
Speaker
So she's helping out the home team, helping out town. It's fantastic. She's empowering those historic ah institutions that obviously she respects. Now that grant is going to strategically fund critical areas to the band's success.
00:37:19
Speaker
ah Funds are going to support student scholarships, enhance recruitment efforts, as well as provide technological upgrade and infrastructure improvements that are going to very much improve the well-being of current and future band members.
00:37:35
Speaker
Of course, Texas Southern University president, J.W. Crawford III, has expressed his gratitude for investment. He said that the university was deeply appreciative of the Be Good Foundation for their significant demonstration of commitment to empowering their students and elevating their form of artistic expression.
00:37:59
Speaker
And of course, that donation only builds upon what Beyonce's already done, Obviously, Beyonce already has an existing relationship ah with the university. ah During the Christmas Day NFL halftime performance in Houston this past year, she showcased the Ocean of Soul.
00:38:17
Speaker
She had over 200 band members in what was known as the Beyonce Bowl. And of course, ah viewership was through the roof. There were 27 million viewers on Netflix.
00:38:28
Speaker
and was one of them. I know. Yeah. Wouldn't we love to have a 27 million person audience? So I think that is absolutely fantastic. So it's fantastic what Beyonce has done. mean, just continuing to help support HBCUs, obviously support for the arts.
00:38:49
Speaker
It's absolutely fantastic. And yeah, I love it. You know, you can say a lot of things about Queen Bee, but that lady, like, definitely puts back.
00:39:00
Speaker
And she definitely recognizes strong performers and she elevates people and their platforms. And I just, I love her. I love her. I love her outside of I love her music.
00:39:12
Speaker
I love her outside of her music as well. Well, once my music goes Grammy, I'll definitely donate a hundred grand to Bush for sure. Yes, Stephen. You're going have your name on all those props.
00:39:25
Speaker
Oh man, I'm sponsoring lunch every day.
00:39:35
Speaker
All right, so I'll jump in with my little piece of news from the Winter Guard world. WGI is changing things up for the participant protection practice or 3P.
00:39:48
Speaker
Anybody participated in WGI before knew that we had to do the safe sport training. but Starting next year, they're going to have a new vehicle called WGI Studio.
00:40:01
Speaker
they're going to have their own 3P courses that are custom built. Their reasoning for this, and so many of us have had to do SafeSport, is to try to make it apply a little more to our activity. SafeSport was very focused on more of the Olympic sports, gymnastics, softball, baseball, that kind of thing. And this is going to take all those ideas of how we need to be you know build our awareness and how we can keep our members safe, but really put it in the context of what we do.
00:40:34
Speaker
DCI did something very similar this year. To do your DCI credentials, you had to do something they call sideline, which having gone through it and compared to safe sport, it was definitely made so much more sense for our situation and what we deal with. So that's what's going to be coming to WGI as well.
00:40:55
Speaker
So we look forward to hearing more about that. They said it'll be here in August. Nice. wait Yeah, i think that it works well for DCI. Like I think it was good the way that the background check is tied into the training, is tied into accepting the DCI like consent form. And it just seemed like it was a more professional version of what everything is supposed to be.
00:41:20
Speaker
So hopefully it's the same for WGI. Yeah. yeah out the Now do the staff members and the members have to do that training or if they're over 18 I think it's basically all adult supervisors.
00:41:37
Speaker
I know and the past, like for independent guards, if you were over 18 and you have members under 18 members had to do it as well. yeah.
00:41:49
Speaker
I'm trying to see if I can say that just the only question it says, if you have an instructional person in instructional role, instructional role that is under 18, that they would still have to do that.
00:42:04
Speaker
So I'm sure there's going to give us more information if you participate in WGI. The one thing I found interesting as, you know, thinking about local circuits, because my high school doesn't do WGI. We just do our local circuit now.
00:42:19
Speaker
And as of now, it's not going out to anybody other than WGI, but color guards might assume that hopefully that's something once they get it rolled out, get the kinks worked out, that they can open that up for, you know, their circuit partners as well.
00:42:37
Speaker
Hopefully. Yeah, that would be good. ah Whatever trains and protects everyone. Perfect. And the more that we can have everyone all on the same page Even better.
00:42:49
Speaker
Yeah. And the thing is, though, I mean, a lot of us, especially a lot of us in the activity as instructors are also in education and we go through similar training for our day jobs. But I find that even if you've done it like a bajillion times, I think it's really good to just keep your eye out.
00:43:06
Speaker
on things and just that refresher course, because, you know, you think you know it all, but it's always good to refresh yourself because things change and like the techniques and strategies, the people that don't have the best intentions, those change too.
00:43:25
Speaker
all right. And I've got our last story for the week here. I was excited about this one because I love entertainment band and I love the NFL and I love when drumline or color guard, or in this case, twirling crosses over with the NFL and all sorts of big audiences.
00:43:43
Speaker
So one of the former major rats from the Alabama Crimsonettes is going to be the first girl in 23 years to twirl for an NFL team.
00:43:58
Speaker
So starting this season, she is going to be twirling for the Tennessee Titans. Turns out actually that they used to have a lot more twirling involved as entertainment in NFL games.
00:44:11
Speaker
They first had it in 1948, actually. So way precedes things like drumline in the stadiums or anything like that. But Yeah, really, during most of the last two decades, there hasn't been any instance of twirling in that kind of a stage or capacity.
00:44:28
Speaker
But that will be no more. ah Chloe Holiday is an influencer. I think she runs a pretty popular twirling page on TikTok. and you'll be able to keep up with her journey in the NFL this fall.
00:44:43
Speaker
Okay, so it goes without saying that I could care less about sports ball unless there's some type of pageantry arts involved. So I'm going to say kudos to the Tennessee Titans and the NFL for constantly starting to incorporate more and more of our world into it.
00:45:01
Speaker
Y'all might actually get me at a football game if I got something to be. I mean, like the dance teams are great. i love And i listen, I've always been a huge Dallas Cowboy cheerleader fan, but we keep getting all these drum lines and these marching bands and now twirlers involved for NFL teams. Like y'all gonna get my ticket money. Yeah.
00:45:22
Speaker
yeah I think the more the NFL and other places feature people in the performing arts, I mean, the better, right? i feel like we're preaching to the crowd here.
00:45:34
Speaker
But I can tell you that in my experience, it has gotten some people to games. Like, just long story, I'm a Westchester University graduate, and the Philadelphia Eagles were invited.
00:45:48
Speaker
Well, they invited Westchester's marching band to a game. And the amount of people who I know immediately became football fans to this day from that moment through the roof. So, Ricardo, who knows? Maybe you might be next.
00:46:02
Speaker
Hey, this is how they're going to get you. It's a long con. Hey, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I'm right across the bay. Just give me a shout out. You can reach out on the podcast app and they'll get you in touch with me. I'll choreograph you a color guard, honey. It'll be great.
00:46:21
Speaker
This could be real for you. It actually reminds me of the article. ah Chloe Holiday actually pitched herself to the Tennessee Titans and sold them, and that's how she has a job now with them. so Come on, Chloe. She says she's going make her journey. She's going to create a pathway for herself. That's a strong woman.
00:46:42
Speaker
I'm here for it. Chloe, I'm a fan of you. If you listen, I'm a fan. That could be you, Ricardo, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hey. Listen, your lips are God's ears.
00:46:53
Speaker
We'll figure it out. We will figure it out. All right, friends, I have a travel tip for you. It's time for your Peak Group Travel Tip of the Week brought to you by our sponsors at Peak Group Travel, helping you navigate your next adventure, whether it's across the country or just to your next competition.
00:47:12
Speaker
Hi everyone, it's time for your travel tip of the week with me. I'm Beth with Peak Group Travel. If you're doing a special performance on your next tour, make sure you contact the venue to be sure of everything that's included.
00:47:26
Speaker
Things like electricity, chairs, stands, lighting, and maybe even large percussion instruments might not be included. So make sure you check before you leave in case you need to bring anything on your own.
00:47:38
Speaker
Don't forget to like and follow Peak Group Travel on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And be sure to email info at peakgrouptravel.com when you're ready to start planning your next performance tour.
00:47:49
Speaker
This is Beth with Peak Group Travel and your travel tip of the week.
00:48:06
Speaker
Ready to elevate your travel game? Welcome to Peak Group Travel, the ultimate adventure creators. Whether you're planning an unforgettable class trip, a once in a lifetime parade experience for your marching band, or a choir tour full of memorable performance venues, Peak Group Travel handles it all so you can focus on making memories.
00:48:23
Speaker
From breathtaking international destinations to amazing adventures right here at home, Peak Group Travel customizes every journey to your vision. We're not just planners, we're your partners for the trip you want for your students.
00:48:36
Speaker
Our online registration portal makes managing your pre-trip experience smooth and convenient. We even collect your payments if you'd like. Picture it. Effortless planning, unmatched experiences, and smiles that last long after the journey ends.
00:48:49
Speaker
That's the Peak Group travel difference. And if you choose to partner with Peak on your next tour, and you mentioned that you heard about us on the On a Water Break podcast, you'll earn $100 credit. Discover why groups everywhere trust Pete Group Travel.
00:49:02
Speaker
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and be sure to visit PeteGroupTravel.com today. You pick the date, and we'll make it great.
00:49:18
Speaker
Okay, everyone, we're back, and it's time for 60-second Tech
Technical Advice and Innovations
00:49:22
Speaker
Block. 60-second Tech Block.
00:49:32
Speaker
ever gets old. No, it doesn't. This is the segment where one of our hosts or guest clinicians is put on the spot to deliver a nonstop 60 second text session on a topic that needs some serious attention after the last run.
00:49:49
Speaker
Our special tech this week has come prepared with three topics that they think they can talk about for a full 60 seconds straight with no hesitation, no pauses, just pure technical gold. And this week, let's see.
00:50:03
Speaker
I think we'll throw it over to Michelle. yeah Michelle, you said your best topics were, one, using videos not just for run-throughs.
00:50:16
Speaker
Two, getting your costumes here on time. And three, working with vampires. Okay, rest of you hosts, what topic do we think Michelle should do?
00:50:28
Speaker
Well, I also use videos a lot while I'm teaching my students at Bush. I'd be interested to see what you mean. Yeah, I want to hear about that too. As someone who is a drum corps caption head and we don't see our students until like it's time for move-ins, I feel like I need to know about using videos, not just for run-throughs. So I think we're going to go with that one. Michelle, are you ready?
00:50:54
Speaker
I guess so. Let's see if I do you better than my 32 count. Here we go. Nick, will you be a dear and pull up the timer on your phone and put 60 seconds on there for me?
00:51:07
Speaker
Got it. It is right here. All right. Here we go. 60 seconds on the clock. And okay. So it's 2025. We all have a little magic box that takes videos.
00:51:20
Speaker
And so far we use it. We have the kids do video assignments. We always record our run through of the kids. Hey, look at how we did. But want to, what I want to talk about is using video recording in the moment.
00:51:31
Speaker
I do this with my high school kids a lot working on that 45. It's still flat. It's still flat. It's still flat. They can't feel or see what they're doing wrong. Even though you're giving them the information, how to fix it.
00:51:42
Speaker
record it, show it to them. And that really helps them know and understand what they have to change. Shout out to one of our color guard instructors, Jess Judy. ah She had us do something this past weekend. We had a dance class. We were working on our across the floor jumps and she had each of us cause they're like, we were all there cause camp weekend.
00:52:00
Speaker
And we all recorded different line going across the floor. They did the exercise. They came over. We watched it. We looked at what to work on. Did it like three or four times. The growth we saw in like just three reps of that across the floor was huge. Because a lot of times.
00:52:16
Speaker
Oh, time. You think you can do but you can't. Oh, wow. Buzzer beater. Pretty close. Pretty close. pretty close pretty close ah But so you were ready to keep going. i was here for it. I'm like taking it on the side.
00:52:33
Speaker
No, I think it's a great technique. I love it because it makes it really easy as an educator. I woke up. i don't even have to offer good information. I just say, look, your left hand looks ugly. Look at yourself. Look at yourself. Look at yourself. Yeah. And even if you remember, know, even back to when you're performing and you're getting notes from the staff and they're making corrections, you're like, how am I still getting this wrong?
00:52:55
Speaker
I think I'm doing what they're telling me to do. And sometimes you just have to see it. It's similar to like, you know, in a dance studio, they have the mirrors all the time, but you know, as much, as much like if it's a movement class, that's great. But when you're doing equipment, you have to keep your that stuff or it's going hit you in the head.
00:53:13
Speaker
So you can't really use the mirror, but like using videos can, can really help. One thing I do, especially if you're working with younger kids, cause I had to reassure my children, the middle school guard,
00:53:24
Speaker
that they were like, you're not going to, I'm like, no, this is not for Instagram. And I would actually delete it in front of that because you know how self-conscious kids that age are. But yeah, just, you know, we have so much technology nowadays. Let's use it.
00:53:38
Speaker
yeah I was noticing with my high school kids, like that was a tool that I started doing with them. it' like record Because I was like, I can show you better than can tell you. And that started helping them.
00:53:50
Speaker
But one of the things that kids are doing now is they have a whole separate account that's their spin account. Oh, yes. And so, like, I, my kids last year, I was noticing, like, I would be teaching stuff or we'd be rehearsing and doing stuff and they would have their phones set up in front of them on the floor recording, like, every minute of rehearsal.
00:54:11
Speaker
And at first I was like, what the hell are y'all doing? Like, are we that conceited that we need to see every moment? But they used it as a tool. They would go back and watch themselves and go, oh, okay, this is what he was talking about and this how was doing it wrong.
00:54:24
Speaker
And it, magically made them better. In winter, I have some kids that do that all the time. and you know The gym we practice has like these little windows in the front and you see them, all their little phones, like two or three phones set up on the cubbies and I'd walk over and go, just to be obnoxious. They take them home and they would share or they would share them with each other. so This generation, man, that's that's their life.
00:54:49
Speaker
My, what a time we live in. Yes. would have never thought this would happen back in the... Yes. When the video camera was a box on your shoulder. yeah Oh, man. yeah We live in a wonderful time.
00:55:05
Speaker
I think so. Kind of in a really futuristic way. I felt like one time at United, we had a big projector in the facility that we rent just like ah because it's a school...
00:55:16
Speaker
So we would actually run tape. Our director would have his iPad and he would circle and highlight little things and point out from the high cam perspective of our show the weekend prior, like what was wrong. And we would work on that chunk. Then we'd come back. We'd watch the tape again. We'd see what we were doing wrong and we'd fix it.
00:55:36
Speaker
Yeah, it was like super high-tech. Play-by-play. Yeah. I'm just imagining like the NFL. but I'm imagining like NFL, like when they show you this stuff and they have like the yellow surface. It's like right here, you fell out of the file.
00:55:50
Speaker
that five yeah That's a really good idea. And it also helps like the students sometimes. They're like, why are we working on this? Why are we doing this part? I know this part. You know, to help them understand the why of why we're working on this part, how, why you're focusing on this part, because you're in it, you can't see it.
00:56:10
Speaker
And even just like show, like when you're sharing your run throughs or your performance videos with the kids, i always tell my kids, watch it twice. Watch it once just to enjoy it and just to see the overall, then watch it again and watch yourself yeah and try to see how are you blending? Where are you standing out?
00:56:26
Speaker
Yeah, it's very helpful. And, you know, going back Steven's story, I mean, i have a very similar one. When ah we were practicing visual at Mason, they, in my age at year, 2024, for Georgia Mason Indoor, we were all starting the show on the floor.
00:56:44
Speaker
And Tim Fairbanks, who had come on to our team, was judging us. And they basically took a run-through video, He made, like I think, a 30-minute video where he picked apart every little thing he didn't like, and he sent it all on and out to us. And then think one part of our video assignment that week was to give a comment on our thoughts on his commentary. So it is very useful just to see from another end.
00:57:12
Speaker
like Obviously, we, as performers on the performing side, see things in particular way, and sometimes you just need that out-of-body experience to, you know, Knock some sense into you.
00:57:24
Speaker
No, that's a great idea. That's like sometimes you go to regionals in winter that where a judge will do like the overall with a video and having a staff member decide or designer do that with your own group. That's a great idea.
00:57:37
Speaker
And I know people who do similar things like they make tapes. Like I've seen staff members make tapes yeah for their own groups. I like the idea of just doing that visually as well. I mean just another way to perceive and get more information.
00:57:49
Speaker
I mean, it's a visual activity. So why aren't we using the tools to be more creative visually as opposed to just saying things? It's not auditory. It is.
00:58:02
Speaker
It's that. And some people are visual learners. What are we doing? Speaking of what are we doing, that was a solid 60 second tech block. Hopefully someone out there just got the tech advice that they didn't know they needed. it But now it's time to switch things up. It's time for everyone's favorite.
00:58:18
Speaker
What are we doing? What are we doing?
00:58:29
Speaker
What are we doing? This is the part of the show where we let loose just a little bit or maybe a lot. Is this your chance to rant about something in the marching arts that just doesn't make sense?
Critiques and Positivity in Marching Arts
00:58:42
Speaker
Maybe it's a tradition that needs to... Maybe it's a habitat that performers can't seem to... but A habit. A habitat. What is wrong with me right now? ah Maybe it's a habit that performers can't seem to break.
00:58:54
Speaker
Maybe it's something that makes you think, what are we even doing this? Or why haven't we started doing this yet? Whatever it is, this is your moment to call it out. So who's got something to get off their chest?
00:59:07
Speaker
chris Okay, so I got an email from a friend of mine that's with a certain core. And it was, I think, something that was posted on Reddit or something like that. And he's like, check this out.
00:59:22
Speaker
And somebody posted something that said, so-and-so, insert drum corps, color guard is awful. They're going to hold the corps back and all this. And what are we doing? Because even my friend pointed out when he sent me the email, like the kids all have their phones.
00:59:41
Speaker
You know, they can read it. don't know if they do read it, but they certainly have ability to read it. And it just took me back to Susie Harloff's post a couple of weeks ago, which you put, with all the negativity in the world, in life now, can we just appreciate what these young kids are doing?
00:59:57
Speaker
right now just you know just appreciate the activity and everything that these kids are going through and the heat i mean i was only outside for an hour this morning teaching color guard at my summer camp these kids are out for like eight plus hours a day like can we just can we just like hold it back and just appreciate a little bit you're kind stepping on what i was going to say later but it's just Okay, I'm going to jump in. I'm piggyback off of your what are we doing? Because okay broke a cardinal rule the other day.
01:00:30
Speaker
did our first show. It was the first time that this creative piece that I helped create and put out into the world was debuted and there were videos. And I was like, oh, well, let me look at the comments.
01:00:43
Speaker
Huge mistake. I instantly went into this like, There were like five, like, oh my God, this is great. I love what they're doing. And then there was one asshole. I'm to say it.
01:00:56
Speaker
Bleep me out if we need to be bleeped out. There was one that had something like negative to say about the show. And like, in my mind, I know what's coming. And I know that like all the stuff isn't out there yet.
01:01:07
Speaker
And so when I saw this, it like took me to this place. And I'm like, why am I upset over this? person who is like not fat shaming anybody but like 300 pounds sitting on their couch hadn't done the activity 40 years could not possibly sit out through an entire rehearsal block much less get they fat ass out on the field and perform I'm going there I'm doing it we'll have to be bleeped out later I don't care And was like, this is not why.
01:01:38
Speaker
People feel like they have so much power when they sit behind a keyboard and they can be a keyboard warrior and talk about all this stuff. What the kids are doing and the fact that they are giving up their lives and they could be doing something completely awful and wrong and not progressive, but they are bettering themselves and they are bettering this activity. And the people who are designing these shows are pushing themselves mentally to try to create things that are fun and fresh and exciting.
01:02:08
Speaker
And for people to sit back who cannot, shall not, have never done, will never be able to do, seem to have the most to say. And I just like, shut up, shut up, shut, loudly shut up.
01:02:22
Speaker
take all the seats in the stadium at Lucas. I agree. I agree. I, I, I have no time for it anymore. So needless to say, read that one comment and then I was like, I felt bad for like 30 seconds. And then I was like, Justin, FYI, the one that was sent to me, was it, was it your color guard? It was some, it was a blue dress.
01:02:41
Speaker
It was another dress for If it's you, whoever, it's not cool. It's just not cool. It's not cool. not And I know we all like pastors and say, well, I don't like this show. I don't like this show for this or that. But like at the end of the day, it's not, if you don't like it, if you ain't got nothing nice to say, then shut the hell up.
01:03:00
Speaker
Shut up. Don't say anything at all. That's what my granny said to me. ah Anyway, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take over that. That was it. We both got ours done. It was the same one. So that's great.
01:03:12
Speaker
Well, I've got a little bit different one. It just really happened this last weekend at Bush, but let's say we are a local government or a homeowner. um i know what's coming.
01:03:26
Speaker
What are we doing renting out our parks without informing the local community? And then the community gets so mad at us. We had apparently I heard that there was hundreds of posts in a local Facebook page in Cheltenham this weekend.
01:03:41
Speaker
about how the drum corps was out there. Probably they would have said, I bet the marching band is out here being a disruption to the community, getting in the way of the local pickleball community.
01:03:54
Speaker
Oh, don't mess with the pickleball crowd. Oh, honey, that is a Karen convention right there. You can't mess up pickleball. can't. I guess the root of my what are we doing is don't get mad at the marching band. Get mad your local politician that sold the field for Saturday and Sunday for it.
01:04:14
Speaker
Pennies? I don't know. I don't know how much we pay. It's not pennies, but it can't be much compared to your property taxes. Again, look at all the negative things that are happening in this world. And there are kids that are out there doing something great and doing the right thing. And this is what you choose to be bad at? Like you put energy into being mad at kids for doing something positive with their lives.
01:04:39
Speaker
Like, girl, go touch some grass. Yeah. Well, they don't want to hear the metronome blaring at 8 a.m. And I can't blame them because I mean i also don't want to hear it blaring at 8 a.m.
01:04:51
Speaker
right But Bush needs to rehearse. So sorry about your sleep. They'll figure it out. It's fine. Oh, my God. You know.
01:05:02
Speaker
Sitting and thinking, kind of having been in the high school band scene, kind of looking back over towards there, what are we doing not teaching A-class skills before attempting to open class ones?
01:05:18
Speaker
I'll be honest, like, i I have some good friends who I have in the front ensemble world, and not even just my friends, but people in general. I feel like a lot of people forget at the end of the day we have to start with this.
01:05:33
Speaker
Like we literally just need to get a good full wrist extension. Like, especially if you're working with kids, you need to understand that I'm not trying to punch us, but we need to understand that our wrist goes all the way up and down to make a good sound.
01:05:48
Speaker
Why? ah go like this. and Yeah. This will make a good sound. Yeah. Like, I don't understand why we're trying to teach kids how to hold four mallets if we can't even master the motion of just moving our wrists up and down normally.
01:06:07
Speaker
Like, I don't know why we're trying to all be, I feel like we're trying to do too much when in reality, we need to focus on building up fundamental skills.
01:06:20
Speaker
Obviously I'm talking from front of the table as an example. But we all need to develop fundamental skills before jumping into trying to do more advanced ones. And that's not to say not push the students, but I'm not going to give snare a line of five, you know, like five nine, five, like what, 16 year olds, like just like seven bars of nine let's nonstop. Like we need to be appropriate with the skill sets that work.
01:06:49
Speaker
One, designing for. Two, attempting to clean. And three, attempting to create consistency and mastery in. Nick, I've said it before and I will say it again. This applies to every section in the pageantry arts. I am tired of people trying to play box fugue in G when you can't play the B flat concert scale.
01:07:12
Speaker
I am tired of kids trying to play flamma diddles when we can't get eight on a hand. I am tired of color guards trying to work on triple turnarounds when you can't do a drop spin.
01:07:23
Speaker
yeah We need to stop. We need to stop. We have gone so far past like the tradition and the discipline, like mastering the craft.
01:07:36
Speaker
We had a couple of our horn techs this week that were on staff, and they are professional musicians. And in between, like, you know... eat, pack, load, all that stuff. They were literally sitting with their horns, playing through scales and warming up and going through etudes and doing all of the basic traditional stuff, practicing.
01:07:59
Speaker
These people are playing with like philharmonics and things like that in different cities. And they are professionals, but they still go back to basics. And so many of us forget that. And I blame the internet and I've said it on the podcast before.
01:08:14
Speaker
Because these kids see all of these tricks and things and all this other stuff, they automatically assume if you are not doing that from day one of picking up what insert equipment or piece of or instrument name here, if you are not doing this on day one, you're wrong.
01:08:30
Speaker
And they don't understand the discipline and practice that it takes to master said insert piece of equipment instrument name in here. at this point, to be able to do those higher level skills.
01:08:43
Speaker
And people are not teaching them. People are not making kids be in technique blocks. They're not making them sit through their scales and learn all of this other stuff. I can rant and rave on this all day long.
01:08:56
Speaker
We ain't got all day, so I'm gonna hush. Michelle? yeah You guys took everything I could have imagined. So let me see something very related to that. Like, what are we doing expecting as a performer? This is more not this is off drum corps. This is like down our high school, middle school kids so as a performer, not understanding that I'm not going to get it the first time.
01:09:26
Speaker
I'm not going to get it the second time. I'm not going to say what's been really, what's really frustrating. And I do have like a feeder program in elementary and then middle school and then high school. And what I've has, I've noticed over the past couple of years is when you get new kids coming in If they don't get something the very first time, they can't handle it.
01:09:50
Speaker
Like literally cannot handle it. They are so just, I don't know what it is. And I'm, you know, I'm a teacher during the day job too, but like there, I see the same thing. I do science and coding and things. And if things don't work the first time, they just get so frustrated and they give up.
01:10:07
Speaker
And then I see that in color guard too. Yeah. Because they just, I don't know what it is, but just, and it's not us. You know, we're very positive. We have the older kids working with them and we're just like, yeah, yeah, it's better every time. It's just, and so made them give up and then they don't stick with an activity, which could have been the thing for them.
01:10:26
Speaker
and could have given them new friends and could have given them, you know, so much that we all have from this activity, but trying to get kids over that threshold of taking risks and being okay with failure, because it's part of the process. I 1000% agree.
01:10:44
Speaker
i What I do is I have, at the end of like, we just finished our spring training few weeks ago. And at the end, you know, I bring them in. I tell the vets, I'm like, raise your hand if you got it perfect on the first day.
01:10:58
Speaker
How did you feel? Oh, I was crying. And they tell their stories. And, you know, it's really important, I think, for the new people to see that all everybody here has been through that.
01:11:10
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. They just, it and it's so amazing. The kids, when you get your older kids, because the kids don't want to listen to you because you're the grownup and dad whatever, but you know, it's really important to have their peers say it.
01:11:23
Speaker
And I will quote, I can't, which, which my kids said this once some kids, you know, working on that 45 toss, you know, when you're first trying is very, very, it's very challenging. And the one kid just said, you know what? It's hard. And then it's not.
01:11:37
Speaker
And it's just hard until it's not. And it's so true for like so many skills. And it's just getting them over that threshold. Because once you've failed at something and then succeeded in that thing, you were failing it, then you mentally know that that's possible.
01:11:54
Speaker
And then you can always come back to that feeling again and again. But you just have to allow yourself to have that first experience with it. We don't teach people how to fail anymore.
01:12:06
Speaker
Like we expect perfection from the get-go with everything. And there is no longer the opportunity to fail and learn from your mistakes. I know that as a human being, the things that I have failed at, I have learned a lesson from that and come back and been stronger.
01:12:22
Speaker
And that's just not something that we do as a society anymore. And I could go on a whole rant and rave about the education system and how we've taken out play and imagination and all of this stuff.
01:12:37
Speaker
I might get in trouble as a school district administrator for saying it, but we're testing kids to death and we expect perfection. And when we start putting kids on college and career tracks in elementary school, then we have lost the imagination and the capability to be able to learn how to fail and grow from our failure and our mistakes.
01:12:58
Speaker
Yeah, I completely agree, Ricardo. And I think that's one of the glories of our activity. Like we fail all the time, yeah whether we want to admit it or not, like we objectively fail.
01:13:12
Speaker
And the glory of it is obviously we try to build each other up through the failure to learn and just improve ourselves like always something that I am very thankful for and just not only making myself better as a performer but better as a person really throughout all these years it's why I think from a larger standpoint music the arts are so important because it gives someone a space to fail yep yeah
01:13:45
Speaker
great job everyone set your equipment down touch and go
01:13:51
Speaker
Y'all, that was deep. But now that we got that off our chest, it is time to get into our gush and goes. Welcome to gush and go. This is your chance to shout out something awesome happening in your life, marching arts related or not.
01:14:06
Speaker
Maybe you're excited about a performance, a student success, a big life event, or just something cool you want to brag about. No negativity here, just pure unfiltered hype.
01:14:17
Speaker
So who's got something to gush and go about? Trish? No, did we lose them? All right. Now that we got that off our chest, let's get into our gush and goes. Welcome to Gush and Go.
01:14:29
Speaker
This is your chance to shout out something awesome happening in your life, watching arts related or not. Whether you're excited about a performance, student success, a big life event, or just something cool you want to brag about, no negativity here, just pure, unfiltered hype.
01:14:44
Speaker
So who's got something to gush about? Trish? Well, I'm just excited that I get to see not you, Ricardo, which is sad, but everybody else on here's beautiful faces on Saturday right down the road in Clifton at the DCI All-Age
Excitement for Upcoming Events and Personal Growth
01:15:04
Speaker
show. I think there'll probably be another, you know there'll be some alumni and other performances as well, but I just can't wait to see all the progress that you guys have made. I can't wait to see the shows again, but most importantly, I can't wait to socialize.
01:15:19
Speaker
Isn't that what we're really there for? ah the hang after. That's what DCA has always been about. That's what still about.
01:15:31
Speaker
Absolutely. Steven, what are you guys going about? Yes. Well, I have a big weekend as well. I hope that I can do both. But what I'll gush and go on about is on Saturday, July t twelveth um We are doing a big clinic at Rowan University, a ah South Jersey drumline clinic. We've got a great staff that's from the university's drumline program.
01:15:54
Speaker
And then also we are flying in Roger Carter from the Bluecoats. He will take a day off from his busy summer schedule to come teach high schoolers and middle schoolers from the South Jersey, Philadelphia area that want to get taught by Roger Carter.
01:16:11
Speaker
ah They can get taught by me on bass drum and then a very qualified staff out there on the other instruments as well. So hopefully i can make it up to Clifton after we get done and at least be there for the hangs. Maybe I'll miss the shows.
01:16:28
Speaker
but I will be down in South Jersey. And if you've got any students in your drum line and you hear this in time that you want to kickstart a great little appreciation for the marching arts, I think this clinic would do exactly that.
01:16:41
Speaker
Awesome.
01:16:45
Speaker
Nick, my friend, what are you gushing and going about this week? Well, Ricardo, I will tell you, just kind of circling back to our previous discussion we had about the Marching Arts Making Better People, I recently had a student reach out to me, and I had seen that...
01:17:06
Speaker
they become absolutely ripped. Like they started going to the gym and they became one of the strongest people I think I've ever seen. And I was just like, when did this happen? This was like a recent student of mine.
01:17:18
Speaker
And I had a message to him. I'm like, dude, you look great. Like, congrats, man. Like what's been your secret. And, you know, he told me I've just been working really hard.
01:17:30
Speaker
I've been really applying myself. He's like, well, I know music isn't necessarily my calling now, but the lessons that you've taught me from doing marching band and just really working super hard have paid me dividends in my adventure.
01:17:48
Speaker
And ah kind of sent me a little bit back on... don't know, made me reflect a little bit. And it made me recognize that maybe the end goal of this activity isn't to create the next center snare for Santa Clara Vanguard or to create the horn sergeant of the Blossom Crusaders.
01:18:09
Speaker
It's to help people become the best version of themselves and to teach the life lessons that are going to basically get people to where they want to be. Obviously, would love to have more students of mine, Mark Strumpcourt, but the whole point is he learned a lesson, he applied it, and man, he's in really good shape now.
01:18:29
Speaker
This guy is ripped. It's awesome. I'm happy I was able to at least play a small part in his journey towards greatness. I need to take a lesson from him.
01:18:44
Speaker
Michelle, what are you gushing and going about? ah Well, of course. Home show Saturday. Clifton is going to be on Flow Marching, by the way. So that's exciting.
01:18:55
Speaker
A DCI all-age lineup on Flow Marching. But I would say my gush and go is for my scholastic program. ah I just started doing summer clinics for elementary age students ah going into fourth grade through eighth grade.
01:19:15
Speaker
And so we have our clinic coming up. Tuesday, I think that is the 15th. Uh, it's our second one this summer. And I have like over 20, uh, students from the school district signed up and my high school performers come and help.
01:19:29
Speaker
And I, I just love, I just love it. The, like the, like the five foot pole crowd, um bring back your spark for color guard. If you're starting to feel in a rut, uh, because everything is new and everything is fun.
01:19:44
Speaker
And, uh, we tossed them like a little tiny flip toss and you thought it was the best thing in the world. Uh, and so I'm just really excited to have another, elementary color guard clinic on, ah Tuesday next week.
01:19:57
Speaker
I love it. That elementary crowd will definitely make you remember why you love the activity. Oh, sure. Yeah.
01:20:07
Speaker
I am gushing. just literally got in at 4 a.m. from being on the road for a couple of days with the Academy. And I'm just gushing about the members and the core and how much fun it is to see the immense growth that these students have had in the last couple of months.
01:20:28
Speaker
And just the product that's being put out there. And I'm very happy about it. And I can't wait for everybody to see it. um especially after it's done and all of the stuff is out there. Cause right now you're seeing the skeleton of the show, which is great.
01:20:41
Speaker
So I'm just happy to be, I'm just happy to be here guys. Happy to be in this world of pageantry arts and doing the thing that I love doing with people that I love doing it with. And it's just great.
01:20:59
Speaker
I can't wait to see you guys in Allentown, Ricardo. I think that's probably the only time I'll see it live. BTW, we get actual hangout time in Allentown because Jeremy has to pick me up and take me back to the airport. so plus Awesome. Awesome.
01:21:16
Speaker
Looking forward to that. Yeah. It's going good time. Hey, it's called Gush and Go, not Gush and Stay. Let's go.
01:21:30
Speaker
Oh my goodness. Thanks for a great rehearsal this week, guys. Thank you for everyone who is spending time with us today. Trish, Steven, Michelle, Nick, you know, I...
Listener Engagement and Podcast Credits
01:21:44
Speaker
If you've got a question or a good topic to talk about, email us at onawaterrakepodcast or find us on social media and DM us if you want to be on the show.
01:21:55
Speaker
We even have a form now to fill out if you want to be a guest. We love having people on the podcast, so check that out at our link in the bio on our social media. Or you could just take out your phone, make a video, and send it to us, and maybe you'll see yourself on the podcast soon.
01:22:12
Speaker
One more thing. Don't forget, we have a YouTube channel now, so go and subscribe so you can see us all there. Also, before you close out your podcast listening app, go subscribe, write us a review, and please share this with a friend.
01:22:27
Speaker
Follow us on social media at On A Water Break, and we'll see you at the next rehearsal on a water break. Go practice.
01:22:37
Speaker
The On a Water Break podcast was produced by Jeremy Williams and Christine Ream. The intro and outro music was produced by Josh Lida. To learn more, visit LidaMusic.com.
01:22:49
Speaker
And until next time, thanks for tuning
01:22:56
Speaker
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