Dr. Phil’s “Blogajawea”

When I came to the Northwest in 1994 from Indiana, I didn’t have any idea I’d be heading up a drum corps.  To run a drum corps is a fantasy that all drum corps fanatics have at one point or another (”Man, if only I could run a drum corps…”), and I’m livin’ the dream (although if you would’ve asked me in the middle of my first tour last year I might’ve not been so positive about it).  When I came into the Northwest, I was focused on my career mostly, and I was a fanatic for the Santa Clara Vanguard.  I didn’t really know much about NW drum corps, except of course for the Seattle Cascades.  The Oregon Crusaders, in whatever form they existed in 1994 if at all, wouldn’t be in Portland for another 6 years.  It was the Cascades that provided the consistency of a nationally touring NW drum corps, and in 2000 they won the Division III world championships.

There has been a lot of talk lately about NW drum corps.  At OC, we’ve been focused on growing our program, and it looks like it’s going to be a strong year for us as we dramatically increase our size, increase the complexity and artistry of our program, and tour nationally.  The Thunder has a number of new staff members and are looking to field a good group this year.  And the Cascades are taking a new and different approach in order to make sure their organization is fiscally sound as they look ahead to a strong future.

To make a decision to go in a new direction is really tough.  There are a lot of forces working against you.  We did it at the beginning of last year, creating a new program that is artistically very progressive and with a whole new staff.  The Cascades are doing it this year, and albeit with a limited tour, it sounds like a different and interesting kind of program.  We applaud what they’re doing this year and we hope the very best for them.  And it could serve as a real testament that in order to break free of some of the legacy constraints of providing a drum corps program - financial, recruitment or otherwise - you have to try new things. 

And so the more things change, the more we innovate in the Northwest, and the more we can provide something that is new and different, maybe things won’t stay the same.  Maybe they’ll be even better.  All we need to do is to have a little vision, put in a lot of hard work together, treat our young people with respect, and spread the word. 

All the best to all those in the Northwest for a productive and fulfilling 2008.

Dr. Phil 

We had a great camp this weekend, learning up to probably 1/3 of the opener.  Everyone worked so hard, and we also had our first leadership session, doing an overview of this year’s (all new) curriculum, and getting to know each other just a bit more.  Thanks so much to the many volunteers (the Bess clan, Michelle Mohr and others), as well as to our staff for helping to make it a great success.  The level of maturity of our program, our training, and of our members is showing, and we’re all very excited about the up-coming year.  Have a great holiday season, and check back soon for pictures from camp.