Drum Corps International Is Heart And Soul Of Their Generation
Truth is I could find a dozen different issues every day that needs a resolution and write about them. From wars to social policies there is no shortage of topics to engage the mind. However, today’s topic is meant to lift the spirits.
This past week our city has been home to the Drum Corps International Championships. Living a few blocks from one of the high school stadiums used for practice I can assure you there has been a non-stop series of large semi-trucks and charter busses bringing young talented adults from every corner of the nation to Madison, Wisconsin. This is the seventh year we have hosted this affair and tonight we will join up with tens of thousands at Camp Randal Stadium for the ‘Rose Bowl’ of marching band music with style, flair, and precision (not to mention incredible uniforms!) on a scale that is breath taking. In addition, ESPN 2 will be filming the event tonight and broadcasting it nationally on September 5th at 7:00 P.M. CT.
Driving through Madison this week and seeing Drum Corps members everywhere was a remarkable sight. In parking lots you would see a couple dozen guys playing their instruments while on the next block the drummers would be going through their cadences. Further up the street the color guard were marching. And it was like this everywhere! While gardening this week I could hear them practice, and then practice some more. From Jacksonville, Florida to Tempe, Arizona, from Santa Clara, California to Memphis, Tennessee thousands and thousands gathered here and it made me proud to know our country produces such fine young men and women.
It not only takes talent to get here for this event but it takes dedication to an idea and perseverance along the way. While these same people were playing music at half time in high school some of their classmates were losing the football game to the opposing team. Lots of these young people in Drum Corps, especially the guys, probably took a great deal of ribbing and taunting for their abilities and skills while teenagers. Today as ticket sale revenues in Madison jumped past $1.3 million for Saturday’s finals, it proves that hard work and real skills are what the public desires.
When we hear about the troubles that some young adults create in our society, remember as I will, that there are many like the ones who will stage a powerhouse of a performance tonight in Madison who are the real heart and soul of their generation.
