By Moses Leos III
As temperatures rose at Lobo Field Saturday, a group of more than 200 worked to perfect skills honed over weeks of work.
The athletes, however, don’t have a soccer ball or football pads. Instead, they tote instruments waxed to a high sheen.
They are the Cavaliers of Rosemont, Illinois, one of several drum corps that make up Drum Corps International (DCI) — what’s known as “marching music’s major league.”
“You’d have to see it in action and get the scope of what this activity is,” Chris Lugo, Cavaliers’ Director of Development and Communications said. “This is one of those things that has an impact on [students’] musical abilities, but it guides what they do after college — their work ethic, dedication and attention to detail.”
That attention is fostered in the DCI practice sessions.
The corps practices roughly ten to 12 hours per day during its touring schedule. Practice is often held outdoors at high schools and small stadiums.
Practice sessions are arranged in blocks, with the groups learning and understanding the music and marching that correlates to their show.
Helping are an array of teachers and instructors that help performers, all between ages 16 and 21.
“It’s not a huge age range but there certainly is a difference between high school and college students,” Lugo said. “[Instructors] understand how to work with students with different levels of development.”
However, it’s up to the performers to translate that instruction to the field.
Lehman High band director Joey Lucita, who has performed and worked with various drum corps, understands the high-intensity atmosphere.
All corps within DCI tour across the country over a two-month span. During that time, corps work to perfect an eight-minute show, where marchers go “non-stop,” according to Lucita. He referenced a study DCI did in conjunction with Indiana State University in 2005.
That study, aired on ESPN, showed a tenor drummer from the Cavaliers exerting as much energy as a person running a marathon.
The ability for marchers to stay in top shape, mentally and physically, is a challenge. Just ask Lehman High graduate and Cavaliers member, Jared Dunn.
Joining drum corps was an easy decision, Dunn said. He wanted to do so since ninth grade.
However, he got a first-hand experience in how demanding drum corps can be. After graduating high school in May, Dunn discovered he was behind the other marchers in the show.
He then spent the next week and a half learning the 124-set, eight-minute program.
“That was pretty difficult,” Dunn said. “That was a lot of lunch breaks and water breaks where I was working on my own sets. I was able to catch up and join [the corps] in the first show.
From there, Dunn soon learned the frenetic pace and schedule of the corps. It included the constant travel, along with constantly sleeping on the floor of high school gyms.
But the attention to detail on the field remained paramount. For Dunn, staying mentally sharp was just as vital as the physical aspect.
“[Drum corps] is 70 percent mental and 30 percent physical,” Dunn said. “It’s very demanding [physically], but the mental part is much more demanding.”
But playing in front of crowds of 10,000 or larger is enthralling for Dunn. While he tries his best to block it out, it’s also a way for the members to feed off the energy.
“It’s one of the most hardworking, dedicated, grueling things you’ll do,” Lucita said. “You are on tour, you’re 1,000 miles from home with a group that’s counting on you. Your dependability is increased.”
That experience is also expensive. Corps members pay roughly $2,000 to join and that’s after a grueling audition process.
However, to participate in something he once saw as a freshman at Lobo Field, is something Dunn hopes to continue in his music education career.
His mother, Lisa Smith, hopes he continues as well.
“Everyone here in Kyle has supported him. They are supporting him and following him on Facebook,” she said. “Hopefully he can go back. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.”
