It's amazing how far ahead of last year we are already. The talent, determination, and friendships we've forged in our ranks have come together into a strong Bridgemen corps. We have a more demanding show in the works this year. Our stock will definitely be climbing with audiences this year!

Saturday brought together Bridgemen veterans and newcomers together in St. Andrew's gym to hear Executive Director George Lavelle spur us on. George was revved up by the weekend because of all he had in store for us and because attendance was shaping up to be the largest in Bridgemen history. The new faces at rehearsal on Saturday energized us all because it demonstrates we're very special in the activity. Program Coordinator Dennis Delucia discussed our approach to our "Great Moments in Drum Corps History" segments: “When we play songs of corps that are no longer with us, we'll play them respectfully in tribute. But if it's a corps that's still around ..." His body language made it clear “Anything goes!”

Larry Kerchner put the 65 horn players to work with a proper warm-up. Soon we delved into new music and enjoyed the electricity that runs from member to member. Maynard Ferguson will be honored with a tribute, played by several hornlines at the “Serenade in Brass” (indoor show in Harrisburg, PA). Larry's stirring arrangement of “Taps” has a lush, Copland-esque feel to it that should leave no dry eyes in the audience.

There's a surprise song we're playing for “Greatest Moments.” Our staff and management want to keep it under wraps for now so audiences will have a pleasant surprise at our performances. Larry came up with a GORGEOUS arrangement that will send chills down people's spines.

After rehearsal on Saturday night, Post Commander Glen Flora hosted over 100 Bridgemen at his VFW Post for dinner. Afterwards, we converged on Hudson Lanes for our bowling fundraiser. George told us the next day, “At Saturday night's Bowl-a-thon, I loved seeing everyone having a GREAT time and getting to know each other; the fundraising part of it was secondary compared to Bridgemen bonding with each other. We're a family and I want everyone to have a good time. That's the Bridgemen way.“

On Sunday, we got back to work. We had an unprecented turnout that was larger than Saturday's. The drumline, hornline, and color guard were blessed with large numbers of new and familiar faces. Drill basics in the gym were first before we broke up into sectionals. Seventy five horns piled into horn sectionals, with only five regular hornline members missing. Under the guidance of Matt Krempasky, Dennis Argul, and Gabe Gulino, we got to work cleaning the new charts that Larry unveiled on Saturday. Plus the sopranos premiered “Mister Clown,“ with its daring triple-tonguing passages. Matt Krempasky's expert blend of discipline and entertainment kept us laughing and working hard.

At Sunday's “Show & Tell,“ at 4:30, we got to see how all the pieces fit together and discover what each section was contributing. The drumline and color guard were demonstrably bigger and had put in an intense effort all day long. We could all see that this large turnout was a big shot in the arm for the 2007 Bridgemen: it's set the stage for a more ambitious and intense show in 2007! This year's show will live up to our legacy of HAVING a good time and SHOWING people a good time.

“Ritual Fire Dance/Sabre Dance” (RFD/SD) was another step up from where we left off in December. Matt Hurley's choreography for the color guard showcases lightning fast movement by the flags and rifles to embody RFD/SD's driving tempo. Matt was assisted by veterans Claire Kronenfeld, Nancy Ducharme, and Lisa Argul this weekend. The guard delivered boundless energy and enthusiasm to the weekend's rehearsals. Dennis Delucia's drum arrangement to RFD/SD added a layer of percussive color and texture that made it a bigger thrill to play this time! The drumline (under the tutelage of Dennis Delucia, Bob “Dubi” Dubinski, Pat Scollin, and Ron Dolce) is hard at work in their quest to live up to the legendary Bridgemen drumlines of the past.

At day's end, the tally came in: 1 drum major, 1 mascot, 30 sopranos, 14 mellophones, 25 baritones, 6 contras, 10 snares, 4 quints, 6 bass drums, 7 pit (including mallets), 5 cymbals, 9 honor guard, plus more flags and rifles than ever before. And there were dozens of staff, volunteers, and supporters to cheer us on! John Riccardi (President of the Bridgemen Organization, Inc.) commented afterward, “I looked around and I was beside myself. I just couldn't believe how far we've come. I'm speechless!”

If this is what January delivered, we can't wait for February to arrive!

The Director said...

It was a great week in Bridgemenland!!!!! The best in our short 3 year return. From 2 GREAT practices to a great time at the post for dinner and then the best Bowl-a-thon we ever had. Over 100 people bowled, including Bridgemen Alumni who were in the corps at the beginning in 1965. While we had another 30-40 people hanging out. It was great seeing the members bond and have fun, which is what we are all about. Whether it's bowling or performing, we always have fun!!!!! Can't wait until February when we get this amazing corps back together again!!!!!

- George Lavelle, Executive Director

The drummer said...

The anticipation had been growing for weeks. What would the new parts for “Ritual” be like? It was a question soon to be answered all too quickly.

Usually, when the drumline gets together, we all start off in ensemble doing warm-ups and going over old standards. But, right from the get go we knew it was going to be a very special practice.

Dennis gave us a quick, “Hi ... lets get to work” speech, handed out “Ritual,” and we all split into sections.

Dennis and Pat took the snares. We started the day with 14 snares. We all knew this was not the number to finish the weekend. Pat had us start off with some of the usual exercises: Eight to a Hand, Tap Accent, Triplet Stuff, and the Rolls Progression. Things were really heating up, and being kicked up a notch. Pat was fixing hand positions, stick heights, and clarity. Then, Dennis broke out “Ritual,” not one but TWO pages long. Upon first scan one would think, “Whew!” But when you get to sit down with Dennis DeLucia and hear him explain what he meant, and what techniques he wants for each part, it makes things so much easier. It's a quick piece. Now some of the line had played this piece before. Dennis kept some parts similar but rewrote most of it. One particularly funny moment was a 2-measure section where Dennis asked Steve to rip the section off. Steve ripped it off, and Dennis said “NOPE!!! I rewrote it differently. I have been waiting for this ... Gotcha!!”

Meanwhile back at the ranch, the rest of the drumline was working on exercises and the new “Ritual.” They “screamed” through the first page and soon it was time to put it all together.

End day one ... fast forward to Day two ... Sunday.

It was another day of people movement. The expression of the day was ... “What would be your second choice?” We're all team players and know what we need to do to make this drumline the best it can possibly be.

We started off the day the same as the previous day. We split into sections and worked the standard exercises. Today would be a day of cleaning the first page and finishing up learning the second page of “Ritual.” Personally I didn't think we'd zip through the whole thing in two days, but with this bunch of guys and gals there isn't much we can't do. So we worked on specific sections of page one and finished page two. Let me tell ya: The joke of the day was “We should faint after this!“ I am hoping there will be oxygen masks for all after we march this thing.

Dennis brought the whole line together for about an hour before we hit the full ensemble. Again this is a great time to watch Dennis work. The intricacies of his work and what he is looking for is pulled out by his style of teaching.

A real successful weekend for the drumline setting spots, and learning the opener. Who could ask for more. Let's just say the drumline is “Raising the Bar.”

- Stephen “Shimes” Shimer, snare drummer

The horn player said...

Saturday's horn line rehearsal in the chapel annex was snug for the 65 plus in attendance. It was a short but very productive session. During the warm up Larry used an analogy of the sun and the planets to give a mental image of notes and spaces. It worked well as the examples moved away from the sun until Uranus. Just because a horn line is good doesn't mean they're mature. Larry quickly shifted gears as work began to on a new piece to be played at the “Serenade in Brass” show. Larry's arrangement of “TAPS” will be played by brass members of the performing corps for what will be a great tribute to Maynard Ferguson. Saturday finished with the first look at “the surprise song,” another beautiful piece.

Sunday the horn line and guard started in the gym for some visual work, a little forward, a little backward and a little shuffle. We need more shuffle! If Saturday's rehearsal was cozy, Sunday's rehearsal was downright crowded. Over 75 horns packed the annex as Matt got us started on “D.B.” About half-way through the rehearsal, we started work on “Ritual Fire Dance/Sabre Dance.” Sunday's rehearsal ended in the almost acoustically perfect St. Andrew's gym for ensemble. The staff didn't look too disappointed. It's going to be a great year.

HYPE!

- Keith “MoKeefus” Stokes, mellophone

The color guard member said...

Baby, it's cold outside but it is truly hot at color guard practice! This year the alumni guard is raising the bar once again. “Ritual Fire Dance/Sabre Dance” is the newest addition to their routine. Under the guidance of Matt Hurley,the guard will be doing new and innovative tosses, spins, and movements on the field this year. Also included in this year's show is a custom change for our rifles, new flags for the banner line and a special surprise for the fans during “the surprise song.”

This past Sunday, Lisa Argul took the guard under her wing and provided the group with some positive instruction and shared her expertise the entire day. The entire squad is looking forward to meeting the challenges posed to us by our instructors. And we hope that we can provide our viewing audience with memories that will last forever.

- Mary Cerreta, flag