Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2005 3:34 pm
Legendary drum majors...for any old fogies hanging around lurking...
The drum major that single handedly put it into my small 4 yr old brain that I someday would be a drum major myself was a chap by the name of Carl Anderson, drum major for the Pasadena High School Marching Band in 1970-71, and 71-72. In the "old days", some bands would actually cut albums and it was a big deal back then. This guy's picture was on the front of one of those albums and of course, I used to tag along to all the competitions back then so I was always watching him and wanting to be THAT guy. Pretty funny that about 8 months ago, I got an email from my brother that he sent out to a bunch of people (probably some lame joke or something), and in the mass of emails that he sent it out to, I saw an email address for a Carl Anderson. So I emailed the guy, asked him if this was the same guy that I remembered from back when I was a kid, blah blah blah. And it was!!! He's some big exec now for a pharmaceutical company. Neat to make contact with him--he was pretty impressed with everything I had done, and didn't realize he ever had an effect on me.
Another legendary drum major was a guy named Robert Suh from Pasadena HS. He was drum major after my brother graduated in 1974, I think around the 1977 or 78 years. He was a Grand State whatever Champion. HE was the one that did a mace maneuver that at the time was supposedly the hardest thing on the planet....it was called a "full moon". Some kind of finger twirl on one hand and then pass off to the other hand while bringing both arms up in arcs away from the body and then up and above your head. I could do it...but when I won the Arcadia Band Review in 1983, I had a "half moon" in my salute routine. In any event, he was legendary.
There was a guy that used to be drum major at Los Altos HS back when I was in high school--I believe his name was Tom Pope. Tom went on to be one of those super duper hype master instructors at USA, and I got to meet him in 1982 I believe at the Santa Barbara camp. He perfected this weird way of doing mace work on the field called "show drum majoring". Something I never really liked--but he was really good at it. Another legendary drum major was the drum major from Savanna about the same time I was drum majoring up at Pasadena HS. I very cool cat named Richard Carpenter--he unfortunately died shortly after graduating from high school.
Oh yeah...and drum majors from Glendora are ALWAYS the best. Ben Schroeder--what a talent. I had the luck of being drill designer when he was drum major, so I got to see him work. WOW!!! Blew ME away!! And I think it's a prerequisite for all Glendora drum majors to be like 6ft 6 inches minimum!! They are ALWAYS the biggest most bad-a$$ looking DM's at parades.
Anyway...that's it...
Oh wait...one more legendary I almost forgot. The drum major that took over for me after my 2 year stint with the Tournament of Roses Honor Band was a Dargin Springfield. I think he was drum major for 3 or 4 years. HE WAS GREAT!!! I don't think he cared too much for me, but from a drum majoring standpoint, I couldn't do anything but give him credit. VERY entertaining, very good with the TofR Band...I don't know whatever happened to him. I think he's in the military.
The drum major that single handedly put it into my small 4 yr old brain that I someday would be a drum major myself was a chap by the name of Carl Anderson, drum major for the Pasadena High School Marching Band in 1970-71, and 71-72. In the "old days", some bands would actually cut albums and it was a big deal back then. This guy's picture was on the front of one of those albums and of course, I used to tag along to all the competitions back then so I was always watching him and wanting to be THAT guy. Pretty funny that about 8 months ago, I got an email from my brother that he sent out to a bunch of people (probably some lame joke or something), and in the mass of emails that he sent it out to, I saw an email address for a Carl Anderson. So I emailed the guy, asked him if this was the same guy that I remembered from back when I was a kid, blah blah blah. And it was!!! He's some big exec now for a pharmaceutical company. Neat to make contact with him--he was pretty impressed with everything I had done, and didn't realize he ever had an effect on me.
Another legendary drum major was a guy named Robert Suh from Pasadena HS. He was drum major after my brother graduated in 1974, I think around the 1977 or 78 years. He was a Grand State whatever Champion. HE was the one that did a mace maneuver that at the time was supposedly the hardest thing on the planet....it was called a "full moon". Some kind of finger twirl on one hand and then pass off to the other hand while bringing both arms up in arcs away from the body and then up and above your head. I could do it...but when I won the Arcadia Band Review in 1983, I had a "half moon" in my salute routine. In any event, he was legendary.
There was a guy that used to be drum major at Los Altos HS back when I was in high school--I believe his name was Tom Pope. Tom went on to be one of those super duper hype master instructors at USA, and I got to meet him in 1982 I believe at the Santa Barbara camp. He perfected this weird way of doing mace work on the field called "show drum majoring". Something I never really liked--but he was really good at it. Another legendary drum major was the drum major from Savanna about the same time I was drum majoring up at Pasadena HS. I very cool cat named Richard Carpenter--he unfortunately died shortly after graduating from high school.
Oh yeah...and drum majors from Glendora are ALWAYS the best. Ben Schroeder--what a talent. I had the luck of being drill designer when he was drum major, so I got to see him work. WOW!!! Blew ME away!! And I think it's a prerequisite for all Glendora drum majors to be like 6ft 6 inches minimum!! They are ALWAYS the biggest most bad-a$$ looking DM's at parades.
Anyway...that's it...
Oh wait...one more legendary I almost forgot. The drum major that took over for me after my 2 year stint with the Tournament of Roses Honor Band was a Dargin Springfield. I think he was drum major for 3 or 4 years. HE WAS GREAT!!! I don't think he cared too much for me, but from a drum majoring standpoint, I couldn't do anything but give him credit. VERY entertaining, very good with the TofR Band...I don't know whatever happened to him. I think he's in the military.