by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
It’s 7 a.m. on a Saturday and a group of young people are rolling out of bed to endure a weekend of grueling training. These are not your average teenagers and young adults. They are the Jacksonville drum and bugle corps, aka Teal Sound. Instead of sleeping in or spending their Saturday mornings glued to the hottest Nintendo game, these children are working hard to make a name for themselves.
“These are very special kids,” said Mike Butler, leader of Teal Sound. “They are dedicated to music and movement.”
Once every month, the group rehearses all weekend to perfect its style. The camp begins at 7 p.m. Friday at FCCJ’s South Campus and goes until 11 p.m. Saturday, they’re out on the field again, marching with their instruments from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday continues until 5:30 p.m. The monthly drills run from November to August and escalates to a weekly format during May.
Roughly 150 start camp each season. Only 60 make the cut.
“We’ve never cut anybody,” said Butler. “Most of the youth cut themselves. If they’re not willing to put in the commitment, they drop out.”
Why do they go to all the trouble? For some, it’s the possibility of receiving a music scholarship; for others it’s just the experience.
“Drum and bugle corps is like the NFL of marching bands,” explained Butler. “They’re some of the best kids in the country. We’ve had them audition from New Jersey, Ohio, Mississippi, North Carolina, Miami, the Panhandle — we have them come from everywhere.”
Teal Sound tours the nation competing against 41 other drum and bugle corps to achieve the ultimate prize — placing No. 1 in the finals. Last year, the group came very close to reaching its goal, finishing 11th nationally. Butler aspires to do even better this year.
“It’s like the Super Bowl,” said Butler. “It usually takes a corps 10 to 15 years to get to that level.”
Teal Sound, named for the color of the Jacksonville Jaguars, is comprised of brass and percussion instruments and a color guard. Brass instruments include trumpets, French horns, trombones and tubas. Percussion instruments include snare drums, tenor drums, bass drums and xylophones. The color guard can use almost any prop from flags to rifles. Teal Sound is part of Drum Corps International, which was established in 1972. The International organization books the shows and supplies judges.
Many of the students in the troupe are recruited from high school marching bands. But unlike the marching bands most people may be familiar with, the drum and bugle corps do not play the traditional marching band music.
“The pit is on the sidelines,” said Butler. “They have everything that is in an orchestra — timpani [kettle drums], gongs, chimes. They add a lot of color to the music. They play serious symphonic music. It’s really a true art form to see how that music and the drill portrays the color and motion of the music. It’s something you really have to see to describe. This year the theme is nightmares so the pieces are dark and haunting. It’s like Broadway theater.”
This year’s performances include a piece called “Sacrificial Dances” by Stravinsky and “Liturgical Dances” by David Holsinger.
“A symphony would be sitting down playing the music and concentrating solely on that,” explained Butler of the craft behind the band. “Our youth are playing the same symphonic pieces but they are also moving across the field, sometimes at 190 beats per minute. That’s like a million things in this kid’s head in one second. To do this well is truly an art form.”
Butler shares the youngsters love for the art. He played contrabass (tuba) in high school. There wasn’t a drum and bugle corps in Jacksonville during his formative years, so he traveled to Tampa. Some of his apprentices must do the same, driving or flying from all over the East Coast to participate in the rehearsals and competitions.
The road to creating Teal Sound was 15 years in the making. After its inaugural season, Teal Sound secured funding from the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville. Thanks to that support, the children are able to take part with uniforms and instruments provided. They must pay membership dues, but Butler hopes to increase his budget to eliminate that expense. Items like cymbals and mellophones (B flat horns) are still beyond his grasp.
It’s not just musical ability that concerns Butler. He is a firm believer in the values that the corps can instill.
“I contribute my work ethic to drum corps — how to set goals and apply yourself,” he said. “I had this one kid [on the team] from Alabama that was real trouble all through the whole season. We worked with him. I guess he never really had discipline and structure to put him in place. He finished the season and now he’s in the Marine Corps, the commandant of the drum and bugle corps.”
His goal is to expand the corps from 60 to between 80 and a 100, and ultimately, to a touring corps of 135. He recently added a cadet core for younger children and wants to add a winter guard. Teal Sound is open to any child who wants to join.
“We’re looking for kids that have drive and want to get better,” he said.
Next fall, the group is planning to perform at the Celebration of the Arts event with all the other competing teams nationwide. The event will be a collaboration between the Cultural Council and member organizations.