Tweet
Hey all, I'm a returning regular here with a story and some advice to give to the younger DCI hopefuls. Read on:
About 3 years ago, when I was 16, I decided to go to my first DCI audition. I went to the Bluecoats, expecting nothing, with only the intent to gain experience and see what it was like. To my surprise, rather than shutting me down entirely, they suggested I try Div2 and come back the next year. I went ahead to make a Div2 corps, which, as they are wont to do, folded. That didn't destroy my morale, but the time came for college applications and I had to put the sticks down for a bit in the hopes of getting admitted to the USAFA. That application turned into a 2 year battle to rebut a misdiagnosis I had received when I was 12 which made me ineligible for service. Throughout the next 3 years after that first set of auditions, I became so focused on the USAFA, as well as ROTC and Air National Guard, that I completely forgot where I was and what was happening around me. I am now 19 and, having been to the last Bluecoats and Cap Reg auditions, realize that I am worse now even than when I was 16! I have 2 seasons left to get past where I used to be and destroy bad habits in order to make it into a top 6 corps. Unfortunately, given my college career and Basic Training coming up, the amount of attention I can devote to drumming is much lower than what I need. The jig is not up, as I do have 2 seasons left, but there's a very slim chance that I will make it as far as I determined I would 3 years ago. I do have a promising career coming up, but I can't get back what I left behind.
I age out of DCI when I'm 21 - that's 2 years. I age out of USAF pilot training 10 years later. I became so focused on an AF career that could wait, and lost what potential I had with drum corps. I'm kicking myself endlessly for that now.
The purpose of this is not to vent or get your pity. But a message to you younger prospects, regardless of what I end up doing:
No matter what, WHATEVER comes up, if you have a goal in DCI, do not forget it. Do not put it aside. That's not to say college and career paths are unimportant. But there are, for the most part, no time limits for either which are as critical as those which drum corps imposes. I learned this lesson too late, and now am unsure whether or not I can correct it. Don't make the same mistake I did - pursue your goal with all the energy you can afford.
This may seem like common sense, like something you don't need to be told. Indeed, you probably already know this. But I wish that, while I was fixated on the end of the tunnel, somebody had told me to look around.
That's what I'm trying to do for you.
Live long and prosper,
Cavvyjack
About 3 years ago, when I was 16, I decided to go to my first DCI audition. I went to the Bluecoats, expecting nothing, with only the intent to gain experience and see what it was like. To my surprise, rather than shutting me down entirely, they suggested I try Div2 and come back the next year. I went ahead to make a Div2 corps, which, as they are wont to do, folded. That didn't destroy my morale, but the time came for college applications and I had to put the sticks down for a bit in the hopes of getting admitted to the USAFA. That application turned into a 2 year battle to rebut a misdiagnosis I had received when I was 12 which made me ineligible for service. Throughout the next 3 years after that first set of auditions, I became so focused on the USAFA, as well as ROTC and Air National Guard, that I completely forgot where I was and what was happening around me. I am now 19 and, having been to the last Bluecoats and Cap Reg auditions, realize that I am worse now even than when I was 16! I have 2 seasons left to get past where I used to be and destroy bad habits in order to make it into a top 6 corps. Unfortunately, given my college career and Basic Training coming up, the amount of attention I can devote to drumming is much lower than what I need. The jig is not up, as I do have 2 seasons left, but there's a very slim chance that I will make it as far as I determined I would 3 years ago. I do have a promising career coming up, but I can't get back what I left behind.
I age out of DCI when I'm 21 - that's 2 years. I age out of USAF pilot training 10 years later. I became so focused on an AF career that could wait, and lost what potential I had with drum corps. I'm kicking myself endlessly for that now.
The purpose of this is not to vent or get your pity. But a message to you younger prospects, regardless of what I end up doing:
No matter what, WHATEVER comes up, if you have a goal in DCI, do not forget it. Do not put it aside. That's not to say college and career paths are unimportant. But there are, for the most part, no time limits for either which are as critical as those which drum corps imposes. I learned this lesson too late, and now am unsure whether or not I can correct it. Don't make the same mistake I did - pursue your goal with all the energy you can afford.
This may seem like common sense, like something you don't need to be told. Indeed, you probably already know this. But I wish that, while I was fixated on the end of the tunnel, somebody had told me to look around.
That's what I'm trying to do for you.
Live long and prosper,
Cavvyjack
Comment