Rumble in the Falls (DCI show)

Two nights ago, Drum Corps International (DCI) made a stop in Wichita Falls for "Rumble in the Falls." Seven corps competed, six of them in Division 1, the top tier. My discussion of the show is aimed mostly at those who have knowledge about DCI and drum corps. For those without such knowledge, I will give a rudimentary explanation of drum corps. Anyone who wants more info should go to the DCI website. There you can also find links to individual groups, and you can learn even more from those sites.

For those of you who do not know what a DCI corps is, it is kind of hard to explain. It is a band that marches, but it is not really a marching band in the traditional sense. All the horns are brass, and they all have valves (alas, no slide trombones). There is a mass amount of percussion, of which only the "drum line"--snare drums, tenor (quad) drums, and bass drums--march. The rest of the percussion section consists of every possible percussion instrument you can imagine--xylophone, marimba, tympani, bells, and on and on. That group remains on the sideline, but those corps members stay plenty active, I assure you. Then there is the color guard. The traditional equipment used by the color guard are flags, rifles, and swords, but all manner of other props and equipment are used. Today color guards utilize many dance techniques as well.

Drum corps presents a veritable plethora of sensory stimuli. For me, the music is the main thing, so I always focus on the horns. The marching is next on my priority list. The formations and maneuvers are creative and different from anything you would see from any high school marching band and most college marching bands. For those more into color or dance or props or production numbers there is the color guard. The drum line presents a visual and rhythmic show all its own. And often all of these elements are blended into a whole that becomes a unique art form. As for scoring, there are separate scores for general effect, visual effect, and musical effect, and within those categories are separate scores for the horns, the drum line, and the color guard. For a detailed look at the scoring system, you can review the scoresheet from "Rumble in the Falls."

As the DCI website says, "Some call it extreme marching band; others compare it to professional marching band; one director even refers to it as a cross between a Broadway musical and a marching band show." I say imagine etiher a Vegas show, a Broadway musical, an opera, or a major rock concert, and everything in between, and then add lots of volume and energy, and you have a top notch DCI show. Whatever one wants to call it, it is a unique spectacle and experience. And although PBS always broadcasts the DCI Finals, drum corps is best experienced live.

I am a hard core, old school marching band devotee. My college band, the SMU Mustang Band, never needed flags, swords, dancing girls, or tympani. I must note that the Mustang Band is not exactly your typical marching band. The Mustang Band is brass and saxophones and a drum line, plays primarily swing and other jazz (on the field), and is one of the very few bands anywhere in the country that still marches the style known as 8-to-5 high knee lift. In my opinion, any good marching band has no need for flags, swords, dancing girls, tympani, etc. In spite of my opinion, however, and although I never was in DCI, I am also a big DCI fan. A marching band is not a drum corps, and a drum corps is not a marching band. They each have their unique qualities and place in the world.

That being said, if you ever have a chance to see a DCI show live, go. If you ever have a chance to go to the DCI Finals, GO!

So, anyway, there was a DCI show here two nights ago. The program of the Blue Knights from Denver was a good example of the creativity in drum corps. I was a bit apprehensive when I saw that their program was music from Samuel Barber's Piano Concerto Op. 38. I was afraid it would be some stuffy, artsy-fartsy kind of thing. Boy, was I wrong. It was awesome! Of the seven corps, the Blue Knights had the loudest, most powerful sound. It was a real "wall of sound" that I love. Unfortunately for them, other aspects of their show were not as good, and they finished fourth. Visually, my favorite corps of the night was Carolina Crown from Ft. Mill, South Carolina. They did some amazing things marching-wise, and they were highly entertaining. Their music was good and very well executed, but I really wished they had been louder. It really would have added more energy and effect to their show. Carolina Crown finished second. The winning corps was the Bluecoats from Canton, Ohio, and they deserved the win. Most of their program was jazz. And I'm not talking about some watered-down, sounds like it was written for a bunch of dull hacks version of jazz. I mean real, sure enough jazz. And man, could those cats play! They also had a real air of confidence that provided that extra bit of edge and polish to their show. They are a definite threat to win the DCI Championship, which starts on August 8 at Madison, Wisconsin.

And for the record, one of my favorite DCI groups has always been the Phantom Regiment from Rockford, Illinois.

Life goes on...

Massive amounts of work, the death of my father, writing and delivering the eulogy at his funeral, and tending to his estate have left little time for blogging, but such is life, and life most certainly does go on. Even so, don't be looking for a flurry of posts from me anytime soon. I'll try to make a few observations, and I will continue the discussion that started in my June 10 post. In fact, I am considering starting a separate blog (another spoke in the Cosmic Wheel) devoted to discussing religion and spirituality.

Tomorrow night I will be attending a DCI (Drum Corps International) show here in The Falls, and one of my next posts will likely be on that topic.

Jefferson Holland Campbell: January 19, 1931-June 30, 2006

At 6:33 a.m. yesterday, Jefferson Holland Campbell, my father, left this world.

He will be greatly missed, but there is great joy and thanksgiving for his life and the direct impact it had on so many other lives through every facet of his being--husband, father, friend, minister, and teacher.

One recent event encapsulates so much of who my father was. Just before the end of the spring semester, my oldest sister and I accompanied our father to the Student Government Association Awards Banquet at Midwestern State University. We were there for two reasons. The first was that one of my father's students, first name of Anthony, had been nominated to be chosen Outstanding Junior Male Student. What Anthony did not know until just before the awards banquet was that he had been nominated by my father. The second reason we were there was that my father had been nominated as Outstanding Faculty Member, and, unbeknownst to him until shortly before the awards banquet, he had been nominated by his student, Anthony. Prior to the banquet, we did not know whether Anthony would receive the award, but we did know that my father had been chosen as Outstanding Faculty Member for the year.

This is significant for several reasons. My father officially retired in 1999. He continued to teach some courses, and the last few years they totaled two per semester. Thus, his chance for many students to get to know him was smaller than for full time faculty. However, as the president of the American Studies Association of Texas, he was responsible for bringing not only the ASAT annual meeting to MSU, but in procuring as keynote speaker award-winning author Scott Momaday. To do that, my father convinced the Student Government Association to also pay for Momaday's appearance as part of the university's Artist Lecture Series. He knew that bringing someone of Momaday's stature would reflect well on MSU, and he was very interested in doing that. The point is that even though he was teaching only part time and had no other obligations to the university, he made enough of an impact on his limited number of students and on the university as a whole to be chosen as Faculty Member of the Year.

So, before the awards banquet started, everyone was milling about in the open area outside the banquet room. I was standing next to my father while my sister was across the room talking to someone. My father noticed that the "someone" was a member of his Sunday school class. And then he saw other members of the Sunday school class--none of whom were affiliated with the University--arrive. Puzzled, he turned to me and asked, "Why are they here? Who are they here for?" I turned to him and answered in a tone that some might have interpreted as inappropriate for a son to use with his father, "Well, that would be you." He then asked how they found out because he had not told anyone about this award, and I informed him that my sister had told the Sunday school class members. They had wanted to put on an event which would honor my father--some sort of "This is Your Life" event. My sister and I immediately said that would not be good for it would make our father very uncomfortable because he had never liked having that kind of spotlight on him. My father's response when I informed him of how the Sunday school class found out about the Outstanding Faculty Member award proved us right. He said, "Well, that is more than a little embarassing."

Jeff Campbell's picture could go in a dictionary next to the word "humility," but he would consider that to be unnecessary praise. Almost any effort to publicly recognize and honor him had to be done on the sly; otherwise he would not allow it. He would much rather see those he had touched be recognized for what they achieved. And that night, he saw just that, for Anthony was indeed named as the Outstanding Juinior Male. When that announcement was made, my father's face beamed, whereas his expression when he stepped forward to receive his own award was one of "O.K., I have to go up there."

Here are a few things that people have said to my sisters and I the last few days about our father:

• Jeff Campbell: good soul. That's all that needs to be said.
• He was not perfect, but he was perfectly good.
• With most people, you can say, "He's a good guy, but..." With Jeff Campbell, there was absolutely no "but."
• He leaves a legacy of grace, love, and encouragement.

I will be delivering the eulogy, and I will be asking everyone to carry on that legacy in their own lives in their own way. My sisters, my nephew, and myself know that this is what he would want--just as long as there is little mention of his name. After all, even in the afterlife, we don't want him to be embarassed.