Photo courtesy of Craig Burlingame

www.mnperc.org

 August 2011


MPA Shines in 2011 DCI Season
Congratulations to all the current and recent MPA performers who completed an awesome season of Drum Corps International competition just a couple weeks ago at the World Championships in Indianapolis! MPA is extremely proud of your efforts and achievements: 

  • Joe Jaeger (MBI Indoor — Blue Stars)
  • Emalee Judeh (Eagan — Blue Knights)
  • Tony Mottaz (Irondale — Blue Knights)
  • Travis Newman (TCAI — Cavaliers)
  • Jared Olson (Champlin Park, TCAI — Madison Scouts)
  • David Palermo (Anoka, River City Rhythm — Blue Knights)
  • Josh Sayler (Champlin Park, MBI Indoor — Madison Scouts)
  • Mikey Spooner (Anoka, MBI Indoor — Cavaliers)
  • Jacob Welle (Champlin Park — Madison Scouts)
  • Evan Zink (Irondale, River City Rhythm — Pioneer)

And congratulations to all the MPA instructors who taught DCI groups this season too!

Several of the performers above completed their first season of junior corps — a huge feat by itself! Read on for first-year member Tony Mottaz's take on his season with the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps from Denver, Colo.

Tony Mottaz

Age: 18

From: Irondale 
Favorite drum corps show: Either Blue Devils 2003 “The Phenomenon of Cool” or Phantom Regiment 2008 “Spartacus”
Favorite indoor drumline show of all time: Rhythm X 2009 “Touch”
Favorite food while on tour this summer: Honey mustard turkey casserole
Best memory of tour: We had a kick butt rehearsal and run through in Denton, Texas. It sounds random, but I will never forget that day.
Worst memory of tour: I got a cold during tour, and there was one day that was tough to push through.
Drum corps is like: Someone once told me that drum corps is like climbing a mountain. You push yourself to keep going and you climb and climb, and then once you get to the top you look down and see all that you had to do to get there.
 Tony performing with the 2011 Blue Knights
Tony performing with the 2011 Blue Knights

Sum up your experience at drum corps this summer in one sentence.
It was a summer of extremes: the most challenging, the most rewarding, the most trying, and the most exciting summer of my life.

Why did you want to march junior corps in the first place?
I never knew about drum corps until I was in the Irondale marching band. The other drummers told me about some DCI lines, and after seeing them on YouTube, I was hooked! I knew ever since then that I would be in one of those lines. 

Best part of drum corps, based on your experience?
My favorite part was the passion that every single member brings to the group. Everyone holds themselves accountable, and challenge each other to be their best. The raw desire that I could feel from 150 other people is something I have never experienced before, and I don't know of any other place where you can find that. Click here to read the rest.

Help Two MPA Drumlines Win Money!
River City Rhythm and St. Cloud All-City have been chosen to participate in the Pepsi Refresh Everything project. RCR is currently in the running for a $10,000 grant, and SCAC is going for a $50,000 grant. All you need to do to help them is simply vote!

To vote for RCR, go to www.refresheverything.com/rcr. You can also text the number 107835 to 73774. For SCAC, vote at  www.refresheverything.com/scacmb, and text the number 108041 to 73774. You can vote for both groups once per day (you can vote online and text each day), so be sure to show your support! Voting ends Aug. 31.
Coming Up

Rosemount Marching Band Festival
1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10
Rosemount, Minn.
Click here for more info.

Eastview Marching Festival  
6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10
Apple Valley, Minn.
Click here for directions.

Waseca Marching Classic  
Saturday, Sept. 17
Waseca, Minn.
Click here for more info.

Pursuit of Excellence
6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17
Marshall, Minn.
Click here for more info.

Tri-State Band Festival
Saturday, Sept. 24
Luverne, Minn.
Click here for more info.

Irondale Music of the Knight
Saturday, Sept. 24
New Brighton, Minn.
Click here for more info.

MPA Fall General Membership Meeting
4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25
Black Hawk Middle School
Eagan, Minn.
Click here for directions.

Rebel Classic
Saturday, Oct. 1
Champlin, Minn.
Click here for more info.

Prairie Colors Festival
Saturday, Oct. 8
Eden Prairie, Minn.
Click here for more info.

Youth in Music Championships
Saturday, Oct. 22
Minneapolis, Minn.
Click here for more info.

Was there anything that was completely or slightly untrue from how people described drum corps before you did it?
The food was a lot better than people said it would be. (You rock Jonathan and the rest of the BK volunteers!)

Worst part of drum corps, based on your experience?
The worst part for me was not getting any alone time. I made some great friends, and I love everyone in the corps, but being with all of those people 24/7 can get tough.

Why should students want to march drum corps?
If you have the desire to push yourself to your farthest limits and see what you can really do, drum corps is one of the best places to do it! Mastering your instrument, making new best friends, and performing for big crowds are all a blast, but drum corps goes a step further and teaches you about who you are and about how to conquer life as you're in this transition period to start living on your own.

What advice do you have for people wanting to march a junior corps?
Make sure you are prepared to give it your all. The more you put into drum corps, the more you will get out of it.

What if they think they're not good enough?
Everyone who is interested in doing drum corps should go to an audition camp. There are too many people who would do really well in drum corps who don't think they are good enough and miss out on a great opportunity. If you keep giving it your best effort, chances are you will find success.

How are you going to use what you learned this summer and your experiences for the future, both in your musical career and life in general?
I'm going to be bringing my experience to my college marching band line. I have also been instructing the snare line at Irondale High School. I will also use the skills I learned in time management and the “get it done” attitude to help me succeed in school.

Going back next year?
Definitely!!