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Deciding to march in my first year of Phantom Regiment was the hardest decision I ever had to make.

I remember the first time I saw drum corps. It was July 26, 1989. I was 17 years old, and in between my junior and senior year of high school. My marching band director suggested that some of us attend a drum corps show to see what it was all about. I figured, sure, why not? Drum Beauty was the name of the show, and it was in Minneapolis’ old Parade Stadium, a landmark long since gone. It was a typical July night after a warm day of 89 degrees, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

The show started out as all drum corps shows do–with the little corps. You know, I don’t even remember what little corps were there. I first took notice when Minnesota Brass took the field. I have the same vivid memory that most people do of Minnesota Brass….the balding guy playing solo soprano. Holy cow, could that guy play. It would be several years later before I met that guy, and eventually marched with him. His name was Roger Grupp, and he’s one of my first memories of drum corps.

Finally, the biggies started taking the field. I didn’t know it then, but we had quite a lineup that night. We had Madison Scouts, fresh off their 1988 championship. We also had the Blue Devils, who are also a brass powerhouse. And finally, we had the Phantom Regiment, who had almost not fielded a corps that year. It would turn out to be one of their finest years ever.

It’s funny what you remember more than 15 years later. I remember very little of the Scouts’ show, except perhaps their extremely cool uniforms. I remember more of the Blue Devils. I particularly remember the ballad, “If We Were in Love” that sat in the middle of their show. I can still see the big triangle of horns during the push coming right toward the crowd. I was shocked. How could they be getting that kind of sound out of those horns while they were marching? Shocked as I was, I had no idea what I was in for next. The final corps for the night came marching into the stadium wearing these absolutely stunning all white uniforms. I had never seen anything like it. They looked so TALL. They were so full of poise. The announcer said they were the Phantom Regiment, from Rockford, Illinois and they would be playing music from the New World Symphony. I figured if they sounded half as good as they looked, I was in for a real treat.

Needless to say, they didn’t let me down. The next 10+ minutes were absolute joy. I only wished it would never end. There were so many incredible parts of the show that I couldn’t even begin to describe it. How could it be possible to march and play like that? These guys must be gods, I told myself. I would never be good enough to do something like that.

Much to no one’s surprise, Phantom Regiment scored an 89.6 and beat the Blue Devils, who had scored an 89.5. Now I got my second treat of the night. They played the entire show again as an encore. Since some of the people decided not to stick around for the encore, we eagerly moved up closer to the corps to take it all in. After hearing it for the second time, I was hooked. This was THE corps. If I would ever be good enough to march, this was the corps I wanted to be in. Period.

After the 1989 show, drum corps slipped into the background of my senior in high school. I still followed the corps, but I wouldn’t see another show performed again on the field since the 1990 show I went to was rained out. I still heard Phantom Regiment play their show, but it’s never quite the same as seeing it on the field. Serious talk about drum corps didn’t return until the fall of my freshman year in college. I’m not even sure when it happened, but my good friend Aaron Fisher told me that he was going to audition for Phantom Regiment, and he thought we should do it together. I thought about it for a long time. I had never done anything like it before. I would have to give my whole summer if I made the corps and come up with money to pay for it? I ran it by a lot of people, most notably my twin brother. He thought it was an awesome idea. Even my band director in college thought it was a good idea. He was a Blue Stars alumnus, and he was very supportive. I got the surprise of my life when I told my parents what I wanted to do. They thought it was a terrible idea.

I’m not even sure what they thought drum corps was. I had tried to convey what drum corps was all about, but that is difficult without actually going to a show. Apparently, I was less than successful. Not only did Mom and Dad think it was a bad idea, they wouldn’t support me in it at all, especially financially. This was a major blow. How could they not understand? My parents had always supported me in my activities beyond school. They came to every band concert. They even chaperoned some of the band trips. How could they not support drum corps? Nothing I said made a difference, so I resolved to just go to audition camp to see if I made it. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore. If I did, I could deal with it then.

Well, as you may have guessed, and much to my surprise, I survived audition camp and got a spot playing third baritone. Audition camp taught me an important lesson about drum corps people. They aren’t gods. They are ordinary people who have a love of the activity, just like me. Also, just like me, they chose to do something about it and march. It didn’t take huge of amounts of raw talent to get into the corps. Talent helped, but it wasn’t the only thing that mattered. What mattered was a willingness to work hard. What mattered was a willingness to give up your entire summer. I wasn’t even the least talented player, by a lot! I was also pleasantly surprised at just how nice everyone was, from the members to the staff. This was a group that loved what they did, and it showed.

We drove back from Rockford that Sunday night with mixed emotions. I had secured a spot in the third baritones. My friend Aaron succeeded in landing a spot playing second soprano. However, we had a third person with us who had tried out for the guard. Despite her positive attitude, hard work ethic, and experience with Minnesota Brass, there were only a finite number of spots in the guard, and in this case, it came down to experience. She was devasted, and it was hard to be supportive to her while being ecstactic that I had made it. I think what frustrated her more than anything was that she had waited so long to try and march a junior corps. This was her last shot at marching with Phantom Regiment. She was 21 years old, and she would never get another chance. If I hadn’t made it, I could still try again for two more years.

Meanwhile, I still needed to deal with my parents. I figured that since I had made it into such a prestigous group that Mom and Dad would come around and support me. I couldn’t have been more wrong. They hadn’t changed their position at all, and things around the house were pretty tense whenever the subject came up. This opposition hit me really hard. I really wanted to march, but I had never in my life openly defied my parent’s will like what it would take to march.

After a lot of soul searching and—well—counseling, I came to realize that ultimately it didn’t matter whether my parents would support me on this one. This was something I had dreamed of doing. I had an opportunity to do it, so I was going to continue. The only major challenge left was figuring out how to pay for it.

In 1991, Phantom Regiment charged its members 600 dollars to march the season. This got you a horn, a uniform, food and lots of gym floors to sleep on. Well, I was a first year college student. I didn’t have a lot money, certainly not 600 dollars. So I asked the first person I could think of who was financially sound–my older brother Joe. He was incredibly supportive, which honestly seemed a little odd, since Mom and Dad were so NOT supportive. He agreed to loan me the 600 dollars for no interest and I was to pay him back when I could.

It seemed I had everything solved. So I went ahead and marched the season. The biggest surprise? My parents came to see a show and had a huge change of heart. Not only did they now support drum corps, but they became my biggest fans and sent me care packages all season. They came to a show in Minnesota, and the Preview of Champions show in Madison. The even joined the booster club! In 1993 when I marched my second year in the corps, they took a vacation to Denver to see us march in Mile High Stadium. I suspect my twin brother Pete had a lot to do with their change of heart. He made the decision that summer to march with Minnesota Brass, so they were constantly bombarded with information about what it was like to be in a drum corps from him. I don’t really know for sure how they were convinced to come see a show, but once they did, they were hooked.

Was it worth it to cause myself all of that anguish for drum corps? Absolutely. It was a huge turning point in my life. It was my first real adult decision, and it had lasting impact, even beyond marching. In 1993, I started dating, and eventually married Jessi, a mellophone/french horn player in the corps. Had I not marched, we would never have met. So today, I try to introduce as many people as I can to the wonder of drum corps if they are willing to listen.