OTHELLO – If you think you’ve been hearing the faint sounds of brass instruments and drums floating through the air in Othello, you’re not wrong. The sounds aren’t so faint if you live near McFarland Middle School, where the Columbians Drum and Bugle Corps are spending the week getting ready for tour season.
The Columbians are a nationally renowned team that travels the USA each summer leading up to their national competition, which this year in Indianapolis. Team members, on average, are 17 years old, though some are younger or slightly older. They’ve been around for quite some time, but the current iteration has been in existence since 2013.
Each day of rehearsal is a marathon of practices until the team is ready to hit the road. The entire team is camping in the McFarland Middle School gym for the week. “The kids wake up about 7:30 every day and go to bed around 11:30 at night. They rehearse three separate three-and-a-half to four-hour blocks a day,” said show designer James Haynes.
Though the team is getting ready to head out on tour in July, the ultimate destination is the Drum Corps International (DCI) championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, where they’ll compete in the open class. “This will be our third year going,” said Haynes.
Even though they compete on an elite stage, The Columbians aren’t exclusive when it comes to membership. “With music programs [in schools] not getting the support they deserve in a lot of areas, we are very lenient in what we desire from a child. Our main goal is ‘Every time we see you, do you get better? If you have that drive, we have that drive to teach you,” said Haynes.
The Columbians Drum Corps includes sections of brass instruments, a drum line, a color guard, and instrumentalists playing marimbas, keyboards, and other instruments.
The operation is extensive, with two semi-trucks and other trailers to move their equipment. They charter buses to take them East for their competitions. It’s an expensive operation to finance. “We are funded through grants and local support from our community,” said Haynes. Each member also pays $4,000 a year. “Compared to all of the groups that are in DCI, that puts us in the middle,” said Haynes. “There are groups charging upwards of 6 to 7 thousand.”
The time commitment is also heavy. The group practices for weeks in the summer and each month leading up to tour season. They then spend about a month on the road. Two-year veteran drum corps member Cole Daniel Sage, 19, is a Central Washington University student originally from Puyallup. “It’s huge,” he said, but manageable for him as a college student. “During the summer, you spend the two months doing prep and tour and training. Auditions are in December and January. And every month leading up to June, there is a two-and-a-half-day camp. “Back in January, we had some elements of the show. We worked on some fundamental and technical aspects. The fundamental technique is so important to the show that you have to focus on it from the get-go,” Sage said.
Sage also said that his participation bring him a sense of community. “You go, and you talk to anyone; there are people who are like in their sixties, and you talk to them about drum corps, and their face lights up. It’s an incredible community of musicians doing incredible work.”
Haynes said the group loves an audience while they prepare. The Othello community is welcome to come to watch their rehearsals. “The best time is probably around 8:30 at night,” said Haynes. That’s when the whole group comes together to work on different parts of their program. “We try to get done by 9:30,” which neighboring homeowners appreciate.
There are other opportunities to catch the show coming up. “We have a show on the 30th over in the Tri-Cities called Drums Along the Columbia,” Haynes said. Two other groups will be joining. One of them, Santa Clara Vanguard, is a world-class top 12 finalist. Before that, they’ll be performing on June 27th at the Kibbie Dome at the University of Idaho.
Students who might be interested in participating also have an upcoming opportunity to experience the program. “We have a program called the Columbians Experience, where grades 7 through 12 have a day where they can come live a day in the life of the Columbians. You can watch and join a rehearsal, and they’ll also learn something to perform in front of people.” Haynes said. More information is available at www.columbiansdrumcorps.org.
The Columbians will be rehearsing in Othello through June 26.
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