Following her performance in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Saturday, June 30, 21-year-old backfield drum major for the Glassmen, Lacey Taylor, talked with DCI.org's Christina Mavroudis about the 2007 season, and her new role in the corps. Christina Mavroudis: How do you like this year's show so far?

Lacey Taylor
Lacey Taylor: It's a new type of show for the Glassmen; it's based off the Spanish Gypsy culture. And the color guard has lots of jingles and jangles on their uniform which adds a little bit of flare to the theme of the show. CM: I understand you have an interesting background with the Glassmen. Tell us about that. LT: Last year, which was my first year with the Glassmen, I was in the color guard. This summer, about three weeks into our spring training, I injured myself and I thought I was going to have to go home because a lot of running was not going to be good for me. But the director and some of the staff approached me about being the backfield conductor instead, and the brass staff taught me how to conduct in about a day. CM: Was it difficult to learn how to conduct on such short notice? LT: I'm a very visual person after being in the color guard, so it was easy for me to catch on. It's been a new experience coming from the guard and now doing this, but I've just enjoyed every minute of it so far. CM: Any interesting stories from this experience? LT: It's just been different coming from the field, to standing backfield and watching the corps and seeing the crowd's reactions. I'm seeing the corps from a whole new view now. CM: Do you ever miss being in the color guard? LT: It's sometimes hard to watch the color guard since that's my true passion. But it's funny how things work out since I thought I was going to have to go home, and now I'm seeing the show from the back. I still feel a part of this corps, and I feel like I serve a purpose. That's what I love about the Glassmen, they always take care of their members no matter what. CM: Any thoughts on aging out this year? LT: It's a little sad because I've been injured, but at the same time I think it's a very interesting age-out story. I'm just really proud to be a part of the Glassmen in any way. And how many people can say they aged-out as a backfield conductor of a drum corps coming from the color guard?