For the reigning World Champion Santa Clara Vanguard, getting ready for the season means many things — weekly design team calls, meetings with Stanbury Uniforms in Missouri, and visiting the corps’ prop manufacturer in North Carolina. It also means staff training, logistics planning, and much more.
Santa Clara Vanguard CEO Charles Frost explained, “Right now, we’re putting together the game plan for spring training. One of the most important parts of that is working with corps members on leadership and self-development as part of their personal preparation for the season.”
In addition to the customary physical conditioning and instrumental proficiency exercises, an interesting part of Vanguard’s season preparation involves individual reading and group discussions.
View Vanguard's 2019 summer tour schedule
The program began last year with a study of Jon Gordon’s "The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy," which focused the performing corps members on creating the positive thinking that leads to true accomplishment.
The group activity was so successful in 2018 that it’s a part of the training program again this year. Corps members are currently studying Gordon’s "The Hard Hat: 21 Ways to Be a Great Teammate," delving into how to be the best teammate possible while building a hard-working, competitive ensemble.
While reading and discussing books might seem like an unusual thing to do as part of the preparations for marching music performance, the process takes corps members on a journey of self-examination and creates continuity of purpose. It’s about creating a great learning environment.
“We like to pull everybody together through these group discussions,” Frost said. “It really helps define a positive culture and focus the drum corps members for the season ahead.”