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| About Spokane Thunder |
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The Spokane Thunder Drum & Bugle Corps began in 2004 as the first competitive drum corps in Spokane in almost 25 years. The corps performs and competes in various sanctioned events around the nation representing the greater Spokane area. The corps is a member of Drum Corps International (DCI), the national sanctioning body for competitive drum and bugle corps (see www.dci.org). Thunder is sponsored by the Greater Spokane Drum Corps Association.
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The experience of being in a competitive drum corps involves hundreds of hours of group practice (sectional and entire ensemble) as well as untold hours of individual practice. This takes hard work and dedication. It also involves various elements of musical talent, pageantry, and performance artistry. Corps members must learn very difficult musical scores (including classical music, march music, show tunes, jazz and blues), and be able to play perfectly as an ensemble, small section, and soloists. In addition, the competitive show requires outstanding athletic abilities and a high level of energy.
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Parts of a Drum & Bugle Corps
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The corps is made up of a large brass section (contrabasses, mellophones, baritones, trumpets), an on-field percussion battery (snare drums, multiple bass drums, and multi-tuned tenor drums), a front-ensemble of various stationery percussion equipment (timpani, marimbas, xylophones, vibraphones, bells, chimes, cymbals, gongs, etc), and a color guard which performs with flags, rifles, sabers, and various other equipment while performing marching, rhythmic dance, and/or gymnastic movements. All of this creates a vibrant visual show that is entertaining, exciting, technically complex, and musically outstanding.
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In competition, the corps’ performance is scored on intonation, dynamics, ensemble and solo quality, difficulty, and “general effect”. Judges on the field and in the grandstands score each corps and the corps are frequently only hundredths of a point apart. This activity is extremely difficult -- musically, mentally, and physically.
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Who can Join?
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The corps is open to young persons age 14-21 who are physically capable of engaging in a demanding outdoor activity, have reasonable performance skills, and a good work ethic. A person who has the desire to strengthen his or her performance through demanding practice and hard work and who understands the necessity of discipline in the attainment of goals, possesses the potential for true competitive Corps success. Belonging to and remaining in Thunder will demand:
- Performance Skills
- Positive Attitude & Commitment
- Dedication and practice
- Attendance at rehearsals
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A Drum Corps learns, works, performs and competes together. Members should take every opportunity to grow as performers through lessons, practice and belonging to school performing organizations. Corps training will expand and enhance those skills with the objective of bringing them to a competitive level.
To complete an application to join Spokane Thunder please click here
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What are the Benefits?
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The Thunder drum corps activity provides a wholesome, and rewarding experience for the talented youth of the area. You can find lots of media attention paid to student athletes of our area schools. The musically talented and hard-working youth are just as deserving of attention. The drum corps activity is just as physically challenging as high school sports and demands as much work, practice, and commitment. The youngsters involved in drum corps learn discipline, dedication, hard work, teamwork, responsibility, leadership, and maturity in addition to musical and performance training.
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The youngsters and the parents (who frequently pay most of the cost) see this expenditure of funds as an "investment" rather than an "expense". The life-lessons learned in the drum corps are, in the words of the MasterCard TV commercial, "priceless". Corps members come back from tour with outstanding maturity, dedication, self-reliance and self-confidence, an enhanced work ethic, knowledge of the value of hard work, sacrifice, integrity, and teamwork, and fine leadership qualities. The ultimate beneficiary of the drum corps experience is the local community. The outstanding leaders and upstanding citizens of tomorrow are being molded on the drum corps practice fields.
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