I hope you are all having a great, well earned "vacation" from regular WFPE rehearsals and keeping your collective chops warm on your pads. After 10 straight months of practice with along with 13 solid performances under your belts.. the local percussive buzz is still ringing in many an ear.
I wanted to take a few moments and update you on some important changes that will be taking place. As many of you know, immediately following the drumline auditions and the Warner Pacific Show, we permanently lost the use of the OC band room as a future rehearsal space. This was an unforseen and unfortunate occurance that couldn't have happened at a worse time, yet has provided a positive "off-season" timeframe to the regularly ongoing nature of WFPE rehearsals and performance. Many thanks to the support and advice that was offered recently regarding annex of a new rehearsal location for the organization.
Over time the dedicated WFPE educational staff, which during the first half of this year were more numerous than adequate to cover all sections along with other ongoing musical staff requirements, has dwindled to just myself with an occasional "guest" staff member running the program. As many of you already know, Mark recently relocated to Newport Or. with his family, while still supporting and instructing the group from that distance, including traveling to rehearsals and annexing the additional marching percussion instruments from Ohio. This group would not have made it to where it is without him. Past instructors such as Dave Owen, Bruce Heinrich, Shawn Anderson, Byron Hall, T.J Arko and Roger Allen have constantly changing schedules and interests, the majority of which do not allow them to participate as regular staff members. Locating staff possessing not only the professional qualifications and locality, but the spare time, heart and willingness required to commit their services to an organization such as this, free of charge to it's students over an extended period of time, is a unique combination I've found rare to this neck of the woods (Clackamas area), if not all of Oregon.
In order for any organization within our chosen musical genre to flourish, there must be a defined, well organized group of staff in place to keep the ball rolling in every department, without sacrifice of quality instruction or support at any time or place. My personal goal has always been to provide only the highest calibre educational and performance experiences to members involved within this organization as possible. Because of this and the diminshing availability of additional staff members, it has not been without some difficulty my role as facilitator/director of this endevor continues at the level it currently is. It had become apparent that some major modifications must be made before we can continue to offer a program such as this. At this time we will be looking at all the options and will contact you with further information regarding the future permutation of this organization.
Most of you worked very hard to make the spots and perform within the WFPE. The skills and determination you have gleaned from this experience will benifit you greatly in ways you will always draw from, and I expect the same level of dedication if you choose to be involved in the various marching percussion-related organizatins thoughout the northwest as well. Please contact me immediately for information on these as I am plugged in to the network as it were. The work you (and your parents) have made to bringing our professional performance-level Drumline to reality are immesurable. It has been my unique and continuing privledge to work with such a fine group of dedicated drummers as yourselves.. I am very proud of all of you.
Please visit the WFPE site or my personal website for more information on future events. The Trailblazer Goove Machine is currently accepting members on all instruments to fill out the drumline for this coming season. The positions are paid in most cases and provide several opportunites to perform in front of thousands of Blazer fans each year. I hope you will consider lending your chops to this particular group, it's shaping up to be a great year for the team.
If you have any other questions at all please contact me at 503.887.7479. We'll see you soon.
Percussively yours,
Dave