Social Posts from 2013

Today we spoke to Rachel Doolittle from the trumpet section. Currently an undecided major at UC Davis, Rachel is in her second year with the A corps, with a 2016 age-out year. Rachel is a true story of progression through the Blue Devils program. Beginning with the C corps in 2004, Rachel advanced to the B corps in 2009 and onto the A corps last year. According to Rachel, the drum corps experience is very different from any other activity that she participates in, and the fact that she became involved at such a young age has been a crucial part of her development as a performer and a person. The Blue Devils experience has taught her how to cope with the differences of others, how to effectively collaborate with a group of people, time management skills, and other various facets of life.

"My time in the Blue Devils, and especially the tour season, has taught me that sometimes things are out of my control, and I've learned to kind of just go with the flow. It's so easy to get lost in what we call "corps reality" during the tour season because everything is planned out for us - we don't really have the opportunity to make our own decisions that much, because we have such a structured schedule that focuses on enhancing our skills on the field, along with the show. The lessons that I've learned here in the Blue Devils carry over into the other 9 months of the year when I'm not involved in this activity - it helps in every walk of life."

When asked about her thoughts regarding the Re:rite of Spring, Rachel was nothing but optimistic about the publics reception of the show. "It was already such a monumental piece to begin with, and I think that people will see our show with that fact in mind and it will help them to really get a grasp on what were trying to convey through our performance. The entire ensemble has just been focused on portraying this intense piece correctly, and I definitely think we're going to be successful in conveying the message."

The Blue Devils have one more day here in Madera, and will continue to prepare for our Clovis and Stanford shows this weekend. Keep up with us on our Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram pages, as well as right here in bdmediabox.org.

Today's schedule. Madera, CA.

First rehearsal day here in madera! Time to get to work! #bdworld

Morning stretch block before rehearsal. #bdworld

Just arrived at our first housing site! Excited for tour!

First spot of the summer!

Preparing the first tour meal in 45 minutes...check.

Just getting in to our first housing site of the season at madera south high school!. #bdworld #ReaverReadsFacebookPosts.com

Following the Muskingum coaches on the way to Madera. Sort of weird seeing them from this point of view!

Our awesome food crew improv-ing a fix for a broken window on our food truck! #bdworld