In the rough and tumble world of big time senior drum corps activity, it’s very nearly impossible for a new corps to carve itself a position at the same time maintain a realistic sense of values. Up where a one-tenth advantage can mean a national title, and reputations are made and destroyed with the ease of chance, newcomers, particularly newcomers who demonstrate a challenging degree of talent and determination, are given a “trial by fire” of a sort that few corps survive with their ideals intact. Amazingly enough, in spite of the difficulties and intense pressure involved, an occasional corps does manage to make the climb without sacrificing nay of the meaning of purpose to which drum corps activity is, or at least should be, dedicated; and further, perhaps due in part to the difficulties involved, emerges as a better and stronger corps. This, basically, is the story of the Long Island Sunrisers.
Not to be misleading, the Sunrisers are a ‘new’ corps only in comparative context. Reorganized as an M and M corps in 1958, they have nine solid seasons of steady, reasoned progress and experience behind them. The first few seasons were of course devoted to initial organization and experimentation. Establishing competitive credibility against the solidly entrenched, long familiar legends of the field such as Hawthorne, the Skyliners, the Hurricanes, etc., is no easy task. The Sunrisers knew the key was construction of a distinctive identity, but an exhausting amount of trial and error experimentation was necessary to pave the way. Assorted uniforms and various musical styles and themes were developed, utilized, discarded. Mistakes were made, errors corrected, strong points reinforced. Step by step the Sunrisers were emerging from the mass and developing a personal style as easily identifiable as the sounds and visual effects of the top corps in the field. Realizing too that the general overall excellence and similarity of virtually every top-level senior corps on the field was beginning to blur their points of differentiation with both the crowd and the judges, the Sunrisers geared up their program for maximum interest and enjoyment. Their show is designed to kindle personal response, and the audience is encouraged to tap along or clap along at will.
Though the cynical, the unresponsive, the pseudo-professionals and their echoes would like to have us believe that this approach is by some stretch of the imagination, lacking in professionalism, the point is that it’s successful, and the fact of this success is professionalism of the highest order. The crowd enjoys the Sunrisers thoroughly…they have fun, and judging from the spirit and enthusiasm demonstrated on the field, the Sunrisers enjoy themselves too.
For at least 13 glorious minutes at every contest in which the Sunrisers participate, no one is bored. At the same time cleanliness of execution is stressed to an unusual degree, and as a result, tenth by tenth, corps by corps, the Sunrisers climb toward the top.
Fortunately, in spite of their spiraling fortunes, the Sunrisers have not lost their perspective. Drum corps is, after all, for the great majority of us, a hobby. The basis for all the planning, the rehearsals, the dedication, the sacrifice, is a particular combination of enjoyment and accomplishment, and the Sunrisers are well aware of the relationship between the two. They unabashedly enjoy their corps. They enjoy the companionship and friendship of their fellow corps members, and they enjoy the fraternity of their competitors. The quest for enjoyment however, is never carried to excess, nor distorted in any way. They are not of the beer-belly, ripped tee shirt, stubble-on-the-chin school of drum corps. They are a clean cut, intelligent, highly motivated, professional group of individuals and the corps reflects the quality of its membership.
Just prior to writing this article, I had the extreme good fortune to be invited to observe the Sunrisers preseason weekend drill camp. I watched them rehearse from 10am Saturday morning until well after midnight, with one 45-minute lunch break, one 2-hour dinner break, and perhaps four 5-minute smoke breaks. The next day, from 9:30 am until 4:30 pm. The impressive part however, was not the duration of the rehearsal periods, nor the preplanned constructive nature of the rehearsals, but the attitude with which they were approached. Every member of the corps rehearsed to exhaustion with single mindedness of purpose and without any visible signs of complaint, or aggravation, or reluctance; and, unbelievably, at least to me, they appear to enjoy every minute of it. These weren’t a bunch of immature youngsters disciplined into quiet compliance, nor a group of overly-focused adult rejects with nothing better to do with their time and energy. They were mature, talented individuals well aware of what they were doing and why they were doing it.
Well aware, too, of the discomfort and sacrifices involved in getting the job done. They were there by choice and conviction, and they showed it. The atmosphere was relaxed, not only free from internal bickering, but charged with friendliness and mutual respect and identification. By the end of the 2nd day I had developed a degree of admiration far more advanced than I had ever before experienced in relation to a senior corps. I watched and listened to their routine hour after hour, yet surprisingly I never lost interest either in their show or in their corps…quite the contrary.
I have occasionally heard it charged, by other senior corps members in a basically derogatory manner, that the Sunrisers would make a great “junior” corps. Carrying it a step further I would characterize them as a great “senior” corps because the truth of the matter is that they have combined the best of both worlds. This is a corps that believes in what they are doing, and with good reason, because what they are doing is creating a corps based on principles we all can respect, a corps with a depth of talent and level of enjoyment we all can appreciate, and an image and sense of conduct of which we can all be proud.
I wish I could say that the Sunrisers were a typical senior corps in general…but most don’t even come close. Thank God for drum corps, that we have at least one.
The Staff listed with this article: Director: Al Beck; Business Manager: Bill Costello; Secretary: John Hodge; Treasurer: Charlie Silva; Guard Captain: Gene Bennett; Musical Director: John Sasso; Drum Instructor: Orus Cavnor; Drill Instructor: Ralph Shur; Drum Majors: Ken Soper and Howard Healey
A 1967 Article found and saved by Doug Grunn ...
