The highly anticipated Pacific Crest and Blue Devils Experience Camp/Auditions took place this past weekend and provided tremendous results recruiting over 430 students to Pacific Crest’s home base, Diamond Bar High School.
Registration began bright and early on Saturday morning as young men and women checked in and prepared for the long audition weekend. Board Member and alum Diana Harari volunteered to help with the registration process and said she was “overwhelmed with joy to see such a large turnout this weekend, both to promote the activity as a whole and two [world class] drum corps.”
Both corps saw a significant jump in audition numbers, with the final count amounting to over 200 for the brass and 140 for the battery. This left Pacific Crest and Blue Devils staff members evaluating individual performers throughout the weekend. While majority of the camp attendees were local, several came out from Arizona, Nevada, Washington and even Japan, to be a part of this event. Although front ensemble and color guard positions were explicitly for Pacific Crest, both sections experienced a distinct increase in their numbers as well. More than 50 color guard performers were in attendance, the largest number ever to audition for Pacific Crest in December!
In addition to being instructed by instructors of both corps, the drum corps experience included meals from Pacific Crest’s mobile kitchen and drum-corps style housing in the school gym. The weekend schedule was designed similarly to a rehearsal day during the season as each section rotated between visual and music blocks, then took one-hour long lunch and dinner breaks. These details helped to provide a well-rounded look into what it is like to be a competitive World Class member.
The end of the camp culminated with all students showcasing what they learned to parents, friends, and alumni of both corps. Howard Hsu, alum and also a current Board Member offered, “I was amazed at the sight of over 430 performers on the field at Diamond Bar High School. I was looking at over 430 young men and women who were ready to perform at a higher level.” Only in Southern California can a drum corps have a stadium performance in December!
It is safe to say that this collaboration provided an incredibly unique experience to students who are seeking to take their passion for the marching arts to the highest level. Pacific Crest head drum major Dakota Chavez stated, “The joint weekend was a huge success, and I only see it getting bigger and better in the future. It’s exciting being a part of the next big thing.”
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