DMA 2011 @ ULM Underway! (updated)

Posted on June 3, 2011 by | Comments Off

100 degrees and it simply doesn’t matter–drum majors from schools all across Louisiana at here to study and learn the art of drum majoring using the methods mastered by George N. Parks!

Parker Denson is at the helm this week. Everything got started smoothly and efficiently with excitement and enthusiasm. The staff (Tess Jones, Stetson Begin, Matt Curran and myself) are joined by Impact Team members Rebecca Harris and Ellis Michael are already digging into teaching.

Pictures will be posted soon on the DMA Flickr account so watch for a tweet or announcement in this page in the next say or two!

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First march off winner of the 2011 DMA season is;

Jamie Neeley, Bossier City, LA

Congratulations Jamie!!

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Posted in ULM

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IMPACT TEAM Applications for 2011 Now Available!

Posted on February 18, 2011 by | Comments Off

The Drum Major Academy® IMPACT TEAM is a dedicated group of volunteer college students donate their time by assisting the clinicians and staff of the Drum Major Academy¨ in behind the scenes preparations, daily workshop sessions, and evening activities. Each member receives a full tuition, room and board scholarship to attend DMA as a potential “staff member in training.” They are a group of energetic individuals who are the spine of the Academy. IMPACT Team members represent the drive and motivation for the week and serve as the role models for every student, director, clinician, and yes, even the staff.

The IMPACT Team is a wonderful opportunity for music education majors to gain valuable teaching experience, and yes, a fantastic addition to your resume!

Become part of the nation’s most respected educational workshop team – visit our IMPACT TEAM web page for details TODAY!

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Posted in General

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2011 – A Bright Future

Posted on January 2, 2011 by | Comments Off

Happy New Year everyone! The future is bright and it is going to be what each of us makes of it. And it should be no surprise to anyone that as the new year unfolds those of us here at the Drum Major Academy® are in full preparation mode for the upcoming summer.

The schedule for the 2011 summer has been posted on the main website since November and yes, those dates and locations are correct. DMA will be back at all major workshop locations including the Music For All Summer Symposium and the two Vivace Production locations at Kutztown & West Chester. Add to that another full summer of workshops culminating with the final hurrah at UMASS and 2011 will be spectacular!

Again, the future is bright and it is going to be what each of us makes of it. So let’s make it great!  See you soon!

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Posted in General

End of Fall 2010

Posted on November 9, 2010 by | Comments Off

Many exciting things are happening around the Drum Major Academy® offices! Yes, even as we all come to grips with the untimely passing of Mr. Parks, there are some amazing things happening. Here are a few of them:

  • The summer calendar is almost finalized–months ahead of schedule!
  • The staff is ready to step up to the plate and take DMA into the next evolution Mr. Parks always envisioned.
  • The integrity of DMA – the founding philosophy, approaches to leadership, conducting and teaching – will ALWAYS remain intact.  THESE tenets are what sets the Drum Major Academy® apart from all other summer workshops!

We encourage you to check the Drum Major Academy® website often for updates and announcements.  You can subscribe to this blog to receive posts via email, or subscribe to the RSS feed, or follow us on Twitter (gnpdma) or Facebook (Drum Major Academy).  All sites will contain the same announcements so use whichever is most convenient for YOU!

We cannot wait to see YOU this summer learning the true meaning of “Eyes With Pride!”

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Posted in General

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A Letter From Jeanne Parks – The Legacy Continues!

Posted on November 8, 2010 by | Comments Off

Dear DMA Family, past, present, and future-

The nationally acclaimed George N. Parks– Drum Major Academy WILL continue to be a part of the 2011 summer schedule. The longevity of the DMA program was always a part of George’s future plan; this is one of the main reasons he continued to train his proteges to present the signature DMA curriculum with a keen understanding of the various aspects of the learning blueprint.

While we are deeply saddened this transition has come to pass far too soon, it is critical we carry on the positive momentum of the DMA journey in honor of the legacy of George N. Parks. It will be presented with the same level of integrity, pragmatic relevance, and trademark enthusiasm that has always been the memorable facet of the DMA experience.

We are counting on your continued loyalty and encourage you to check our 2011 summer calendar, which is in the process of being finalized and will be available shortly on our SCHEDULE tab.

With Pride —

Jeanne C. Parks

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Posted in General

California DMA–what a story!

Posted on July 21, 2010 by | Leave a comment

As previously posted California was not much different than the other DMA workshops this summer–it was a hot one. But there was something quite different about it that can be summed up in a single word: DYNASTY.

In an earlier post I reported the winner of the first march off as Jake Camacho from Rim Of The World High School. (I simply LOVE the name of that school by the way!) Jake also won the march off the very next night as well–congratulations on the re-peat Jake!

And then it was the third night and the third march-off….and the winner was:

Robert Wang, Walnut High School

So where does the word DYNASTY come in? This was Robert’s EIGHTH march off win at DMA!!! Way to go Robert!!!

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Posted in California

Lots to Catch Up On!

Posted on July 18, 2010 by | Leave a comment

July has flown — half way through the month and there is LOTS to tell!!

Workshops In Ohio, Pennsylvania and California are either complete or well underway. The common thread for virtually all DMA locations this summer has been the weather: HOT, HOT AND HOTTER! The amazing part has been the student reaction to it—no big deal!!!

Yup it’s hot….nothing we can do about it so let’s soak up the sun and hydrate often. Besides, it’s not like Band Camp is going to be any different.

Gotta love SMART STUDENTS!

March off winners were:

Ohio:
Tyler Fairbanks (march off #2)
Nathan Chaffee (march off #1,4,5 & final!—WOW!!!)
Danielle Hutchinson (march off #3)

Kutztown:
Sabrina (?) Smithsburg HS

UNC/Charlotte:
Kris Suptela
Michelle Page

California:
Jake Camacho

Congratulations to everyone!

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Posted in California, Kutztown, Ohio, UNC / Charlotte

Dueling DMAs!!

Posted on July 6, 2010 by | Leave a comment

What do you have to do to get two march-offs to happen simultaneously? Have two DMA workshops running simultaneously! As I type TEAM A is out in Denton, Texas and TEAM B is down in Lynchburg, Virginia–now THAT’S cool! ….ok, perhaps “cool” wasn’t the appropriate word given the massive heat wave we’re all enduring, but I know you all know what I mean!

While it is nothing new to have two DMA workshops overlap–because the bulk of them do just that–it is unique to have two of them going on at the exact same time with regard to curriculum and structure, albeit with a 1 hour time zone difference of course. Yesterday I thought it was interesting when I received a text message from the Virginia crew letting me know the winner of their first march off. And it didn’t really strike me as odd or different when one hour later I received an email from the Texas crew with their first march off winner. Nope, it all seemed pretty normal until tonight when I received two text messages, one hour apart, with the winners of each second march off–the first text from Virginia and the second from Texas. And then I started thinking:

Hmmm….at 8 AM tomorrow morning the Virginia DMA will begin squad practice and at 8:30 exercises / stretches will commence. Then at 9 AM when Virginia heads into Squad Competitions, Texas will be starting their squad practice. And the whole day will be like that—the exact same thing, the exact same way, at the exact–opps–one hour apart! (little inside joke for all you DMA vets out there!)

It is cookie-cutter? No, not really. But I can tell you this much: When I go to any Morton’s Steakhouse anywhere in the world I KNOW I’m going to have the same high quality meal and service REGARDLESS of location! THAT’S what I call exceptional quality assurance!

Oh, so you want to know the march off winners? Sorry! Here they are:

  • TEXAS: Kate Latourneau, Rowlett, TX and Alexandra Munoz, Clear Lake HS
  • Virginia: Eunice Ko, Centreville HS and Ryan Dorson, Reservior HS

    • Congratulations to all…..oh, and happy 17th birthday Ryan!!!

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    Posted in Texas, Virginia

    MFA Summer Symposium–WHAT A RIDE!

    Posted on June 25, 2010 by | Leave a comment

    Mother Nature showed up in Normal, Illinois with some serious pent up anger! There is nothing like a midwest storm going full tilt to make you wonder if you’re going to meet Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, the Lion, and Toto too! Every dark color in her Crayola box was being put to use–purples, blacks, grays, and yes, the dreaded green! But of course, no worries—plans to deal with weather like this are covered and reviewed by staff CONSTANTLY! And with today’s technology EVERYONE can watch doppler radar on their cell phones and get to inside facilities WELL BEFORE the first rain drop falls or storm breeze rolls through campus.

    So inside is where much of DMA was held this week–and that is perfectly fine because there is so much material we do not always get to impart upon the students because of the time spent outside. It is a balanced curriculum between indoor and outdoor sessions, and it is nice to know that when we are faced with having to juggle things we have plenty of lessons to choose from.

    Students spent time with Jamie Weaver and Fran Kick–two of the nation’s greatest leadership speakers and motivators! Jamie had them rolling in the aisles with laughter while he slipped his message in about living life to it’s fullest in between the chuckles. Fran showed the group that lessons in leadership are all around them–they just have to open their eyes and REALLY see.

    And somehow, through all the rain, thunder and lightening, the group was able to get outside and develop their teaching observational skills, and of course, participate in some of the largest march offs of the summer! Congratulations to:

  • Katy Boggs, Eureka High School, Illinois–winner of BOTH marchoffs!

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    Posted in BOA

    ROLL TIDE! DMA in Alabama

    Posted on June 25, 2010 by | Leave a comment

    Staff came from all over for this one–Alabama, Tennesee, Georgia and Texas! There’s something about DMA @ UA/Tuscaloosa that is very special. The weather is typical for BAMA this time of year: hot, humid, and a change of an afternoon thunderstorm–nothing out of the ordinary for DMA. Over the last 25 years of having a workshop there I cannot recall a single year when we didn’t have a wild electrical storm to deal with—of course, the MOMENT there was a hint of anything if the group was outside it instantly went inside! And today we all have those incredible phones so a staff member is ALWAYS checking doppler radar—what an amazing resource!

    “All beats are downbeats; all beats strike the same focal point; all beats rebound; the size of the pattern corresponds directly to the tempo of the music.” Conducting session #1 last night, all according to the philosophy of Dr. Elizabeth A. H. Green (University of Michigan; “The Modern Conductor,” author), Dr. John Paynter (Northwestern University) and Dr. Jacques Voois (West Chester University). The conducting philosophy the Drum Major Academy follows is not something contrived but is exactly what is prescribed by the most prolific conductors and educators of our time. The concept and approach is actually quite simple and is based upon “motion through time and space.” Getting one to PHYSICALLY move in a clear manner while maintaining accurate time is something that takes practice–and it all starts the first night at DMA!

    And of course there’s so much more that was experienced the first night in Alabama, not just conducting but also the start of learning to work together in smaller groups outside of the full class setting. But let us not forget the first march off of BAMA 2010:

    Congratulations to:

  • JP Gravitt of Shelby County High School, AL

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    Posted in Alabama