|
8/20/2024 0 Comments Seasons ChangeWhat an incredible end to our sophomore season in DCI. I am so incredibly proud of the hard work this years' corps put in, and it was rewarded handsomely in applause and adjudication. To anyone who would look down on SoundSport Class, I challenge you to go watch the festival performance recasts on Flo Marching and tell me what you think after seeing that. There's nothing like an energetic crowd to help you leave it all on the field (or floor). We also raised the bar for what NLDBC can achieve in the score category by over two points, while maintaining our standing as one of SoundSport's fastest growing, highest achieving teams. While we look forward to our All-Age Associate season in 2025, we think back fondly on our two years competing at the Music and Food Festival. I mean, who knows, perhaps a Northern Lights ensemble will return one day alongside the "A-Corps"? ;)
But, I get ahead of myself. The admin team and I are focused squarely on the future imminently ahead of us. Our annual planning session and Board of Directors meeting rapidly approaches on Sunday, September 1st. We will begin with the public portion of the meeting at 3pm in the Newaygo High School band room with our 2024 season wrap up and board elections, before our closed door 2025 season planning session. We invite anyone who might be interested to see the inner workings of our administration to come visit us and watch the proceedings. If you follow the corps on social media, you might be wondering what the heck we've got going on with the strange text and dark cover/profile photos. You'll just have to keep checking back to see when those change for a special 2025 announcement. If you haven't heard it from somewhere else, we have a lot planned for our first season in All-Age Class, including more Tour Event performances on the 2025 summer tour, a slightly more robust rehearsal schedule, some additional non-field-show performances, and of course the ever-expanding Northern Lights brand--all of it in the name of bringing all-age corps to the state of Michigan, and always keeping our member-first mission at the forefront of what we do. Hopefully I get a chance to meet you at an open house or audition this fall. #BWTNLA Doug Olmstead Corps Director/Vice President
0 Comments
Hi!
AJ, your Volunteer Coordinator / Secretary of the Board here (I also march tuba this year)! March camp already feels like so long ago…and April so far has been flying by! One more camp to go this month, on the 20th! Who’s HYPE? I would like to shout out to the selected volunteers who played Easter Brass for the United Methodist Church of the Dunes on….well, Easter of course. Community involvement in music is a big reason I love drum corps, and that love shined through on Easter service with everyone making it such a special day (brass, bells, singers, and organ, oh my!!!…and I got to play timpani!) Well done Mat, Mike, Rich, Kirby, Sage, Ryan, Kassandra, Mitchell, Brooklyn, and Doug!! I also would like to congratulate all ‘Lights members who taught or participated, AND got medals, at the MCGC Championships (I’m proud of you but also missed you)! One piece of feedback the members gave us at the conclusion of last season was that they didn’t feel like they had enough time with the corps. Initially this was by design, as 1) we thought the corps was just going to be a handful of music friends, and 2) we wanted to keep travel costs low as it became clear that there was more interest among the community. (This was a pleasant surprise!) However, as stated earlier, this reduced schedule left our members hungry for more drum corps. And who could blame them! (That’s why we do this, isn’t it?) So when designing this seasons schedule, we set out to have harmony between low travel costs and time with the corps. We helped achieve that with more rehearsals and performances, yes, but also with a special weekend we dubbed, “Spring Training”. And, despite the Michigan temperature FUN (30 degrees and frost in the morning, 50 degrees and hot and sunny by mid day), the ‘Lights found themselves outside once more! Now usually, the ‘Lights are “Saturdays are for The Corps”….but, with “Spring Training”, we wanted to give that “move-ins” feel. We rehearsed from Friday through Sunday, and when I say rehearsed, I mean rehearsed! Friday was a short day, but it was a powerhouse - 4 hours of basics block and fundamentals! My calves and arms probably wished I had a different hobby (I do - DnD and other community music, but still…), and the corps would probably agree. Regardless, from veteran to rookie, the soreness gave way to feelings of pride as we made a ton of progress, especially for being away from marching for a couple months. By the end of rehearsal we were juuuuust about ready to do a box drill…. And the following Saturday was the day we did it! With no crashes! After our morning basics block, we went to lunch, and from there had sectionals. We refreshed Part 1 and worked with Part 2 of our show in preparation for ensemble on Sunday. Other than that it was a pretty boring dayOHWAITASECOND!!! We were honored to have Dr. John Martin, Director of the Grand Valley State University Laker Marching Band fame there to give us some pointers (as performers, and as staff). His ear helped us fine-tune several segments of Part 1 and Part 2, and we hope to see him again in the future (seriously, you’re awesome Jmar)! Sunday was the culmination of our hard work - some sectional time to solidify what we learned Saturday, and then ensemble to add all the concepts together. After a hype two full runs of Part 1, we ended Spring Training with bonding activities in the gym. With that, the seven rehearsals, blink-of-an-eye season structure was gone, now replaced with a corps that is closer than ever - more time with drum corps, more time with friends, more time together as THE Northern Lights Drum and Bugle Corps! 2/13/2024 0 Comments NLDBC experiences go on the road!When we started the project that was Northern Lights Drum & Bugle Corps, our founders had a threefold mission; to prepare our students for a summer marching in a touring junior corps, to give an amazing experience to our current members, and to be a place to return home for DCI vets who still have the want to march. Northern Lights exists to help serve touring DCI World and Open Class corps by providing a marching arts season that is no less competitive, but IS less intensive, more generally affordable, and act as an entry point for those who without the resources of travel, time, or experience in the marching arts, may not have had exposure to Drum Corps International.
While our organization is steadfastly focused on the present, and always planning for the future, it's nonetheless exciting and humbling to see our (admittedly short) past leaving an impression on performers who come through our program. Our founder's design saw the Northern Lights program as a "place to get your DCI career started, and to return home to when you've aged out". With all of this in mind, we as admin staff are feeling so proud of the stories we're hearing from the 2024 DCI audition season. At the time of this writing, we confirmed two of the members on our inaugural baritone line in the '23 season, Logan Starnes and Ryan Kuhnert, have accepted contracts with touring corps (The Battalion in Open Class, and Madison Scouts in World Class, respectively). From the Northern Lights family, we want to offer our sincerest congratulations to Logan and Ryan for sticking it through the DCI audition process and wish them all the best on tour this summer! Take the memories made and lessons learned from your season with the 'Lights on tour with you and just know you've got a family here in Michigan cheering you both on through the good times and the difficult ones! It's humbling seeing a plan come together, and as the corps continues to grow, we hope our impact continues to reach an ever-wider pool of young musicians looking for that little bit of experience before committing to a summer tour, while entertaining an expanding DCI audience. And to our young members-- let Logan and Ryan's stories show that you can achieve your dream with effort and perseverance. -- Doug Olmstead, NDLBC Operations Director  Get ready for a sizzling showdown as the Northern Lights Drum & Bugle Corps hosts its first-ever Northern Lights Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser on January 19th, 2024! This exciting event promises a spicy mix of competition, community, and charitable giving, all in support of making the drum corps experience more affordable for our dedicated members.
12/23/2023 0 Comments A Holiday Message from Misty
Christmas Letter Doc in Light Blue Gold White Illustrative Style by Misty Olmstead
 A note from the directorFor those of you who have followed our journey from the beginning, you know that Northern Lights was started as something of a selfish endeavor. For my husband and our two oldest children, the nearest drum corps opportunity was 6 hours away... one way... every weekend.... it was, to put it mildly, a lot for our family - but we did it because the passion we have for the activity demanded it. With one successful season in the books, husband and kids were ramped up to continue. Mom, not so much... below is an actual picture of me after finals ---  Don't get me wrong - the corps and the season was incredible - but the logistics of hauling our family 12 hours round trip every single Friday through Sunday from November-August was just not sustainable. So, we started looking at local options for an all-age opportunity in the area and it wasn't that we just came up short - there were none. But the desire and the passion for the activity was there, so we began to rally our musician friends to put a small SoundSport ensemble together. We sealed the deal with promises of a fun Summer of making music together, a friends trip to Indy to perform at SoundSport and then sneak away to watch DCI Finals. It would be small, but it would be something - and mom would get to keep her sanity intact. But something unexpected happened. Our friends talked to their friends, who talked to their friends, who told THEIR friends, and the next thing we knew - we had nearly 50 members contracted for the inaugural season of Northern Lights Drum & Bugle Corps. And these weren't just people we knew showing up to do band with us - it was strangers. People just like us looking for an accessible drum corps opportunity that sadly did not exist in Michigan before now. With that came the need to fund the corps - and still hit our mission of removing barriers whether they be logistical, social, or financial. Northern Lights became a grass roots operation seeking to provide the maximum drum corps experience at a minimum cost. Because of our support system and generous donor/sponsorship partners we were able to provide a summer of Drum Corps at a cost of $150 per member in tuition. When I tell you that's unheard of, I'm not just patting ourselves on the back, but it really is *unheard of*. Although we were able to offer such a minimal tuition last year, the truth of the matter is that for some - even that amount presented a financial burden. We did our best to work with those who needed help and ensured that no one was turned away. If you wanted to march, and you were willing to put in the hard work and dedication to the corps, the corps was going to put that work right back into your experience. Fast forward and even those joining us new knows what came next - an incredible season of growth, learning opportunities, hard work, and a GOLD rating at SoundSport Finals (way to go 'Lights!) and now we are looking at a significant increase in membership for next year. Transparently, I am both ecstatic and terrified, because now is when the real work (and fun) begins - and our mission doesn't stop. As our membership numbers rise, so will the cost of running our corps, and so will the need for financial support to cover the cost of tuition for our members that need it most. While I wish I was independently wealthy and had the ability to fund this all on my own the truth is that I cannot - and I need your help.  We have developed the Northern Lights Scholarship Fund that aims to break down financial barriers, ensuring that passionate individuals from all walks of life can participate in the enriching and life-changing drum corps experience. With your support and contributions to the scholarship fund, we can provide our members with the resources they need to be a part of our vibrant and inclusive community.
If anyone reading this has had the opportunity to meet our members, see the dedication and passion they have for this activity and our corps, and see the pure exhilarated joy on their faces when they received standing ovations from every crowd they performed for - you would see why this initiative is so important. Why I care so much. They deserve the opportunity to have this experience with us - and a financial need should be the LAST thing keeping them from it. So, I turn to you and ask for you to join us in our commitment to making the world of drum corps accessible to all. Your donation will directly impact the lives of passionate young musicians and guard members, empowering them to pursue their musical aspirations and create lasting memories through the universal language of music. To learn more about how you can help make the drum corps dream a reality for our members, or to make YOUR drum corps dream a reality, click here. Thank you for your continued support - I really mean it. Every day I am moved and humbled by the outpouring of love and support from our community for Northern Lights. Wherever we are, you are. Be Where The Northern Lights Are, Misty #NLDBC Director As the church bell echoes of the 2023 season fade into memory, anticipation is building for the next firey chapter in the Northern Lights Drum & Bugle Corps journey. The 2024 season promises to be an exciting and transformative experience for the corps and its members, and fans alike. We are thrilled to announce our season schedule! Virtual Informational Q&A Sessions: Get to Know NLDBC! Our Virtual Q&A Sessions offer an excellent way to learn more about Northern Lights, get to know our board of directors and dedicated staff.
These sessions will be broken down for general Q&A and a parent/guardian session where we will dedicate our efforts to ensuring that our members' biggest fans are fully informed about what it means to be a member of the Northern Lights. Audition Camps: Where Stars Begin to Shine! Our journey to excellence begins with the audition camps, where we welcome talented musicians and performers from around the country to join our ranks. These camps provide aspiring members with the opportunity to showcase their skills, learn from our dedicated staff, and immerse themselves in the Northern Lights family. Mark your calendars for these audition camp dates:
Rehearsal Camps: Stoking the Flame & Forging Unity! Once our roster is complete, the real work begins. Our spring and summer rehearsal camps are the crucible where raw talent is forged into a harmonious and synchronized corps. Here are the crucial dates to remember:
These camps are where the magic happens. Months of hard work and dedication culminate in the formation of a tight-knit, high-achieving ensemble. We have virtual rehearsals through the winter which act as memorization checks for at-home practice. Then we step off our spring program with a three day "Spring Training" event, which breaks up fundamentals blocks across spring break weekend and gives our members that feeling of moving into a touring corps. Then through the spring months, we begin to put the show on the field with drill camps so come summer we'll be ready to perform our field show! Performance Dates: A Showcase of Excellence The Northern Lights Drum & Bugle Corps has begun to build a tradition of blowing our audience away. The months of May, June, and July are for cleaning the show as we prepare for our culminating performance in August.
Burning Bright in Indianapolis: A Season to Remember The highlight of our 2024 season will take place in Indianapolis, where we will compete against other elite corps and celebrate the culmination of a successful season. This event promises to be a spectacle of music, movement, and emotion as we strive to leave a lasting impression on judges and fans alike. Save the date for our grand finale:
As we embark on this exciting journey, the Northern Lights Drum & Bugle Corps invites you to be a part of our 2024 season. Whether you're a dedicated performer, a passionate fan, or someone who simply appreciates the beauty of music and artistry, we welcome you to join us in creating a season filled with unforgettable moments.
We can't wait to share more about our 2024 Northern Lights season with you. It's gonna be HOT! Be Where The Northern Lights Are! Misty Olmstead #NLDBC Executive Director  One of my favorite days of a drum corps season is the very first full production run of a show. There's an exulted feeling when the trials and errors of learning a show are finally past, and you know that the only things remaining ahead of you is shaping the final product. To be totally transparent, our show was written to be a DCI caliber program and so we're very excited to bring it to SoundSport to trial our first season in front of an audience. I really believe that we're going to have a positive reception when we finally start performing this show in August.
It is humbling to see the community support that's been rallying around us. From the warm welcome at the DCI Midwest Tour Premiere, to the recent donation of a drumline from the Belvederes Alumni Corps, it's truly incredible to me how much selflessness and generosity this activity brings out in people. At some point you would think this would stop being a surprise and you'd get used to it, since from the beginning the community has been so supportive of us, but each time someone steps up to help support our members it is a humbling reminder that we needed to form this corps. Which is another reason I am so excited for August-- it will be nice to pay off that generosity. At our Send-Off Concert on the 5th, we'll finish with a meet and greet so members of the community can chat with members of the corps, and we can experience first hand what good our donators and sponsors have brough to Michigan. Following that we have several performances in and around Indy during this year's world championships celebrations, when we get to mingle with others in this activity and share in our collective successes as an activity. 2023 has been such a growth year for me personally, and to watch that growth happen in this form and our members and staff clicking into that next gear only gives me continued optimism for the future of drum corps in Michigan. As always, stay tuned to the site for new info, and check the FB page for constant updates. Until next time, Be Where the Northern Lights Are. -- Doug Olmstead, operations director 6/1/2023 0 Comments ICYMI: We're ready for summer!
The summer season has finally arrived and we're looking forward to it! As I say in this video, we're really feeding off the energy of seeing the world class corps begin their move-ins, which marks the true beginning of a drum corps season. This is the time when all the prep work begins to pay off and the show starts to take shape.
For us, we take it up another gear from our semi-monthly winter camps to 2-3 rehearsals a month. In the month of June we'll be working to get 2/3rds of the show learned, if not more, so a majority of July can be used for cleaning and preparing for our shows in August. Our members, me included, are chomping at the bit to get to see each other more than once per weather cycle! June is looking to be beautiful, albeit warm, and the energy and buy-in is such a great sign for us. Check out the ICYMI video below for news and updates from our last spring month. The corps is set, the show is about to take shape, and we can't WAIT to show DCI what we can do in August. -- Doug Olmstead Brass and Ops Director Horn Sergeant #BTWNLA As you can see from our April "In Case You Missed It" video, NL had a very eventful April. With all that and another month before our summer season officially launches on June 3, you'd think that the NLDBC admin staff would be taking a much-needed breather, right? No Way! We are even more energized and running full speed for the 2023 season! Click READ MORE for some important May details you won't want to miss!!
|
Proudly powered by Weebly