Boston Crusaders rehearse at CCHS

Kasmira Smith, The Moultrie Observer, Ga.
·4 min read

Jul. 14—MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps rehearsed for their 2022 show, "Paradise Lost," at the Colquitt County High School this week.

Founded in 1940, the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps is the third-oldest junior drum and bugle corps in the nation and is proud to be a founding member of Drum Corps International, according to their website.

The corps is composed entirely of brass players, percussionists and color guard members between the ages of 16 and 22. They travel more than 10,000 miles each summer and perform in more than 40 competitions and exhibitions before a combined audience of over 300,000 fans.

This summer the Boston Crusaders are participating in 20 competitions. Their most recent competition was in Statesboro, Ga. They stopped at CCHS from Monday, July 11, to Wednesday, July 13, to prepare for their next competition in Tupelo, Miss., on Thursday.

Laura Dugan, one of the Boston Crusaders drum majors, shared how the band's time had been at CCHS.

"It's been awesome. This school is incredible. It's one of the nicest we've stayed in so far," Dugan said. "Even with all my drum corps experience, the indoor rehearsal field is something that we don't get to see a lot, and it makes it really nice to be able to have somewhere to rehearse when the weather isn't going the way we want it to."

Last season, Dugan was a conductor, and this is her first year as a drum major.

"It's been an incredible experience," she added. "There's not a drum corps that I would rather do this with. I absolutely love the staff here. They are incredible educators and really push us to be the highest potential we can be."

After her experience with the drum corps last year, Dugan knew she had to rejoin for this season.

"The members here are some of the best friends that I've ever had in my whole life and I definitely knew I wanted to come back last year after some of the relationships I was able to make over the summer," Dugan explained. "This drum corps takes incredible care of us. All my needs are met all the time. It's the best possible drum corps environment I could possibly ask for. This place makes me so much of a better person and I would be very different."

The Boston Crusaders' 2022 production theme is based on John Milton's epic poem, "Paradise Lost." It highlights the fall of humankind: the moment when Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan to eat the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and God banished them from the Garden of Eden.

The Boston Crusaders' 2022 production frames the poem's concepts in five parts:

—A Child's Garden of Dreams — David Maslanka.

—What a Wonderful World — Bob Thiele/George Weiss.

—Bad Hombres (y mujeres) — Antonio Sanchez.

—Can't Take My Eyes Off You — Bob Crewe/Bob Gaudio.

—Symphony No. 7: Mvmt-3 — David Maslanka.

—Requiem in D Minor, K. 626: VII. Lacrimosa — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Dugan said the design team started working on the show in September 2021.

"We have choreographers, visual designers, a composer and arranger who helps bring the music together. Over the course of the offseason, in the winter, they work together to create this incredible show," Dugan said.

She said the design team researched for the visual look of the show.

"It was inspired by some of the more visual looks. The props and the uniforms were inspired by a Burning Man festival-type vibe," Dugan added. "We also had some people help develop the props making sure that they not only look really cool for the show but are functional and able to move on the road easily. Members can handle them."

Audition camps are held during the off-season in November and December. Auditions are open to everyone, even if the musician wants to receive feedback.

"The hardest part of the audition process is taking that first step and the leap of courage to show up and be there. It can be intimidating, but we want people to come out and try it. A lot of people find once they're at the camps that they really enjoy it and they are much more capable than they think they are.

To learn more information about the Boston Crusaders, please visit their website at https://bostoncrusaders.org/.