Western grads spend summer traveling the country with drum corps

Sep. 28—All throughout high school, Tori Grant told herself she wouldn't join Drum Corps International.

Then came the end of the Western High School graduate's five-year career in marching band.

"That just didn't sit right with me," Grant said. "I didn't want to be done with performing."

Grant hit up her friend and marching band mate Veena Sinkfield at school one day and asked if she wanted to try out for Drum Corps International (DCI) together.

It was a firm no, according to Grant, but she asked again and got a different answer.

The two tried out and got accepted into different drum corps units as color guard members.

Grant joined the Colts Drum and Bugle Corps based out of Dubuque, Iowa. Sinkfield packed her bags for Illinois, joining the Phantom Regiment.

DCI, based in Indianapolis, is the governing body for units like the Colts and Phantom Regiment.

Drum corps spend a month training before embarking on a competition season that travels the country.

Sinkfield left school a week early to join the Phantom Regiment for spring training. She'd return to graduate with her classmates in early June.

Grant left for training almost immediately after graduation.

Spring training for drum corps is one of the most grueling things a member of a marching band can do. Grant said her group practiced every day for a month, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Drum corps practice at colleges and high schools, staying in dorms and school buildings.

Sunscreen, a good pair of shoes and learning to sleep standing up are all recommended.

"Going into DCI, they'll tell you this is going to be the hardest thing that you'll ever do in your life," Grant said.

Sinkfield joined looking for a challenge. She got one.

"If you're passionate about it, then the intensity goes away," Sinkfield said. "But it was a culture shock, because I didn't expect to be working 16 hours a day."

Aiden Brandenburg wrapped up his second summer with the Madison Scouts, a Wisconsin-based drum corps. He played snare drum. The 2022 Western grad said the first year of DCI is the most difficult.

"The people I stood next to constantly pushed me to be a lot better version of myself," he said. "The standard was really high every single moment of the day."

Brandenburg saw a video on YouTube of a DCI competition and it sparked an interest that never went away.

"I thought it was the coolest thing ever," he said.

Brandenburg changed instruments in high school to prepare for drum corps.

"When I made the switch to percussion, that's what I had in mind," he said.

Spring training is spent practicing and fine-tuning the same show, down to the finest details.

"It's extremely difficult to not take a step back," Brandenburg said.

Despite the daily grind, the Western grads all said DCI is more than worth it.

For Grant and Sinkfield, DCI showed them what they're made of.

"I could do anything I set my mind to," Sinkfield said. "Being able to persevere, I learned I can do that."

"I think it taught me a lot about myself and how I respond to exhausting situations," Grant added.

For others, DCI is preparation for the next step in one's marching band career.

Brandeburg plays snare drum for The Marching Hundred, Indiana University's marching band. He admitted he beat out some good players for his spot in the band.

"The overall level, consistency, professionalism and a world-class drum corps, I think prepares you for anything," Bradenburg said.

The IU snare drummer said drum corps made the transition to college marching band easier.

Training gives way to the competition circuit, which spans multiple states. Grant, Sinkfield and Brandeburg all performed in more than half a dozen states. The season ends with the DCI World Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium.

A drum corps competition is similar to a high school marching band invitational. Grant said one of the key differences is more warm-up time prior to a drum corps performance.

The bus rides are where the real memories are made, where lifelong friendship are formed. Drum corps members come from across the country and world.

Sinkfield, who's in New York for culinary school, said the camaraderie is what she misses the most. She intends to do DCI again in a couple years.

All three Western grads said they're still in touch with people they performed with over the summer.

"I think the fact I was able to meet so many people from so many parts of the world is not something I'd trade for anything," Brandenburg said.

A summer spent practicing and performing every day, getting cooked by the sun — drum corps traveled to Texas in July — and using communal showers can have members longing for home.

So, what did they do when they returned home?

Grant said she took the "longest warm shower ever" and slept in her own bed.

Sinkfield gave her mom a list of her favorite foods to have upon returning and slept a lot before leaving for culinary school.

Spencer Durham can be reached at 765-454-8598, by email at spencer.durham@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @Durham_KT.