Spirit finished the February camp in great fashion as the brass and percussion gathered in Jacksonville, Alabama to continue preparing the 2009 production featuring the rock genius of KANSAS.  With only two more camps on the schedule before the fulltime start of the season members, staff, family, and alumni left the weekend with a true sense of excitement.

The winter season has been fast-paced as we find our design process ahead of schedule and the members are responding to the intense pace with energy and mature commitment.  As we completed full versions of the opener and closer during the February camp the staff is overwhelmingly convinced the rock genre and specifically, the music of KANSAS, is a great fit for Spirit.  The music is sophisticatedly put together without sacrificing high-level energy, adrenalin, intrigue, and emotion.

Many have been asking to know more about which KANSAS songs the corps has chosen to perform.  The songs that immediately pop into everyone’s head are the tunes that did very well for KANSAS on the pop charts.  As many of our design team knew, and all quickly learned, KANSAS  is a prolific band with about as wide a range of compositions as one can imagine from any music ensemble, much less a rock band.  There is an abundance of great compositions that would translate well to many entertainment venues, including drum corps.  Many of the band’s members and certainly the writers are classically trained musicians.  The use of violin and other classically associated instruments are often the norm and not the exception in KANSAS’s unique and progressive sound.

So what are the tunes Spirit will be playing?  Song for America, Carry On Wayward Son, Point of Know Return, Dust in the Wind, and Journey from Mariabronn.

Don’t expect your favorite college band’s version of any of these tunes. The arrangements are fresh and punchy.  Scott Boerma, Shane Gwaltney, and Eric Willie are at the top of their game creating a vehicle that is constantly evolving with more and more layers of variety.

Preparation for the season will continue the weekend of March 20-22 with a brass only camp at Jacksonville High School.  The full corps returns April 24-26.