Drum and bugle show to raise funds for Ridgeview
| Wednesday, Jul 01 2009 05:50 PM
Last Updated Wednesday, Jul 01 2009 05:50 PM
Bakersfield Sounds of Summer Drum and Bugle Corps Show
Ridgeview High School stadium, 8501 Stine Road, Bakersfield
Show: 7:30 p.m. today; ticket booth opens at 5 p.m.
Admission: $15
Information: 398-3100
Drum Corps International marches through Bakersfield, and Ridgeview High, today for the fourth time since 2003.
The drum and bugle corps show is impressive for its precision and artistry; average age is 19, and many band members are college music majors.
And the fundraising aspect is more important than ever this year for the Ridgeview band.
The $15 entrance fee goes to show overhead expenses, and the food concessions and program sales directly benefit Ridgeview's program.
Band Director Rob Martens said in a typical year the budget for his 100-strong marching band runs between $10 and $15,000 for equipment, music, training, meals and buses.
Martens, in his 14th year at Ridgeview, said it would be "pretty good" if today's show brings in 10 percent of next year's budget.
Nevertheless, next year the band will be cutting back as much as possible due in part to the fact that the Ridgeview principal's budget, which in the past has partially funded transportation and equipment repair costs, will shrink significantly.
The band will fall back on some of its savings, and next year it will rely on recycled music, Martens said.
Four marching bands, including the Blue Devils from Concord, and the Bluecoats of Canton, Ohio, two of the best in the country, will perform in 15-minute sections, followed by at least one encore.
Ten current and former local students will participate in the show, including Isaiah Martinez, a 2009 Stockdale High graduate, and current Frontier and Ridgeview High band members Michael Rodriguez, Andrew Sakamoto, and Moises Urena.
Joe Haworth, Bakersfield High 1994, is the brass caption head for the Blue Devils B band.
The sound and precision are a sight for spectators. Just as impressive is the amount of practice time it takes to get there.
"It's so impressive to see these kids working so hard to reach the highest level of expectation there is in the marching world. They're nearly perfect," Martens said.
Martens expects 800 to 1,200 people at the show.
