Behind the Baton By Bobby Hullett
Coming
Photos by Ken Martinson/Marching.com
B
eing drum major of the Star of Indiana Drum and Bugle Corps goes far beyond a unique experience. There were only six of us in the nine-year history of the corps. The year 2010 marked the 25th anniversary of Star’s humble beginnings, and the opportunity to perform at Drum Corps International semifinals gave us all the chance to relive our “glory days.”
Shadow Dance In our youth, we drove to Bloomington, Ind., excited for those last few miles on highway 37 just before we pulled into our summer home, the TLB Corps Hall. Now, we are all middle-aged (and yes, that’s painful to say), we have kids of our own, professions in the “real world,” and goals and dreams beyond those of 20plus years ago. When I came to Star, like many rookies, I was fresh out of high school. As the saying goes: I had my diploma in one hand and my car keys in the other, and I headed north. In 1989, I was the assistant conductor, then marched euphonium in 1990. Ashley Tappan was aging out that year, and I wanted the position of drum major more than anything else I had known in my life. I shadowed her duties (closing up the schools, loading the buses, etc.), and during the last two weeks, Ashley gave those duties to me while working with me to ensure they were done correctly. 28
Stars of the Show: Four of Star of Indiana’s past drum majors gather to celebrate their 2010 exhibition performance. From left to right: Becky (Wood) Saddlemire, drum major from 1986 to 1988; Bobby Hullett, 1991 to 1992; Ashley Tappan, 1989 to 1990; and Matt Harloff, 1993.
One of the drum majors from Star of Indiana relives the glory days, back on the podium again at this year’s alumni exhibition.