A rookie getting solo at BD is nothing new. In 1984, one of the La Fiesta trio (John Hendrikson -- far left guy, IIRC) was a rookie not only to BD, but -- like me -- a rookie to drum corps as a whole. I made the first cut for the Latin Implosion solo (when it was a duet --- changed after DATR) and I was not only an uber-rookout to the activity, I was a LOWER-LOWER (4th) soprano! John was an UFLS. 39 years ago BD was -- and I believe still is -- a meritocracy...if you're good enough, you're good enough. That's a HUGE boost in confidence in the staff, and that bleeds over to the performers. I still regret not going for one of the La Fiesta trio parts...the part Stymie (Steve Leanene) played was right in my range...and he got a great camera shot. Then again, I couldn't have pulled off "the look" he did on the horns down at the end!!
Me and Alan auditioned for all of our solos throughout our careers. Typically, you’ll always audition for it, but every now and then you’ll just get picked. At BD, they just gave me both of my solos in 2019. Strategically, it just made sense. By that point in my career, they knew I could play them both and perform it well. And my face was popular in the DCI community. They didn’t feel the need to hold auditions.
@@dhdusidjdjso we learn the solos during the 3 week spring training and I kinda spend the rest of the season perfecting it. I truly only care about being absolutely perfect during finals week, so I spend the season developing a routine that helps me have the most confidence and consistency for when it counts the most. For example, working on pacing out my breathing to lower my heart rate, finding spots to wipe away the sweat discretely so it’s not in my face, and even making sure I brush my lips every morning before I play my horn to make sure my lips are smooth and exfoliated when they touch my mouthpiece. It’s all to make my finals day performance the best one of all.
