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The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, July 9, 1978-Page 3
Drum corps marches to
prize-winning beat
By ELIZABETH SLOWIK Drum Corps International competition.
'One-two-three-four!" The drum Peggy Twiggs, flag instructor, said the
jor's commands cut through the Lancers have consistently placed inx the +
nmer breeze as 127 musicians, color top five at the annual competition.
rds, and baton and rifle twirlers If you win that, added Twiggs, "it
rod at attention, At the next beat, the means you are the best"
gdat waven Ath drums rex d, the inThe Lancers, who finished their stay
ons twirled, and the buglers belted Ann Arbor with a free show at
nthe starting notes. Michigan Stadium last night, have won
'he 27th Lancer Drum and Bugle many awards, according to George
to testage on the lawn of the Bonfiglio, who founded the drum corps
rps Soohosgothawpu of te 11 years ago. The musicians have cap-
sic School on North Campus yester- tured honors at the World Open in 1971,
yas part of a day-long session of lec- the Catholic Youth Organization com-
es and demonstrations. Around 100 petition in 1977, and the American In-
ctators, many of the r high school ternational this year.
ind leaders, observed the award- RANGING IN AGE from 14 to 21, the
ning corps from a tree-shadowed Lancers tour the United States six
S A Sweeks every summer. Most of the drum
NN ARBOR WAS just one stop corps' members hail from
-ing their national tour, which will Massachusetts, although New York,
id up in Denver on Aug. 18 at the New Hampshire, and Michigan natives
are also well represented.
The corps is made up of four
divisions: brass, percussion, the flag
line, and the baton and rifle twirlers.
Each division has its own instructor,
and, including various assistants, the
Lancer's entire staff numbers 22.
"We're like a Broadway show," ex-
plained Twiggs. "We're just as precise
(as a marching band) on musicality,
but more into drills."
"THE IDEA IN a drum corps is to
have the perfect show," explained 21-
year-old drum major John Oppedisano.
Before the annual tour, the drum cor-
ps develops a new show. During the
summer, several buglers said, practice,
begins early in the morning and is
broken only by meals and performan-
ces. And during the tour, continued the
buglers, the Lancers become a close-
knit group.
"It's like a different life," said Op-
pedisano.
"EVERYBODY SLEEPS in a gym
together," said Twiggs. "It's not like
girls over here and boys over there. But
we're not loose," she added with a
smile.
Daily Photo by JOHN KNOX "All you think about is when you're
nt sun on North Campus yesterday. gonna eat, when you're gonna sleep and
.s See DRUM, Page 6
TWO MEMBERS-of the 29th Lancer Drum and Bugle Corps marched under a brillian
The Lancers demonstrated their prize- winning performance in front of about 100 spectator
r-today
.
m
IZ
Tape troubles
Tape recordings seem to be playing quite an im-
portant role these days. Not only do they in-
criminate former presidents, but they also are
powerful enough to cancel important University
meetings. Yesterday's Michigan Employment
Relations Commission (MERC) hearing, one of a
week-long series during which Administrative Law
Judge Shlomo Sperka is listening to testimony about
the status of graduate student assistants (GSAs),
was canceled when the court reporter's tape recor-
der malfunctioned. The hearings will resume today .
on the second floor of the Union at 10 a.m.
Happenings ...
.. are verysparse today. If you can make it out
of bed by noon, you can catch an Introduction to the
Transcendental Meditation Program, given by the
Students International Meditation. Society at 4111
Michigan Union. If you miss that meeting, you can
also catch it at 8 p.m.... then hear the scoop on
some teaching aids, with the Fantastic Music
Theory Games at 7 p.m., St. Nicholas Orthodox
Church Hall, 414 N. Main St. The program will be
presented by Aspasia Sabot, B.M., ,mus.M. of Gar-
den Grove, California ... you can wind up the_
evening with a program from the M'usic School's .
Musical You tInitenational'at Hill Aud., 8 p.m.
Have a spiffy day.
Happy birthday, Mickey
Mickey Mouse, that beloved rodent, will celebrate
his 50th birthday on Sunday, Nov. 19. Mickey sprang
to life on November 18, 1928, at New York's Colony
theatre in the first of many cartoons from Walt
Disney productions. The party honoring the half-
century-year-old mouse will take place at a 90-
minute television special featuring such celebrities
as Mel Brooks, Burt Reynolds, Raquel Welch and
more. But of course Mickey's life-long pals, Donald
Duck, Goofy, Pluto and Minnie will all be on hand
for the occasion. Bet Annette Funicello feels old.
No homework
Maybe University professors should take a lesson
- from their educational colleague, Superintendent
Bill Villines of Madill, Oklahoma. Villines has made
himself a hit with Madill's 1,350 public school
children by banning homework on weekends. When
school opens, teachers will be forbidden to assign
homework to be done over the weekends. Villines,
who recently assumed his post in the southwestern
Oklahoma community said he established the policy
for two reasons "Teachersare f4 onhweekends-
kids need to be free on weekends, too. And I have the
feeling that maybe we overdo homework
sometimes. After you learn how to do a math
problem, why do 50 more?"
What's in a name?
In the midst of all the other election day
hullaballoo yesterday, there was a very unusual
contest going on. Beverly and Robert Cusack spent
an election day waiting to learn if they would have
to campaign against each other in this fall's county
commission race in Ionia, Michigan. Cusack was
unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Ms.
Cusack, however, faced two opponents for the
Republican side. She at first decided she didn't have
time to run, so her husband filed. But then Ms.
Cusack thought, "He's even busier than I am. So I
figured if he's got the time to do it, so do I. Besides,
any publicity he gets for himself will be publicity for
me since we have the same name."
On the outside
It will be one of those typical mediocre Ann Arbor
days today, with the weather totally up-in-the-air.
It will be partly sunny, with highs in the low 80s.
Tonight it should dip to the low 60s.
I '