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Whew. What a month. A day after moving to a new home in Harlingen, Texas, I traveled to Alliance, Ohio to spend a month with the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps as part of the 2025 Bluecoats Fellowship. I wrote the following as my caption on most recent Instagram post: Between observing sectional and ensemble rehearsals, collaborating with this amazing cohort, and balancing the rest of life in aspects such as work, commissions, and marching band arranging, the Bluecoats Fellowship has been one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had. I’m so grateful to have spent the past four weeks surrounded by such incredible innovators, artists, and performers. The knowledge they’ve shared with us Fellows, in design, artistry, and communication, has been nothing short of overwhelming in the best possible way. My mind felt like it was going to explode, but for all the right reasons.
To the Fellows:
Thank you for being such brilliant, creative souls. Your talent will take you wherever you want to go, and your open-mindedness and drive will only take you further. More than that, thank you for being genuine, kind friends. I feel lucky to have spent this time with you, and I can’t wait until our paths cross again.
To the Bluecoats organization:
Thank you for inspiring me both on and off the field. I’ve always admired the Bluecoats for their innovative programming and fearless creativity, but being immersed in this environment revealed something deeper: being excellent means nothing without also being compassionate, intentional, and an exceptional communicator. While I’ll always wish I had experienced marching and learning about this amazing thing called drum corps, I will gladly take being a Bluecoats Fellow as a close second. Thank you for the opportunity and the honor of calling myself “Bluecoats Fellow.”
Be sure to check out some more photos on the post here! In addition to spending the month with the Bluecoats, I was able to see other aspects of what they do as an organization: Lastly, I had the pleasure of welcoming my wife, Iris, to Alliance, OH to spend the day with the Bluecoats. This consisted of watching rehearsal, hanging out with the Fellows, and attending the aforementioned events of Opening Night and Party in the Plaza. It was such a joy to host her for her birthday weekend and have her experience all of the amazing things I’ve enjoyed over the last four weeks. Thank you for everything, Bluecoats. 💙 Iris and I will be joining them for their rehearsal and performance day at the Drum Corps International Southwestern Championship in San Antonio and attending our very first DCI Championships, which will culminate at DCI Finals in Indianapolis, Indiana, next month.
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