Featured Story
The Ties That Bind
Apr 17, 2009
By Alex Mendoza
Glen Crosby is no stranger to the world of percussion. With his involvement with corps such as the Santa Clara Vanguard and currently serving as the Battery Caption Head/Arranger for The Academy Drum & Bugle Corps, he’s witnessed the evolution of drumming as a whole. And when you’ve worked with the likes of people such as Ralph Hardimon, it’s hard to imagine that anything would phase him at this point in time. That is – of course – until his daughter, Cuba, decided to become involved with the Los Alamitos Percussion Ensemble.
“I’ve been involved with the drum corps activity for quite some time, so this entire Indoor Percussion gig is a new experience for me,” Glen notes. “But when my daughter decided she wanted to try something new, I made sure she was aware that she had to excel at whatever she decided to do. Since she joined I started helping out with the overall product and it’s been a blast so far. This activity is great and it’s amazing to see where it’s going, but even more so cause I get to work with some talented people and see my daughter at the same time.”
“You always hear about the cliches saying how ‘they grow up fast’ and I’m at a rehearsal, helping John and Ian out, because those guys are swamped with work at places like Pacifica, Chino Hills and Fountain Valley. I’m giving out instructions, telling the kids what to fix and the next thing you know I look over and see Cuba playing timpani and I can’t help but think, ‘Man! How did this happen?!’” Glen laughs.
His daughter, Cuba, comes from a different perspective – as the daughter of a significant figure in the percussion realm, along with being involved with an ensemble that has enjoyed success since their first appearance at WGI Championships back in 2007 when they earned the Bronze Medal for their show, Simple.
“Ever since I’ve joined these guys, they’ve become my family and it’s actually shown me that dad is actually kind of cool,” Cuba chuckles. “It’s become a big part of my life and Ian’s become like my second dad, asking me things like if I remembered to put on my retainer. Stuff like that is what makes Los Al my second family and something I intend to do for the rest of high school.”
Whereas most people tend to lean towards the “cooler” instruments, Cuba’s decision to play timpani comes as a surprise; especially for anyone who’s familiar with the difficulty that comes with playing such an instrument.
“I was actually surprised when Cuba wanted to join percussion,” Glen recalls. “Even though there’s a lot of instruments around the house and such, I never made it my intent to force my kids to do something music related. I want them to have fun in whatever they join, but Cuba wanted to do music either way. Prior to playing timpani she was a cello player, so she already had a pretty good sense of pitch and when I told Ian she was interested in playing Timpani he was eager to get started – especially because not many people want to play timpani in the first place.”
“It wasn’t too hard to get used to changing pitches because since you read bass clef in cello and have to really pay attention to your sound it’s one of those things that you work on over time. The only challenge was getting used to the technique, but Ian’s been great in helping me with that and still making it fun,” Cuba says.
The family dynamic within the parameters of this activity is a unique one. Brothers and sisters influence their respective siblings, while mothers and fathers watch their children grow into young men and women, cultivated through their timeless experiences. Granted this is not the case for every family that finds themselves connected to this activity, it is assuring to hear stories such as these – living testaments to the bond that develops across the span of an entire season.
Even after the last note sounds, the memories collected from the next three days will forever resonate within the collective conscious of each ensemble. Constantly reminding spectators, judges, and volunteers alike about why these parents and kids and instructors partake in this activity. Not because of the scores, or the placements or anything in that sense. They persist because it’s the ties that bind and remind us that idea of family exists in various forms – this activity is simply another example brought to fruition.
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