Organizational Update
From Executive Director, Jeremy Van Wert
Click here to watch the latest organizational update! In this episode, Jeremy shares some truimphs and challenges as we enter the competitive season.
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2022 Vanguard Hall of Fame Inductees
We are proud to introduce our newest members Linda Garbarino and Jim Casella!
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Linda Garbarino comes with extensive background working with nonprofits. Throughout her thirty-three years in public education as a teacher, reading specialist, Director of Staff Development, Director of Secondary Education and Director of K-12 Curriculum and Instruction.
Linda’s work with many school boards and participation on nonprofit boards provided her with knowledge about the importance of governance, bylaws, local and state laws and practices that nonprofits must know to be successful. One of Linda’s goals throughout her career focused on the visual and performing arts opportunities for K-12 students. She built up the elementary music programs through a grant from a local Education Foundation that provided after school instrumental music instruction for hundreds of students in twenty-nine elementary schools. This gradually built a stronger district-wide music program at all levels. Her work with other nonprofit boards also centered around programs for youth.
Over the last twenty-eight years, Linda dedicated her volunteer life serving with VMAPA in many capacities. Her work with the organization began in 1996 when her son, Josh, marched with the organization. Linda quickly became involved with all volunteer work.
Whether working with uniforms, painting guard floors, designing props, working Ms. Amana or stepping up to serve as secretary, vice-president and president Linda assisted the organization as they transitioned from a Booster Club to a board of professionals with skills required of all of today’s nonprofit boards. Currently, Linda serves as the Vice-Chair for the VMAPA Board of Directors, and as Chair of the Governance and Board Development Committee.
Linda said, "It's amazing how fast this time has passed. I am very proud of my many roles with the organization over the years and encourage those with nonprofit organization experience or a true desire to volunteer, to step up. The work of the VMAPA organization impacts our youth and establishes and reinforces the skills needed by all our youth to live a successful life."
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Jim grew up in Cupertino, CA, just down the street from Santa Clara. Marched SCV in the bass line from 1989-91. During this time, he was studying orchestral percussion at SJSU with San Francisco Symphony percussionist Tony Cirone who’s influenced a lot of former SCV percussionists (Fred Sanford, Curt Moore, Robert Chavira, Allan Kristensen, among many others). Jim had a keen interest in composition but wasn’t studying formally. He was getting a lot of experience writing long bass cadences for SCV and arranging music for lots of local school programs and my alma matter, the Spirit of Sunnyvale marching youth band.
After aging out, SCV Cadets corps director JW Koester hired Jim to become their new percussion caption head in 1992. He was relatively inexperienced but super driven so him and his staff built a solid program with SCVC, nearly winning the DCI Division 2 championships in 1993. Jim continued writing for SCVC in 1994 while also joining the staff of the A Corps where he worked as the local front ensemble technician for Lee Rudnicki’s new pit arranger, Ed Teleky. In 1995 Scott Johnson hired Jim to be the bass tech for Blue Devils.
When JW Koester was hired to become the new director of the A Corps in 1996, he hired JIm as the percussion caption head and arranger. He did this until 2004 (though Jim handed over the caption head reins to his partner in crime, Murray Gusseck in 2003). After taking a year off in 2005, He was hired by The Cavaliers to become their new percussion writer in 2006 where I worked for four years until retiring from drum corps after the 2009 season.
In Jim's own words:
"I’m probably supposed to list how many championships came from my tenure, or which years we won drums. In all of this, there were years where we won, and years where we didn’t. There were probably also years where we should have won, but didn’t…and shouldn’t have won, but did. For those keeping score, none of that stuff matters. The competition aspect of the activity can easily become a measuring stick of creative success which can be a big hindrance in making something original and lasting.
I think I became known as a percussion arranger who emphasized musicality and blending of the battery and front ensemble as one entity. I think my orchestral experience helped inform an approach that could support the rest of the musical ensemble in a unique way that may have helped to influence the more holistic approach to today’s modern rudimental percussion writing. Part of this may have stemmed from my preference for writing the entire book, and not just the battery or pit. That’s how Ralph did it, and since I idolized his work I couldn’t imagine doing it any other way, hardly even realizing that that’s not how most corps actually do it."
Aside from his time dedicated to drum corps, Jim has remained very active in the music industry, co-founding and operating his publishing company Tapspace with long-time friend and SCV compadre, Murray Gusseck. They have been building it for nearly 25 years now, and have become one of the world’s primary publishers of percussion music. They publish music of hundreds of composers all over the world.
Jim also produced and programmed the popular software sample library, Virtual Drumline, a cornerstone tool used by many marching band, drum corps, and indoor percussion arrangers. It’s also often shows up in in more mainstream contexts like random TV shows, commercials, and Beyonce songs!
Additionally, Jim has maintained a career as a composer writing concert music, and occasionally music for commercials and film. He served on the board of advisors for the Percussive Arts Society, and am a member of ASCAP. Jim's signature series drumsticks are manufactured by Innovative Percussion, who also make his signature series keyboard mallets - the first-ever signature line marching mallets created, and which remain widely-used all over the world. In addition to his affiliation with IP, he an artist endorser of Zildjian cymbals, Remo drumheads, Pearl drums, and Adams percussion.
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Reservations For Vanguard Homecoming Weekend
Be where the action is at on Friday, July 8th - Sunday, July 10th!
Our Homecoming weekend is going to be jam packed with special events you will not want to miss, and special friends you will want to see! Family Day, The 55th Anniversary Emerald Gala, Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, and DCI West at Stanford will span across the weekend. Make sure you have a place to stay in the heart of it all by booking a room with our special rate at the Santa Clara Marriott. If you have not gotten your tickets for the weekend yet, you can choose from one of our several event packages through the links below!
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The next 5 people to buy gala tickets will get 2 premium seats at the DCI West show!!!
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- To book your hotel with our special rate, click here.
- For 55th Anniversary Emerald Gala event packages, click here.
- For DCI West and Skybox tickets, click here.
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Become A Vanguard Volunteer This Summer
We have several opportunities to volunteer for both SCV and SCVC on our 2022 summer tours. Read some of our specific requests below, with instructions on how to sign up!
- Overnight volunteers: Needed for Vanguard, experience preferred. Sign up via Sign Up Genius by clicking here.
- Health & Wellness: Our H&W team is looking for health industry professionals to fill gaps in the SCV and SCVC H&W schedules. Dates are June 17th - July 6th for both SCV and SCVC, and July 25th - August 2nd for SCVC. If you have any leads on professionals that may be interested, please contact hw@scvanguard.org.
- Tour Admin: The admin team is looking for an individual 25+ years of age with administrative experience for July 30th - August 13th, to help with shuttles, errands, and other administrative tasks. If you have any leads on people that might be interested and available, please have them contact rca@scvanguard.org.
- Daily volunteers for SCV: Tasks may include uniform laundry, medical, prop maintenance, shuttles, etc. More information coming soon!
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Can't travel with the corps this summer? Here are other ways you can help make a difference!
- Contribute to an SCV member’s tour fees. Visit the following Google folder to read through letters written by members in need of financial assistance. In the folder you'll also find instructions on how to contribute:
- Purchase items off Amana's Amazon Wishlist. Help offset the cost of non-perishable items on the menu. If you purchase an item, please notify Maya Salvucci-Vannatta who is tracking the list:
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Help Tell The Story's Of The 2022 Decades Project
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Photo by Robert Claypool
Each year, the Decades Project produces short videos telling stories of each year that is celebrating a decade anniversary. This year, we are honoring 1972, 1982, 1992, 2002, and 2012, plus new stories from 2022. We have a team in place planning and conducting interviews. We will edit and release the videos in December.
Currently, we are seeking volunteers to lead the project for 2012 SCV, Vanguard Cadets, winterguard, and winter percussion. Interested? Fill out this interest form or email history@scvanguard.org
Help build the Vanguard History website
While we are collecting these stories, we are also building a site to document them on the web and consolidate various accounts of Vanguard History that already exist. We are seeking volunteers to help us bring it to life: writers / content editors, visual designers, back end developers, and front end developers. Sound like you? Fill out this interest form or email history@scvanguard.org
Link: https://www.scvanguard.org/historical-society/
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Alumni Association Updates
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Interested in joining the Fundraising Committee? The committee meets biweekly on Thursday’s and is looking for some volunteers to help organize our next fundraiser. No previous experience necessary! Email alumni@scvanguard.org to find out more.
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Join our next virtual meeting June 21st at 6:30pm PST. Here are the notes from our previous meetings in May and April.
- Thank you to those who participated in the 2022 Move In 5k!
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Jesse J. Amador
Albuquerque, NM
Sparks - Baritone - 1966, Santa Clara Vanguard - 2nd Baritone - 1967-1972
Current Occupation: CIO for multiple agencies under the Dept of Defense
Best meal on tour?
Bishops Buffet in Davenport Iowa. We'd always meet up with the Troopers and spend time with them.
Where do you sit on the bus? Front, middle, or back? Aisle or window seat?
Somewhere in the middle of Bus 2. I would start in one seat when we departed Santa Clara, I would always end up in a different place.
What is your favorite piece SCV and/or SCVC has played?
Angus Dei (2000)
Of the uniforms you wore, which uniform was your favorite?
The Green Satins. Why? They were hand made by our parents and with no money, crappy horns, flag poles Gail bought at a hardware store, we created a National Championship Drum corps. We didn't join a National Champion, WE CREATED ONE!!!
I stay in touch with the SCV alums either via Facebook or Zoom meetings.
If you would like to be featured in The Vanguard Voice, fill out this online form!
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Dates to Remember
- May 1st - May 31st: Alumni 5k Event
- June 15th: SCV Public Performance - Weed, CA
- June 21st: Alumni Association Meeting at 6:30pm PST
- June 22nd: VMAPA Board of Directors meeting at 6pm PST
- June 24th: Corps at the Crest - San Diego, CA
- June 25th: Drum Corps at the Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA
- June 26th: Western Corps Connection - San Bernardino, CA
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Do you have any stories and news you want to share?
Would you like to contribute to The Vanguard Voice?
Email media@scvanguard.org.
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