Float instructs the Blue Devils drum line at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.
Remembered by many for his humble, selfless, and laid-back style while teaching some of the top drum lines of the 1970s and 1980s, Tom Float, a highly-respected marching percussion instructor and arranger and DCI Hall of Fame member died on Monday after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 69.
Friend and former student Dan Wahl confirmed his passing on behalf of Float’s wife, Catherine.
“Float’s legendary accomplishments reach from drum corps, to film and television, to theme park entertainment across the globe,” Wahl said. “He always had everyone else’s best interest in mind and made sure he built up opportunity for those around him.”
Born in Pennsylvania, Float’s drum corps career got underway in earnest after a move to California in 1969 where he joined the Diplomats, a southern California corps in the Los Angeles area. In 1971 he followed friends to another Golden State corps, the Anaheim Kingsmen, where he’d perform as part of the snare line through 1974, a run that included the corps’ historic win at the inaugural 1972 DCI World Championship in Whitewater, Wisconsin.
After moving to Canada to work on a graduate degree in business, Float began his drum corps instructional tenure in 1976 with Toronto’s Oakland Crusaders. It was here that he began to stretch his long legs as a truly gifted instructor, able to connect with and produce results from students of all levels and abilities.
“Tom was a great teacher, as evidenced by the success of his lines over the years,” DCI Hall of Fame member Dennis DeLucia said. “He was also very competitive, as we all were.”
DeLucia pointed out that Float may have realized one of his greatest triumphs with the Crusaders in 1977. The Canadian corps’ drum line took the top score in the percussion caption during the DCI World Championship Prelims, nearly a half a point ahead of the nearest competition and the best of a field of 45 competitors. This feat came from a corps that finished in 15th place overall, three spots away from even advancing to the DCI World Championship Finals.
“Imagine that happening today,” DeLucia said.
The late DCI Hall of Fame brass arranger Jim Ott drew Float to the fledgling Spirit of Atlanta in 1978, the Georgia corps’ sophomore season on the DCI Tour, yielding a collaboration on what would become some of Spirit of Atlanta’s most iconic tunes including “Georgia On My Mind” and “Let It Be Me.”
“I loved the way (Ott) arranged,” Float said in a 2004 interview for Drum Corps International, the same year he was inducted into the DCI Hall of Fame. “That was my main reason to want to go (to Atlanta) because I thought I could arrange music for percussion that would accompany what he wrote on horns very well.”
Float worked with Spirit of Atlanta through 1981, however things dramatically changed when Ott was tragically killed in an auto accident while on the road with the corps during the summer of 1980.
“A lot of my love for what I thought I was going to be able to do in Atlanta unfortunately went out when (Ott) died,” Float recounted.
“After that, I ended up going to Blue Devils, which I felt that I was probably best suited for out of any group that I ever taught,” he said. “Because I liked the music, I liked their drive, I liked their style, and when I had a chance to go, that was pretty hip.”
Float’s time with the Blue Devils between 1982 and 1990 marked his longest tenure with any drum corps and is where he realized perhaps his greatest successes competitively. As was the case early in his time as an instructor with the Oakland Crusaders in the 1970s, Float’s presence became quickly felt with members of the Devils. The corps’ drum line won the high percussion caption award at the 1983 DCI World Championships, only his second year on the job, and went on to win another three over consecutive years.
Behind the competitive accolades, however, was a man truly focused on the students with whom he worked. Many recount his larger-than-life personality, but also his ability to connect with students of any ability level, make them feel welcome – and consequently to inspire greatness within them.
“If you ever doubt the rippling, lifelong positive impact one person can have on thousands of others, read the tributes to just one drum instructor today,” longtime Drum Corps International announcer Dan Potter posted on Facebook after learning of Float’s passing. “Not a celebrity influencer or athlete. One guy, a pair of sticks and a love for his students resulted in thousands of lives being positively changed. That’s Tom’s final lesson.”
During three years arranging for the Velvet Knights from 1992-1994, Float began to explore other performance and professional opportunities. Firmly planted in his drum corps roots, he worked with the Magic Kingdom Korps, a 12-person marching ensemble that performed throughout Disneyland in Anaheim. He also performed at Disney as part of the Trash Can Trio, a group costumed as janitors who would unassumingly roll into public areas throughout the theme park to surprise and delight audiences with their impromptu interactive performances.
“Tom wowed the guests with his percussion skills in atmosphere groups like the Trash Can Trio and Green Army Patrol,” wrote Nathan Eick, a former Disney Parks employee and published Disney historian, in memory of Float on LinkedIn. “Tom was also an invaluable behind-the-scenes consultant for Disney Live Entertainment offering his expertise in workshops and auditions to find the best players for shows and parades, and train them to be even better. The toy soldiers in ‘A Christmas Fantasy Parade,’ for example, benefitted from his amazing skills.”
Float also spent many years of his career working closely with and for a number of percussion industry manufacturers. He served as a consultant to drumhead and instrument giant Remo, Inc.; as an endorsee artist and clinician for Vic Firth, which manufactures a popular signature drumstick he designed; and perhaps most notably with Tama, where he spent a decade and a half as a marketing and product manager, playing an integral role in developing the company’s line of marching percussion instruments.
“It’s safe to say that if you have marched in the past 40 years, the design and performance of your drums, sticks, cymbals and drumheads have been influenced by Tom Float,” the Remo company said in tribute to Float on its website. “Tom changed the game for every drummer, educational event, organization, and drum manufacturer whose path he crossed.”
Float is survived by his wife Catherine, also a well-known and accomplished percussionist who he met through the drum corps activity. In their years working side-by-side, the inseparable duo fed off of each other’s creativity.
“I really enjoyed all the times that we would write music together,” Float said of Catherine in 2004. “(Especially) to watch and be able to hear it and blend our ideas and try to make one thing from two people.
“Going to DCI and seeing how happy she would be when her part of the group would do great was, I think, one of the best things that I ever got from DCI. Watching our work and being married to her, and it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for drum corps.”
A month and a half following the conclusion of Drum Corps International’s 50th anniversary celebrations at the DCI World Championships in Indianapolis, corps directors are already back to work looking ahead to and planning for next summer.
Their annual September planning meeting returned to an in-person format this fall, as delegates from each of DCI’s World Class ensembles, along with members of the DCI Board of Directors, representatives from DCI’s Open Class corps, and DCI staff members converged in Las Vegas September 28-30.
Corps welfare check
As DCI organizations continue to navigate out of their COVID-19 shutdowns, continued emphasis has been placed on evaluating the ongoing organizational strength and the physical health and wellbeing of all participating corps, their members and leadership.
Since the conclusion of the summer tour, DCI leadership including CEO Dan Acheson and Chris Komnick, chair of the DCI membership, met individually with corps managers prior to their arrivals in Las Vegas in an effort to help set the discussion topics for the fall meeting.
“There was a very collegial atmosphere throughout these meetings,” Komnick said. “Rather than a typical meeting format filled with departmental status reports, we opted to use our time together to further invest in our collective and each other. We reaffirmed our commitment to create a safe, engaging, and educationally appropriate environment for everyone.
“A continued focus on the quality of the member experience was a common thread in many of the discussions throughout our three days together,” Komnick added.
2023 tour schedule
A sizable chunk of the annual fall meeting focuses on the upcoming summer season’s tour schedule, as the collective works to determine which corps will travel where and for which events.
Early drafts of the schedule indicate that the shape and form of the 2023 DCI Tour will mirror that of the 2022 summer season relatively closely, with minor changes throughout, based on venue availability and other logistical and scheduling considerations.
The 2023 DCI Tour schedule is anticipated to be released in its entirety to the public just prior to Thanksgiving on Wednesday, November 23.
Preliminary results of corps member research project
Following the 2022 season and 50th Anniversary Tour, DCI launched one of the most comprehensive surveys of participating corps members in the history of the organization. The in-depth research project covered a wide variety of topics relating to participant satisfaction with the length and format of the DCI Tour, member education and their future career plans, effectiveness of corps and DCI diversity efforts and outcomes, health and wellness issues/initiatives, and more.
Corps directors were presented with initial findings from the survey. Notable bullet points included:
More performers than ever (97%) are the first member of their family to participate in the drum corps art form.
74% of corps members are 18 years old or older.
More than half of those performing in 2022 are or will be studying music education and/or performance at the collegiate level.
The three most common ways that current performers are introduced to drum corps are:
Viewing performances online
Recommendation of a band director
Referral from a friend
Adjudication review
Corps directors spent time meeting with DCI judge administrator John Phillips and DCI director of competition Lee Carlson along with members of the Artistry and Competition Steering Committee in a Wednesday evening session. After the first return to a competitive format since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 season saw its fair share of challenges and successes. The judging community ushered in a number of new adjudicators and welcomed the return of seasoned veterans, all of whom resumed the process of ranking and rating drum corps and providing essential feedback on a regular basis after considerable time off.
The next step in the off-season planning cycle will be DCI’s annual winter business meetings which will provide for additional discussion on a number of important strategic topics of concern to each of the participating organizations. That gathering is slated for January 5-8 in Indianapolis.
CADETS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT OF DENISE BONFIGLIO AS CEO; NAMES VICKI FERRENCE RAY AS INTERIM CEO
Cadets Arts & Entertainment (CAE), the non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that oversees The Cadets Drum Corps, today announced that CEO Denise Bonfiglio has decided to retire from the organization. The CAE board of directors has subsequently appointed Vicki Ferrence Ray as interim CEO, effective immediately.
CAE Board Chair Mark Herzing said the board would begin a search for permanent leadership in the next few weeks.
“On behalf of the CAE board of directors, we want to thank Denise for her service and dedication to The Cadets, and wish her well in her retirement,” said Herzing. “Denise has had a distinguished career that spans decades and is a member of the WGI Hall of Fame, the Massachusetts Drum Corps Hall of Fame, and the Drum Corps International Hall of Fame. The results of Denise’s efforts for CAE are reflected in the lives of the young people who have had a chance to be Cadets in 2021 and 2022, as well as for the future generations who will be able to be part of this program because of her efforts to ensure its survival and growth.”
Ferrence Ray, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, has more than 20 years of youth program development and non-profit experience. She served as the Executive Director for Youth Education in the Arts (YEA), where she was responsible for leading all aspects of the organization from 2018-2019. She currently serves on the CAE Board of Directors as the Compliance Officer.
Prior to her service to YEA, Ferrence Ray was Chief National Programs Officer for Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership, the nation’s premier youth leadership development organization. She provides expertise in executive leadership, organizational planning and development, youth protection, and non-profit compliance.
Ferrence Ray is an alumna of the 1992 Cadets.
“I look forward to working closely with the CAE Board to achieve our strategic goals,” said Ferrence Ray. “I have been involved in all facets of The Cadets and am extremely confident in our ability to continue to build a successful program for the future.”
“The CAE board is excited that Vicki has agreed to step in as interim CEO to strengthen our organization,” said Herzing. “Her leadership will also allow us to finalize contracts with 2023 Design and Instructional Staff, complete preparations for 2023 auditions and maintain our focus on operational and governance opportunities from the 2022 season that need to be addressed.”
Herzing also announced that Bob Morrison has agreed to serve as a Special Advisor to the CA&E Board of Directors during this transition. Morrison is a nationally recognized leader in the arts education and non-profit fields. A former member of the Crossmen (1979-1982), Morrison worked with DCI Hall of Fame member Thom Hannum on the Garfield Cadets percussion staff (1983-1986). After his time with The Cadets, Morrison worked with Santa Clara Vanguard between 1987 and 1992. During his career, he was a contributor for four DCI World Championships and three High Percussion Awards. He was elected to the Cadets Hall of Fame in 2002 and the DCI Hall of Fame in 2019.
Morrison was the co-founder, board chair and Executive Director for Arts Ed NJ before stepping down in June of this year, following nearly two decades at the helm. He is currently the founder and CEO of Quadrant Research, the nation’s preeminent arts education data analytics and market research firm.
Also, Herzing noted that the CAE Board of Directors is actively recruiting additional advisors to serve in an Oversight Committee, which will advise decision-making, identify ways to improve the Board governance process, and proactively address operational shortcomings.
Further information about the CEO recruitment process and staffing will be forthcoming, and CAE will update everyone on this progress and actions going forward on the Cadets website (www.cadets.org).
The Northwest Youth Music Association is pleased to announce that plans for the return of the Cascades Drum & Bugle Corps to World Class Competition in 2023 are well under way. An Exploratory Committee headed by Executive Director Michael Leone has been formed to begin the process of building a 3-year plan, hiring a Corps Director, selecting a design team and staff, and a developing a progressive program that will serve the needs of its’ members and local music educators in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.
“The NYMA is so pleased and excited to be able to bring back our flagship ensemble the Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps for the 2023 DCI competitive season. Plans have been well underway for over 6 months to build a stronger business-like infrastructure to not only support our flagship ensemble but other community-based ensembles in the future.” Said Brian S. Fisher NYMA Board Chair.
Some of the new organization concepts will include alternating winter rehearsals sites within the Seattle and Portland area and involvement of Northwest educators that represent all areas of the Northwest region, while providing a fun, educational tour and a highly competitive, and enjoyable program at over 20 DCI major events across the country.
If you would like to be part of the staff or volunteer for this exciting program, please contact Michael Leone at michael.leone@seattlecascades.org
For more information on dates and times for 2023 auditions and camps continue to look at the website, www.seattlecascades.org
