Teal Sound

In 1983 approximately 250 kids turned out in a Jacksonville, Florida, park in hopes of forming a community-based drum and bugle corps. The event was entirely orchestrated by three high school students with a burning desire to bring drum corps to their city. With fliers in hand the teenage corps founders took to the streets and put the word out. The idea spread like wildfire, and on audition day over 200 young corps hopefuls filled a city park with band instruments, as they did not have bugles. After a couple of rehearsals, however, the three students realized they lacked the needed funds and experience to make their dream a reality. They tucked that dream away, but it did not die.

In 1998, two of the original three, Michael Butler and Danny Clark, picked up where they had left off in 1983. The ball started rolling for the north Florida corps, now known as the Teal Sound, in March of 1998. Support for Teal Sound came from the Jacksonville Housing Authority. Nations Bank graciously awarded Teal Sound its very first grant, which resulted in enough funding for the corps to purchase percussion equipment for the battery along with some contra bass and soprano horns. The Jacksonville Cultural Council and Jacksonville Community Foundation also came through with financial support. Jacksonville's own NFL franchise agreed to allow the Teal Sound to perform during halftime in the 1999 season and also offered financial assistance through the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation. The 21st Century Drum and Bugle Corps Foundation pulled through for Teal Sound by donating uniforms and by helping to supply the corps with bugles for its inaugural season. Even many of the area band directors jumped in to lend their support.

In 1998 and early 1999, Michael Butler and Danny Clark gave presentations to high school students across north Florida and southeast Georgia, to educate students about the activity in general and to recruit prospective members. A drum corps representative had never visited most of these schools, and the visits alone made the dream of participation more realistic. Teal Sound received an enormous response from interested participants. When open auditions were held on January 23, 1999, over 120 hopefuls attended.

Initially Teal Sound did not even expect to tour in 1999, intending only to go out for exhibition as a Division III corps. Because of the bright financial situation, however, a limited tour as a Division III corps became feasible and beneficial for its members.

On July 23rd 1999, after six months of weekend rehearsals, the members and staff of Teal Sound boarded busses and headed for Brunswick, Georgia, for a final week of everyday rehearsals before embarking on a two-week tour up the east coast, into Canada, and finally to Madison, Wisconsin. The corps placed ninth out of 12 Division III units. This was an unbelievable feat for a first year corps that had not even planned to tour.

After the resounding first year success, Teal pushed into its second year with a challenging Latin show featuring the music of Carlos Santana. As the corps geared up for its second touring season, some decisions were taken to ensure the corps' longevity in the drum corps activity. One of those decisions was to reduce the number of marching members and compete as a Division III corps. This path would allow the corps to remain financially stable as it moved towards its third year, while also permitting the organization to develop partnerships with the parents and schools by establishing minimum grade point average levels for participation.

Sporting new uniforms and a new look for its guard, Teal hit the road again, this time expanding its competitive season to two separate tours. When all was said and done, the Teal Sound placed eighth out of 32 Division III corps, less than one point out of Finals! Not bad for a two year old!

In its third year, 2001, Teal once again chose to tour with a show that was both musically and visually challenging to the members, performing the music of Metallica. The concept for the show came from an unlikely collaboration between rock icon Metallica, renowned composer Michael Kamen, and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. This adaptation of the collaboration to the drum corps idiom was a success. The corps placed in Finals at every focus show they attended, and after only three short years of existence, Teal Sound broke into Finals at the DCI Division III World Championships with a seventh-place finish.

In 2002, the organization remained focused on challenging its members and being crowd pleasers, while pushing the envelope in its creative program. The corps chose the music of the Dave Matthews band for its musical repertoire.
The corps experienced a challenging tour season, but managed to win top honors at the Summer Smiles Drum & Bugle Corps competition in Knox, Pennsylvania, and make finals at the Canadian Open. Teal Sound completed the 2002 season with an 11th place finish DCI Division III World Championships, 13th internationally.

The 2003 Teal Sound finished 16th in combined Division II/III Prelims with their show 'ab aeterno.' The corps moved up substantially in 2004, taking 12th in Division II/III Finals with an offering called 'Delusions: The Music of Dream Theatre.'

[www.tealsound.org]

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