Arts & Entertainment
Teens Spend Summer Training with Blue Devils
Danville teens are touring the country as part of the Concord-based marching band.
Many teens spend their summer traveling, working or hanging out with their friends. But three Danville teens are dedicating their summer to training to perfection with the Concord Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps.
Naomi Kanel is a senior at San Ramon Valley High who spends some 48 hours a week practicing her trumpet and marching routines in the blazing sun in Concord.
"Practice is tiring but rewarding." said Kanel, 17. "Our heart rate is equal to the heart rate of a marathon runner. I like how dedicated everyone is."
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Kanel is one of about 150 people in the Blue Devils B Corps.
The B group is one of three teams run by the Blue Devils. The teams are organized by skill level, for people aged eight to 21, with A as the highest level and the only group requiring a try out.
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The team members pay for their own travel expenses and uniforms, competing with other marching bands from around the country.
They perform routines where the musicians and color guard must follow strict rules of dress and keep time with the music. Color guard members use props to follow their dance routines while the band marches and performs. Teams are then awarded points for the difficulty, skill and accuracy of their routines.
Lauren Levenson, 18, played flute in the San Ramon Valley marching band and now attends U.C. Davis where she is a freshmen, and is home for the summer.
"I really enjoy marching band," said Levenson. "Blue Devils is awesome, I love the shows."
Erica Frost, is a senior at San Ramon Valley High, where she is part of the color guard. Frost is also part of the color guard for the Blue Devils, using flags, sabers, and rifles to perform routines to the beat of the marching band.
"My dad was part of the Blue Devils and my mom knew I loved color guard," said Frost.
The Blue Devils compete with other teams across the nation and locally with the Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets.
They have also traveled to Fresno and the Los Angeles area and will go to the Midwest later this summer.
Out of seven shows this season, they have earned the most points, winning at six shows. They are heading to the Midwest in a week, for six more competitions this summer.
