Dominic Gerleman
Ottumwa High School junior, Dominic Gerleman, is spending his summer marching to the beat of several drums. He is one of 45 students from across the country who applied to participate in this summer’s Colt Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps open class group.
The corps, made up of horns, drums, and a front ensemble, is practicing in Ottumwa for two weeks, with members literally living at OHS. Due to Covid, the group has created a “bubble” at OHS and can’t leave for any reason. The students rehearse 12-hour days with four meal breaks in between. They sleep in the band rooms, shower in the PE department, eat outdoors weather permitting, and rehearse both inside and outside the building, including Schafer Stadium and the pit, weather permitting.
With a love of marching band, Gerleman was looking for a challenge. Both his father, OHS band director Troy Gerleman, and his uncle, Alex Mason (a band and general music teacher at Evans), had participated in a drum and bugle corps growing up. “It all started because of Dad and my uncle,” said Gerleman. The senior Gerleman marched with the Phantom Regiment and his uncle was a member of the Colts.
Gerleman signed a contract in February and began rehearsing an hour a day until the group arrived in Ottumwa on July 5. His rehearsals included both learning the music and practicing the marching drills.
The experience is challenging, according to Gerleman. “It’s really physical, you use all of your muscles,” he said. To keep up at this pace, students are required to consume 6,000-7,000 per day. A food truck that travels with the crops provides their daily nutritional needs. His favorite meal so far--spaghetti.
Although the performance is only 12 minutes, it doesn’t compare to his marching band experience. “There is a lot more to it, a lot more to think about, visuals, posture, horn angle, air. It’s challenging but doable.”
Gerleman feels he has grown as a trumpet player. The experience is also preparing him for adulthood and learning to deal with life’s pressures. “I worry a lot but in the long run it’s going to be worth it.” He talks to his dad daily. When the younger Gerleman gets discouraged, his dad encourages him to “don’t give up.”
Music is in his future. Following in his dad’s footsteps and becoming a band director is one of his options. “It’s good to have this on my resume,” he said. He plans to participate in the open class again next summer, then audition for world class for the following summer.
After the public performance on Sunday, July 18 at 6:30 p.m., the corps will head to Dubuque for another 10 days of practice before competitions begin. They will compete 12 times before their final national competition in Indianapolis in mid-August.