KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA | Northwest Band Comes to Yakima for Intense Training

Northwest Band Comes to Yakima for Intense Training

YAKIMA, Wash--- You may have heard loud music coming from the neighborhood South of Davis High School. It's not your average racket.

"The best of the best are out here and we compete against the best and we tour the county and do what we do," said Evan Drassen, drum line.

The Cascades, are a regional drum and bugle corp. This group of 14 to 21-year-olds are training for 17 days in Yakima. Then they go on tour and compete.

"Mentally it's very challenging, but rewarding for the students to keep working and working and working for that improvement and perfection," said Chris Grant, music coordinator.

Music is composed and the choreography written to match, creating an overall expression of music and motion. Everyone must hit their marks.

"Ya, you have to be tight in something like this, in something where you rely on someone else so much," said Drassen.

Students sleep on the gym floor at Davis High School. Yakima is a central location for many of the corps members. They spend weeks of their summer training and performing.
Something that pays off if they go to the collegiate level.

"If they've participated here the instructors there know that they're going to be a high caliber and quality," said Grant.

The Cascades will be rehearsing in Yakima until July 1st. Then they'll tour the Northwest.