2020 Members Enjoying The Bluecoats Experience
We’ve been working hard to keep the Bluecoats Experience active for our 2020 members. Shortly over a month ago, we shared our plan to continue the Bluecoats Experience and April Camp In The Cloud provided the perfect opportunity for us to get started. Since April Camp In The Cloud on April 25-26, we’ve hosted daily mindfulness calls, weekly group workouts, and weekly social events to keep our members involved and engaged. We caught up with some of our 2020 members to see how they’ve been enjoying them!
Nick Kneupper, Bluecoats 2020 drum major, has been working with the leadership team to bring many of these events to life. “Working on the BluecoatsConnect and BluecoatStrong events with the leadership has been a fantastic experience. With the regular drum corps season gone, this experience has allowed our team to continue to engage and problem solve with each other, allowing us to get a taste of the kind of problem solving we’d normally deal with over the summer,” said Nick.
MINDFULNESS, TOGETHER
Our mindfulness group comes together every morning for a group call. This group, open to all members of the Bluecoats Community, is a part of an initiative to provide mental wellbeing programming to our performers.
“The calls are daily, which lets me have something every day that I know is going to happen no matter what else is going on in my day. I always feel much happier just in the fact that I get to start my day with Bluecoats,” said Ellie Abbott, 2020 Bluecoats Baritone member.
During the calls, participants spend 15 minutes in group meditation using any mindfulness meditation method they find enjoyable. Following the 15 minute group meditation is a 15 minute discussion where the floor is open to anyone to share their thoughts, insights, and even book recommendations!
“One of the things that I like about the mindfulness calls is that I have the ability to express my thoughts about my experiences outside of the calls without judgment, and I can get insight from other people experiencing similar things as well,” said Ellie. “ I think in general, these calls have allowed me to become more positive and have a widened perspective on personal growth.”
BLUECOATSCONNECT
Every Wednesday night, the 2020 members get together for BluecoatsConnect events. These events allow the members to come together to enjoy one of the best parts of drum corps: making friends! Some of the events even involve the Bluecoats Alumni, allowing members to meet the alumni that support them.
”My favorite BluecoatsConnect event has been Club Bloo. We invited the Bluecoats Alumni to join our Zoom call and we watched old Bluecoats shows from across the decades,” said 2020 Drum Major Nick Kneupper. “Part of the ‘Bluecoat Experience’ is the connection that we have with our alumni network, so this Club Bloo event was a great way to continue fostering that connection.”
There has been a wide range of social events so far, including a movie night where the members watched Bee Movie, a cook-along event making fried rice, and a game night. There are many more events planned for the upcoming months too, giving the members lots of opportunities to connect over the summer.
“It makes me so happy to know that we’re still able to be a Bluecoats family even though the season is over. Whether it's through the BluecoatsConnect events or hearing the section leaders talk about the ways they’re interacting as sections, I can see this family connection that makes us who we are is still here, and I don’t predict it’ll ever go away,” said Nick.
BLUECOATSTRONG
In addition to weekly social events, the 2020 Bluecoats performers and staff have been coming together for weekly Saturday morning workouts. We’ve continued our partnership with Marching Health and our 2020 members have enjoyed several workouts with physical therapist and founder of Marching Health, Dr. Elliot Cleveland as well as Derek Hessing, Bluecoats Athletic Trainer.
There has also been a wide range of other exercise classes, including a dance class hosted by 2020 Color Guard Captain Skylar MacKensen. “It turned out really well and was a lot of fun,” said Skylar. “I was just as sore as I am for November camp after dance class, but it was worth it!”
These BluecoatStrong events are more than just a way to stay fit, they’re a way for the members to connect with each other and for us to offer additional programming that we may not have been able to offer in the summer. We’re excited to continue exploring new ways of connecting despite the cancellation of the 2020 season.
“I’m very thankful that we as an organization have the ability to maintain the tight-knit relationship that this corps has. It’s not something you find everywhere,” said Skylar. “The fact that we’re able to keep this family bond going and growing virtually as well is super heartwarming and makes it feel even more special.”
