Interview with William Simms - 7th Regiment Baritone

I spoke with William Simms, one of the baritone players from 7th Regiment, and asked him a few questions about the 2015 season.

1. What do you think 7th Regiment's strengths are and why?

I think our biggest strength is really building upon our programs of the past to keep making ripples and strides in the open class world. Our designers have many fresh, new ideas for our shows, and those ideas are utilized well during the season both visually and musically, and the instructors push us to just the right amount to create a great product that people will want to see. I think another strength of ours is how close we are together. While we do not spend nearly as much time as a World Class corps, our camaraderie definitely lasts and we are able to get along with each other well.

2. What can the fans expect to see from 7th Regiment's 2015 program?

7th's 2015 program "The Labyrinth" takes audiences on a journey through a mesmerizing and sometimes dangerous maze. Inspired by such films as "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Hunger Games", our show incorporates not only music from those two movies, but also music from "The Matrix" and the David R. Holsinger piece "Battle Music". Our show begins with a guard member wandering into a beckoning maze, only to find herself trapped within its confines. Our second movement includes hornline and battery members forming walls of the maze as the guard members try to move through it, scrambling to find an exit. Our third movement focuses on the desperation of being lost in the maze, and the fear of having no way out. I think the fourth movement is something the audience is definitely not expecting. In this movement, the members must move through an obstacle course to escape the maze. The obstacles become increasingly harder and require great amounts of agility, and our main character is determined to get past these obstacles to find a way out. This show is definitely an example of the design staff's fresh ideas to keep the audience engaged and to put together a great show.

3. There has been a lot of talk about independent open class corps that have the possibility of moving to world class in 5-7 years. Do you think 7th Regiment is one of those corps? Why or why not?

Right now, I'd say it's uncertain, but for now, I think 7th has a good place in open class. We are still growing, as we have had a small but steady growth rate from 2013 onward. When I joined in 2012, there were only 21 members in hornline, but from 2013 to 2015 the number has been and currently is about twice that. We are expecting 64 horns for next season. I think 7th will continue to grow, but open class is definitely the place for us to do so now.

4. What is 7th Regiment's strongest caption (ex. Visual, GE, etc.)?

I think our strongest caption would be a toss-up between GE and Brass. Our GE, especially this year has been good most likely due to the high visual demand needed to perform our show. As for brass, last year, we were ranked 3rd in open class and 22nd in World Class. This year, we have also been excelling in brass. Our caption heads have been great teachers to us and give us techniques that we can use to perform the show to our highest potential.

Thank you for your time Will!

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Will Simms is from Connecticut and has been marching 7th Regiment since the 2012 season. He currently attends UMass Amherst, where he is a member of the Minuteman Marching Band. He is currently working with fellow band students to develop the Vectors Marching Ensemble, a Blast!-esque program to further promote the importance of marching arts at UMass. He is also a marching band instructor, having taught the Wethersfield High School marching band from Wethersfield, CT.

Be sure to see 7th Regiment's 2015 program "The Labyrinth" this summer!

For more information on their show, click here.