Gary Czapinski (1941-2013)

    Gary Czapinski, a renowned innovator in the world of marching band, died on December 13, 2013, at the age of 72. Czapinski was inducted as a member of the Drum Corps International Hall of Fame in 1999.
Czapinski designed and consulted for drum corps, marching bands, winter guard, and various other marching ensembles. He performed with and taught marching bands and drum corps for more than 50 years, and he was also active as a consultant, drill designer, and educator. Over the course of his career, he also served as a clinician to directors, instructors, and members of countless marching ensembles.
    An innovative drill designer for marching bands, Czapinski developed and popularized the use of curvilinear drills, which he introduced with the Santa Clara Vanguard in the 1970s. He was also known for creating effective presentations with characters in costume and for introducing the use of a parachute as a visual focus with drum corps.
    In May 2010 The Instrumentalist published an interview with Czapinski in which he shared a number of his insights regarding marching shows. Among the ideas discussed in that interview, Czapinski offered these thoughts:
    “I believe it is possible to win a lot of championships with 40 pages of drill and a good story line. Engaging the audience in a meaningful way is always going to have more audience appeal and more competitive success than just putting a bunch of stuff on the field. It is important to choose a show that the audience can relate to. You don’t want them asking a lot of questions about it. That might be stimulating, but if they are wondering what the show is about they’re not necessarily engaged or intrigued by what they’re watching…. If the acts in the show are believable and the pacing is good, then you have captured the audience, and they are yours.”
    “Lack of a focal point and poor transitions are the most common mistakes I see in shows of all kinds. A show designer should know where the focal point is at any given moment, and that focal point should shift around, both through staging on the field and through the music. These things do not happen by accident. They are always the result of careful planning.”
    Czapinski also discussed his wife Marie, who is a co-founder of Winter Guard International and a member of the Bands of America Hall of Fame, and, in August 2013, she was inducted into the Drum Corps International Hall of Fame. Regarding their life together, Czapinski said, “Marie is an integral part of my company and my life. Every night we talk for several hours about our various creative projects, judging situations we have encountered, or what our friends and former students are doing. We wait to eat dinner until we have caught up on our personal and professional lives in this way. I respect her, and she respects me. It makes for a good marriage.”