| Welcome to "WHAT'S NEW". This section features the photos that are new to this website before I post them to their proper year page in the various photo sections. Due to the large number of photo pages in the various sections, I have chosen this method to provide the frequent visitor to this website one location where one can go to see all that is new. That way one doesn't have to hunt through all of the different photo pages of this website every time they visit here to find what's new. Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved. |
| This page was last updated on June 4, 2011 |
| As always, I'm always looking for new photos, items and articles to post here. Please email me if you have anything that you would like to contribute to this website. I'd like to thank all those that have already contributed to this website!!! It is people like you sharing what you have that have made this website as great and as interesting as it has become. NOTE: The reason that the "What's New" section isn't updated very often anymore is because over the last few years I haven't been receiving much in the way of photos and other materials to post. If you live in Wisconsin or Illinois, I can come to your house and scan photos as my equipment is very portable. Please consider sharing your photos. My email is webmaster@racinekiltiealumni.org CONGRATULATIONS KEN NORMAN ON YOUR SELECTION THIS YEAR TO THE DCI HALL OF FAME! BELOW IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF KEN'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS. |
Ken Norman
Brass arranger and innovator
Written for DCI by Chris Weber
Some DCI Hall of Fame members’ legacy and influence on the drum corps activity started well before the formation of Drum Corps
International in 1972, and such is the case with Ken Norman.
In the early 1960s still as a French horn-playing member of the Racine Kilties, Norman got his start arranging music for the corps’
brass section. Always eager to improve and do more with his compositions, he found himself limited by the instrumental restrictions
placed on corps by the veteran’s organizations that governed the competitions of that time period.
Wishing to utilize brass instruments that weren’t as limited in range and flexibility as the traditional military bugles, Norman
orchestrated a change that many to this day consider one of the most significant historical milestones in the evolution of drum corps
instrumentation.
Hall of Fame member Dave Richards wrote in a 2000 Drum Corps International Magazine article: “Headed by Ken Norman, top
musicians in the activity developed a G [keyed] bugle with the valve tuned in F and a rotary valve tuned in B-flat. In essence, they
created an instrument that mirrored the trumpet’s first and second valve and made the bugle a legitimate instrument. It not only brought
greater notation opportunities for the instrument, but it brought greater musicians into the activity—arrangers, instructors, performers.
The activity had finally gained the recognition as a worthwhile musical activity, and the recognized precision of the past continued to
rise.”
Norman not only helped craft the proposal that would ultimately convince the VFW to accept this new style of bugle in competitions,
he would help manufacturer a custom set of the instruments for the 1968 Kilties horn line to showcase the new technology along with
an advanced musical arrangement to go with it.
The ’68 Kilties horn line made history. Hall of Fame member Jack Meehan complementing the innovation of Norman and his group
said, “[Ken] gave us all a glimpse into the future and a taste of what was possible.”
For more than four decades, Norman has composed or is credited for the brass arrangements of a staggering number of junior,
senior and alumni corps, including the Kilties, Anaheim Kingsmen and Argonne Rebels, among a list of no less than 65 others. Beyond
composing and arranging, he is also credited for developing new adjudication captions that form the cornerstone of today’s judging
system used in Drum Corps International competitions.
“It was Ken whose significant influence made it possible to overcome the inertia of locked-in an archaic rules of the national
veterans’ organizations and freed the activity to achieve excellence as an art form,” said Hall of Fame member Glenn Opie. “In doing
so, legions of kids and adults learned teamwork, how to achieve excellence with enhanced spirit, and the discipline that resulted in
successfully handling life and its endless number of trials.”
Brass arranger and innovator
Written for DCI by Chris Weber
Some DCI Hall of Fame members’ legacy and influence on the drum corps activity started well before the formation of Drum Corps
International in 1972, and such is the case with Ken Norman.
In the early 1960s still as a French horn-playing member of the Racine Kilties, Norman got his start arranging music for the corps’
brass section. Always eager to improve and do more with his compositions, he found himself limited by the instrumental restrictions
placed on corps by the veteran’s organizations that governed the competitions of that time period.
Wishing to utilize brass instruments that weren’t as limited in range and flexibility as the traditional military bugles, Norman
orchestrated a change that many to this day consider one of the most significant historical milestones in the evolution of drum corps
instrumentation.
Hall of Fame member Dave Richards wrote in a 2000 Drum Corps International Magazine article: “Headed by Ken Norman, top
musicians in the activity developed a G [keyed] bugle with the valve tuned in F and a rotary valve tuned in B-flat. In essence, they
created an instrument that mirrored the trumpet’s first and second valve and made the bugle a legitimate instrument. It not only brought
greater notation opportunities for the instrument, but it brought greater musicians into the activity—arrangers, instructors, performers.
The activity had finally gained the recognition as a worthwhile musical activity, and the recognized precision of the past continued to
rise.”
Norman not only helped craft the proposal that would ultimately convince the VFW to accept this new style of bugle in competitions,
he would help manufacturer a custom set of the instruments for the 1968 Kilties horn line to showcase the new technology along with
an advanced musical arrangement to go with it.
The ’68 Kilties horn line made history. Hall of Fame member Jack Meehan complementing the innovation of Norman and his group
said, “[Ken] gave us all a glimpse into the future and a taste of what was possible.”
For more than four decades, Norman has composed or is credited for the brass arrangements of a staggering number of junior,
senior and alumni corps, including the Kilties, Anaheim Kingsmen and Argonne Rebels, among a list of no less than 65 others. Beyond
composing and arranging, he is also credited for developing new adjudication captions that form the cornerstone of today’s judging
system used in Drum Corps International competitions.
“It was Ken whose significant influence made it possible to overcome the inertia of locked-in an archaic rules of the national
veterans’ organizations and freed the activity to achieve excellence as an art form,” said Hall of Fame member Glenn Opie. “In doing
so, legions of kids and adults learned teamwork, how to achieve excellence with enhanced spirit, and the discipline that resulted in
successfully handling life and its endless number of trials.”
ABOVE: This Moe Knox photo of the Kilties at the 1964 World Open includes a nice shot of
Ken Norman, 2011 DCI Hall of Fame Class. Ken is front and center, wearing glasses and
playing the French horn bugle. This was Ken's age-out year and he went out being a part of
the most successful Kiltie Corps to date which included winning the 1964 VFW National
Championship in Cleveland, OH.
BELOW: After aging out of the Kilties, Ken Norman continued on the Kilties staff as a bugle
instructor and music arranger. Here Ken, left front and facing the camera, is seen warming up
the Kilties horn line in 1967 prior to the Kilties performance at the Shriner's International
Championship in Toronto, ONT. Ken Mazmanian is the Kilties staff member on the right.
Ken Norman, 2011 DCI Hall of Fame Class. Ken is front and center, wearing glasses and
playing the French horn bugle. This was Ken's age-out year and he went out being a part of
the most successful Kiltie Corps to date which included winning the 1964 VFW National
Championship in Cleveland, OH.
BELOW: After aging out of the Kilties, Ken Norman continued on the Kilties staff as a bugle
instructor and music arranger. Here Ken, left front and facing the camera, is seen warming up
the Kilties horn line in 1967 prior to the Kilties performance at the Shriner's International
Championship in Toronto, ONT. Ken Mazmanian is the Kilties staff member on the right.
BELOW: The three photos below were emailed to me by Dan Saeger and are posted here
with his permission. They were taken at the 1967 Wisconsin State Fair contest which was won
by the the Kilties. Dan Saeger's father, Rudy Saeger, was corps director of the Milwaukee
Starlights Drum and Bugle Corps in the early 1960s and later was involved with the St.
Matthias Cadets, Parade Specialists and the Combine when he abruptly passed away in
1971. These photos were recently found by Dan in old family photo albums that his mother
has. Thanks Dan for sharing them with us!
with his permission. They were taken at the 1967 Wisconsin State Fair contest which was won
by the the Kilties. Dan Saeger's father, Rudy Saeger, was corps director of the Milwaukee
Starlights Drum and Bugle Corps in the early 1960s and later was involved with the St.
Matthias Cadets, Parade Specialists and the Combine when he abruptly passed away in
1971. These photos were recently found by Dan in old family photo albums that his mother
has. Thanks Dan for sharing them with us!
BELOW: The photos below were taken by me of the Racine Kilties at Racine's
Memorial Day parade last Monday, May 30, 2011.
Memorial Day parade last Monday, May 30, 2011.
LEFT: I had a chance to stop and talk
to Harald Kahlert prior to the Memorial
Day service at Mound Cemetery in
Racine on May 30, 2011. Harald
joined the Kilties shortly after they
were organized in 1934 and originally
was a snare drummer. In 1936 he
became the Kilties first drum major and
led the Kilties in their first public
appearance in Racine's 1936 Fourth
of July parade. Harald is doing fine
and still is the commander of the
Racine VFW Firing Squad although he
no longer does parades. Harald will be
93 years old this September.
RIGHT: Kilties 2011 Drum Major.
to Harald Kahlert prior to the Memorial
Day service at Mound Cemetery in
Racine on May 30, 2011. Harald
joined the Kilties shortly after they
were organized in 1934 and originally
was a snare drummer. In 1936 he
became the Kilties first drum major and
led the Kilties in their first public
appearance in Racine's 1936 Fourth
of July parade. Harald is doing fine
and still is the commander of the
Racine VFW Firing Squad although he
no longer does parades. Harald will be
93 years old this September.
RIGHT: Kilties 2011 Drum Major.
