ニュース＆コラム

My Dream of America

In the early 1990s, when it was still difficult to get information about DCI (Drum Corps International) in Japan, the Aimachi Marching Band, where I was a member, became the first Japanese marching band to work with overseas staff and perform their arrangements at the All Japan Championships.

Around that time, I told my mentor, Mr. Kiyokazu Sekine, about my dream of going to America to study.

He said to me, “If you want to perform with DCI someday, why don’t you ask Mr.Gordon Henderson from UCLA to introduce you to an organization where you could go and learn?”

Thanks to his suggestion, I was given the opportunity to go to The Cavaliers the following year as an apprentice to learn from them.

On March 28, 1992, just a short time after graduating from high school, I left Japan for Chicago, the home of The Cavaliers, with my mentor, my parents, and many friends present to see me off.

When I arrived in Chicago, everything I saw was new and exciting. I took photos and wrote letters about the Cavaliers’ rehearsal methods and daily life, and sent them almost every day to my mentor and friends back in Japan.

Six years later, when I returned to Japan and visited Mr. Sekine to thank him, I was amazed to see that he had kept all the materials I had sent him. They had become a stack of files as thick as several large reference books.

After spending a few months in America, I was constantly searching for the answer to one question:

“How can I get better faster?”

I came up with all kinds of ideas. “Maybe Americans have bigger hands. Maybe they are taller. Maybe it’s because they eat different food…”

But no matter how hard I tried to discover their secret, the answer I kept hearing was always the same:

“Fundamentals are important.”

I realized that simply coming to America wasn’t going to make me a better performer overnight. And at that moment, I realized once again that what I had been taught by my seniors at Aimachi was absolutely right.

The Cavaliers members also taught me another important lesson:

“Quality is more important than quantity!”

1992 DCI Tour

I joined the Cavaliers as a volunteer and attended the spring camp, spring training, and the tour that began in June. I traveled across America with the corps until the DCI Finals in August.

I didn’t just practice with the members. I also helped with preparing meals, taking out the trash, painting field lines, moving instruments, and anything else I could do to help.

And then came the DCI Finals.

The Cavaliers had been ranked first throughout the season, but were narrowly overtaken by Star of Indiana and dropped to second in the Quarterfinals. The following day, they fought back to reclaim first place in the Semifinals, and went on to clinch their first DCI Championship in the corps’ history. 

The incredible performance that night is still deeply engraved in my heart.

After the awards ceremony, alumni came down from the stands and formed a huge circle. I was welcomed into that circle, and together we sang the Cavaliers’ team song, “Over the Rainbow.”

Standing there and singing together with hundreds of people who had been part of The Cavaliers throughout its history is a memory I will never forget.

In Part 3 and beyond, I would like to share my memories from the time when I became an official member of The Cavaliers.

Photo captions:

Photo 1: A commemorative photo taken after winning in 1992. I’m the one wearing the cap with “YAMAHA” written in pink on blue.

Photo 2: A commemorative photo taken before a local parade, with the drum majors and battery members.

Photo 3: A photo from spring training, with the tenor drum members.

Profile

Uichi Kajiyama

Uichi Kajiyama graduated from the Music Department of Concordia University Chicago. He currently serves as Director of Bands at Aichi Institute of Technology Meiden High School, Technical Advisor and Conductor of the Nagoya University of Commerce & Business Symphonic Band, and Lecturer at Nagoya College of Music.

He joined Aimachi Marching Band, a recipient of Japan’s prestigious Prime Minister’s Cup, in 1984 and studied marching band instruction under Kiyokazu Sekine.

In 1992, Kajiyama moved to the United States. He became a member of The Cavaliers in 1993 and, in 1995, became the first Japanese performer to win the DCI Individual & Ensemble Solo Championship. That same year, he helped The Cavaliers win the DCI World Championship and the Fred Sanford High Percussion Award.

Following his performing career, he served on the instructional staff of the Blue Stars in 1997 and The Cavaliers in 1998.

In 2004, Kajiyama became a certified Drum Corps International (DCI) judge. He is also a certified instructor with the Japan Marching Band Association.

🔗Uichi Kajiyama