119th Drum Major interview

 

119th Drum Major
Creta（クレタ）
Instrument in charge：trombone
Origin of the nickname：Cre- from “Crayon Shin-chan” ＋ -ta from pasta
Position at the Beppu Parade：Front row, second from right

The time has come to introduce to you the 119th’s Drum Major.

Please take another look at the Beppu Parade video. On the far left in the front row is trombone team leader Pollon, on the far right is the 118th’s “genius manga artist” Yadoco, and second from the right is the 119th’s next Drum Major. Her nickname is Creta. Comes from the anime “Crayon Shin-chan” and pasta. She was nominated as Drum Major by the senpai(s) of the 118th and Kaneshiro-sensei on the same day as Renpy after the interview.

ー　You got selected as Drum Major!
Creta　 I am very happy that Kaneshiro-sensei and my senpai(s) of the 118th chose me. But at the same time I am also very aware of the great responsibility I have because after winning the National Gold in the Marching Contest in 2021 the expectations for 2022 are high.
ー　Renpy said that she had mentally prepared herself to be ready to accept a position as the President if she was chosen at any time, but how about you? Did you have a feeling that you might be chosen as Drum Major?
Creta　 Kaneshiro-sensei once told me, “Next year, the 119th will be leading the team, so make sure to get used to thinking and acting regularly in a way that you are ready anytime if you get chosen as a leader,“ so yes, I did have a hunch.
ー　KT’s trombone players have traditionally been the team at the front of the parade line and attracting the attention of the spectators. Maybe because of that, I think the whole team gives off a glamorous vibe, and some past Drum Majors were also trombone players. I’m sure there are many fans who fully support your choice as next Drum Major. By the way, what made you decide to come to KT in the first place?
Creta　 I was in a Wind Music Club and did marching since junior high, and we also participated in Marching Contests. I was very much influenced by KT since that time, and we even included some steps and a bit of dancing into our own performance.
ー　You are from a public junior high located northwest of the Kyoto Imperial Palace near Takara-ga-ike Park. In your first year, you won Gold in Kansai at the Marching Contest. You played “Hey!“ as ending song:

Click picture to watch video

Creta　 During the Contest, I saw the students from KT in their orange uniforms and was so excited that I made a big ruckus about them being there.
ー　So you were a big fan of KT.
Creta　 Yes, I was always watching their videos on YouTube. I wasn’t able to go to the Nationals when I was in junior high, but when I joined KT, under the guidance of Kaneshiro-sensei, Shima-coach, and all the senpai(s), I could go to the Nationals for the first time (Shugakuin JHS advanced to the Nationals in 2019 after Creta graduated).
ー　You joined the Wind Music Band of your dreams, won National Gold, and now you are the Drum Major of the team. That’s impressive. Will your first job as Drum Major be to conduct the performance after you see off the third year students at the end of the Regular Concert?
Creta　 That’s right.
ー　In a regular year, you would have only one more month to get ready (the interview was on November 28th).
Creta　 Yes. This year, the Regular Concert is at the end of March, so we still have four more months to prepare. I intend to do my best.

Creta is also an excellent player of her instrument. She was selected as one of the eight members to play at the Kyoto Qualification for the All-Japan Ensemble Contest, in which KT will participated for the first time, on January 6, 2022. At the contest Su-chi will play the tuba, Kiro-py, Taradon and a student of the 119th will play the trumpet, Piron will play the horn, and Yadoco, the “manga artist“ and Creta, also a student of the 120th will play the trombone.

ー　By the way, what did you dress up as at the costume contest in Beppu? I get the feeling that everyone’s individual personality came out in their costumes, so I can’t help but ask about it. The Drum Major of the 118th wore a Chinese dress.
Creta　 I bought an old (70’s to 90’s) Japanese biker’s boiler suit with Kanji embroidery on the back at Donki and wore it as my costume. And then I was so surprised to see that Kaneshiro-sensei was wearing the same!
ー　Kaneshiro-sensei dressed up too?
Creta　 The President and Vice Presidents (Su-chi, Kiropy, Rany) prepared the costume and made Kaneshiro-sensei wear it.
ー　And it was the same kind of boiler suit that you had picked.
Creta　 Yeah, I was pretty surprised.
ー　I’m sure we will have another chance to talk about how it is to lead a band of about 100 people, when you count in the first-year students who will join in April, at a Marching Contest, so let’s leave it here for today. But in my personal opinion, you will be a great Drum Major.
Creta　 I will do my best.

In Japanese, a person with beautiful manners and inner human qualities is often compared to a flower. In kabuki (歌舞伎), a popular star actor is called a hanagata (花形), meaning “floral player“. Because of this, the kanji for flower, hana (花), is frequently used in Japanese given names. However, this is the first time I have met a person whose name has 101 of them. I am sure that her parents wanted Creta to become a “big floral player“. After my short conversation with Creta, I was convinced that her parents’ hopes for her would come true.

---

Every year, Hiramatsu-sensei would present a beautifully framed Japanese calligraphy with words of encouragement to the members of the Club. The board on the wall of the Club’s room, which used to serve as a bulletin board, is now decorated with the calligraphy, which watches over the students’ daily practice.