Q & A with Ray Mar, Director of the Mandarins, by Michael Carlson, DCW Staff, July 2001

Let's step back to the rain-swept Saturday of March 23, 1963. Eleven nervous youngsters, along with a handful of interested parents, sat listening to welcoming remarks regarding the brain-child of Thomas Fong, Yuk Fong, Frank Lim, and Roy Wong for the Ye Wah Drum & Lyre Corps.

Little did anyone in the Sacramento Confucius Church imagine that they were sowing the seeds for what would become one of the most popular drum corps of all time.

Within two years the corps traded in their bells for a set of bugles. And two years after that, the corps changed their name to the Mandarins Drum & Bugle Corps.

From the very beginning, the organization instilled in its members the values and discipline that defined the local Chinese culture. And despite the passing of years and organizational evolution, the original values system and work ethic remains steadfast in the Mandarin organization.

Approximately 18 years after the founding of the corps, Ray Mar took over as director of the organization and continues at the helm today. Ray is a very humble man and believes in the success of others.

When he's not working with the members of his own organization, he plays an active role as vice chairman of the DCI Division II and III Advisory Committee. He also finds himself as advisor and mentor to fledgling corps working to get off the ground.

The dedication and hard work have paid off for the Sacramento group. They have traveled across the Pacific to perform as part of Taiwan's 1972 and 1978 presidential inauguration ceremonies. In addition, the Mandarins are proud owners of seven DCI Division III championship trophies.

And if that's not enough to impress you, talk with the handful of Division I corps they have outscored over the years at DCI's quarterfinals.

DCW: Let me cut right to the chase. How do the Mandarins spell success? You have been highly successful for the last two decades. What do you attribute that to?

RM: I attribute that to having a wonderful base of volunteers and an excellent, excellent instructional staff. The instructors, they make up the show that is judged on the field. As far as philosophy, we have always had a philosophy of putting family values first. After that, school comes in second, and this (the Mandarins) is the third place in line. And that's the order that we teach things.

DCW: Comments have been made about how the Mandarins are almost like family. And not only family within the organization, but also within the drum corps community.

RM: It really has to do with respect. And we try to teach our kids to show respect to other corps, because we would like to have them give us the same type of respect.

DCW: Do you actively recruit?

RM: No. The only recruitment that, if you want to call it recruitment, is by our musical arranger. Usually in the beginning of the school year he will go do a couple of clinics in some of the high schools. But that's basically it. It's word of mouth and Internet.

And we have been as little as 35 in our membership in '92, when we still won a DCI World Championship. Up to now, we are at 70-71 kids, which is the biggest it has been since I've been around. And we've never really gone out to recruit. I personally don't have time to recruit (laughs).

DCW: I think your reputation does your recruiting for you.

RM: It does in some respects. Like I said, we have a pretty good idea who we are. So, for us to go and recruit, I don't know if we can offer what kids are looking for. But, on the other hand, I think kids who are looking for something, we can provide something. The kids that are looking for this activity and know about us, they'll find us.

DCW: Do you see it as expensive to be in the Mandarins? Looking at it from the performers' perspective.

RM: It is expensive. We probably charge as much or more than anybody else in Division II or III -- probably including Division I. But that's basically what we need to do to survive. It's also based upon the mode of travel. We've been flying to DCI for the last 12 years or so. Because we are all volunteers, we found that we can save a week's time on our volunteers by flying out and flying home.

DCW: Do you have any scholarships or work opportunities for the kids to be able to work off the costs?

RM: What we do is set up a sponsorship program where we give them letters that they can send out to businesses or take to businesses, explaining who they are, what they do, what the activity is. They can also mail it out to friends and relatives requesting sponsorship. And that sponsorship goes directly toward their travel.

DCW: Is that pretty successful for them?

RM: It is as successful as they want it to be. We have some students who pay off their entire season with it and some who don't bother. So it is just however they want to utilize it.

DCW: We discussed this a couple of times -- starting (each year) from the very basics and building them into this awesome power at the end of the year... can you describe your winter rehearsal schedule?

RM: Usually the first of November is when we first start getting kids to show up. And Friday nights from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, we'll take the new kids and teach them whatever. From November through December we work on teaching them some Christmas music, because we do a Sacramento Christmas parade to kick off the shopping season, which is Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Then the horn line learns more Christmas music because they do a standstill at the mall. But other than that we are not teaching any show music, because we are in the process of writing it, formulating it and doing whatever they (the staff) need to do.

In January, we'll have our first camp. That's where we'll hand out the first of the music for the summer. We'll add Wednesdays. In February, we'll add on a Saturday rehearsal. (From February through) May, it's Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Now we're into June.

School just let out in Sacramento, so now we'll do maybe one extra day of rehearsal, because we get cut off on the weekend -- there's no practice, but the shows. So we don't really practice as much as I know a lot of other corps do. But what we emphasize is that we utilize the time that we have together to get it accomplished, because we have so little time.

And (we) make sure that the student understands that this is the amount of time we have available (and) this is what we want to accomplish, because they have to know what the goal is, too.

DCW: Do you have a move-in period?

RM: No. It's funny you should say move in, because not until this year had kids come from out of the Sacramento area. We have had a couple come in from Stockton, from Lodi, from the (San Francisco) Bay Area and last year we had a couple of kids come in from Reno. This year we also have four kids who came from Japan.

As far as the move-in period, over the years we just tell kids that they need to be within driving range, because we don't have housing for them. This isn't what we're set up to do. I believe a couple of them are getting an apartment in Davis. So, we don't have a requirement to move in.

DCW: We are getting into the summer months and the tour is coming up. How do you and your staff help to relieve the pressures of daily rehearsals and competition?

RM: We do practice a lot. I tell the kids every year that if they are not having any fun, they should quit and go try some other activity, because there is a lot of hard work involved, a lot of sweat involved, you have to learn how to have fun with it. So if you are not having any fun, it's really not worth it.

As far as the staff, we talk about it. And we do pencil in some breaks. We came to realize that these are still kids and their attention span is only so long. So, when you are doing that kind of thing, you need to make sure that you give kids enough time to recoup.

The activity is based on competition and we believe that it's healthy, but we don't focus on that. This is a judged activity. All that we can focus on is teaching the kids as best we can and then giving them the best opportunity to succeed at whatever level of success that they (the performers) deem is successful.

DCW: When you look back to past years, you have come up with some very creative shows. When do you usually start the design process?

RM: The selection process begins in October. We start looking at different music that we might want to utilize, start discussing what type of programming we might want to do. We involve all the caption heads together so that when we do make a selection it gets everybody going in the same direction.

DCW: Do you ever come into it with preconceived ideas that have been toyed around with during the summer?

RM: No, I can't recall at any time where we've gone during a summer and thought about a following year's program.

DCW: When you get together for the design meetings in October, everybody's coming with pretty much an open mind?

RM: Pretty much. Everybody comes with ideas of what they would like to try to do for the coming season. After we narrow it down on music selection and whatever we're going to do, then we have agreement and move forward from there.

DCW: Who do you involve in the design process?

RM: The music selection is done by the caption heads. As far as the field show itself, the visual caption head and the color guard caption head are usually the ones who do 90 percent of everything you see on the field.

DCW: Do you try to strive for a balance of visual, brass, and percussion?

RM: The ideal thing is to go for that balance, because going into a season -- by the time we make our selection for a show and design -- we really don't know what is going to be our strength. So, we try to emphasize to the kids every year that it's our goal to make everybody at their fullest strength -- whatever that is.

DCW: How do you see your role as a director in all of this?

RM: Taking care of the details. Make sure that the buses show up on time.

DCW: What about in the design process?

RM: Anything that happens on the field as far as design, music, or whatever -- you know, I might throw in my two cents worth, but it doesn't really make a difference.

DCW: You never end up with disagreements?

RM: No, not at all. I don't really see how I can get involved in it. We do have what I consider the best group of instructors in the business. That to me is bar none. That will include Divisions I and II. These guys, if they had a mind to, could succeed going outside and hiring out, but that's not really where they are at.

DCW: Your staff doesn't change.

RM: No. We have someone come in and out every so often, but basically it's the same. Most of them started the year I started and that was their first year as instructors. So, we all grew into this thing together.

DCW: What to you attribute to that staying power to? And why do they stay with you as opposed to being picked up by another corps?

RM: I attribute it to being part of the family. They understand what we're all about. Most of them have been through our program and they all have real jobs. Nobody does this for a living... we just cover some expenses. They're here because they want to be here.

DCW: That definitely says a lot for the organization. The talent is absolutely immense.

RM: It is. I'm the one you (DCW) come and seek out and talk to. I'm the one who people recognize. But it is basically the instructors and the volunteer support staff that we have that makes the program go.

DCW: I see that you have a booster club. How do you see their role in the success of the corps?

RM: Absolute. Like I said, without the volunteers and boosters that we have, along with the instructors, this organization would cease -- just like all others that have no base of support. I have been the recipient of excellent help from parents who want to become part of it; parents who donate their time and their efforts.

DCW: Do they help to fill out the ranks of the volunteers that are used every summer?

RM: Oh yes, absolutely, that's who we have... parent volunteers. We have a lot of parents of kids who have aged out who are still helping out.

DCW: Does the corps still maintain strong ties to Sacramento's Chinese community?

RM: It has dwindled over the past. We still follow the basic customs and qualities that were with the original group. Family is the number one thing. As far as having strong ties with the Chinese community, no, that was beginning to dwindle in the late '70s.

We actually had a large discussion amongst ourselves on how we should handle this, because when I started it was widely believed that it was only Chinese allowed in the corps. And, in fact, during my term here, we have said that so long as we find kids who are of the same beliefs -- believe in the same qualities and want to participate in the program -- then that will be acceptable.

DCW: Do you still participate in the Chinese celebrations and activities?

RM: Oh, absolutely... there are some local Chinese festivals and things that we always participate in.

DCW: What do you see the future holding for the Mandarins as you approach your 40th anniversary?

RM: One of the things I would like to be able to do is to take this corps either to the Far East or to Europe and teach. We pride ourselves on being able to teach at the level that is needed more so than the (Division I corps). Because basically they are too far advanced for the kind of teaching that the kids need overseas. And that is kind of what I see our niche is -- that we are more suited for that.

DCW: How long have you been associated with the Mandarins?

RM: Since 1981.

DCW: How did you get into it?

RM: My son, of course. He joined and the Mandarins at that point were about a dozen kids. And there was one couple left on the administrative staff -- the booster president and his wife. And they had a booster meeting and my wife and the other couple was there. They said they were looking for people to help out in any way they could.

I was trying to figure out why my son wanted to join this group, because he was with the Kennedy High School Band that was almost 200 strong and they were winning all kinds of honors and stuff.

We came to the meeting and checked it out. They could really use some help, not that I know what this (drum corps) is about or anything. So, from the first meeting on I became the corps director. It was my wife who said we should do something here. So, we did. That's the way it goes sometimes.

DCW: You are vice chairman of the DCI Division II and III Advisory Committee.

RM: I think one of my biggest roles as one of the board members on Division II/III is to work with new corps and try to help advise them. I think it's my duty to try to get them to not try to do too much; try to set goals that are realistic and try to build their corps from within.

That's what we've found to be the best way to do it. It's very difficult, particularly in the early stages of a brand-new corps. You don't have anything from within and you have to kind of go outside. But as you develop, I think that it's more important you build a philosophy and find people who subscribe to that same philosophy.

After that first year, they come to reality and it's not happening and they give up or they have ex-(Division I members) on their staff who don't have the II/III mentality. That's what you must have.

I try to think that, particularly for those kids from Japan, they have a much higher anticipation of what we are than what we really are. I know the kids have been successful on the field and that's nice, but we never, ever focus on that. And I have told them that some of our best years we didn't win. Some of the years we won a championship were not as good as other years.

When they are able to come off the field and have a feeling of excitement, that's what to look for. You look for that excitement, you look for that feeling and you look for that in their faces.

Anything other than that, they could have performed their absolute worst show, but if they felt like it was great, then what more can you ask for?

The Magical Mandarins and Other Wondrous Things, by Dave Shaw, DCW Staff, December 1988

The Mandarins of Sacramento, CA successfully defended their DCI A-60 World Championship in Kansas City with a real old-fashioned, super-charged, come-from-behind victory. It was the kind of touch-of-the-magic-wand performance drum corps people live for.

The Mandarins, however, had elevated themselves into the ranks of the never-to-be-forgotten long before they ever won their first world title. I'd like to share with you excerpts from a letter I received from the Mandarins' Special Services Manager, Scott Jow.

In an article entitled Madison, DCI and the Yellow Brick Road, I wrote, "The Mandarins of Sacramento are the quintessential drum corps. An easily observed, common, ethnic heritage and a probable single-city membership base has molded an extremely close group of youngsters and staff. I doubt very much if their drum corps experience will be limited to a single-season, high-intensity aberration. I suspect, instead, that their average member will remain for several years. They will probably share many joys and disappointments, work together, grow together, learn together, and develop lifelong friendships and tools for living in the process. I envy them their journey. If they were never to progress a single step beyond their present level of accomplishment, which is extremely unlikely, they would, nevertheless, be an unqualified drum corps success story."

The Mandarins, in a very moving letter, responded as follows: "The Mandarins have been in operation for twenty-four years. Our membership has always averaged sixty youths, with the average tenure lasting four years. The corps has had its share of up and down years; historically, the up seasons have come every three years, with the time in-between spent on rebuilding due to lost membership. We only hope our current wave of success continues."

"The Mandarins have always found it difficult to participate in an activity where 'big' always appeared to be better. The plight of small drum corps, with limited contests, less music and marching experience, and poor funding, is just as you stated in your article. The Mandarins never had world-class instructors, nor 19 or 20-year old corps veterans waiting in line to join, nor a budget that would allow purchase and maintenance of state-of-the-art equipment. Our key to success has been hard work and volunteerism (corny as it may seem), as it was back before drum corps became a big business and everybody was paid."

"We are a small but proud drum corps trying to produce a quality product with limited resources. The Mandarins may never be an open-class corps because we don't stress 'hard core' drum corps. Our members don't make corps 95 percent of their life, but the fact that we offer a comfortable balance of drum corps and personal time has enabled us to continue through the years. I keep reading about the emotional and financial toll the Top 25 had to pay to get where they are. I wonder if some will ever be forced, not by choice but by necessity, to return to the values of old-fashioned drum corps, where performing and competition was fun; where volunteers were unpaid people who made the organization run; and where 'politics' was a foreign word."

The preceeding words are probably the most magnificent declaration of purpose and philosophy I've ever read. It was that declaration, rather than the two world titles that followed it, that immortalized the Mandarins for me. I hope that if and when Bob Bella Rosa's dream of a drum corps museum materializes, the words of the Mandarins' philosophy will be engraved in granite over the door. They're already engraved, for all time, in my mind and in my heart. Thank you, Mandarins, for a priceless gift of principle.

The Mandarins, as we all know, subsequently went on to win two DCI A-60 World Championship titles... the most recent in Kansas City this year. They did it the hard way and they did it the right way. Thank you for that, too!