In every corps' history,
there are those who distinguish themselves as leaders with a passion,
intensity, and an unmistakable quest for excellence. Very few Crossmen
have exemplified those qaulities over the years better than Eric
Kitchenman. Over the years, he has influenced countless Crossmen
members on the field as performers, and off the field by helping
them get involved with teaching young people how to find the best
in themselves.
Eric has been involved with drum corps and the marching
arts for most of his life. His father directed the Earls of Bucks
Drum and Bugle Corps in 1964. Eric's life in the Crossmen began
in 1977 where he marched as a baritone player in the hornline.
After aging out in 1979, his teaching career began in the visual
and movement design fields as a marching instructor for North Penn
High School from Lansdale, PA. There, he moved up the ranks to
become their show designer where he continues to this day bringing
recognition to their award-winning Marching Band, Indoor Visual
and Percussion Ensembles.
In 1987, he fulfilled a long time dream
and began writing the drill for the Crossmen. Along with the design
team of Mark Thurston and Matt Krempasky, he helped lead the corps
back into Finals after a four year absence to become a consistent
DCI Finalist. After the 1991 season, Eric moved to the west coast
and began writing drill for the Velvet Knights. He returned to
the Crossmen as drillwriter for the 1996 and 1997 seasons. In 2000,
Eric began a relationship with the Reading Buccaneers as their
drillwriter. After taking some brief time off from that position,
he returned to the helm for the 2006 season. He has served in almost
every capacity in the marching activity, from tech, to designer,
to caption head, to program coordinator, staff coordinator, and
even as Assistant Director of the Crossmen in 2004.
Upon moving
to the west coast in the early 90's, Eric began his adjudication
career under the tutelage of Shirlee Whitcomb for the Winter Guard
Association of Southern California. After two years, he achieved
Winter Guard International status and returned to Philadelphia,
where he is a member of the East Coast Judges Guild. In 2003, Eric
was named as the Educational Coordinator of the Texas Color Guard
Circuit. Eric is also a USSBA judge and WGI judge mentor. He recently
started a company dedicated to movement design named The Movement
Arts Consortium.
Through it all, it is his tremendous work ethic,
his dedication to his craft, and his relentless passion and energy
that have made him one of the most influential teachers the Crossmen
have ever known.
