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November 2011
Lenny Keesee was appointed to the important position of Percussion Coordinator after Chris Martin stepped down temporarily in August after four years on the job. Keesee’s appointment was confirmed officially for a two year term at the fall meeting in September. And Martin has agreed to step back in to assist AIA again, thus giving the circuit Northern and Southern coordinator positions. Having two coordinators will provide consistency with the Color Guard side and will help foster the continuing growth of the circuit.
Keesee grew up in the circuit, saying with a smile, “I cut my teeth in AIA around 1998. I played for Tim Bray at Helmsmen, he gave me a place to perform.” He is first to credit the current leadership, 1 st Vice President Aaron Sperling and President Paul Orsett. “Paul in particular should be applauded for getting the circuit where it is, financially sound. with over 300 groups it’s no small task. Whatever is spent on the guard side is equal with the drumlines. He noted this was exceptional because “we’re lopsided with the number of guards, but this is true of circuits across the country.”
He added of the EBOD that “they’ve done a really fine job getting the circuit where it is.”
“A snare drummer, through and through,” he appreciates the role of color guards, too. According to Keesee, “They really got it going for us. All the way back to the 1970s. Many of the drumlines out there now that can do what the guards are doing tend to be the box five groups that you see pushing the envelope today.”
An instructor in his seventh year at PSA Ledford HS, he knew what the circuit had to offer indoor drumlines when he started there. “There was no other choice for me personally to think about as the folks have always been good. Organizationally, they’ve always had things under control, the shows were run well, I was always happy with the judging. When the opportunity came up and Chris asked me about becoming a coordinator, I was definitely interested.”
Given the unique geographic challenges for the circuit, he is advocating for a third championships site again this year. Noting that teams became comfortable with Landstown last year, a third site “should really give the percussion side of things a good championships feel.” No stranger to the Nutter Center, he says that going after a larger championships venue not only “helps prepare our teams that go out to WGI World Championships in Dayton but to give the performers at the Novice and A levels a bigger sense of accomplishment when they step into those larger venues.”
He appreciates the healthy competition, too. “The first year I brought a line out with Ledford, there were about twenty drumlines at championships. We barely squeaked in and our kids thought it was the greatest thing in the world, making finals in our first year out. I had started to look around at other circuits, but the kids wouldn’t have seen that level of competition at championships elsewhere.”
For his part, Martin has been teaching marching percussion in Fairfax County since 1999, most notably with Thomas Edison, West Springfield and Chantilly high schools. His groups’ accomplishments include eleven WGI regional championships, eight AIA circuit championships and the 2006 WGI PSA Bronze Medal. Also a member of the U.S. Air Force Band Ceremonial Brass since 1997, he has been instructing and arranging for the FSU Marching Chiefs “Big 8″ drumline for the past 15 years.
As far as the explosive growth in the circuit, over forty drumlines last year, one goal for Keesee “will be to continue to push the growth in AIA. I’ve been talking already to a lot of groups that are on the fringe, more on the independent side, or to scholastic programs that could do some things as well. We’ve got a good thing here.”
He has hit the ground running. It was recently announced that AIA will be adopting Competition Suite, cloud-based recap and commentary platform adopted by WGI and DCI in 2011. He embraces that, as he does the use of video conferencing to encourage member instructor attendance for the annual open house.
Enthusiasm and communication are key to the position, and Keesee knows it. “One thing I’m hoping to do is to reach out and make it to as many AIA shows as possible, not just those where my groups are performing. I want to be an extra pair of hands at Central and South shows as much as possible. I always do my best to stay up on email. Between a Blackberry, an iPad and a laptop on my hip. I’m usually accessible that way.”
Do you have suggestions or submissions? War stories from the floor, questions or other interests? Email Michael Kirby at
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