BOB “CHICKY” GROSS
Class of 2022
INSTRUCTOR / INNOVATOR / MENTOR / BENEFACTOR
Cadet Years: Front Percussion Ensemble Arranger/Instructor (1979-1985)
HIS CADET STORY:
Bob “Chicky” Gross got his start in drum corps with the Crossmen drum and bugle corps, aging out in 1978. In 1979, Chicky joined the Cadets together with other members of the Crossmen percussion staff. It was with The Cadets where Chicky displayed his arranging creativity and innovation. As various corps would experiment with grounded instruments during the late 70’s and early 80’s, it was Chicky who first grounded everything. While many corps moved their keyboards and timpani into the pit area (created in 1981) most still had keyboards that were carried by the player (even though they were stationary). Chicky took the instruments off the harnesses in 1981 and used baritone cases for stands. Those who saw this first-hand cannot forget this sight! As odd as it looked at the time, this was the first time an entire “Front Ensemble” was grounded.
But it was not just the act of grounding the instruments that set Chicky apart from the other corps. It was what he did with them. Chicky’s arrangements helped set the Cadets apart from others. He was no longer just doubling musical elements from the horn book (which was common during the 70’s). He was creating a new “voice” for the activity.
In 1982 he took this idea to a new level by convincing the Cadets Director to rent concert instruments from Carroll Music in New York City. This was a brilliant idea since the Corps was in no condition to buy new instruments. Chicky’s work with the Cadets culminated in 1983 when he arranged parts of the World Championship Show. The opening keyboard running note pattern heard at the beginning of Rocky Point Holiday is emblematic of his writing style. The Cadets Front Ensemble would emerge as the gold standard as the Corps adopted a full percussion ensemble approach.
As Jim Prime, brass arranger for The Cadets during the early to mid-1980’s stated, “The integration of stationary concert keyboard instruments, the insistence on offering a musical approach to the writing as well as performance and supporting the contention that the front ensemble could dramatically support and enhance the brass, battery drums, and even the visual presentation all had strong roots with Bob’s involvement. As the brass arranger, I would personally attribute a good deal of the innovations and progressiveness of those 80’s repertoires to the notion that we always felt free to reimagine and orchestrate some wonderful music, like “Rocky Point Holiday" or Bernstein's “Mass”, because we had the utmost confidence that the soundscape presented by the front ensemble would indeed lead us to some musical magic.”
Perhaps the most significant aspect of Chicky’s devotion to both the marching arts (Cadets specifically) and his school success as an educator has been his consistent attention to treating the students he served with care, concern, and respect, as he carried out his strong commitment to providing them with all he could offer – musically, professionally, and personally.
