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Just wanted to take a moment and wish eveyone out here in drum corps land a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday and Happy New Year

Having been in the news business for 30 years, I can reasonably surmise that what happened at MDJOnline was not "hit whoring." It was simply a hot local controversy handled by a relatively green reporter. In my experience, stories like this get started with a phone call or email from one of the angry parents to the local paper. In this case, the call is forwarded to the schools reporter, and she begins taking notes and names, which the original caller is only too happy to provide (because, as the source always says in a case like this: "It's not just me. Everyone agrees with me.") A few phone calls later, the reporter has a notebook full of angry quotes from parents. And it's a legit story -- prominent local program; transition within a public institution; frustrated stakeholders; plus some added spice of overweening parents and the unmistakable whiff of entitlement. This story would have been reported the exact same way long before the arrival of the Internet. So the reporter does next what she is trained to do: She calls the school and the teacher for comment. Both decline. (The subsequent complaints by the teacher about the lack of "fair and balanced" journalism are off-base. The teacher had the opportunity to respond before the first story was published, and she declined. The reporter cannot be expected to do more than to go directly to the object of the parents' frustration.That the teacher and school have subsequently decided to publicly mount a defense is fine, but it is not an indictment of the reporter's fairness). MDJ Online is simply the online home of what is a classic, straight-ahead suburban newspaper, one of hundreds that exist in major metro areas. The bread and butter for news organizations like this is cops, courts, schools + HS sports, and local features. Parades. Ribbon cuttings. Mill levies. Much of what ails the Marietta Daily Journal and most other local daily newspapers/websites isn't "hit whoring," but persistent blandness and the crippling overhead of printing and distribution in the digital age. It doesn't help that the newsrooms like the MDJ generally are A) understaffed with B) reporters who are fresh out of school. No, what crippled this story was not malice or pandering, but simple inexperience, as I surmised in my earlier post. It's a complex and nuanced story that was handled with all the nuance of a sledgehammer. Sorry to drag this OT, but given that the whole mess revolves around news coverage of the episode, I think it's worth getting our assessment of the journalism right.

Just wanted to take a moment and wish eveyone out here in drum corps land a Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday and Happy New Year

Okay, first Merry Christmas. I'm looking a definitive answer to what makes this activity so different from others that stop its grow or hastens its death? In the past people have compared it to everything from pro sports to BOA. The reason I'm asking is because while listening to the best drum lines of 1972 I noticed that of the 39 original corps only 7 are still active. 13 of 48 from 82, 15 of 27 from 92. Adding the lower divisions you have 6 of 29 corps and 16 of 21 in 2002 plus 6 of 42 corps in lower divisions. Going back to only 2002 24 out of 63 corps are still left. That's a little more then a third of corps that year who marched last year. If this was pro sports there would be only 12 MLB or 10 NFL and 8 NHL teams left. Why is this activity so different then everything else?

Here's a thought, let's just be happy that a corps is on live national television. Maybe? I mean, I guess we should all spout off about how terrible DIsney is, and how little air time they'll get, let's ignore the fact that they're on TV and that people who know nothing about drum corps might google or search in some way and find out about this activity. Yeah, it's much better this way with people upset about the number of seconds they get, or what color pants they're wearing. Exposure less than what we want isn't good. I agree.

"Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the 'hood Arietano screeched high as he could. Swanny and Martin wailed, oh what a pair, While Pepe was dancing and scratching, down there. Nanci was working, more busy than most Searching the archives for photos to post The Don and Ray Fallon were dropping some hints While Haring admired some new Island prints. Lisko and Peashey supplied the vignettes Of Brigs and Crusaders and Emerald Cadets. McGuinness and Meehan, the two guys named Jacky, Were swapping some tales with the great Glenn Kubacki. Better than this it really can't get Except Ruben, Gaff, Norman and Simpson's Quartet And even though Christmas flys by, so it seems With buddies like this, it's like winning ten Dreams."

Besides just the account you give here concerning amplification, the any-key brass transition made by the Cavaliers was quite odd. The corps had a frustrating 2000 season (IMO) in which their spectacular brass section, using G bugles, was dumped (IMO) into third place in brass performance behind the two Bb/F hornlines at DCI finals. Nevertheless, there were no plans to change as they began preparations for 2001. Then, after several months, they sent a forum message out to their members to bring their band brass instruments to the next camp. Following that came an announcement that the Cavaliers would be using Yamaha Bb/F brass instruments in 2001. I do not know of any other highly competitive corps making a fundamental change like this in late February or March. The corps had a comparatively weak (IMO) hornline in 2001, and it is entirely possible that rearranging music and adapting to new horns 4 months later than their peers had something to do with that. This made no sense to me... until I heard the rumor that during the annual DCI meetings, in informal communication between judges and staff, Cavalier staffers were told in so many words that there would be no more G hornlines winning DCI.

Bluecoats always choose the BEST source material! I just *sometimes* wish that some of it worked better on the field... But this does have a "Creep" vibe which we know they can do very well. And understanding the lyrics of that song I'm really intrigued if Bluecoats will do a show about invasive, dark, and somewhat religious nature of technology and theinternet in our lives... hmm... would be topical! Also, Acxiom Corporation is a real marketing technology and services company. Acxiom collects, analyzes, and parses customer and business information for clients, helping them to target advertising campaigns, score leads, and more... (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acxiom) USA Today interviewed Vienna for an exclusive preview feature. From the story: The Hymn of Acxiom is...a beautiful work that gets progressively creepier as it continues. Teng uses the piece to capture the way people related to technology and the information gathered about them, and there's almost a religious quality to it. "I think the reason we agree to be spied on, basically, is that, on some level, we do want to be known," she says. "There is that unsettling parallel with religion and the way technology works now. At some level, as human beings, we have this deep need, this deep desire to be understood, to be seen, to have the sense that someone knows everything we do. "Then there's the question of what that entity does with that knowledge. In religion, the message is that God loves you and embraces you while holding you accountable for being your best self. Whether Acxiom databases do that is much more questionable." Lyrics: Somebody hears you. You know that. You know that. Somebody hears you. you know that inside. Someone is learning the colors of all your moods, to (Say just the right thing and) show that you're understood. Here you're known. Leave your life open. You don't have. You don't have. Leave your life open. You don't have to hide. Someone is gathering every crumb you drop, these (Mindless decisions and) moments you long forgot. Keep them all. Let our formulas find your soul. We'll divine your artesian source (in your mind), marshal feed and force (our machines will) To design you a perfect love— Or (better still) a perfect lust. O how glorious, glorious: a brand new need is born. Now we possess you. You'll own that. You'll own that. Now we possess you. You'll own that in time. Now we will build you an endlessly upward world, (Reach in your pocket) embrace you for all you're worth. Is that wrong? Isn't this what you want? Amen.

So...this is just a little something for the people who have stated they hate Christmas music. If you don't like this, hear the musicality and power in the arrangement...can't help ya Merry Christmas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ky2mn674Iw Chimes stop at approx 1:40 P.S. No religous ties/messages here...just like the tune and pipe organs

Does this get tiring to anyone else?

Best: Jim Coates being hired at Carolina Crown in 2003. He took that corps from a 16th place finish in 2002 to winning 4 Jim Otts and a DCI World Championship in only 10 years with his staff hiring process and commitment to keeping good staff around for a long, long time, as well as improving the quality of life in the corps, the look of the group, the strength of the organization, etc. Without him, the Carolina Crown as we know it today would not exist.

affecting all parts of the activity Worst..... gas prices that bounce like a SuperBall so you can't plan worth a crap our "sue your ### at the drop of a hat" mentality hassles/price of getting rights to music for sound/visual/both/sales - yeah corps got away with this in the past but kinda nutty now Best... Internet/movie theater for passing info and presenting shows for those who can't/won't go live

Congratulations to our two new drum majors for the 2014 season: Noah Koch and Claire Miller. âWe have established a foundation of excellence and build great leaders at Legends,â says Ibe Sodawalla, Executive Director/CEO. âNoah and Claire bring all the qualities we look for as a leader and I am proud of all their efforts [...] ... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/2013/12/2014-legends-drum-majors-announced/

Yes...I noticed this too on my Blu-Ray also. Very frustrating watching C2 march on their left foot!!!

Pacific Crest, Front Ensemble (marimba) I was recently offered an amazing opportunity to be a part of the front ensemble at the Pacific Crest. I've played mallets all four years in high school and it's something I've always enjoyed, so marching drum corps seemed like a great next step to pursue my passions. I went to an audition camp in the middle of December and I received a contract on that first weekend. I am extremely excited to be marching my first season of drum corps this summer. Unfortunately, the tuition is about $3,200. Due to the financial limitations imposed on my single-parent household, I cannot afford this cost, especially because I do plan to attend a four-year university next year and college tuition has priority over Pacific Crest's. I really do not want to miss out on such an invaluable experience because of financial issues. I would greatly appreciate any donation, regardless of amount, as it would help me immensely! If you would like to help me with my tuition, the link to pay through Pacific Crest's website is here: https://www.pacific-crest.org/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=184&zenid=32da39479fe259f0cfce57315560e9a8 And remember to write my name, Alice Kim! Also, I have a gofundme account where you can donate as well: http://www.gofundme.com/5ulfxc Thank you so much!

"And ... uh ... that was a very interesting rendition of 12 Days of Christmas by the Carolina Crown. Lots more counting than I think anyone expected."

Unfortunate. While those uniforms make a lot of sense in DCI context, I'm not sure they'll translate to mass audiences so easily. (Though to be fair, I never would have guessed #purplepantsband would have taken off like it did, so it may be just me... ) Mike

How are we defining "ballad"? Any slow song? I never would have considered Danny Boy or Auld Lang Syne ballads. That opens up tons of drum corps music. My Funny Valentine, God Bless The Child, Autumn Leaves, Send In The Clowns, Elsa's Procession, Make Our Garden Grow. In addition to the ones cited by zachariaswmb above. All of which I would think of before Crown's 2013 offering, fine as it was.

It's not much, but saw it and wanted to share. http://adisneygirlinorlando.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-30th-anniversary-walt-disney-world.html Kinda nice when a non-drum corps person is promoting the activity.

Actually, it would be really neat for the top three to be Bucs, Hurcs and Sky ... seeing this is the 50th Anniversary of the DCA ... that's the way they finished in 1965 ... :-)

My name is Kyle Oyama and in currently a member of an independent open color guard group called Vox Artium, located in San Diego. I have yet to experience WGI as a performer (not even a regional), and this is probably the last chance I'm ever going to have to make it happen. I greatly appreciate any kind of help I can get! If you can find it in your heart to donate to a fellow color guard member, I will love you forever! Even if it's just a dollar. Also, if you can refer me to people/businesses you know that would be interested in supporting me that would be amazing. Thank you so much, in advance, for the help and for simply reading all of this. Here is the link you can go to to donate: http://www.gofundme.com/Send-me-to-Dayton Please feel free to share this with anyone/everyone you know, and post it on your social networking sites as well!

My guard staff has charged me with the task of putting together a warmup cd and has only given me a few songs to put on it so I want to see what others use for different parts of their warmups. What songs make good candidates?