Leaderboard

...........well, typically it's the sopranos doing that, but who knows now!! To paraphrase Kenny Norman in order to achieve the bagpipe sound from the horns---"bad players play loud, good players play bad" = bagpipes.

Presenting their 2015 show - music so old it's in the public domain - drum corps international is proud to present - EVERY CORPS OUT THERE !!!!

LOL! When I first saw this thread, I wondered why the OP was only asking about those particular 7 years of BAC being in finals..until I noticed the date. The fact shouldn't be lost on anyone that BAC has now been a finalist for 16 years in a row, making the corps one of the most consistent Top 12 corps in DCI. There are, what , only a half dozen groups that have put together 16 year finalist strings. This is, imo, noteworthy in itself.

Think I'll head down to Cuba later in the year when the travel packages start to appear .. gonna look for my old 56 Chevy Bel Air ... think I saw it on a newscast recently ... HOO HAA ... for now, I'll just have to settle for FL ... :-)

My daughter wants to learn rifle, but is too young to march with (and learn from) her High School marching band or a drum corps. Are there any resources out there to teach basic technique - books, quality videos, etc.? I have been unable to find any instructional works by any drum corps, and of the vast number of YouTube videos out there, they certainly vary in quailty, so if there is any particular YouTube video series you are aware of we could look up, that would be great. Thanks.

DCI announced today that FN is transitioning to a new platform in the near future. They also addressed some of the licensing issues, but they are what they are. Didn't want the topic to get lost in the other thread. Here's the announcement: Dear Fan Network Subscriber: We are writing today to make you aware of several issues which may cause occasional interruptions in the delivery of on-demand programming through the DCI Fan Network. During the next few months, the DCI Fan Network will be transitioning from its current delivery platform to a new state-of-the-art service designed with enhanced technology to provide loyal fans like you with an even better viewing experience. During this transition, it may be necessary for us to remove content from our online library from time to time. Additionally, Drum Corps International is currently reviewing the status of various copyright permissions granted by publishers of works performed by our participating ensembles. As a result, we regret that select files may not be available for viewing for an indefinite period of time. Please be assured that we are working to complete this review and implement our upgraded capabilities as quickly and efficiently as possible. We are pleased to continue to demonstrate leadership in the world of marching music, including our ability to provide ample and robust content offerings through our increasingly popular Fan Network platform. We are equally committed to demonstrating our leadership in compliance with copyright law and to the protection of the intellectual property rights of talented composers and arrangers around the world. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and we thank you for continuing to support the remarkable organizations which comprise Marching Music's Major League.TM

The Kilties are presently seeking a performer with the talent and skill sets to fill a synthesizer position for the 2015 season. Visit The Kilties' website to apply for this position and/or positions within other sections: http://www.kilties.com ~Since 1934~

First time I watched the pre show in Folsom, CA, I felt it was one of the best evar! Nothing complicated, but oh so well written for all sections. Supposedly, with the great feed back on the pre shows for 11 & 12, they made the "Rise" pre show part of the judged portion.

There is some great information in this thread. However, looking through everything that is posted, here is what I'm reading: "Better technology, less vendor profit, more cost to subscribers and less content available."

Interesting and well-written article by "drumcat." This all seems logical. The web has certainly progressed with audio, video, and the customized views for desktop, tablet, cell phone. It does worry me some when niche markets, like drum corps, hand control of important concepts and/or content to larger, more commercial, 3rd party clients. The benefits can, as you say, be wonderful, and perhaps this will up membership. Perhaps DCI feels the only way to get FN membership up to even more profitable levels, especially in the midst of copyright issues, is to take the content delivery mechanism from "homebrew" (as you say) to the highest level of professional application. But niche markets can be fickle, and with DCI potentially giving up more control and dollars will they find a good balance of income and quality? I hope so.

Well, this might be one of the last things I can really give perspective on with my prior knowledge, so let me share what I know. Caveat emptor; I haven't been behind the scenes in almost two years. I can at best be general, but it might make some sense and fill in some of the gaps. It's a little more than just a CDN change. First, I think the issue about the rights management has been fully addressed above. It's always a business decision. As had been stated, the main reason you only saw finalists on FN was that the licensing was thought to have covered in good faith based on the Legacy Collection. Anything more was bad ROI and thus unnecessary risk. Now the licensors are trying to triple-dip, and blah blah blah, turning into a public domain activity, etc. etc. /deadhorse As for the technical changeover, the "more than just" is that they are partnering with a company that will do more than just provide the video. This means development, and content management. I don't know if this is for both sites or just FN, but it's a "platform" as opposed to "homebrew" that everyone complained about. The argument for "homebrew" was always what you'd expect; do whatever you want, code and all, and keep all the money. The catch is that the development - especially the ongoing stuff - is expensive. It becomes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Like dci.org... that thing is how old in its current incarnation? There's nothing wrong per se, but it's definitely showing its age. The mobile / responsive stuff is really the hard thing to pull off well with "homebrew". It all takes a lot of money, time, and willpower, and it has to be done seasonally without upsetting the other folks that pay to use the platform. The argument for the CDN/partner is simple; shared development. Live within the confines, and they will keep up with testing all the Android flavors, all the updated Bootstrap installs, javascript... all the crud that goes on behind the scenes to keep things working. On top of that, design, user interface... the works. There are some big players that use these systems... pro sports, college conferences... clearly a good combination. The downside is the CDN/partner takes a large cut. As content owner, that's a scary proposition. Your cash cow is your content, and now you have to agree to give away a percentage of every subscription. From what I'd heard, it was clear that the DCI office wasn't willing to go down the additional employee route, and that there have been champions of the CDN/partner choice for years. It appears the time has finally arrived to give up some control and get some more polished product. I truly, honestly hope that this is the right way forward for them. If there's one thing I'm sure of, they have crunched the numbers many, many times over. However I do know that those involved with creating The Fan Network did so before this kind of thing was even an option. Remember finals in 1999? One of those little web ball cams hanging out the pressbox updated every 10 seconds. Selling APDs within an hour of the performance. Live video. Live HD. This appears to be the next evolution. So yes, there will be a lot of change, and as stated, it'll probably just be there one morning. DNS changeover, and boom. Technology moves on, and things can get more complex than can be handled by a small team, while still giving what fans demand. That's entertainment! I think everyone will be happier in the end, and hopefully it'll be revenue positive for the office and the corps.

Red 2000 One of my all time favorite dci shows. The crowd was electric when Boston was announced at finals. They were the first corps to be shown live on national tv that evening.

Folks that know me well know I used up all my drink coupons within 3 yrs of returning from overseas. No Bacardi for this boy... errr... old man. As for coffee, never got the taste for it. Just going for the sun, and to get Carrie thawed out.

Thompson Vu, now of Boston Crusaders front office staff. He's as competent and amazing off the podium as he was conducting.

Kristy Spears

It's also very likely that they were cut for other reasons than playing or marching ability. In fact, I'd almost bet on it.

November 25, 2014. The Skyliners Drum & Bugle Corps’ Open House this past weekend was a tremendous success, and an exciting beginning for the corps’ 70th Anniversary season. After the Skyliners’ return to the field of DCA Competition last season, the corps is looking forward to continued growth and more opportunities to entertain its stalwart fans and alumni. Scott Carey, Brass Caption Head, assisted by Ryan Lamoreux, Assistant Brass Caption Head, led the brass instruction, supported by the 2015 Brass Staff. After warm-ups, the horn line worked through the beginning of “It Better Be Tonight”, from their 2015 show “Whatever Lola Wants.” Although composed for the 1963 film ‘The Pink Panther’, the Skyliners have chosen Michael Bublé’s treatment of this song, which is an adaptation of the musical arrangement made for the great songstress, Lena Horne. Percussion Caption Head Tom Siegfried and Percussion Arranger Eric Boylan, together with the Percussion staff, led the Percussion line through percussion warm-ups. They also embarked on music for “It Better Be Tonight”. The color guard members in attendance were led by Michele Fadden, Color Guard Caption Head, and the Color Guard Staff. They stretched, danced, spun and did jazz runs. Throughout the day Andrew Hayward, Visual Caption Head, and the Visual Staff visited each section to help focus on visual basics during sectionals. The Skyliners unveiled a new uniform for the 2015 season to the attendees of the Open House. SKY OPEN HOUSE VIDEO REPORT - http://youtu.be/1OsHCYo0PBQ The Skyliners thank everyone who attended today, everyone who helped set up or clean up for the Open House, those who baked or cooked, or helped in many ways to make it such a success. To those who were not able to attend due to school/family commitments, please mark the Skyliners’ next rehearsal on your schedule: SKYLINERS DECEMBER CAMP WEEKEND Dates/Times: Saturday, December 13th, 2014 ~ 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 P.M. Sunday, December 14th, 2014 ~ 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 P.M. Location: Wyoming Valley West High School 150 Wadham Street, Plymouth, PA 18651 Directions: http://www.mapquest.com/places/wyoming-valley-west-hs-plymouth-pa-2216650/ Keep up-to-date with us via our website, http://www.MarchSky.org, the Skyliners Drum & Bugle Corps Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/skylinersdbc and the Skyliners 2015 Interest Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/712736618762089. For more information, please contact Adam Burdett at info@MarchSky.org.

Hi, We are a music and arts educational program in Baltimore City, MD and we are searching for a guard instructor. As we continue to grow we have moved to a larger facility and we are looking for a guard instructor to help us with the continued growth of our program. We have a great team, great facility and equipment to begin with. All we are missing is you! WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR: Persons with a clean record (no convictions of sexual offense.) Experience with teaching youth groups ages 13 to 22 is preferable. We are open to giving a chance to those looking to get into the field for the first time. Prior marching experience is required, and drum corps experience is a plus, but no teaching experience is required. You must be a team player who is patient and takes the initiative. You must be interested in assisting us with furthering the development of our program to a statewide color guard and marching band program. The ideal person will need to be enthusiastic, works well with youth, and loves everything there is to love about color guard, marching band, and drum corps activities. You will be responsible for teaching a range of experience levels (mostly beginners), creating routines, and working towards developing a color guard within the marching band and developing a winter guard program. The ideal person should understand that our primary goals are to 1) provide positive life-changing educational experiences for our members, 2) entertain our audiences, at football games, parades to band competitions, and 3) promote the traditions & culture of the marching arts. *The ideal person should be comfortable working with a student ‘Field Staff’, which consists of Drum Majors & Section Leaders. The ability to motivate others to grown as leaders is essential. Experience with drum corps, winter guard and/or marching band is ideal though we are open to similar type experiences. Please list any experience in the following areas: rifle, saber, flag, choreography, dance/movement, gymnastics, makeup and hair, special effects, drama/theater, and costume design. Thank you for reading our message and we hope to hear from you soon. Respond to us at: themarchingelite@gmail.com

I don't live in Florida, but I have family there and spend some time down there when I can. Florida is an interesting beast when it comes to funding a drum corps, hosting a show, and factors with local schools and the state's eco system (climate, economy, businesses, etc.). For starters, it does rain a lot, making it dicey to run a show. You would inevitably have many rain outs. An indoor venue would almost be a necessity. The last time DCI ran Finals there (2003) we dealt with serious rain each day. Semifinals ended at nearly 1am in the morning due to several rain delays, one of which I remember being almost 2 hours long. It's difficult on the marcher. The heat is just incredible with high humidity, especially in the central part of the state. Additionally, local public schools begin in early August so acquiring fields and gyms is not easy for the drum corps. I know that DCI was hoping to attract more of a Florida fan base for the activity, and also more marchers from that state. Most that want to march must leave the state, with the nearest corps being in Georgia or Alabama (not counting the few small corps that still exist in Florida--and they are not active or touring as of now). The eco system down there is very different. Tourism, retirees, and plenty of summer jobs for college students has an impact. I personally didn't mind DCI Finals being there once in a while. It's a big region with tons of hotels and lots of resorts and theme parks. If you paired your trip with a short vacation it was perfect and you didn't let the typically once-per-day rain affect you. But if you were just traveling to see the corps ONLY, then I imagine it wasn't the best experience. If DCI wants future shows in the state, I'd strongly suggest sticking with coastal regions (where it cools down a bit in the evening). I'd also suggest one show per year at Disney where DCI could tie it in with tourists, and the revenues might be good for both DCI and Disney. I'm not talking about using the Citrus Bowl, but some facility in the Disney complex...maybe at the sports complex. Maybe also having a parade in Disney and Epcott. If nothing else, these events would be revenue generating, even if they were not your traditional shows. But yes, running a traditional show in Florida is not easy.

Found this on facebook by Benny PisaniHeat Wave of Florida is a music and marching educational organization based in Inverness, Florida. This is a new, start up organization, which will be open to anyone 12 yrs. old and up. Our goal is to provide a wholesome family organization, which will help the youth of Florida develop the life skills which will prepare them for adulthood, while having fun learning music and the marching arts including color guard skills. We intend to ultimately have 2 groups: a starter group for those without any experience, and an advanced group, which will participate in nationally sanctioned functions. ALL are welcome regardless of experience, race, sex. as long as the individual is willing to learn, he or she will be welcome. If yu have an interest, please contact us on our page here. More information will follow

Just spitballin' here, because I'm a Crown fan... especially of that magnificent brass line... But I wonder if this is another case of a show that the average person at a given drum corps event will never "get"... because he or she doesn't know about the source material. Honestly, before I knew about the source source material here... I was puzzled as to how the narration has anything to do with the show theme in this case. And I'm trying to put myself in the position of a fan at a show who feels the same way... and leaves the show wondering, "what the heck was that, and why would I pay to see that again???" I'm a fan of shows that are understandable at face value, regardless of the theme... without requiring me to "educate" myself about the source material before I can fully enjoy the show. Not necessarily saying Crown's show will end up being that sort of head-scratcher... there is a lot of time left in the season.... but I do wonder if we're narrowing down the audience to a "niche within a niche within a niche" sometimes.

Two of my favs.: Mike (Zap) Zapanta SCV 79-82 John Oppedisano 27th Lancers 77-78

From a purely "showman" perspective, I would also add Chad Humpal of the Freelancers (90-92?) to the mix. We couldnt ever keep his tempo as it was all over the place, but he had FANTASTIC hair (we're talking a proper bouffant!) and the girls loved him!

I agree about the entertainment you'd get from DCA DMs. In the juniors, it's just the opposite. They try to be hidden with the black uniforms and no interactions. Except for the DMs of Scouts during the 90s (and VK and Bridgemen of previous years) there really hasn't been any interaction between the DM and audience. They basically wave thier arms to keep the corps going. Even less body language. They are basically a human metromone. Yes, I do know there's a lot more than that, but if you're in the audience you don't see what they do off field so they have only what they do for 11 minutes to judge how good a DM really is...and there is not much difference between them.

I liked 83 and 84 - the Mike Woodall Show. Small and tight. 8 sops, 8 baris, 4 mellos, 4 contras. 4 snares, 1 tenor, 4 basses, one pit. 8 guard. 1 DM/sop soloist. Mid-to-lower teen placement. Awesome.