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Congratulations Megan! https://www.flomarching.com/articles/6118922-megan-hutera-makes-history-as-madison-scouts-1st-female-brass-player

Every individual that gets a contract for membership also has to submit their ring size.

Hornline was on fire in January, and was definitely ahead of where we were in 2017! Lots of vets in ALL sections.

*me sitting under the Sorting Shako* "not Cadets, not Cadets, not Cadets"

You make some good points, but I'm only talking about the morality aspect raised by the OP. Regardless of how many or few people transfer to Harvard from state schools, I don't think there's a moral problem to feel guilty about in doing so. Nor does anyone associated with such institutions, to my knowledge. And I still say that it would take a pair of brass ones (ovaries, perhaps) for a director to preach about the disloyalty of transfers while routinely accepting members he/she must presumably consider morally deficient. Of course they don't really. But it can work. I don't know if anyone in the activity still preaches loyalty of this sort, but if they do it's just a guilt trip to get mms to stay. Young people are impressionable and easily conned, I'm afraid. Their judgement is still forming in their prefrontal cortices, poor dears. Until 25 or so. Instructors themselves leap around DCI with gay abandon; each year we await with baited breath the latest announcements of instructors we've heard good things about moving to our favorite corps. Directors too. All of whom will get fired the second it turns out the results don't match the hype. Loyalty! All of this is not to say a member shouldn't listen to their own inner voice on the matter. They may feel loyalty and wish to honor that. In such a case it comes from within. Such loyalty is perfectly normal and I'm not saying they should ignore it. But then it's part of why they actually want to stay, not a part of why they should stay anyway. Does that make sense?

Being pro active is a good thing. Better to be over confident then having no confidence I've always said, especially with the BD track record.

Hopefully this is hinting at a big jazzy Madison show

Love it.

Bob Baca has a tremendous jazz program. Hoping the show has those elements and Megan has improv solos.

Thanks for posting this. I'm so interested to see Southwind's show this season because they were one of the most musical ensembles in Open Class last year. Really rooting for them and hope that a lot of that great horn line is returning for 2018.

Cool. Interested in following this show. I always thought Chaos Theory from Jim Bonney would be cool on the field...looks like they are doing Latin stuff but I like the idea of a solo guitarist in the pit.

I agree with @Cadevilina Crown. I am hoping for an exciting breakout season from Pacific Crest soon. They have great artwork and t-shirts available for their shows. 2017 was well executed but left me wanting more. This was the only time I have seen Pacific Crest live. I did enjoy 2016 the union. All the train stuff was really cool but not over the top. My vote goes to 2016 the Union. 2010 the maze gets an HM.

Done. It's gonna be interesting. Too bad I'm WAAAAYYYY aged out or I'd help out on guitar. LOL!

Typically when a marcher is looking at a higher placing corps, they are looking to grow in an area they may feel they have stalled out at in their current corps. As we all know, every corps has their own pulse. They each have areas they are strong in, areas to grow in, etc - each pushing members in a unique way that in unlike the corps beside them. Some marching members find they are either able to continue growing in their current corps, are content with the growth they've attained thus far, or are craving additional growth. Like others have said, it ultimately comes back to the member themselves and their own personal goals. Some members are known to have even left "top" corps to continue to pursue their own personal growth goals. My advice? Talk to your marching member and find out what the real reasons are. Encourage them to listen to their heart & go for it!

First, and for the record, transfers to the elite colleges measure in the single digit percentages. It's just not analogous to drum corps. What are the right lessons? The answer clearly isn't simple because it varies by individual. That said, the answer can be expressed by understanding what aren't the right lessons. Consider, for instance, the undeniable truth that every corps, even the best corps, last year had its worst player, its worst marcher and its worst spinner. Fact. Ask yourself did each of them max out his or her summer? I'm not talking about medals or even fun. I'm talking best possible development and best possible impact on those around him. Now it's possible the answer is "yes," that the push he got made him better and made him an example for all. But even if that's true, it doesn't hold necessarily that his development and impact would have been diminished as a top-half talent and leader at another corps. And if the answer is no, well ... you get it. And the second worst? The third? There is a diminishing return somewhere. That's one of the great fallacies in this discussion. Being on the "travel team" doesn't make anyone better. Not being on the travel team doesn't make you less good. We've all seen the Wizard of Oz. Intellect, empathy and courage are the objective. The diploma, the beat and the medal are just credentials. The problem is we reverse it. Greatness isn't defined by the roster alone. And by the way in my town, none of the kids who made the travel baseball team in my son's era made the high school roster. Don't get me wrong. I know the virtues of an elite experience. I also know there are other routes to the same destination. I work today with some of the most brilliant minds I can imagine. They didn't all come via Columbia. Likewise, some of the best minds in the marching arts aren't the product of top drum corps programs. Some never marched at all. That says a lot about this discussion. The top six are just the top six. They're not the burning bush or Mt. Sinai. For some, they're not even the bomb.

Hmmm... Can you define what you think “the right lessons” are? Wrt college transfers, it may not be a perfect analogy, but if you look at freshmen retention rates as an example, in almost every case, the better the school, the higher the retention. Students leave for many reasons, but in many cases students “upgrade” to a school that they didn’t get accepted to out of high school or they may realize another school has a better experience to offer. In that way I think it’s similar. Furthermore, some kids may chase honors classes for status, some may have more intellectual curiosity, and still others may prefer the type of students they meet in harder classes. I have 4 kids that are each pursuing the path that best suits their talents, and they’re not all the same (one advanced, one not, two with a mix). As one example, I have a kid that marched with a corps that placed in the teens last year and is moving to a corps that has been consistently in the top 6 for a while (along with many of her friends who pursued other corps). She’s not chasing a championship, and hopes to stay at the new corps and make it her “home” (regardless of placement). In her case, that corps has been her dream for years but she needed an intermediate step to get there. As a result of the switch, she’s been working out and practicing more than ever, and I contend she’s a better version of herself than she would have been if she stayed. It’s true she could have stayed and pushed herself just as hard, but realistically, I don’t think she’d have pushed this hard. People are motivated differently. What worked for her isn’t best for everyone and I would have been just as proud of her and helped support her either way. I’m not advocating her path as the “right” path, just the one that she took. As for lessons, I believe in setting and pursuing goals, while improving character and virtue.

Given the fact that we haven't had a single design meeting in 6 years, you might want to check your sources

Is your son planning to be a professional musician, dancer, or performing arts educator? If that's the case then he should go where the most admired instructor is. If he is already at that corps but wants to experiment, then he should go to the corps with a renowned instructor that has a different approach. This is his chance to experience a diversity of great instruction. I would put loyalty second in such a case, because of the transformative difference a particular instructor can make in the career of a pro (or a budding teacher). In any event, it sounds like your son has been pretty loyal for several years. Whatever he chooses, he shouldn't feel guilty about it. On the other hand, unless he goes to BD there is always the risk of being beaten by his old corps!

It's nothing but world salad.

These are all great points, that is why I like being a part of this forum. My son doesn't necessarily want to get a ring, but does want to challenge himself to be the best and see how he compares to other talent in the corps. I think he knows it is between loyalty to his corp and trying something knew. He wants to be involved with Drum Corps for his life, so getting other experiences may be beneficial to him. For now, he is dedicated to making this current year his best.

Ain't it the truth. I mean, um, I acquiesce to your assertion of ostensible verisimilitude.

this, but with fancier words than I would have used. another way to look at it is there's "making music" and then there's "using music to become a living breathing entity that captures all". In today's ed speak, buzzwords are everything, and fancier buzzwords impress people more....those not cynical snarky ######## like us

For me it boils down to the difference between the act of "making" and expressing aesthetically so the overall performance exceeds the sum of it's parts.

This is really bad from a competitive point of view, but I think that also gives tremendous opportunity from a membership perspective. If people want to guarantee a ring they can go to bd for a couple of years. But if a ring is not their focus they can go to another corps they really love unworried about who's "going to win" knowing that it probably won't happen unless they're in bd allowing them to focus on the art not the score. Tell me if I'm totally off bass but it seems each of the top corps has a brand of what they do the best Crown - Join if you want to be in the best brassline Cavies - Join if you you want to do cool visual things and have "swagger" Bluecoats - Join if you want to be super cool and out of the box BD - Join if you want a ring, and want to be "the top of the activity" SCV - Not really sure, I'd say for a more traditional corps experience, but last years show doesn't back that up

music that doesnt get cut from media due to sync issues

go to a camp or two and see how it feels, he or she will know what to do. evaluate what you have and what you want

I think what you've done is describe the issue itself. With the possible exception of BD (where a championship seems possible every year), kids leave their 7-12 corps in pursuit of what they hope will be an elite experience. The corps they left don't move up because they're being beaten by the very talent who left them behind. I'm not making an argument that anyone owes his current corps anything (though he might). I'd just like to define success as something more than getting the highest score from the judges on Saturday night. If you're hanging your hat on that, you're not hanging it on much.

Good luck to him on his move, if he decides to move. One question to ask himself though is: Who will next years top four be? Could be a corps other than who was there last year or will be there this year? He should look to see who at or near the top is appealing to him from a production and program standpoint and consider those factors. He may decide that a move to one of the top four will land him with an experience he may not like as much as where he is at. That is of course unless he doesn't like where he is at. And what if his top 12 corps today ends up in 4th? What if the corps he goes to falls below 4th? Going to a top 4 and having a bad experience, to me, is not what I would want. Having the time of my life and being with friends I've made is more important. I'd rather work toward building something and improving. It would be a longer lasting satisfaction.

The best? The best at what? The best can be defined many ways. As a parent, I'd urge you to urge your child to precise about what "best" is before he or she follows the crowd to the best and misses something better. Best might be winning a championship. Or it might not. Is being second - or fourth - best? Or more to my point, is there any doubt that doing my best is the best? If my best helps others to be their best, isn't that the best we can do? My opinion ... And it's just my opinion ... I can't speak about you and your child... My opinion is too many young people make the selfish choice. They seek out the prospect of ever more elite credentials. And for what? A summer last year at Crown or Bluecoats was several placement spots better than the six through 12 corps. But was it better? The best? HH

If anyone is going to change the trajectory, Brad Toth and his brass staff will do it. He can do great things with a brass line and may just breathe the life in that Phantom needs. Looking forward to watching what they do this season!

Overall? Better use of electronics. Also better ballads from most corps. BD smoked everyone last year.

We enjoy hosting and it makes for a great educational experience for our students at the beginning of the marching band season. We make sure the ensemble rehearsal in the evening is free and open to the public. We even let the corps set up their souvie tent so they can make a few bucks. We are lucky enough to have administration that enjoys drum corps. The first words out of the new principal a few years ago to our band director were "Have you ever hosted a drum corps?" Talk about music to my ears. We have hosted Blue Devils, Cavaliers and Crown since those words were uttered.