Mapleseed

Can anyone write a review of or comment on the show? Even short ones would be greatly appreciated. DCI has yet to post the recap, and there are a couple of corps that have debut in this show (Taipei and Pride of Lions).

I believe the all-girl drum corps you are talking about is YAM KWONG Vocational High School. It is in Seoul. They travelled twice to Taiwan to participate in marching band festivals, and were really good. Their programme in 1996 was West Side Story, and the other time they came, they played an all Tchaikovsky programme. It is rumoured that staff from Kiwanis Kavaliers have instructed the corps.

Taipei Yuehfu is alive! After the SARS epidemic that virtually put everything to a halt in Taiwan from April to June last year, Taipei Yuehfu has eventaully recovered from the aftermath and was able to field a performance with 24 brass(10 sops, 5 mellos, 7 baris, 2 contras), 20 percussion(5 snares, 3 tenors, 5 bass, 7 in the pit), 13 guards, and a drum major. You can find some pictures of this season at our website: http://www.yuehfu.org. I am sorry that an English version is currently unavailable, but if you click the SEVENTH item on the left hand side, and click the SECOND item under 2003(the one under Spirit of Taiwan Marching Band), you'll be able to find the pictures. This was a short season. Members were auditioned in mid September, and started to learn a 8 minute show that was to be performed in the 12th Chiayi International Wind Festival on the 28th of December. The corps rehearsed for 10 hours every Saturday and 5 hours on some Sundays during this period. The Tropic of Cancer runs through Chiayi, a city 130 miles south of Taipei, with a population of around 500,000. It holds an international wind festival every year, inviting local and foreign bands to perform in a 3-week festival. The renowned Aimachi Marching Band from Japan visited in 2002. The pictures are taken between early October and late December. They include parade occasions in the streets of Taipei, rehearsals at a high school before the final performance of the season, and the field performance at the Chiayi Athletic Grounds. Taipei Yuehfu is to make its THIRD theatre performance this summer, hoping to raise funds for our trip to DCI in 2005. Personally, I am moved to see in previous threads that many people missed our corps. Despite financial difficulties, the corps is still planning a return to DCI in 2005. We believe the trip is a positive impetus for the corp's growth and development. Your continual support for the corps is always welcome.

Due to the outbreak of SARS in Taiwan, the Taipei Yuehfu Drum and Bugle Corps is cancelling all rehearsal activities for the remaining 2003 season. The corps' planned trip to Italy to participate in the 2003 World Championships for Marching Show Bands has also been cancelled. The epidemic that came from China has not only caused social and economic impacts, but has also affected educational institutions. For the first time, the Ministry of Educaion decided to postpone the national high school entrance exam for six weeks. Almost twenty thousand students island-wide have to stay at home due to quarantine measures. Corps members from outside Taipei were discouraged from coming to rehearsal, since the situation is worst in Taipei City. The location of the corps hall and our rehearsal site are both situated in close proximity to two large hospitals that treat SARS patients; one of the hospitals being the main reason of an indigenous outbreak. Consequently, the corps' administrative staff has decided to temporarily suspend all corps activities. Plans for the 2004 season cannot be confirmed until SARS is controlled. We hope to be able to return to the field in the near future. God bless us.

I saw that DCI's official website went through some minor renovations recently. In the "Corps" section, there was originally an "international corps" section; now it's all removed. And in the scores archive, Taipei Yuehfu is removed from all contests, so there's a gap between Jersey Surf (11th at 2002 DCI II/III finals) and Yamato (13th). What a pity. Although DCI's mission is to serve youth corps in the North American region, I thought it might not take too much a space on the website to give a little more exposure and recognition to corps outside the continent.

BTW, this year's World Campionship for Marching Show Bands is held in Monza, Italy. Is any European corps going to compete for the title there this year? Although Taipei Yuehfu isn't going to compete in DCI this year, the Taiwan Band Association has invited the corps to travel to Italy and compete. For several logistic and financial reasons, the corps has decided to form a temporary marching band with a high school and represent Taiwan in the competition. I was wondering whether we might meet any European corps there.

HI Chris, I promised that I'd try to get you some information about the drum corps activity in Taiwan. Well, it's kind of hard, not because there's too much to say, but too little. Drum corps history in Taiwan would virtually be the history of Taipei Yuehfu. Before Taipei Yuehfu was founded in the summer of 1996, I believe there were less than 50 people on the island who knew what drum corps is. From what I know, there were three people who marched in the Blue Knights, at different times, before 1996: two guards, and a pit member who won the marimba(?) I&E competition that year. Two of them later became the instructors of Taipei Yuehfu, but teaches no longer now. Taipei Yuehfu's existence after 1996 did bring more attention to the marching activity. We participated in parades, festivals held by private enterprises, and government sponsored shows. However, it was more about promoting the "marching activity" than about "drum corps", because in a country where even marching bands are rare, people just don't get it when we try to tell them the difference between a marching band and a drum corps. As I've said in one of the DCI publications during finals week last year, less than 1/10 of high schools in Taiwan have a decent concert band, let alone a marching band. For the schools that do have a marching band programme, its instructors are often ill-informed (to put it conservatively) about what marching band really is. Many of them have never marched before, know little about putting together a show, and more often than not hold the wrong conceptions about marching bands themselves. Thus, teaching methods are seriously flawed, shows unappealing to audiences, and students don't feel excited about marching. There are other reasons that contribute to the under-development of Taiwan's marching activities, but I shall not go further into those aspects here. The circumstances are improving, and I am happy to say that Taipei Yuehfu is playing an important part in the shaping of the marching activity in Taiwan. In addition to the three pioneers that went to the Blue Knights before 1996, we had three members joining the Kiwanis Kavaliers in 1998, one in the Blue Knights in 2000, another in the Boston Crusaders in 2001, and last year, two in the Blue Devils, one in the Crusaders. These former members are bringing back valuable know-hows that, along with local talents, help the corps improve. We have also learned valuable lessons from many American instructors, directly or indirectly, including last year's show designers Ralph Hardimon, Chuck Naffier, and Chris Previc. Many former corps members are now teaching guard or marching in local high schools, and even though it might still take some more years to see bigger changes in the way people look at marching activities here, we believe the work and investment will eventually pay off. Taipei Yuehfu remains the only drum and bugle corps in Taiwan. There are no circuits or organisations (there isn't even one that looks over the marching bands!). Although we have worked hard for years in search of sponsorship, there still isn't any sponsorship of any kind from the government or private enterprises, except from Remo, which subsidises a certain amount of drumheads. Therefore, financial issues remain the central concern of the survival of the corps. We are longing to replace our hornline (which I assume has an average age of 12 years) and battery with better instruments. Well, it's not going to be an easy task. Membership is another issue that we face. We can only stage a Division III sized corps again this year. Although we are not too pessimistic about membership in future years, the numbers still worry us. Well, I told you there was little to write about. However, if you come up with anything specific you'd like to know, please feel free to ask. I think I might answer more informatively if there is a specific questions to answer. :P

After three consecutive years of flying over the Pacific Ocean, the Taipei Yuehfu Drum and Bugle Corps has decided to stay in Taiwan for the 2003 season. 2002 was a successful year for the corps, not only defending its third International Champion title, but also capturing the third highest score in Division III finals in Madison. We would very much like to return to the United States next year to further advance our level of performance and learn from the great American corps. Regrettably, the corps has to look farther into the future and plan itself so as not to drain itself before it is too late. It is not hard to imagine the logistic difficulties and challenges a young corps face when traveling overseas four years in a row (including the 1999 trip to Australia). Therefore, we think it is a critical time for the corps to take a break from the pleasantly-exhausting tours. Taipei Yuehfu will be auditioning its 2003 members in late November. The plan for 2003 is to give a national tour in Taiwan (which is only a little bigger than Massachusetts and Conneticut combined). As the only drum and bugle corps in Taiwan, we believe it is the corps' responsibility to promote the art of marching activity and provide Taiwan youths an opportunity to appreciate the magical power of drum corps. We thank all our friends in America who have supported and helped us for the past three years. We would especially like to express our most sincere gratitude to Mr. Roman Blenski for his encouragement and assistance. It has been a great honour to perform in front of the audiences, whether in Alton, Illinois (Yuehfu's first performance in 2000), Montreal, Alamadome, Southbridge, Massachusetts, Grand Haven, or Madison. Thank you for cheering for the kids, letting them know that the time spent to earn the money for the US$1,000+ plane ticket is worthwhile. We hope to return in 2004! See you then!

Does anyone of you encounter adjustment difficulties when playing a B flat trumpet in the school's band and playing the G bugle during a corps' camp? I've heard trumpet teachers complaining about their student's intonation and timbre when these students return from drum corps camps. Some players say that they find it a bit difficult to "retrieve" the feel and place of resonance when they pick up the trumpet after playing the bugle. Does playing the bugle hinder a trumpet player's progress? Any suggestions to make the "transition" smoother, without hurting the improvement on both instruments? Thanks in advance.