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You know what? Not really. You know what they say about assumptions...

True, DCW didn't spill the beans in regards to song titles. I'm sorry if I made it seem this way and yes, I may have made a mistake in listing the songs here and have since removed them I am just confused as to why I as an alumnus of this corps have heard nothing from the organization about the 2012 production when the corps as a whole has known the music for months (since at least February). I really wish that we would start following the success of other organizations who get their name out in social media and release whatever information they can to get people (and future marching members) excited. The Glassmen struggle mightily with PR issues, and I feel like I am being left out in the cold. The only emails I get are to ask me to volunteer or for money. One or two sentences monthly about camps from the Facebook and Twitter accounts. No show announcement. No composers listed. No show description. Nothing and it is the month of move-ins. For a corps that regularly needs members to fill holes even around San Antonio this is not the way to function. I hate having to hear information second-hand through my friends who are marching or Drum Corps World and yet this is how it is. Each year the Glassmen slip a little more under the radar in the drum corps community. The fiftieth anniversary, which could have been HUGE, was a disappointment for most alumni especially in terms of show design (and I don't even mind that they didn't make finals). Where was this show last year? No homage to our storied past on a MAJOR anniversary. I know I am just venting right now, but a lot of this has been on my mind for some time now. I love my corps and I had a hell of a time touring with them. I support them and the members in whatever way I can, but this stuff can't be overlooked.

I wish we'd get a lot more bean spilling from Corps in the offseason on their show and their progress rather than us relying on spleen splitting.

The planets have finally aligned...Carolina Crown and Copland's Third Symphony. That hornline....that piece.....wow! I can't wait to hear their show this year!

Reach around behind you, and search carefully. You will most likely discover a woody protuberance embedded somewhere in your posterior. Grasp it firmly with both hands, then slowly remove. You'll feel a lot better.

One thing for sure, unlike Adam Sage, KC isn't afraid to take girls of all sizes. All that matters is the talent.

As a current member of Crown, I respect your opinion. I know many people who view the activity in this way, and I understand it completely! Why pay $3,000 to get your ### kicked for 3 months when you don't win? And why go back? Marching at Crown has allowed me to make some of my best friends. It's given me amazing experience, because the people there have made me push myself harder than I ever have. Sure, I could audition at the Blue Devils and, if I were to make it, probably win a ring. But I just don't like the way BD does things. I'm not disappointed in the staff at all. I couldn't ask for a better staff to learn from! I was heartbroken when I heard that Andrew Ebert left, despite only have marched one summer. But this new staff is equally awesome. That's why I love Crown; because no matter how bad the decision seems at first, the people who run this place like Kevin Smith and Jim Coates always have my safety and fun in mind. And who are you.

There's no room for error if you want to remain in the top 5. On top of the usual contenders, there are many other corps that have shown the ability to get in the ring. As much as I am a Cadets homer, I do not have high hopes for this year. I don't know how this years' show/theme was arrived at, but it's disheartening coming from a corps that prides itself on innovation. Yes, the Cadets will put their unique spin on Christmas music, and... ... that's it. They can add themselves to the list of every single other artist out there that has released a Christmas album. I wish them the best of luck and I hope the kids have a great summer.

Integration into the drill/staging was their biggest issue last year.

A great opportunity for anyone who auditioned for a cadevaliers corps and didn't make it. Solid instruction, solid brass book, no goofy marching technique, full tour, television appearance to begin the season. Don't let getting cut from a top 5 corps, cut you from marching corps.

There's often a huge intellectual underpinning to shows where -- when we see the actual performance -- it just doesn't matter very much because the SHOW is really good. I saw Bluecoats 2010 before and after I heard the "explanation". I never did "get" it, but I didn't care -- it was a really good drum corps show that stood on it's own very well without the "mumbo jumbo". Entertaining drum corps is entertaining drum corps. Sometimes the intellectual stuff helps me enjoy the show more (we all like to feel that "aha!" moment when we figure out why something happens on the field) but sometimes it just doesn't matter -- the music and visual combine to make it enjoyable. Does BD's show announcement excite? Well not necessarily -- but it does intrigue. Let's wait and see what they bring.

:P This past camp still has my mind a bit boggled, you'll have to excuse me :)

DCW spilled the beans on composers and show title in the May issue. The show is called GlassWorks Music of Glass, Poulan/Ferguson, James Horner, and Camille Saint-Saens Thinking this should have been the 50th anniversary show.

Mr Buzzkill, table for one.

It's a really obscure piece, hardly recorded. Probably because of how ridiculously hard it is. Here's a decent recording:

Everyone has some very valid points. I have always noted that the only corps that can really afford to compete at the national touring level (DCI large-scale events, regional championships, Finals) are the top 17 or so. Even groups like Academy are careful with how much they travel. I look at some corps and I think they do have the right idea. Academy is one, whom I just mentioned. Pacific Crest is another. Maybe in the long run it hurts their chances of truly competing for the top 12, but I would rather be competitive, financially successful, and healthy and still provide a wonderful experience for the kids. This as opposed to taking too many risks early on and perhaps taking an "all or nothing" attitude. The Colts have been smart. They come out later in the summer, and that works for them and has helped to keep them healthy and stable. The top 8 can be a cut-throat place to live. Until you have "big boy" money and are getting the talent and staff to compete at this level, it is best to stay away. As for the OP's question about saving drum corps, I will agree, first off, that DCI should not be the only answer. DCI is a wonderful organization that can certainly provide marketing, judging, and help to facilitate regional and national-level competitions. They can handle the overall web presence and the media aspect. But... At the root level, drum & bugle corps is, and has always been, about grass-roots efforts coming together in a community to start a drum corps. That's what it will take. It's not about saving DCI, it's about saving the art of drum & bugle corps. That can ONLY be done by people in various communities around the country who will join forces to create and manage a drum corps. This is not easy undertaking, and the economy, scholastic education, facility needs, staffing needs, and the ability to fund raise make the whole project a rather difficult venture. The Canton Bluecoats were not started by DCI. The Cavaliers were not started by DCI, nor were the Blue Devils or Phantom Regiment. These organizations were started in communities, and they grew and grew and gained nationwide popularity through DCI competition, effective marketing, incredible performances, and many long, hard hours of labor by staff, members, administration, and volunteers. Unless we start to see more community groups interested in starting a drum corps for the youth of the area and region, then the current model will continue to exist and we will all keep our fingers crossed that in 10 to 20 years there are at least 8 to 10 corps left.

Its okay, I probably deserved a -1... I'm just happy to see that they are focusing on what really matters.

Pioneer is a Quantum marching partner with our corps and indoor line playing on Mapex percussion and Majestic field percussion. Our brass is still King.

I felt (as a spectator) the guard book was the weakest of the top 5. Execution and performance was high. I don't know if the maturity in writing was there. Just a thought.

I feel like this example sort of summarizes what good show design is and isn't. Oftentimes, staffs have extremely intricate thought processes and storylines behind every aspect of their show. To expect someone watching their marching band to pick up on all those intricacies is absurd, but that's where good design seperates from bad design. A good show is one that has a good enough recipe of music and visual that anyone can watch it and enjoy it without picking up on a lick of the show designers' elaborate manifesto. Bluecoats 2010 is a great example. Someone being introduced to a dystopian metropolis? Some nameless character has internal character development? The guard is supposed to represent buildings? Seriously? But it doesn't matter how convoluted it was -- the music and visual was top notch on its own. A bad show, on the other hand, sacrifices having good music and marching to "get the theme across", which is a pointless waste of time except for the judges, and is almost never satisfying for the viewer. To summmarize: it's marching band. Any use of acting, props, interpretive dance, or whatever, that you use to try to get your point across, is probably general enough that only some of the audience will get it at most. Sure, you the designer understand what it all means, but that's because you've spent countless hours throughout the past year pouring thought into every aspect of this show. The audience at large has never even touched on your concept before in their lives. You need to make it flat out good drum corps at the end of the day, to heck with show concepts.

A little too ambitious for my fingers... ;) But, I guess that's what Smart Music and spring-training are for xD

Agree about Crown not playing "snippet" style arrangements. Just not their style.. No telling what will happen during the season but the stuff I've heard isn't watered much (if at all ??). It's...um....ambitious.

So what are we left with now - Blue Knights, Bluecoats, Colts, and Spirit of Atlanta? Did I leave anyone out? What is it this year?? You'd think this was a matter of national security. By now I'm not buying the "having all the copyright ducks in a row before they announce" theory - if a corps is still waiting on copyright permissions now on May 1st, what if they get denied? Are they going to scrap everything that they have been working on thus far? If they don't have the copyrights secured by now, then that is extremely poor planning on their part, so I'm just not buying it. Is this purely another example of drum corps taking themselves way too seriously? Just wondering...

Phantom did something like that in '09, yes? Mike

I remember in the mid-70s watching football with a new friend from the Boston area. During halftime, I made some remark about drum corps and was surprised by his response. I was from a small town in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia - far from drum corps and drum corps shows. He was from a hotbed of drum corps talent. He knew the 27th Lancers, the Crusaders and lots more. He said he'd been to lots of shows in his hometown. And he hated them. Said all the corps, all the shows, were the same. Couldn't figure why folks made such a big deal about drum corps. One man's opinion isn't truth, but neither is our selective - and hopeful - memory. We'd like to think that drum corps' greatest hits would be the great persuader, would win the hearts of audiences from the sea to sea. They didn't, and they won't. I honestly believe that if I could persaude the Cadets to arc up on the lawn where I work so that all 2,000 staff here could hear them belt out "Phillip Bliss" and "Rocky Point" that my colleagues would pat me on the back and say "I see why you love it." I also honestly believe they wouldn't come to a drum corps show anyway. Ours is an unusual affection. That was true in the 70s. It's still true today. The only difference is the dynamics of the communities in which our drum corps operate. Today's communities are more demanding and less obliging. HH

You won't be disappointed :) Michael really went above and beyond with this year's brass book

From what I have seen and heard at the past 6 camps, this years show will in my humble opinion be one of the most memorable shows of the year.,I am excited to be a part of this organization, and am looking forward to this summer.

Well, it's a bit hard to tell, but I'm betting 'silly season' isn't over yet - we may still see some switches, or some switches that have already functionally happened being announced.

That's a myth. Soccer is a traditional youth activity, and it hasn't seen a decline. And while we can argue endlessly over precisely what those unique aspects are, they do fall into two main categories....art and sport. I'd like to address the latter category for a moment. There's a reason people pay good money to see the non-professional art of drum corps....because it's also a competition. Back in the day, drum corps was a competitive free-for-all, and it drew huge crowds partly on that account. Today, there is a well-established competitive hierarchy due to disparities between corps, and a systemic competitive inertia that further discourages changes in the placement order of contests. Oh, and look....fan interest has dropped over that same time period. If you want to "save" drum corps, figure out how to make it competitive again.

I'd just like to add that I am massively tickled that our small town Americanos made it into this DCI video...

Hung out at camp over the weekend. Horn sound picked up where it left off. All areas of corps are fabulous. This show will become a classic, epic affair. I am so excited about the coming summer for these kids, and for fans of the activity

Yes and no. Nick was basically spoon fed by the corps and Tony Hall in the '08 season. In '09, he was much more on his own. We saw how that turned out. Nick is a good guy and he is a great contributor to the marching arts, but he's some how taken the wrong path. He should be in instruction, not design. That was his forte as a member (horn seargent), and he could be one of the greatest ever. Of course, this can be read as a dog on Nick--- when in reality, I really wish he'd go in the direction that made him a great member, not the direction that lead him to design.

...a couple notes from this weekend's camp. It was so good to see the whole corps there! Seeing I work with the sewing team, I was situated between the main practice/final tryout room for the guard and the large gym where the percussion and the brass traded time. As I am sure you have seen posted on the Phantom Regiment facebook page, it was the final cut from 60 guard to 40. Glad I didn't have to choose! Watching the spinning exercises and some of the individual tryouts I couldn't have picked one over the other. I hope there is room for some of these young ladies (and YES the guard is all women again this year) find another corps to march with this summer, get more experience and come back next fall to try out again. As much as I liked the drums last year, this year will sound and look much, much better when they are out on the field. They have been challenged and are rising to the occasion. Working with the uniform fitting this weekend, I have met some really large dudes! One base drummer has to be 6-8. A uniform fitting nightmare! But got it done. The pit has been equally challenged to step it up. I won't say a lot more until I see the visual part of the show, but just listening to the changes in sound, speed and volume this group can handle right now is just crazy! The pit, noticed for making faces and really getting into the music last year, will be noticed more for their abilities this year. Take that to the bank. As for the horns. The main soloist for Nessen Dorma is smooth. He hit the notes over and over during the practices. There are other solosist that do equally great jobs and a quintet (is that 4?) horns that so a short, but well done piece. The horn sections sound pretty strong for right now, but I can't wait to hear them on an open field. They were in a large indoor gym, so I cannot comment on if, how, when they played together if they sounded sharp and clear. So much sound bouncing around! They, the horns, did some marching. Watch out! There is going to be some moves that Phantom has not put in their show for years......and maybe a few new moves. It could be amazing or disastrous. Hard to tell until they have the chance to start praticing outside at Rockford College (RoCo) in about 3 weeks. Of course, at the end of camp on Sunday, the brass and the percussion combined, with the guard sitting in front watching - and did one complete run through of the entire show. I didn't know where to look nor could I keep up on what was being played so don't ask song selections. Other than the obvious song, I don't recognize the pieces even after watching the opera several times. I don't know what it's going to be like once they are on the field, but there was a lot of pit taking cues from the drums, the drums taking cue from the brass and so on. To me, much more 'team' than in the past several years. Sure the DM has control (and he's very, very good this year), but the members still need to feed off of each other. Finally, dont expect the Phantom Regiment's show to be your time to sit back and relax. It's not gonna be that kind of show this year. It was musically very intense this weekend and I sure hope that intensity flows into the visual show and comes back to the audience. I still have no idea what the guard uniform looks like, but I know some surprises are coming there so its taking a bit more time to get it worked out visually. I've been working with a specific part of the corps uniform that didn't come out right either, but we are working on the details and the corps will look great marching in the Memorial Day Parade in Rockford at the end of May. ....and there are, to my understanding, TWO members from ROCKFORD in the corps this year!!! As I am every year, I am excited about the music and how the kids can play it, the big thing is the visual. Will the drums be staged properly to show off some new moves? Will the horns sound as loud and rich when spread across the field. Will the soloists be loud enough when they are 1/2 a football field away? If it does, and if it is, you will hear / see / feel a very 'different' Phantom Regiment in 2012 - IMHO. SUTA!

Your search for a conspiracy is obscuring the truth you (some of you, anyway) would rather not admit: Back in the day, attendance at community drum corps shows sometimes had as much to do with community as it did with drum corps. The young man I'm referring to grew up in a community that had its own corps and its own show. He went to shows because that's what you did in his community. On those summer nights, the community showed up in the stands to watch. But they weren't all drum corps fans. It didn't matter that 27th might have been playing "Danny Boy" or that shows were more "entertaining" or "accessible" or whatever adjective you care to apply. Some portion of the stands was occupied by the folks who came to the community event. That drums corps were performing was incidental to some in attendance. That's what you're forgetting. These were community events. Just as the membership drew from the community broadly, the stands drew from the community broadly. Not every member of every corps was dedicated. Not every attendee was in love with drum corps. Some members returned the next year only because their parents, friends, priests, police and community expected them too. Some "fans" too. HH

Yeah they really need to work on their feet if they want to compete for a title.

I am getting to this conversation late and some good points have been made. Here's my 2 centavos. First, in my experience Drum Corps is different than high school marching bands because of the level of committment is much greater for even a small regional corps. The kids are there because they really want to. If their parents insist they take music of some sort an hour of band class or a piano lesson a week will suffice. Giving up 2-3 hours one night a week (starting in November or so) for a small corps represents a bigger committment, so the amount of effort willing expended will be greater. Second, in my experience (Guardsmen '75 - '77) there has to be a critical mass of population in a given area to support a corps. The fact that Rockford, IL, for instance, has been so successful for so long is an exception. For that reason I like the small corps initiative. I found out my family was moving to rural GA between the prelims and finals show at nationals in '76 (Yeah, threw me for a loop). At that time the only corps I knew of in the south was Spirit. After moving to GA, and a county of 20,000 people, and absolutely no marching music tradition I did not give them a thought and traveled back to IL for the '77 season. The rural population pattern here, and the oppressive summer heat, convinced me that there was no future for drum corps in the south. However, the indoor, small corps format can negate both of those problems. This is an idea who's time has come. BTW, so very happy I was wrong about Spirit, and I am looking forward to them having a GREAT season! Excellent discussion, folks!

Never mind the Jupiter horns - what is Blue Knights actually playing for their show this year??? It's only May 1st... Sorry - didn't intend to highjack the thread, just thought I would throw that in. Seems like the show announcements are a matter of national secrecy this year.

Thanks. I wasn't sure if it was before or after you qualified to get your driver's license, Craiga..... ( haha..)

1. Members march where they want to march and can afford. Local or distant is irrelevant. 2. Some corps still do have tie-ins to their home towns, but it is not all that important in 2012, at least at the World Class level. 3. Shows should be, IMO, a marriage of visual and music to create one seamless performance where each is used to present the ideas the designers wish to create. 4. Corps unis look just fine. 5. No. 99% of them were my least favorite moments of shows back in the day. See #3. 6. I want to be entertained by great performers presenting amazing music and visual designs. Period.

I'd like to see the Troopers get back on track and make Finals again after getting back in 2009 after being out of the top 12 for 23 years. That'd be a pleasant surprise.

ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz........

If it's what I think it is, all I have to say is

I always remember the Blue Knights' brassline having a strong low brass presence. From what I understand, Quantum horns heavily favor low brass over high. Am I missing something, or is Blue Knights + Jupiter even more of a good thing?

Alright, haters. I just got back from playing on these horns all weekend. First of all, you really can't make a judgement about Jupiter Quantum Marching Brass from year to year because they change and evolve every year. The ones that BK is marching now are leagues above the less than desirable ones that PR marched in '09. Second, these horns freaking rock. The newest models are definitely a MAJOR upgrade from what we were on before. Jupiter has the best customer service and is totally interested in helping make their horns better with us. It's an excellent business partnership for BK. And I think BK's still on Pearl drums for a bit - Hardimon likes Pearl.

Aannnndd.....cue Cavaliers 95

There seems to be a pulsating bass line that doesn't sound natural... Weird that it would be so noticeable...

A lot of assumptions being made on this thread and most are not exactly accurate. The Cadets have a good size business staff, which is well run. There are some vacancies, and when they see fit to try to fill them they will advertize. As Director, and absent an HR person on the staff, it is totally appropriate for Hop to sign off on job descriptions. We shouldn't assume that because he did, he writes them. They have a library of job descriptions, handbooks on how to write them, and staff members who know how to handle them. Hop doesn't need to stay in the office when he already has full-time business managers capable of handling all business matters. I have seen their tax return (public information available from the IRS), and they are in good shape. It may not be the same model as 10 and 20 years ago, so it probably has evolved, and look at the expansion in programs, USBBA, inner city music education, C2 As for communications, other topics have discussed the Cadets communications and many Commentators have stated that no one communicates more than the Cadets, with complainers saying they communicate too much. Why would they need to add a Communicator to the staff, with one more salary, when they're already among the best in the business? I think we should give Hop great credit that when he goes on the road, not only is he recruiting and promoting the Cadets, but he is giving talks to music educators about how to have excellent organizations - a very effective way to promote Drum Corps. Lastly, for now, USBBA does not run by itself. They have a professional staff that runs that side of the organization. The translation into Olde English will be assigned to Beoowulf. Kevin

OHHH MAN! :worthy: :worthy: Thank you wayne thank you thank you thank you! Two of my favorite BD shows combined!!!![ size=7]YESSSSSSSS!!!!![/size]

Bravo BD! Embrace the chaos! Not only embrace it...but teach it to dance! Dada indeed. After a brief respite to decompress and allow the normal to adjust their vertical holds...you are back with the unique and contradictory. The eye on the metronome says it all....."this thing may have been set to a specific tempo by some party pooper...but beware, it also has a mind of its own!" This one's going to be fun!

I think this could either be really good or really out there. The Adams sounds like a great start off piece, it sure has impact. I'm really liking the Danny Elfman stuff, plus you can't be mad with bringing back Mingus. And Bird and Bela, yay! This looks like quite the interesting year in the drum corps world, this sure seems like it will be a good jazzy show. And hopefully no props if the rumors hold true. Went back and looked at the Satie, and thought it such a good piece. It's one of those pieces that you hear in the background of a lot of things, but is subtle enough to not take over. I'll be interested see how the Devils incorporate it.