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I feel Horns would be wonderful for maybe a miked solo (see James Bowie HS 2012 - Pavane for a Dead Princess) or a large section (see Marion Catholic 2013 Ballad). No sousas though. Only show that would benefit from that is a NOLA Jazz show. Bones would really only be good for Jazz solos too IMO. I don't want to imagine them at 220, with some of that wonderful drill we have today.

Another nail in the Drum & Bugle Corps coffin.

Not excited about this news

Lighten up, Francis-- it was a joke.

There's a good chance of that happening; the Massillon show generally does very well. It was near to being sold out in 2013 with four of the eight corps having been Finalists the year before (and they all repeated). This year six of the seven corps at Massillon are 2013 Finalists, including the reigning champion, and the non-Finalist is one of your favorites, the Crossmen.

"Nazis"... used in this case as a plural word... does not contain an apostrophe.

....if corps would just pick music with no theme? Music to entertain the people that pay alot of money to come to a competition? Do we need to know that there is a theme? Do we really care? If so I can't imagine why......oops that is lyrics to a song.

If you've never seen JDFunCorps on YouTube, you're missing a treat, and some lessons into the sometimes hilarious mind of a current marcher. He has been very creative in his little two-minute videos about drum corp, and in using he creativity to raise tour fees so he can march. Subscribe to his channel. It's well worth it (and maybe send him a buck or two for his tuition to Spirit this summer). In this video he takes a direct shot at the "Old Guys" on DCP who do nothing but complain about today's drum corps. Very funny, very relevant. In honor and support of his love of marching, of his creativity, and of his need for marching funds, I will, beginning today, match dollar-for-dollar every contribution from every public DCP member who donates to Spirit of Atlanta towards his 2014 tour fees, up to $250.* *This offer is valid from February 8th, 2014 through May 30, 2014 and represents my total matching contribution. Proof of contribution required for matching funds. PM me for my email address to send paid online receipt showing contribution to Spirit of Atlanta towards David's tour fees. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5m2lTw6KHA&list=UUYfEZOQxlNzUCS07ymgbmaQ&feature=c4-overview

Pretty much. If a corps decided to make a trombone line or a sousaphone line there would be a huge uproar from their alumni base. I feel that the only real use for the new instrumentation would be a sideline solo or for groups trying to move from Soundsport to DCI Open Class where the groups would likely try to get a standard line as soon as they could.

Every one who is being negative right now about the rule change will eat crow. I guarantee it. :)

I think this is another unfortunate step in the homoginization of what used to be a very distinctive brand.......what actually makes drum corps Drum Corps. There is nothing new or interesting or exciting that a french horn, trombone or Sousaphone can bring to the activity (and I am a concert French Hornist by trade). And as a horn player, there is no draw for me in adding them to the activity. I was never bothered by having to play a mello to march or felt like I was missing anything not seeing horns on the field. All we are going to see is the race to see which of the self-proclaimed design "geniuses" can force-feed us some over-the-top use of the new instrumentation and being told we just aren't bright enough to appreciate the greatness. Sad.

The irony was not lost to me that The Rite of Spring was so prominent in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics is Sochi. It proved itself again to be a formidable score for pageantry. My guess is that BD's designers had smiles from ear to ear watching it. Besides the music there was more than a few moments when you could imagine hash marks on the ice and brass in the hands of the performers. Several very familiar classic Drum Corps movements throughout. Many staggering visual moments and extraordinary uses of light and exotic visual effects. I wouldn't be surprised to see some of these effects finding their way onto the field in the future.....light may indeed be the next new frontier in DC (oh yeah, daytime venues.....nevermind!). All in all, a well produced and spectacular opening ceremony. Dasvidaniya!

I'm not too enthusiastic about this new ordinance, but perhaps it will sound really good and will surprise everyone.

Stripes quotes = yes!

Somewhere in the top five :) Always had love for the Bluecoats, though I tend to be more of a classically oriented guy. I like seeing corps grow, a la Crown and Bluecoats, rather than just magically be good year after year. I was lucky to be where I was when I marched. Had a good run.

I think it would probably 2007. Very good year, but not as great as the other years of the decade.

Then I'm sure you'll throw your hat in the ring to become DCI's next executive director, in order to fix all of the problems you perceive. I haven't met anyone at a show that's confused by the opening, or thinks it's a mess, but then again, most of my friends are optimists.

No, I auditioned for one corps, and one corps only for the 1997 season, and made it, marched there all three years I was eligible. Never cut from the corps from Canton. No hate for the Bluecoats, just calling it like I see it with them. Where did you march, homie?

Glad I meet your approval. I'll certainly sleep better tonight.

The massillon show is always pretty amazing and this year will be even better! Can't wait!

Rude. Either way, pageantry is defined as "elaborate display or ceremony." Is a Drum Corps show not an elaborate display? Are our retreats not elaborate ceremonies? Drum Corps and pageantry go hand in hand IMO.

Folks come by open class corps thinking of them solely as a stepping stone more often than not. If you want a world class experience from an open class group, no other corps comes as close. Remember that if the guys in green shirts and khakis were the only ones who could determine a corps value there would only be 12 groups.

As a member of the 1996 Pioneer, it makes me smile to see us getting a few mentions here. That was a special group that performed at an extremely high level. The show probably ended up holding us back, but that corps was finalist level in the performance captions. Since you can only watch finalists shows on the fan network, I imagine most folks have forgotten or never seen/heard 1996 Pioneer. Z 1996 Pioneer baritone

MisterA - Nowhere near the level? Not consistent? A 27-time DCI finaliist is not consistent enough for you? Hmm, last 10 years SCV has been a top 6 corps 7 times... Bloo has been top 6 EIGHT times. And, by the way, you failed to mention anything about the corps from Concord. If you want to masquerade your opinions as objective, please share your true feelings of bias and exactly who you're a homer for - at least I'd give you more credit for that. And, you want to place a bet against them? I would hope no one would be willing to take you up on that because I wouldn't bet against any kid in any corps. Let them work toward perfecting their production and be placed wherever it goes. If you want to bet on something, pick something else. edited for: Speaking of Tour of Champions, don't forget to mark your calendar for Bloo's TOUR OF CHAMPIONS show in Massillion, OH on August 4th! I'm sure the'd appreciate your patronage - you can bet on that! IAMABLUECOAT Bloo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hahaha tesmusic, you get cut from Bluecoats, homie? Where did you march?

Stu--just don't watch the Blue Stars. Forget they exist. Take your bull$%^& elsewhere. Stop trying to hammer the same square peg into a round hole. These are not the droids you're looking for..... I'm rarely so annoyed on DCP, but this seems to crystalize why I frequently hear current DCI members saying they hate this community.

Ah. Now we are getting somewhere. Since you didn't really bring much in the way of tangibles here (other than confirming their consistency) and with your word choice above, it sounds like you just don't feel like they deserve it. Bluecoats at a minimum, have maintained, if not improved over the recent years. You can look at what has happened in Rosemont as a fluke, but there needs to be a fundamental shift there before Cavies rejoin the upper echelon. This wasn't their first down year. And in regards to barely taking 5th over Phantom, coming out on top of Phantom isn't a rarity anymore. Barely or not. No need to hate on the team from Canton. Root on for your favorites. But it's not the fault of The Bluecoats.

I really have to say, that even though they have been really small, they have actually put on some really good shows. Being one of the smallest corps, it is sometimes hard to move up in the ranks, against bigger corps. Visual GE sometimes holds you back with a smaller corps. I think you should audition for them and add another member. And have a great summer, regardless of placement, or size of the corps.

13:Troopers came so close and made their greatest strides finals week, so I'd say they just have to pick up where they left off. 14: Crossmen--they were on fire as finals week approached in 2012 but that was missing in 2013. While some had issues with their show design, for me their semi's performance had some cleanliness issues that should have been taken care of earlier in the season, so I'd clean up earlier and give it your all in Indy. 15:In my opinion, Colts own the audience when they perform, but it doesn't seem to reach the judges. They have a great sound and a real appeal, but it has to come together just a bit more. 16: Pacific Crest: 2013 was a more difficult show than 2012, but didn't have as much appeal (I enjoyed 2013 but really loved 2012). So take what worked best both years and ramp it up a bit and you're a show-in 17; Oregon Crusaders--keep making the steady improvement you've made in the past few years.

There were four SDCA threads posted to the DCA forum in January, none getting much response, unlike the SDCA vs Soundsport thread in the DCI forum.

come on this is DCP. Everyone loves free speech, unless of course you don't like their favorite corps

Troopers - Battle Hymn. I think it would fit in wonderfully with the theme.

There is more to marketing than just a website. i attend a few shows a year, DCI and DCA. never heard a peep about it there. How many events are they really running? All we ever see here is stuff about a regional meeting. I'm part of the admin team for a local band circuit who all get zero pay, and we do far better marketing.

Color presentations are all the rage with kids these days.

you do realize Soundsport is being set up to be so much more about performing for a score right? SDCA has a great idea that has been, IMO, marketed poorly. Soundsport is an idea that is similar in some respects, with a whole lot more going for it and ways for it to branch out.

1) I've been a drum corps fan since 1990, and I've NEVER heard of SDCA until this post. I googled "SDCA," and its the second to last hit on the first page (i.e. you have to scroll down a bit to see it). I think that could potentially say something about the organization, perhaps about its viability, definitely about its ability to penetrate the marketplace and advertise to its consumers. 2) as pointed out, DCI HAS done things for smaller corps (see previous A60, Div. III, and current Open Class corps - such as BDC, who perform at DCI shows). Do they do "enough?" That's an argument for sure, but they do stuff 3) also pointed out before, DCA has been doing things with smaller corps for a long time. I think it's more likely DCI saw DCA's "mini-corps" model and decided to do something similar to meet their goals of outreach to smaller, start-up, or community-driven performance ensembles. I can understand frustration of feeling like DCI has established something that is already going on with SDCA. Again, I would say at the very least SDCA has branding issues, has not been able to make itself known to drum corps fans (and heck, their website looks woefully outdated). Perhaps SDCA can find a way to collaborate with DCI's similar venture in ways that BOTH can grow and thrive.

With all due respect, the SDCA isn't even a drop in the drum corps pond compared to DCI and DCA. Despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of drum corps fans have absolutely no idea what SDCA is proves that. As has been stated above, the SDCA has done a very poor job of marketing itself. Look no further than the poorly written "press releases" posted here on DCP, or the web site that looks like something out of 1995 if you don't believe me. DCI has been pretty clear who SoundSport is for, and what it's about. If the SDCA wants to get involved, that's great. They should, as should every indoor circuit. But to claim that DCI stolen something from SDCA is ridiculous. Especially when you consider that mini-corps and other small ensembles predate the SDCA by *decades*. Heck, even DCA has been involved with this sort of thing for over twenty years.

Crown Imperial, 27th Lancers Through The Eyes Of Love (from Ice Castles), Madison Scouts Ghost Riders In The Sky, Troopers

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