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I think it's you guys who are stuck in a rut! I love all the innovative stuff that corps are doing now days. it's so fresh and entertaining. I was around in the old days and now I think things are so innovative this will be the new golden age! Y'all still have your old VHS tapes. Go watch them and cry into your beer.

EARLY MARCH CAMP REPORT This is the March 2014 Report for The Skyliners! Things are going well despite this brutal winter we are having here in Northeast PA. Attendance remains good. We are very pleased with the corps' progress so far. The horn line has finished the third number and getting ready to learn the ballad. Percussion has the opener learned and completed the second number. Just as a reminder - Our show "A New Dawn, A New Day" consists of "Feelin' Good", "Blue SKies", "It Ain't Necessarily So", "'Round Midnight", and we close with "Caravan". Hard to believe we are into March. If the weather breaks, the brass section will start drill on the 29th of March. Musically, we will continue to push forward to get the show completed before the end of April. We have been preparing for our first public appearance. We will be marching in the Scranton St. Patrick's Day Parade on March 15th. The corps is very excited about this. We've fit everyone for uniforms and practicing parade music. We have a tremendous support staff that helped get us ready. My thanks to all that helped. We could not do this without your love and support. As far as our current numbers: Brass line is still in the mid 20's. Since we've had another contra player joined, we've moved 3 contras over to baritone to give us a better balance. Of course, we can always use more lead sopranos. And we still have 6 contras who get stronger every rehearsal. Battery Percussion - Battery is now at 5 snares, 2 tenors, 5 bass, 3 cymbals. Pit Percussion is doing very well. We are at 10 players there. Color Guard is growing and now at 19. We've also announced our remaining drum majors. Adam Burdett, Steph Carbonell, Elena Dominick, and Rebecca Colwell will lead us onto the field. Next big day for us? We have our DCA Evaluation coming up at the end of March. We are very excited and look forward to passing this with flying colors. Our next rehearsals are: March 16th, 11-7, March 29th, 2-8 and March 30th, 11-7 for the entire corps. My next report will be in early April. Thanks and as always, you can contact me a Larry@skylinersdbc.org. Donations are always welcome. Go to www.sky2014.org and click on the DONATE tab. Thanks! Larry

Horsehockey. First, "perception is reality" is a fact...for that person (and that person alone). Your perception is your reality. My perception is my reality. And guess what? There will always be a third person who will jump in and say "XXXX, you're both idiots!!" I would much rather make the statement that "I'm NOT saying I'm correct just because I'm the one that's saying it" than "This is the way it is...it IS because I said so!!!" You can state things any way you wish...as for me, I'd rather not pretend that my views are definitively correct for all.

Is Crown doing Brass Theater?

Totally, totally agree. Their designers have a pretty good knack of choosing awesome classical music, but visually not-so-much. I totally agree that they've been seemingly having issues finding good effect/visual "hooks" to match their music the last several years.

North Star is proud to announce: North Star Drum & Bugle Corps! “All Age Drum Corps” North Star will conduct an official Open House on Sunday, March 30, 2014, at 1:00pm, at the Malden Emergency Center - Jackson Suite. Located at 114 Centre Street, Malden, MA. North Star welcomes everyone interested in becoming a member or learning more regarding performing with this legendary corps. To kick-off this momentous occasion, please join us at a social gathering and fundraising event. The social will be held at the same location on Friday, March 28, 2014 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $25.00 each and are available at the door, or by sending a check, payable to North Star to: Lynda O’Brien, 1002 Foxwood Circle, Peabody, MA 01960. Come join us! Share your drum corps experiences and reacquaint with friends. The corps intends to begin their performance schedule in 2015, which is the 40th anniversary of the North Star organization. To begin, the corps will have a limited practice schedule (one per month, with optional sectional practice time). We are excited to announce that we have secured the services of most of the instructional team which helped create the North Star magic back in the day! Dave Vose, will assume the position of Percussion Caption Head and Arranger. Dave was the architect of the famous “Chrome Wall” and arranged the charts associated with our DCI finalist shows. Dave is a Professor at the Berklee College of Music. Dave is also a member of the Massachusetts Drum Corps Hall of Fame. Neal Smith, will resume the role of Visual Caption Head. In addition to writing and overseeing the entire North Star marching experience, Neal has designed for many DCI and DCA corps. He has been inducted into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame, Massachusetts Drum Corps Hall of Fame, Boston Crusaders Hall of Fame and Connecticut Hurricanes Hall of Fame. Currently he is the visual designer for several high-profile marching bands and continues to adjudicate visual design throughout the United States. Jerry Noonan, returns as Brass Caption Head and Arranger and he will perform with the corps. Jerry, one of the most recognized soloists in DCI history, not only arranged and taught North Star, but also enjoyed a successful tenure in the same capacity with the Boston Crusaders. Jerry is a graduate of Berklee College of Music. The Color Guard will be under the direction of Dolores Zappala, and assisted by Kathy Kerrins and Greg Horne. Dolores has had a long and successful career working with the WGI finalist Blessed Sacrament World-Class Winter Guard and Kathy has also taught WGI guard and has judged. Jim and Lynda O’Brien, two of the Co-Founders and Directors of North Star, will assume their former positions in the new All-Age Corps. Jim and Lynda are alumni members of the Board of Directors of Drum Corps International (DCI) and have held similar positions in many local and national organizations. The corps hopes to attract members who would like to continue the North Star tradition of excellence and performance excitement. We will attain these goals within an atmosphere of fun, camaraderie and pride. We openly welcome all members of other alumni organizations. We fully understand schedule conflicts may arise, so we will set our schedule to minimize them as much as possible. While we are proud of the past accomplishments of the North Star Drum & Bugle Corps, our focus is to the future. We hope you will be part of this and we welcome all new members. See you on Friday, March 28th and Sunday, March 30th, 2014! email: northstaralumnicorps@gmail.com phone: 978-535-5740

That seems to be the problem. Everyone complains and laments when a corps folds, but a lot of those lamenting are those who admit to watching the first half of the show in the lot, and only purchasing souvies from the Top 8 corps. If you're really going to support drum corps, support them all. I performed for two years in Open Class, empty stadiums with the sun in your eyes sucks. Especially when you come back in after changing after the intermission, and all of a sudden the stands are full because the Top 12 corps are on.

Idiot's crystal ball, here: I see Troopers coming out shocking everyone. Capped off by a 9th place in finals. I also predicted (to my friends only, mind you) a 12th in 2009. If I manage to hit 2 in a row...my next step will be selling Lottery numbers to interested buyers. :>)

To be blunt... Because drum corps has always been a elitist activity. It's highly competitive, from walking in the door to audition to competing on the field at Finals. It's an activity where we're always ranking/rating EVERYTHING: there are some corps discussion about brown vs orange trays, or red vs green koolaid! I've read member blogs where even shower water pressure is rated on a site-by-site basis! Fans argue about which era is "better," or more true or whatnot. It is only natural that elitism creeps into outside world a bit, and I think marching members have an attitude of, "I had to audition to become a member, our corps works WAY harder on more difficult programs and performs in cooler stadiums: therefor, drum corps is better than marching band, and if someone refers to drum corps as marching band, that's a bad thing." I remember as a marching member if a rookie accidentally referred to corps as band it would get ugly quick, and whenever we talked to 'civilians' we would be quick to let them know that we were not band, and there WAS a big difference. It is pretty silly, I agree with you. This activity sometimes likes to take itself WAY too seriously, and I personally don't care about a name designation between corps & band. Drum corps has a great tradition behind the name, and I agree that I'd personally prefer to keep Drum Corps International: even though we've moved far from our beginnings, it's nice to always have the constant reminder of where we started, those that came before (often WAY before) us, etc.

Why not call them a "Cover Band" !!

Yep. Kind of like how DCI's marching bands have sounded good for the past 40-ish years.

Phantom. Killing people was inventive and interesting the first time, but doing the same thing every year isn't as exciting. There is some great classical music out there they can do without doing the same storyline each year

Many of us have heard the commercial on the television or radio regarding the most interesting man in the world. The drum corps community has one such man and he is George Hayek from the Hawthorne Caballeros. 2014 marks sixty-eight CONSECUTIVE years of marching for him with no plans on retiring just yet. George was […] ... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/2014/03/george-hayek-sixty-eight-years-and-counting/

A low-cost local-style circuit a la the old Garden State Circuit is just never going to happen, IMO. It is just too expensive for enough corps to start up in a small enough area so that weekend shows are possible to create an all summer long activity. Not to mention trying to find interested new members to fill these new corps, even at 28 horns. There is a reason the GSC and its corps failed over time.

I am in a lot of FB drum corps groups, actually, such as the 60's group, the 70's group, the VFW/AL Group, Garden State Circuit, and a few more. While I would be that many of the people in those groups would indeed attend such shows, that is a losing proposition, numbers-wise, not to mention getting kids to want to belong to such groups, if tnhey could even get off the ground in 2014. DCA can't even get a decent size audience at their own alumni show, so IMO that is a non-starter. DCA itself now permits any-key horns, and this year permits amps in the pit. Personally, I enjoy the Cabs alumni, Blessed Sac, etc...they bring me back to my era, since I first started in 1964. But those of my era are a constantly shrinking group. As for 'simple little groups'...more power to you. I don't see that sort of thing happening in any great number, but best of luck. Any time kids get a chance to perform it is a good thing.

...........................:pay attention stuie..i said a few....maybe you didnt date as a kid...lmao...i find that hard to believe with that sparkling personality

Or time for fans to actually show up at the beginning of shows and give their support to everyone. We all decry the death of the little corps, but who is there to watch them, or purchase souvenirs from them?

2 years, and empty stadiums suck. Even at Open Class only shows, people wouldn't filter in until the higher ranking OC corps came on. Which is why as a fan, I show up at the National Anthem, and leave after the encore and last score is announced. The kids deserve it, because I know what it's like.

Maybe the fans have changed too? Every performance, even the not very good ones would get standing Os at every big moment, now people sit on their hands except for the biggest moments like company fronts and big impacts. Maybe the fans expect things to have never changed, so don't give out the same support they used to?

IMO it's exactly what it is...i would never had admitted it years ago but easily see what we were bitd.....cooler? maybe but none the less...we are what we are...and forget those who think the activity is lame.....as many do.....so what!...maybe its time to look at what we do realistically. Maybe we look at the MB activity like outsiders look at us....and thats why we hate the comparison so much.

Light travels faster than sound, so people do see first. I can listen to old shows without the video fine, same way you can watch some modern shows without the music. The best shows though are always those that marry the two. They take the visual and music, and they perfectly compliment each other. I've always thought Pete Weber is great at that. Music is great, but I can listen to the original versions without seeing a show. But to see a corps that can draw me in with a visual performance is something that can't be found somewhere else, especially when the two halves work perfectly well together. Not every fan goes to a show wanting the same thing. To think otherwise is ignorant.

Hmmmm... !) If it is true that many of us hate seeing the downward trend in school funding and/or basic scheduling support for music which has been increasingly happen over the past decade, and; 2) If it is true that "marching band" is increasingly being seen (or at least debated) as being as much a "sport" as an art; and 3) If it is true that many of our nation's schools are becoming little more than "sports academies" (I'll take the conjecture hit on this one, although it is based on what I have seen over the past 33 years as a public school music teacher)... Maybe a "grass-roots" campaign should be started whereby public pressure is placed upon School Boards and Administration to include Marching Band (ALL costs...staffing, travel, equipment) under the aegis of that school's interscholastic sports budget. Hell, we play for the football team's halftime show 4-6 times a year at their games;and supply the expected "Pep Band" at the football and basketball games (face it...where are most of these Pep Band kids coming from? The MARCHING BAND!). Here's the budgetary reality in MY small, rural school district: Amount of budget monies allocated for the 13-14 academic year for the K-12 music department (NOT including salaries): 7.003.00 Amount of budget monies allocated for the 13-14 academic year for 4-12 Interscholastic Athletic department (NOT including salaries): 169,995.00 Maybe it's time we share a little bit of the pie. However, I'm not going to hold my breath while I wait. We'll see real quickly what the public's perception of Marching Band is...Art or Sport.

bad visuals or visuals just for the sake up should NOT receive credit....if it doesnt make sense to music or theme or the moment in a show,then NO credit should be given.........................Now wheather 2 people can agree if it belongs in a given moment or not can be a huge debate..................judges SHOULD be able to know the difference and reward ONLY when it's achieved and makes sense to the program

Where's the option for fans who prefer to see and hear BOTH?

Perception is reality....ugh. A word means what I think it means not what what it actually means. 2+2=5 because I say so. It's maddening.

True, Cadets and SCV, when they had a particular notable style/brand were a lot more successful... Read my earlier post on Cavies- the visual aesthetic was similar, but they did greatly vary musical compositions over those years.

I think that there's not so much a visual emphasis so much as emphasis on simultaneous demand. Yes, vis bleeds into the music captions at times, but the emphasis is more doing BOTH vis & music at the same time. Most drum lines can stand still and play lots of notes musically and clean. A lot of drum lines can march while playing lots of notes fast. Even fewer can add body movement and complex choreography while playing: that's what separates good from great. To be honest, I don't get why people freak out about that. Corps are playing more music, with better tone, WHILE DOING VISUAL STUFF, then they have in any other era. Why is that bad? Do we want to devolve back to the drum line arc'ing up for the solo while the brass marches behind them? Do we want to return to concert movements where there is visual stagnation for a few minutes?! If you're argument is arranging style, I won't necessarily disagree with you, but that's a separate issue than simultaneous demand/visual being a component of high-achieving music captions

am I the only one that was really disappointed with how they handled Shostakovich last year. It just seemed thrown in and lackluster to me. Especially in comparison to their phenomenal opener and ballad arrangements

But the judges base their rankings/rankings on criteria that is typically discussed, voted on, and approved by DCI member corps: who are the directors of the individual corps. This process allows an "instructor caucus" to has out and amend any rule changes, and if instructors don't agree on a rule change, it doesn't even get to a Board vote. The process is essentially: * instructors propose & discuss rules changes * if a rule change is supported by instructors, it is moved on to DCI Board * DCI Board discusses rule change * If Board approves the rule is adopted * judges are trained on rule change * judges implement rule change at appropriate time depending on when rule is officially adopted for a season The judges are ONLY ranking/rating based on criteria adopted by the corps: they aren't some sort of outsiders who control the activity. The corps make the rules and then decide what direction is best for their organizations (i.e. BD has a significantly different style than Boston Crusaders when it comes to design, teaching style, etc), and then the judges evaluate performances based on the criteria of the sheets adopted and approved by the BoD.

Good discussion- as far as live Foley sound (i.e.; Miss Saigon SCV, etc) then, yes, I strongly prefer it "done live". To me, it is much more entertaining and exciting. Organic live sound done in front of my eyes will always trump a machine made sound triggered by a button push. Always. In the drum corps context, it was a defining element of the activity. It was all human powered. Add in amps to add volume or interesting sounds and I immediately loose interest. I can go to Guitar Center and get a rack of power amps and an ipad with lots of plugins and blow the audience out their seats. Big deal- anyone can do that. But is it progress? Why did it have to resort to this? Do most people prefer this? Do most current members like the fact that drum corps is heading in this direction? I was on the executive board of a world class corps until recently- I don't know any of those kids who wanted it to become simply a really good version of their school marching band. I'm not that old and marched drum corps fairly recently, just prior to the "big" changes of amps and stuff. I don't know one person who would have wanted any of this "evolution"... drum corps was already evolving and every year corps were pushing the envelope in new and innovative ways. No need for electronics/trombones/etc, the activity was already evolving. As already mentioned, other sports and arts continue to evolve in their defined form. The performers/players themselves evolve and thus the activity remains fresh and interesting while still remaining true "what it is" thus continuing to connect with their past. Drum & Bugle Corps differed from marching band in look and sound, much of this stemmed from the unique instrumentation. It's in the very name of what it is! Unfortunately that sound and all-human powered amazement is done now. I can still go hear a chamber orchestra same as hundreds of years ago, can still go get my face peeled off by a killer big band, and still go hear a rock band playing classic stuff through a dimed old Marshall JCM800, but I can't go get that "sound" of a 70+ member horn line on G's pinned WFO (Wide Friggin' Open) anymore, sadly. The "sound" is what I, and I feel lots of others, miss. I am all for corps evolving and doing whatever they felt... march 100 snare drums, march a whole hornline of contras (tubas- meh) and play a whole show searching for the elusive "brown note", do a whole show on the music of Frank Zappa- whatever! But bring back that SOUND and put the power back in the lungs/hands of the kids and not in the machines. Evolution doesn't have to mean throwing everything away that made it unique.

well said

Can't wait to see this on the field. I am almost giddy inside with anticipation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oi4hGYL7pU

Imagine if we had that stuff BITD! (along with cellphone cameras) I remember when we were drooling over the beer that L'Odysee brought down to help "defer their expenses"! THAT stuff was powerful, and not even close to some of the stuff available today!

Why do you think "most" fans are cool with as few as 28 horns? I doubt it. There are constant complaints about low attendance at Open class shows posted on DCP. You describe one type of MB of the past, but that is besides the point. The OP is looking to have kids of today's improved bands march and play old shows of 30-40 years ago, note-for-note and step-for-step. In my area, the "corps style" MB movement started in the early 70's and accelerated through the 80's, with competitive circuits like TOB, EMBA, NESBA, Cavalcade, NYSFBC providing opportunities for bands. There was a wide range of skills, to be sure, but it was not at all as you describe universally.

I'm gonna go out on a whim and predict The Caveliers in top 3. How crazy is that notion?

in addition: if anyone wants to use the sound effect of a tuba, they also do not have to use synths... unfortunately that doesn't seem to stop them.

French horns and tubas and trombones OH MY! French horns and tubas and trombones OH MY! French horns and tubas and trombones OH MY! French horns and tubas and trombones OH MY!

Oh man.... if I'm drinking Mad Elf, I ain't driving anywhere!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAkI9QuwyGQ I've always liked this cover. Very nice trombone, too. Thayer-valved.

I get how some feel this way BUT I got to say in 2011 the second the 1st note of music came out( AT CHAMPIONSHIPS), I literally stopped in my tracks..what a full beautiful sound.....like none other...and Im not a Bert Bach. lover.............at all !!!!!!...it was breathtaking IMO

i think the secret can also be to know how and when to drift from ones brand and maybe update SO you dont continue to look or sound like same ole same ole..then when a corps decides to ddrift back a bit for whatever reason its can be much more exciting and even fresh as far as head scratching , I think some people just get very un comfortable when ANYTHING that they are used to changes

Interesting. And I was just listening this afternoon to a broadcast of Borodin's posthumous opera Prince Igor, which Rimsky-Korsakov was working to complete when he got the idea for Scheherazade. (There's some good music in that opera; Academy played some of it four years ago.) By the standard I proposed lately, according to which corps should avoid performing music that had been used in a first-place show for twelve years, second-place show for eleven years, etc., this choice falls right on the cusp. It does seem a bit too soon. And they are setting expectations pretty high! Their 2004 performance was magical, and it had what I think is the best soft ending in drum corps history (although when I polled DCP on this subject last summer, it ranked seventh, with Cadets' 1987 "Appalachian Spring" the top choice.) That said, Scheherazade has at least been far less ubiquitous in DCI over the past decade than, say Appalachian Spring or West Side Story. Furthermore, SCV worked very hard last year (as their arranger specifically acknowledged during the Prelims cinema screening) to present a Les Mis that was both exciting and fresh, trusting the audience would follow them. Given that the original piece runs to more than 40 minutes, it ought to be possible for SCV to find an entirely different focus than they did last time. (Or I suppose they could mix it up with excerpts from the Sheherazades of Ravel or Szymanowski.) Finally, I was very amused to come across this post from last year, which argued (in mid-June) in that SCV would finish 2013 in sixth place, adding "I can't see Les Mis being the type of show that wins a medal, or even fan favorite". As we know, SCV did not medal, but they did get the highest fourth-place score ever. And if Crown was, probably, the fans' favorite, SCV seems likely to have been a close second in that regard for many people.

you will not find 128 kids willing to pay to spend their summers marching symmetrical drill forms at 12:5 steps and playing Ice Castles or Danny Boy. you just won't. besides, even the most well performed shows from the 70s and early 80s have glaring performance issues. horn angles? ever check those out? timing of the feet, ensemble timing... it goes on and on. kids today (even 16 year olds) are so fundamentally good at marching band that they'd have the show maxed out in 5 days and would spend the other 11 weeks on whatsapp telling their band friends how bored they were. think about this... the high school bands in texas are only allowed to rehearse for 8 hours per WEEK. that means that during a 12-week fall season, they rehearse the equivalent of about 10-12 full drum corps days. these bands achieve things that even lower scoring corps can't even dream of. it's a different universe.

This show means so much to me! The last drum corps event My late mother got to see was the quarter finals show at the theater. She loved SCV the best that year! It will be 10 years since my mom passed away shortly after finals are done. It is also my all time favorite symphony! I waited all my life for them to play this and now I get to see it again!!!!

And the 2014 SCV Program is: In the summer of 2014, Santa Clara Vanguard will perform Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade."

Drum corps is neither an art nor a sport. It is summer band for kids who can afford to pay-to-play. And it appears more and more to simply be a resume builder. It is far from ars gratia artis.

Here's what's publicly avaiable for world class corps. The Academy: $3,000 Blue Devils: $2,700 Blue Knights: Blue Stars: Bluecoats: Boston Crusaders: $3,675 The Cadets: $3,715 Carolina Crown: $3,675 Cascades: $2,950 The Cavaliers: $2,750 Colts: $3,000 Crossmen: $2,900 Jersey Surf: Madison Scouts: $3,075 Mandarins: $2,600 Oregon Crusaders: $3,000 Pacific Crest: $3,200 Phantom Regiment $3,200 Pioneer: $2,800 Santa Clara Vanguard: $2,250 Spirit of Atlanta: Troopers: $2,775 Here's open class. 7th Regiment: $1,460 Blue Devils B: Blue Devils C: Blue Saints: City Sound: Coastal Surge: $1,550 Colt Cadets: $3,000* Columbians: Genesis: $2,375 Gold: $1,750 Impulse: Legends: $3,000 Les Stentors: Music City: $2,300 Racine Scouts: Raiders: $1,750 Spartans: Thunder: Vanguard Cadets: $1,850 *The Colts website did not differentiate between the primary corps and the Cadets. Might not be accurate. Note that these are base fees. Nearly every corps has an early payment and vet discount. Some corps also require you to pay for new uniform parts. These are just rough figures. EDIT: Added public open class fees and SCVC.

I would be more at ease with this topic had the OP stated that kids' circumstances have changed - training, family, money, etc - but kids have not changed. Kids in corps want the same rush of competition and performance that kids of earlier generations wanted. People don't change. Their circumstances do. On a separate issue, who contends that drum corps hasn't changed? Surely you jest. Drum corps provides a completely different circumstance from past decades - better food, more money, more highly qualified instructors - but the base experience is exactly the same as it was in past years.

I hope that Cadets change the show to the female perspective, having Mary Todd Lincoln be the center of the show. Then they can call it "That's What She Said."