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So, the folks "resting up" essentially do not care, thus proving the original point. No one gives a flying crap about alumni corps.

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

In the same way that if people really liked old school drum corps there would be a circuit full of g-bugles?

BD does rehashes? I don't recognize them.

Interesting idea. Everything evil in drum corps is attributed to our friend George. More than a few posters have attributed the rule change regarding trombones, French horns, and sousaphones to him, but I do believe that the idea was proposed by Madison Scouts, a darling corps of old school enthusiasts like me, and up to this point, the only Facebook photos I have seen of trombones is from Madison. With the ways George is vilified over and over, my guess is that to have a Full Hopkins show you'd just need to take 2011 Cadets show, remove the angels, and just leave the demons. A close second place to George is Mr. Gibb's Blue Devils, and while I'm not exactly a Blue Devils fan, I'm sure that "Cabaret Voltaire" followed by "Rewrite of Spring" is why there is unrest in Ukraine and Venezuela, the cold and snow so many of us have had to endure this winter is BD's fault, and why a lasting peace is not possible in the Middle East.

My native state's a sporting state, a top vacation spot; There's skiing when the weather's cold, and boating when it's hot. My friends are all enthusiasts of sports and games galore, But most of them had never seen a drum and bugle corps. They just don't get why I ignored the area's great features And traveled many miles to find a seat up in the bleachers. They'd never seen a corps compete, or else I'm sure they'd see Why competitions offered so much fun and thrills for me. And so, I guess, we're miles apart as far as interests go. I found as much in drum corps as they found in sun and snow. To me, a sunny summer day meant sitting in the stands Watching corpsmen on the starting line clasp, with nervous hands, A bugle or a drumstick, or a sabre, cymbals, flags ... And checking over uniforms, and letting nothing lag. Encourangement was whispered into fellow squadmen's ears As starting time grew nearer, as did all the nagging fears. The Major moved to center, and he'd bark a sharp command, As silence would descend upon the crowds there in the stand. And then a sudden drumbeat signaled cheers and shouts galore! The crowds would roar approval then, as forward went the corps. Fears and nerves all vanished when the lines were clean and tight. All the months of practising were paying off that night. Bugles sounded sharply out across the summer air, Echoing from field and sky, and flags flew high and fair. As the field judges scurried midst our music strong and proud, The corps then rearranged itself facing towards the crowd. The fans would now be quieter, as concert time was here. We'd hope our new arrangements might just catch the judges' ear. And then the drumline moved into a smooth and rhythmic beat, A solo quite hypnotic, and the crowd would tap its feet. And then streamed forth a sweet barrage of old and modern tunes: Jazz, the blues, now powerful, then hushed, and ever-sweetly crooned; Old favorites and movie tunes, and Broadway hits galore. The audience could never guess the next surprise in store. When it was all over, and the cheering over too, The scores were tabulated as the crowd guessed who'd come through. To those who'd get no trophy for their efforts long and true: Sportsmanship would still prevail o'er disappointment's hue. Instead, determination to improve that evening's scores Overshadowed bitterness, and urged on all the corps. It was ever so rewarding when our corps had thrilled the fans, And so, to all those doubtful still, I'll take this one-man stand: The Golden Age of Drum Corps, whatever the scores would be, Will always live forever within the heart of me.

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

On the money. I'll take indoors over paying to see an event and not getting a chance to do so, any time. And the older I get... the thought of watching drum corps indoors, in air conditioning, without the sun beating down or rain falling, appeals to me more and more.

I'm still waiting for someone to do a shortened version of the final movement of the Mahler 3rd Symphony. The constant ebb and flow and incessant build would provide one heck of a carrot-on-a-stick for the audience.

I'll see your and raise you! (and well done -- sometimes you just have to stop feeding them)

No, that's not what I said. Go back and read it again (and, BTW, spare me the negative attacks even if you do qualify them; you and I both know what you're saying and you don't know me or my history or experience well enough to make such statements). What I said was that there are excellent and legit examples of movement in the drum lines of several past shows that actually add, visually, to the percussion performance. I cited several examples from the litany that can be found in history, and none of them were of the squat-pivot-squat-turn style that seems so prevalent today in meeting the SD requirement. Is it impressive that a drum line can squat and parry while playing tough rhythms? Rarely, IMO, because it's gratuitous movement to satisfy the sheets. The lick they're playing may be fabulous but the body movement is meh and adds little to the "demand" of the lick. Again, 2000 Cadets tenor line had plenty of SD even PRIOR to their solo on the sideline, but that extra movement (rotating up the drums while spinning down to the bottom) was impressive not because of itself, but because it added so well to the book that was being played. Similar Cadets 2011 (among many others who have done the same): marching across the field with a large separation between the two halves of the line, marching an odd, stagger-step meter at a high tempo, AND playing alternating sixteenth fours that sounded like they were standing static in a straight line. Now THAT'S SD, IMO. (BD is excellent at alternating note blocks as well - I'm not favoring Cadets particularly). If you're talking about the 3:00 mark in '07 BD's show, when the drumline is doing LOTS of body movement, pay attention to the rest of the corps - they were all doing the same body movements and, visually, it was VERY cool because of they symmetry across the whole mass of blue uniforms. That's not gratuitous SD for movement sake alone, which is what I object to. If you're describing another point in the show, please point it out with a time stamp or something I can identify.

Good grief ..DCI fans criticizing DCA attendance is like two midgets fighting over height with one reminding the another that he's a few inches taller.

Not really-smaller circuits & championships failed because DCI would not cooperate. No DCI means a different context. If my old corps could get a functional group up in a few months-it's not impossible. I think a lot of you are so used to large programs & extravaganzas that you forgot that a small corps can function with a couple of rented buses and a pick up.

This is a great point When I marched, one of my instructors "taught" us to employ the "jedi mind trick." That essentially means when a judge is in front of you, and you play a phrase that is performed by the section (i.e. snare section - but FWIW we were NEVER dirty and always played everything perfect all the time) noticeably dirty, you act like you played it clean: you nod your heard triumphantly, cheer out a "yeah" or "woo" or something, etc. Comically enough, maybe 50% of the time the judge would be fooled, likely because what he was seeing "trumped" what he heard: our reaction caused the judge to doubt what he thought he might've heard wrong. I still teach that to students, and in the band world it works more often than it did in drum corps. And there were other judges who would call us out, or say stuff like, "come on - don't accept that dirt as good" or "ha; you're not gonna fool me, that tenor lick was dirty." The point being visual often trumps aural.

You realize that to enjoy a musical moment, you have to be quiet enough to hear it, right? Visual moments have no such limitation.

You my friend is on the crack. Imho

Yes they did. Michigan City is a great place for them to have Finals, because it actually allows for them to fill the stadium. Like when they used Pasadena City College in 2007, or the high school in Brockton in 2005. Those big stadiums are great, but there are pitifully attended for OC Quarter and Semi-Finals. Even for Finals attendance isn't great. But going to Michigan City is a much smaller, more intimate environment that allows for the kids to get a packed stands experience.

SCHEHERAZADE... ...I Just like saying that word lol...

This is where things get fuzzy because I disagree with this 'perception is reality mindset' where people are allowed to define things in their own manner. Baseball and Cricket are both defined as sports; they are both even defined as stick-ball sports; all of that is true based on common agreed to authoritative standards; but they are still unique unto themselves. One can attempt to further define the subset stick-ball sport of Baseball as being the same as the stick-ball sport of Cricket, or vice versa, in their 'perception is reality' mindset, but that subset definition of perception would be in error. Unless..... As for the evolution of things; evolution and morphing are two vastly different processes. Cricket, for example, can evolve in adjusting to competitive changes based on the needs within the Cricket framework and still remain unique as Cricket. However, if they began to throw the ball instead of rolling it, changed the inner playing field to a diamond instead of a rectangle, and began adopting other items from the world of Baseball it would remain a stick-ball sport, but at some point it would morph into actually becoming Baseball and cease to be Cricket. This morphing, as opposed to evolving, is what is happening in DCI as of late; while up to this point DCI and BOA units have both been, ouch, marching bands unique unto themselves, DCI is now morphing into being high caliber ‘BOA type’ ensembles instead of evolving within the framework of Drum Corps.

You should probably stop that without the empirical-yet-unseen data.

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.

To be more correct, we ensure the most important show of the season, as well as one of DCI's primary moneymakers AND all of the other large Regional shows DCI produces that are also indoors, doesn't get canceled. If 2012 Finals would've been canceled, that would've been catastrophic. Even in CA one of the largest marching band circuit Championships had to be canceled because of rain, disappointing a ton of students, parents, fans, and school staff members. I was there in 1993 for that rain, and it is a small miracle that things didn't get worse; hell, it was a miracle Finals HAVEN'T been rained out before moving indoors! Before 2012 I was with you; but after seeing the benefits of being indoors, I think there's no question that sacrificing sound for insuring Finals won't be canceled is more than adequate. Oh, and of course there is the whole safety thing. Weren't there fatalities in Indy in 2012 at another, outdoor venue that had major problems with the rain? While DCI fans were inside Oil Can marveling at the sound of rain on the roof, people at another entertainment venue were literally dying because of the weather. That Glassmen video posted here is kind of funny, and a hype, and any of use who marched a season or two likely has a similar story to tell. However, the dark side of that story is the potential for a member to seriously hurt themselves while moving at 200 bpm in torrential rain. Or a fan slipping on stadium steps and breaking a bone. It's my understanding that even in 2012 with huge rain corps could warm-up indoors as well as perform indoors. That is INCREDIBLE, and that is completely worth whatever sound deficiencies are inherent with domes. I'm with you that outdoors sounds a LOT better than indoors, but to trivialize the benefits as "yeah we get AC!" is a disservice.

Before this post gets torn to shreds, there is a point in here somewhere. It is something like what I was saying recently about how once upon a time, judges and fans were in pretty close agreement on what was effective/entertaining, but they have since diverged. As an example - we had theme shows back in the day. Over 50 years ago, people thought it clever to select 16 songs with the word "Love" in the title and form a heart shape in the drill. Apparently, that is all it takes to fulfill the intellectual part of the effect triad for some judging intellects. A few years later, though, top corps were scoring the most points by employing clever music arranging (voicing, chord structure, rhythm, dynamics, layering) to satisfy the intellectual aspect, if not all three parts of the triad. Brass alone provided a full palette of colors, when utilized by the arrangers of those several subsequent decades. Similar thinking among designers in the percussion and visual areas generated comparatively innovative and engaging ideas there too. Now, we are back to getting our intellectual engagement from finding which song in the old/new/borrowed/blue theme has the word "Blue" in the title. When designers want a sonic color, they go get a pre-recorded version of it and have it played over the speakers. And when a show theme (which at some point became mandatory) is not sufficiently clear from the use of music and motion, we have it explained to us in so many words over those same speakers. Is that really intellectual, or the opposite? Obscurity becomes effect on the score sheets. Designers win contests by convincing judges that confusion was the intended response to their designs. Replicating shows from 30 years ago is not the answer, but regaining the clarity of 30 years ago might be. Thematic symbolism is perfectly fine when it is clear as black and white (there is a punch line in there regarding 1987 Sky Ryders).

This has nothing to do with my love for the past, though, it is my reference point. Also, some of the anger at me is really unbelievable. Why? Because I'm your Joe Public. This is a true story - I went to Allentown last year - 1st show in 10 years. Why? It sucked 10 years ago and didn't feel like seeing more of it. To try to get me to do research and study to appreciate something is stupid. It sucked 10 years ago and it sucked last year. What sucked? Basically, all of the complaints alumni ##### about. There is a consensus. So, THAT'S REALITY. Moving forward - here was my observations of the crowd. They were bored. Out of their skulls. They just sat there and other than SCV - courtesy applause and courtesy ovations (I guess because they are kids). This isn't perception, this was reality. As I walked down the stadium ALL I HEARD was #####ing (kind of like on Drum Corps Planet). And what were they #####ing about? The same crap alumni is #####ing about on drum corps planet and other forums. The general audience are not YOU. I am more reflective of the general audience than you BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE IN ALLENTOWN. I brought my significant - she NEVER saw a drum corps show, but, she was in HS Marching Band. (BTW, I just realized I was in Atlanta in 2010 - obviously it was so memorable I completely forgot). Here is a FACT: There is a significant portion of the DCI alumni that DESPISES what's going on. Hates it, thinks it's ridiculous, pathetic, insulting, annoying, AND NONE OF IT HAS TO DO WITH THE KIDS. I heard them. I talked with them. On big #####-fest. The kids are merely participating in what's available - that's it. There are NO ALTERNATIVES. My significant was falling asleep. BORED! Why? Well, why are we trying to try and learn some subjective 10 dimensional life lesson, esoterically presented that is so unclear, twisted, to try and get. Music is supposed to be communication. It supposed to connect. Not isolate the listener. The corps aren't accomplishing this. This is not Stravinski. The average person (my significant other) wants to be entertained. That's why we ###### away over a grand to fly, rent, lounge, eat to Allentown. DCI is not entertaining TO A LARGE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE. Throw in my reference (my history in DCI) there is nothing for me to appreciate and everything for me to criticize. What's funny to me is all of you who are defending it. What are you watching that's enjoyable? Are we watching the same thing? I have a music education degree and I taught music in the schools, have a drum corps background. I'm not connecting. The thing is, entertainment should not require someone to watch something 10 times to appreciate it. I watch Olympic Figure Skating and I can see it once and appreciate it, like it, or not. Everything wants to be a circle. I didn't come to listen to your designers view of the world. Do I really love you? Really? Blue Devils Rite of whatever? Just because it's hard doesn't make it enjoyable. It's like watching chess or someone doing a mathmatics equation. Music is completely failing. How so? Look in your communities. Music is being cancelled in schools throughout the nation. Programs are getting smaller. Fewer people are caring. Who's fault is it? The audience? No - it's the music programs. The more they keep doing what they're doing, the more it fails. Does DCI have more or less corps than the 70's and 80's? Let me simplify it - how long do you feel like listening to someone who isn't clear and/or you can't understand them? How would you like for them to tell you that YOU are the problem because you don't appreciate them? If I want to sell a widget in China, do you think I should learn to speak Chinese. If I want to sell anything to anybody - maybe I should make them want what I'm selling. I don't want what's being served. And, there are no alternatives - so I'll ##### like everyone else and maybe someone will listen. But, we're dealing with music educators, not business people so guess where it will get me. Nowhere. And guess what happens - continual death to music education because nobody is listening to the people that keep them alive. Honestly, I don't think DCI will be here in 10 years. No way. It won't be able to sustain. I wouldn't bet my house - but I'd bet yours (that's a joke).

IMO Cadets need to step away from the duality stuff.

"pretty decent" is not cadets quality. that's the problem. 2012 and 2013 were half-baked and mailed in. 2011 was saved by the drill. 2010, also meh.

they are being quiet because they have no idea what the show is... george needs to stop pretending he is a good program coordinator. otherwise, its gonna be another half-baked, 3rd place design