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You aren't wasting their time. Go. Even if you don't make the cut you will get invaluable instruction on what you need to work on to improve enough to make it next time. The first time I went to Crossmen camp in the fall/winter of 1982/3 it was pretty obvious to me right off the bat that I didn't have a shot to make the tenor line. I went to the first 2 or 3 camps anyway because: 1) I got to march in the Gimbles Thanksgiving Parade in Philly as a Crossmen where we played a couple holiday tunes and the ending of Russian Christmas from the '82 show; 2) I got to be around and part of one of the Corps I had worshiped for several years watching them on PBS every year and seeing them in person in Montreal; 3) I got great instruction from the staff and one of the vets in the tenor line. The vet in particular took time to show me what I needed to work on to make it in the future. I spent the next 2 years working on everything I had been shown while marching in PAL. After the '84 season I thought I was ready and auditioned again for '85 and made the line. If I hadn't gone to those camps in late '82 -- and then stayed for awhile after it was obvious I had no prayer -- I probably never would have improved in the areas I needed to to make the line in '85.

Which is where this whole silly circus frequently goes off the tracks. There are a LOT of folks who -- no matter how you try to explain it -- will never understand that 1981 is irrelevant in 2015 They are stuck behind their preconceptions and NO ONE is gonna drag them out from behind that wall !

another part is people don't really understand effect. they think great GE is the crowd going nuts for shows

They either aged out, want to go somewhere else, couldn't march/chose not march, or there was more talent at Bluecoats auditions. I never say they were sexist. Just pointing out that two years in a row with no females in percussion seems odd to me. Feel free to provide other explanations. But you did imply it. You said it without saying it. This is why I asked you to clarify. You do nobody any favors by dancing around the subject, coyly dropping suggestions and then backing off your statement by claiming "I never said they were sexist." You implied that females were not "allowed" in 2014 and 2015. See my other explanations above, Plenty of them off the top of my head.

Dave McGrath named Program Coordinator at Cavaliers. https://www.cavaliers.org/news/cavaliers-welcome-mcgrath-program-coordinator

No...Pirates Paaaaaarrrght Dos!

I don't think that's it at all BUT there are those who choose antagonistic condescending words merely to provoke confrontation and little to do with the subject. This turns debate or discussion into something very different and IMO deliberate for pages and pages. There is no doubt DCI was successful in the past. If it weren't would it be here today? I don't think so. DCI was successful and because of that we have what we have today.

Great example. So here are the Bluecoats front ensemble staff from 2015 and their current (or last year at least) WGI World Independent ensembles. Brad Palmer - Gateway Ryan Kilgore - RX Erik Kosman - Atlanta Quest Craig Loeffler - Music City Mystique All with females in the front. Seems they are cool with female talent. Are they just sexist guys in the spring/summer?

To be clear I never read the article and wasn't referring to it. I was talking about claims made by posters in this thread. In particular the nit picking in comparing 1981 to 2015 attendance and how it was counted. And even more so in how bringing up any success in the past tends to get some peoples teeth to grind.

OK record setting was the 1) highest attendance at Indy 2) total gate receipts all time Geez, nice if it was spelled out in detail, could have saved about 20 pages of DCP webspace.......

And there will be thrashing. So 2015 saw the best attendance of the Indianapolis era, and decidedly so (good news!). But this press release, with its 12 claims of "record" and "highest" attendance, actually makes it sound like this is an all-time record for a DCI final. If you are tired of hearing people bring up 1981, leave this thread and do not look back.

Just watched a Youtube video of Finals shot from fairly high up and waaay off to the left, well past the endzone. Except for the end of the Adagio, when the crowd drowned him out, the soloist came through clearly. Kudos for adjusting for the failed microphone.

The gap that opened was not some concerted effort as you seem to suggest. The Cadets were a very strong corps musically. But when GE starts to surge for certain corps or Cadets do not perform well in certain captions visually, all the little .1 and .2 spreads really start to add up.

1980.

Pirates part dos!!!

NWS does not lend itself to the 'chop shop' style of arranging prevalent in most of todays shows. I'm not sure I would want to hear it edited in a fashion to make it acceptable today.

I have a small drumlines for sale 4 snares 2 tenors and 4 bass drums, comes with carriers and covers. They are custom pearl emerald green mist with chrome hardware. Drums were used by 2009 sc vanguard. $4,000.00

I tried to get this started last night, but the website asked me to do something since I was at another place when I wrote, and I lost all the data. Take 2! It seems that every year, PennDOT ensures that Die-81 from Harrisburg to Scranton is filled with Cattle Chutes, and there were some segments I drove like Han Solo making the Kessel Run. I get there at 7:05, and raiun starts pelting the windshield as I shut down the engine. I get out of the wagon, and an old friend's in the lot. "Don't worry- you're on time. They've held the show back to let the rain pass. take your time." Thank God. I get to the concessions for a drink, and as usual, they were stacked up. It's the only downside to this show. They need 4 lines for the people, not two. They'd make a lot more money if they did, and I'm all for supporting them. The semi-light rains stopped within 15-20 minutes, and Sky entered the field not long afterwards. It's a good thing DCA has their contests now at these artificial surface fields for this very reason. No one goes for a ride in a chuck-hole now and guard equipment isn't destroyed in a muddy morass. They described Fran as a "Mets fan". From my experience as a "Long suffering Pirates fan", I figured they should have described Fran as a "Long-suffering Mets fan" as well. Sky entered the field and there was a lot of local support in the stands for them, which is a good thing to have. Right now, the Low Brass needs to get a more focused sound to match the mid-upper voices. The corps has absolutely no problem in projecting in an assertive way when they're still. They sound great! The big issue the corps needs to work on for Saturday are the three of four sections of the show where the tempo kicks in instantly and the drill is designed to have more velocity and to be explosive. Right now, there's some hesitancy and a lack of immediacy on those shifts, and if they can get those details solid, the show will be really exciting. I do like the show a lot, I really appreciate even more after the second viewing how nicely the Lola theme weaves in and out of the show, too! If Sky can dot the "i's" and cross the "t's" to a higher level, they can make some solid gains over the next two weekends. C2 proved to be a bit enigmatic at Scranton. The big issue was how the keyboards interacted with both the brass anf front ensembles at times, especially on the string settings. It felt like they were covering up both sections at times, and that they were trying to act as a crutch and force their way into my ears. I spoke up for the brass at Downingtown, I will again. They are capable enough this season to stand on their own feet, and they need to back out the synth at several points of the presentation. Also the front ensemble is too talented and capable to really need that extra layer, especially since that layer's just doubling what they're already playing- if it was independent... it might be a reason. They won Visual Ensemble and Guard, something no one would have ever imagined from last season. They have good style and pulse now. The depth and field spread of the drill at times is impressive. Their Bari soloist in Scheherazade was fantastic tonight. Quoting from my notes, the battery was "ridiculously good." The Bass Drum feature in Dance of the Tumblers" was an eye-poppin' moment, and one that I think should have been more appreciated. There are some things to definitely clean in the brass. I dont care to do an execution tape on DCP, but they know what needs taken care of, and it's stuff that can be cleaned by Clifton with some work and effort, all easily attainable. One thing that stuck out at the end with "Russian Sailor's Dance" was the imbalance between the battery and brass. The easy answer to this wouild be "oh... the drummers are too loud." (1$ to Ream) Tweeet! 15 yard penalty for not thinking through what's actually going on here and taking the easy way out, try again... The percussion's very musical, and setting the table, clearly holding back, and not cracking away like lunatics. The brass just needs to catch up with percussion, give some more volume and shape, and follow their example at that point. When this happens and they get the Electronics to be blended into the overall ensemble sound instead of grating against it, BOOM, ensemble number goes up! Jeff Ream laid it out on another thread, and he's right. The gap they have isn't insurmountable. Much will depend on getting the ensemble number up. Much will depend on whether these hungry young performers and the hungry staff can stay frosty enough to stay focused and professional to hit all the buttons and fight at the top level. It'll be interesting and exciting to see how these young people at C2 meet the challenge. Been there. It's not easy. It's also one of the best things that can happen to you when it happens. At the end you'll have learned a lot about yourself no matter what happens at the end and be a better person for it.

INT has folded, lets never talk about them again

Replacing their Big Willie must be quite traumatic.

credit: Stu Carter https://www.flickr.com/photos/132763409@N05/20381589756/in/album-72157656907090816/

David McGrath has left INT after a brief 15 minutes, and will be returning to the Cavaliers.

Yes, but keep in mind that many of the judges that judged these shows as originals back then ( 25 years ago ) would be the same judges , judging the rehash. And generally speaking, these judges tend to like, but not reward, rehash music & shows, and drill moves. Now, if a Corps decides to put the fans first and disregard the history of what the judges tend to reward, then I'm totally on board here with THAT. But lets be realistic here, if the goal is to top the Blue Devils, a rehash show simply isn't going to cut it with these DCI judges.

Anyone seen this? It's freakin' hilarious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUqF8pK2acs

Yeah, it does almost seem that some people do not want to hear that DCI was successful in the past.

My own thoughts would be: 1. It's been done so many times. 2. Hard to tie into a 'narrative.' 3. Tempi are pretty static, wouldn't score well in 'content' subcaptions. Having said these things, BD almost won five years ago with a mash up of Burt Bacharach. So...

Jeff is the right person, at the right time. His business savvy (he rescued a revived a failing business that is now one of the leaders in the industry), his corporate experience before that, his drum corps experience and his passion for his "home drum corps" will serve the corps well. It is very much not a "toy" to him. He's stepped in because he loves the corps and loves the activity. I look forward to seeing where the corps goes moving forward under his leadership for the board. AA

The article was quite clear on that, as I noted above. "Following an incredible record-setting national tour, Drum Corps International (DCI) ended the season with the highest paid attendance in Indianapolis at the World Championship Finals." It also went on to describe attendance records all over the country. I'm not sure what else is being asked for in this thread.

Oh, come one: this sort of thing happened in the 80s-late 90s (that I know of personally), albeit without technology. Staffers + members not in finals would sit in empty seats/sections. And it happens in sports, where people jump into better seats unoccupied. And it happens in concerts when the lights dim for the headlining act: people jumping up rows to get better seats. Happens All. Of. The. Time. Trying to say that current members are some no abomination of logistics and manners, or current generation of corps directors/staffers are failing to teach right is absolutely ridiculous.

Bloo always are fairly strong in captions (brass and percussion). Guard has been better but the biggest two positive factors is more talent will go to Canton because of not only two successful competitive seasons 2014-15, but because they were popular shows. Kids gravitate to corps that put out cool shows AND a consistent solid design team in place. The challenge is to design something great but isn't the same as Tilt/Kenetic noise. They're building something great in Canton,

The very first statement in the release was this: "Following an incredible record-setting national tour, Drum Corps International (DCI) ended the season with the highest paid attendance in Indianapolis at the World Championship Finals." 1981 is absolutely irrelevant in 2015, so bringing it up at all is just plain silly, IMO. The fact that this year is the 2nd highest (behind Pasadena) in this century is good enough for me.

http://corpsreps.com/corpsreps.cfm?view=SongSrch&Song=New%20World%20Symphony This is why I think Phantom Regiment should definitely not do this piece of music for a long time. Please pick something new. Pardon the pun?

You're very welcome. I did mean it as a compliment. Mostly.

GAH! I looked! My bifocals failed me!!!! Maybe they need signal flares, Congreve Rockets, or something.

Please, please no rehashes - for SCV or anyone else (except for many many years I've been wanting Regiment to bring the black back and do Symphonie Fatasique - I'd be OK with that - and what's cool is that a storyline is included at no extra charge! Sorry, I'm straying off topic) On a related note, to the '92 Fiddler show, I only saw the final product during finals week in Madison. I've heard stories about the show being very different early in the season and they just kept changing it and paring it down (some say for the better, some say for worse). Does anyone have first hand knowledge of the evolution of the show over that season? The end result was part throwback and part, for lack of a better term, underwhelming.

ditto 1980, also 1988, but mostly 1992. 3 'all-timer' shows and that isn't even counting the group that won. also I'm a firm believer that you don't get to use the term 'ever' in relation to anything until AT LEAST 2 years have passed. a thing can be exciting and good and now without requiring the scaling against all of history.

I will get a preview of the "KIDS" in Connecticut at the Hurcs show. Can't wait. Good luck Kidsgrove. Hope your all that and more.

I want to see them revisit something along the lines of Cirque. 2003 might be my favorite Scouts show ever. I've also always wanted to see them play nothing but Malaga and Malaguena. Malaguena!! But at the end of the day, don't we all really just want to see the Pirates of Lake Mendota return?

and considering that the "off-season" is just getting started...he, he....

Good golly, can we (they) stop arguing about 35 year old numbers and focus on even just the last decade in analyzing attendance? So much to celebrate, but the arguments continue. Ah, the off-season...

Oh, and I beg to differ: a HUGE amount of the "...quality of what somebody has to say..." is based on their experience. There are a lot of book-worms, scientists, politicians, arm-chair quarterbacks, and feux-corps directors who speak lofty platitudes of knowledge based on watching what others do, but have no actual practice doing what they say needs to be done. Every battle plan is completely outdated the moment the war starts, every investment plan looks good in pretty charts on paper but rarely succeeds in actual practice - there's nothing about "experience" that is bad; the more you have of it the better. So, yeah, I do judge the "quality" of what someone says by their experience actually doing it. And it was with God's help and my own hard work that has gotten me to that wisdom. God doesn't need a clue. /rant

Phantom Regiment's "Into the Light" did it for me. There were so many beautiful moments in the show that consistently brought a lump to my throat. As much as I love powerful, in-your-face shows, Phantom gave me a subtle and sensitive alternative that just worked for me emotionally.

I've never been a Crown homer but I have appreciated the shows they have done in the past few years (well, everything since 2007). I will never minimize BD's championship wins because they are great and know exactly what they're doing to win. I have to say though that when I watched the score announcement for Crown in 2nd place, I almost dropped my Mac on the floor. That show had everything. One of my favorite parts of that show was the ballad with the hornline clawing their way out of [Hell, I guess?], and getting pulled back in. That was one of the most emotional displays I have seen all year. And that guard was just fantastic. I am still shocked they didn't take that caption, but I guess I will know more after the Blu-ray comes out and I can watch BD again. Either way, I think it was a great year for drum corps in general. Seemed like all the corps came out this year on their "A-game" and that's something for which I am grateful.

Need to check that calculator. If attendance was down 100%, that means that no one came.

So DCI is solely responsible for all the societal, demographic, and financial changes that have occurred and affected drum corps since 1978? Something screams at me that that's not right. But that's just me. You obviously see things differently.

Quite true, I hadn't thought of that. I guess I'll modify my wish to say that I'd rather hear tapes from earlier in the season.

Congratulations to Carolina Crown!!! Hold your heads high. That was a fabulous show that almost won Gold, and more importantly it thrilled thousands of fans. Your show was loved and in the end that's all that matters. :)

Fellow Drum corps enthusiasts, I want to compete in this year's snare drum I&E, but I don't have enough money for the plane ticket and hotel room, so I set up a GoFundMe account, in hopes that other people would pitch in and help. I'm trying to raise a total of $1,000, and if 100 people donate ten bucks, I should be able to do it. I don't feel comfortable (at all) asking other folks for money. I never have. But I really want to do this, so I set the thing up. Here's a rough sketch of what my solo might look like. Thanks, in advance, for any contribution you make, no matter how big or small. Solo ideas, Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjX8Pk588V8 Solo ideas, part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8VT0Z75v8c Here's the link to the donation page: gofundme.com/ryansdcatrip15 And, again, any amount you can donate makes a big difference to me, whether it's a dollar or fifty dollars. Thanks for your help!

Thank you for re-evaluating the policy! To save yourselves headache, it might be best to approve only links that lead to a group's official Youtube Channel. That way you get the official video released by the organization. Just a suggestion.