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This thread has gone off the rails. iClose.

Psychotic

I didn't take a notepad as it was first liveshow for the little one. Carolina Gold..... interesting show, smart choices for what's being asked of the 18 brass vs the 8/4/5 battery.... balance not bad considering. But anything visual was over reliant on the guard. Props to the drum staff for tuning dark to help balance even if it means sounding dirtier Kidsgrove..... very fun show. Battery seemed to have some challenges. Score could easily improve if far fewer levels of the big guard solo and duet moments/deaths weren't crammed in so close behind the pit. Bush sh has come a llllooooooonnnnngggggg way. Dots connecting better performance up, brass fewer stamina issues. White Sabers. It was at this point for family unity and also customer satisfaction we moved off to the hill on side 2. From the 50 to the -20 lol. It was too packed in and Sadie needed to move. But WS seemed to bring their a game. Another good week of cleaning who knows Fusion stayed focused after a long delay due to a medical issue in the stands. Even out in no mans land the guard shined, and the connexus points seemed far more fleshed out C2 after a delay for electronics issues that seemed very very long they got going. Musically they seemed fine but man the white pants gave away sooo much from the side. They do not look ok natural or smooth marching the 5/4. Rocking chairs still seem eh and I'm guessing due to technology more of how the show connects was missing. Bucs.... #### good. Top to bottom. Easily the best bass line since 00 Bucs ( i'm biased on that one). Knowing their schedule the rest of the week, yeah I see a 98 or 99 next week. ive said it a lot I'll say it again after sitting off to the side: the field visual judge needs brought back. A week before finals and groups getting 90's with blatant foot phasing, out of step, direction change mishaps even minor bumper cars. You cannot expect the EA person to get it because that's not their sheet. If there had been a field visual judge some places would have flipped

Looks like CV is seeded 2nd in open class.

I for one look forward to serving our amplified and electrified marching overlords

Look up Matt. 6: 3. I have been in email contact conversation with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston since Friday. God bless you. You seem like a most angry man whenever you post. There are doctors who can help with that.

While there are many Cadets supporters on DCP, and no doubt some who are supporters of George Hopkins, I would hardly call DCP an echo chamber of the George Hopkins fan club.

Live look into Bobby

Now imagine if all that energy could be put to better use raising some capital to help those DCI mms in Texas who have lost homes, places of work, need shelter/food/sanitation, etc. He'd probably blame Hurricane Harvey on GH as well.

Yes, there is a lot more. I'll attempt to be brief. Everyone noticed the staff migration to Boston, and the corps' improvement. While the staff is being paid appropriately (as any recruiter will tell you) it takes more than merely money to get/keep an A-list staff. There needs to be organizational stability, a good work culture, and the chance to grow. Before the success of 2017 could happen, Boston needed to create the right environment by getting clear about their mission, making some leadership changes, and increasing what was beneficial in their culture. The G7/TOC movement shook up DCI. It was conceivable that DCI might dissolve if the G7 broke away. In response to that risk, the leadership at Boston examined who the organization was, and what it was about. The leadership believed that musical and artistic education, with a focus on the pursuit of excellence, provided unique and important benefits to young people. BITD, the corps was smaller and had a higher percentage of kids from the local region... as Colin McNutt explained in his recent interview, it was his chance to pursue his musical ambitions. To return to providing such benefits to the local region, Boston formed a larger organization, Inspire Ars & Music (IAM) that would consist of far more than the drum corps. Programs such as the Hyde Park Youth Percussion Ensemble (HYPE) and the Great East Music Festivals (GEMF) benefit over 20,000 young people ranging from kids who've never even touched a musical instrument previously, to kids who are intermediate/advanced and looking to improve. In short, IAM expands the reach of the organization and raises visibility to the kinds of benefits many of us experienced in drum corps. This has translated into revenue streams, volunteers, and fundraising opportunities. After years of changes and adjustments, the leadership at BAC has settled into a successful combination of people. There is deep competence, deep love for the activity, a bedrock of trust toward the leadership from alumni/friends, and a solid commitment to giving the current MMs an awesome marching experience. Many of these changes were in place before the 2016 season. It was the reason the homers were so hyped. Most everything was going well, behind the scenes. Debt was being retired. Great ideas (some learned at DCI board consortiums) were being implemented successfully. The board was being expanded, which lessened director fatigue and opened new avenues to bring in expertise and raise money. A management consulting firm (I believe donated by a board member) was brought in to evaluate how the organization functioned, and provided detailed feedback and advice (kind of like a judge's critique!). Things were starting to click in a big way: board members served on internal committees and raised money, the executive board focused on the org's direction, designers designed, admin staff killed it, instructors taught, and volunteers were worth their weight in plutonium. On the field, the corps was not as competitive as expected. Because the organization was functioning so well, the leadership was able to quickly evaluate what was needed (design and staff changes), and take swift action. It was clear to prospective staff and designers that the organization was headed in the right direction. In addition to money, they saw stability, commitment, sustainability, freedom, and the chance to take on new challenges. More money and a better staff were "symptoms" of a deeper (good) condition at Boston. Talk to any of the current staff at BAC. You will hear the same things. They are happy and energized to be there. They love working with the other staff members. They want to stay on. The summer was great. The kids worked hard and had a blast. They feel very much like family, instead of like an expense. They are allowed to do what they do best, without interference. It's the same kinds of things workers say in the business world... a great work experience is just as important as money. This was not always the environment at Boston. It took years of work, behind the scenes, to create a culture that would attract great staff and marching talent. More than ever previously, Boston's leadership is trusted and sound. The management of finances is stable and improving. IAM has a mission that can survive independent of DCI (or the G7). People have clear responsibilities and are enabled to deliver results. Getting those things happening was no easy task. Once they did happen, the increase of money and staff improvements seemed incidental. Top level staff and designers were not going to migrate to Boston for money alone. They were also responding to much deeper things that the organization could provide.

well CV just made #### really interesting

Atlanta CV just put up a 92.7+ here in Georgia.

Haha, no way am I going to let someone remain in trouble. They were absolutely devistated... Just awful down here and it is not over yet. JJ Watt just started a fund so if anyone is willing to donate he has something up. I am also considering starting one up too... Anything would be great.

Called it! previous post: " And you'd probably be one of them helping little old ladies across the river as well. Be safe." HMC, Help is on the way. Don't give up faith and hope.

Hey guys.... Here is a quick update. My apartment complex is flooded and the water is rising. Thankfully the water has not reached my part yet... Either way, I am on the third floor so I am safe and I am not worried... Spent the day getting people out of their flooded homes... I did post some pictures on Facebook, but this is the worst storm I have ever been through. Much worse than Allison. No doubt about it..... I had to swim to help people But if anyone here can help me out with starting a fundraiser or what ever on this page as relief for the people that lost their homes... I would appreciate that. Thanks guys

See, his basic premise is that there are "grumblings". Of course there are grumblings. There have been grumblings since the beginning of drum corps time. Let's stop giving in to the notion that the sky is falling because drum corps isn't the same thing it's been since, well, since I marched. Let's stop believing the "Bobby's" of the activity who are angry at everything and willing to toss bombs here. The sky is not falling. There are more corps, and more feeder corps, and more starter corps now than in 25 years. Let's not let the doomsayers ruin it for the rest of us.

Yep, GH did that ALL on his own.

Wow! Seriously? I'm no fan of cheese either, but those bells seemed to add so much atmosphere to the great ending.

The battle does appear to be for second. Cabs are performing well but Bucs seem to be on a roll as they have been all season with a significant gap all season. Cadets2 had a very poor performance last night with yet ANOTHER technical problem with electronics (which has been an issue ALL season!). If Cadets2 can get in a clean performance they will medal and possibly even over take Cabs. But right now four corps seem to be battling for spots 2-5. On a side know... Kidsgrove had a very enjoyable show. And the Fusion guard was tremendous!

Mr. Willis and Cadet93 are being too binary in their thinking and not creative enough. From its inception Crown, like Star, has not had a "Crown uniform" but has been a chameleon corps in its look, a quite different approach from what the legacy corps (Madison, Cavaliers, Boston, Phantom, SCV and Cadets) have been with their 50 to almost 90 year identities. Boston tried the Crown type costuming this year; it has pluses and minuses (grey in the LOS box seemed to wash out, even more on the high cam videos; plumes were radiant and used well.) Modern styles have as much problems as the traditional wears. You are comparing kiwis and apples and expecting these fruits to taste the same. Different tastes altogether. The energy of the Cadets' look hasn't been just the actual color and style of the fabrics they wear; it's been their cleanliness of drill, their quest for achievement, their difficulty of maneuver Those aspects have not been there since 2011. Costumes do gloss that a lot for many units (faux skirts, half capes, distraction of multiple colors, fako-s, bizarre striping, odd cuts of materials, etc. particularly skimpy or half naked appearances by guard and other members. But the guts is still the precision and cleanliness of whatever is attempted whether Bloo sliding down ramps, BD playing mirror-mirror with stair cases, etc. or Cadets in a revolving block.

it was an AD more worried about his precious field out

Final update! Every corps' most recent score is also their highest, so these will be what is used for seeding at Prelims.

Just saw a vid of the show. CV will turn some heads in Rha Cha Cha!

he's been around it longer than you and done a lot more in it to boot.

So the apparent Prelims seeding is, in Open: 1. Bucs, 2. CV, 3. Cabs, 4. Sabers, 5. C2, 6. Fusion, 7. Kidsgrove, 8. Bush, 9. Sun, 10. MBI, 11. Sky, 12. Hurcs, 13. Gold; and in A: 1. Govies, 2. Knights, 3. T-birds, 4. Chops, 5. CT. Whoever predicted that before the season started, please collect your winnings now; I'm sure they are substantial.

@CorpsScores: Hiram GA #dca2017 Open: AtlantaCV-92.75 A: SouthernKnights-74.7 https://t.co/9MUnHWUqwB m.twitter.com/CorpsScores

https://www.youcaring.com/victimsofhurricaneharvey-915053

For the most part yes. Judge critiques become essentially reduntant after Allentown. Not more can be said once all the Corps busses all roll into Indy. If the staffs have not figured out what to do in changes/ improvements by then after listening to judges tapes/ critiques all summer long, its way too late to do anything after Allentown. Corps do make changes however after Allentown that sometimes will only show up at Indy... but those changes were planned for, and well before Allentown, or any input from listening to late season judge tapes/critiques in most all cases.

Absolutely. The challenge becomes that the DCI drum and bugle corps not get lost in the shuffle of all the other fine arts enterprises or become the second priority for why there is an umbrella organization. For instance, what is the first priority Cadets or YEA? It starts off as one and gradually geometrically grows into the other. Boston and Bloo have seemed to get it right. BD and SCV are obvious. Others provide challenges. Madison will have to think and react wisely not just smartly.

I probably confused things using FMA when it should have been FPA. Back in February, the organization name was changed to Forward Performing Arts. The former name was Madison Drum and Bugle Corps Association (I think). Scouts are the huge and premier program. But FPA allows for the organization to pursue a broader range of musical arts and educational activities. http://www.madisonscoutslive.com/mainsite/2017/02/announcing-forward-performing-arts/

Sending good wishes to everyone associated the Guardians to safely get through the flooding. I just saw that all interstate routes in and out of Houston are now blocked.

I watched Finals on Flomarching with my sister, who has not kept up on drum corps. I also said that any glitches with a corps' electronics should be reflected in their GE scores, to which she emphatically responded that technical difficulties are beyond the control of the members so the members should not suffer the consequences. Interesting point...but my sister is uninformed and generally not very bright...though I do love her dearly.

As I suspected. You dishonor the spirit of the activity, and the memories of those who built everything you have helped destroy. And it sickens me that you are complicit in the suppression of criticism of said dishonor by abusing your moderation powers in order to make this an echo chamber for the George Hopkins fan club.

No problem calling them drum corps.

I thought the constructive feedback comes in the beginning to mid season on the judge tapes as well as in critique. Just because you haven't heard this feedback on late season/end of season judging tapes doesn't mean the feedback doesn't occur.

Agree with both of you. I am not advocating for the traditional uniform, as I love the costuming in most cases. I am just saying Cadets have the biggest challenge with this. Although I would throw SCV in the same boat, and they did it with success. Altough I wasnt the biggest fan of their look. So it can be done. It will be interesting to see where both go next year.

actually the mms liked them, or at least the ones I spoke too. Most appropriate to the subject matter Cadets played and the churches I have been too. You might not like them playing the Angelus at 6 am if you are only crawling in from the night before. :-p

the strength of the BD soloist at the end of the show..the Triple G's over the melody was killer (finals particularly)

As props go, the BAC pyre was about as good as it gets, from the technical perspective. As a storytelling element of the show, and as GE, it struck me as kinda cheesy. I was much more engaged with the SCV discs as they folded upward behind the running guard member. Academy's cartoony tree stumps had a role to play in telling the story, and they involved the members for a greater portion of the show. Mandarins' color guard did a great job, er, drawing the pen nibs into the presentation. The pyre was an exclamation point; the discs, and tree stumps, and pen nibs were more of a storytelling tool. To me, BAC's use of the stocks and gallows props were more effective from a GE standpoint.

I get what you are saying, but this is fundamentally not accurate. Look at the scores for every show since the beginning of the new scoring system. Every show panel essentially starts where the previous show panel left off. This is why "content" and "achievement" scores somehow magically march forward and upward almost every single night. If relative content scores marginally increase every night for all corps, which they in fact (almost) always do, then relative achievement scores will also increase, potentially without actually reflecting better performance. DCI scoring is, first and fundamentally, a RELATIVE scoring philosophy. At the end of every night, and at the end of every season, DCI only really cares about the rankings from top to bottom being RELATIVELY accurate in terms of placement. And we all know they have a vested interest in starting low to give "room" for "improvement," and keeping scores close to create drama. When you try to look at specific show scores, outside of the bigger picture, you can make all sorts of conclusions that simply aren't accurate.

Never wrong

The best finish in DCA for a Canadian corps ever lot to be proud of there.

Money is the part everyone seems to focus on. The other things that changed were more challenging.

In no particular order: 1. Blue Devils starting their show "old school" and with a 16 snare drum line. 2. Blue Coats tubas running down that ramp without tumbling. 3. Crusaders witch burning and vocalist 4. Academy "Kill the Rabbit" 5. Jersey Surf plume switch 6. Cavaliers spinning drums 7. Phantom guard 8. Crown vocalist 9. Madison Scouts make-up artist 10. Seeing fans actually cry during the Cadets closer and Amen chord.

1. I agree with you 2. People would respond more positively to you if you got rid of the passive aggressive "woe is me" persecution complex.

Should show in GE and performance (and should've shown enough to drop Crown to 4th on finals night).

Firing the admin would be a huge mistake as they have been making sound decisions financially and organizationally that will help insure the future stability and continuity of the organization. Not to mention building a culture of sound leadership and excellence for the young men that will impact their lives and the lives of those around them for decades to come. Competitive success is great, but I've seen FAR too many Corps chase it like it's the most important thing (which is laughable in a subjective art form).....to their own peril. Take Magic of Orlando in 2002. They went and bought the best staff for a short-sighted goal of shooting for the top....they didn't have a solid structure or long-term plan, and a few years later, they were GONE. Never to come back. I would rather have the Scouts stay around where they are (or inch forward) while building a much stronger financial foundation....and when they are ready (and ONLY when they are ready), make a big move like Boston did.

Wasn't singling you out, but fair enough. Still don't understand how firing the "current administrative staff in its entirety" is a healthy maneuver. Unless there's a serious breach of the corps' mission, all we're doing is playing fantasy drum corps.

Prosprie had BK 4th in percussion. Wow. That is incredible! Music was definitely their strong suit this season. They finished 7th in brass as well. They were my favorite corps to listen to this season, and honestly, I thought their brass and percussion were underscored a bit, for one main reason: dynamics. Best dynamic control of anyone in 2017. I really hope 2018 will see the same style brass and percussion with continued improvement. There's a medal in your future BK, why not make your 60th anniversary that much more special?

Caring who wins for me usually comes down to hoping for a change in the status quo. In the late 80s and 90s, it was hoping Cavies or Phantom could break through. In the mid and late 90s, it was wishing for someone to end BD's hold. In the early 00s, it's a successor for Cavies. Not that I wish any of the past winners ill. I just like to see new champs. Tight years? How about 1990, a mostly forgotten year, when the Cadets were extraordinary, the only way they could beat a fabulous Cavie team. Six corps were crowded between 94 and 97.7. A very hot Crossmen led the second six in which a Canadian corps (Dutch Boy) edged out Freelancers, Crusaders and Blue Knights, among others, for the last finals spot. HH