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you mean someone will stay employed there long enough to take over?

I'm sure everyone who works at YEA is super impressed to read poor George the martyr wax on about how unappreciated he is and how hard he works for just for the kids. Maybe if he could look beyond his ego and see there are others with actual good ideas more than eager to help, and showed a teeny bit of gratitude, things could be so different in a good way.

I don't think you watched Open Class this year. Mike

welcome to the club.

I must have seen a different Open Class the last two years than you did. Also, one of the great things about all open class competitions, is that they are more affordable. So you can get more new people interested.

No need for the gratuitous insult there. We all have our opinions. No one here is "full of it." Fact is... the landscape has changed forever. Either we accept that, or we don't. You apparently don't. That's okay. That's entirely your call. The thing you're missing, or refuse to acknowledge, is.... the essence of drum corps is the same today as it always has been. Members getting a great experience marching with a corps, and forging relationships and friendships, some of them lifelong, along the way.... and fans coming out to cheer on their favorite corps. That's the same as it was when I marched, when you marched, when anyone marched. Just as "real" as it's ever been.

Favorite shows: 1990 Cavalier Anthems 2000 Niagara Falls 2003 Spin Cycle 2010 Mad World 2016 Propaganda Love these shows all for the visual execution. The music of Niagara Falls is what makes that show so endearing. Got the honor of playing the opener, Currents, as an encore tune. Spin Cycle is visually impressive, and love how the music grooves. Mad World convinced me to march. And Propaganda was just pure fun all season, especially in the stands for Finals Week. Honorable Mention: 2014 Immortal 2017 Men are from Mars Could have asked for nothing more in my ageout season. While 2017 was a lot of the same magic that Propaganda had. Least Favorite: 2009 The Great Divide 2012 15 Minutes of Fame Just some definite design issues for these shows.

They just don't come any better than Dan Farrell. From the time he picked up the horn, he's always been at the top of his game and enjoyed the universal respect of his peers. He may change careers, but those things won't change. Bravo, Bravo, Bravissimo, my friend.

I'm younger, so I skew more modern in likes/dislikes. Favorites: 2006 - Machine - The show that blew me away and hooked me on drum corps. This show was the complete package to me back then. 2010 - Mad World - Should have won the gold, IMO. A fantastic brass book and intense drill, with a lot of incredible moments throughout. Also got me hooked on Peter Graham stuff. 2002 - Frameworks - Never got the chance to see it live, but it's obvious how much this show changed the activity for years to come. 1997 - The Firebird - I'm a huge sucker for Stravinsky, and this is my absolute favorite take on his work on the field. 2007 - And So It Goes - I didn't think a Billy Joel show would work at all, but this show is incredible. With the beginning Angry Young Man part having some of the craziest drill I've seen in my life. Least favorites (no particular order): 2015 - Game On - This show was just kind of a snoozer for me. Nothing really memorable here. 2009 - The Great Divide - The beginning of the Cavaliers fading into the 7th place area where they lived for a few years. Once Jeff Fiedler left, you could tell a spark was missing from the corps for a little bit. I will say though that their use of Johan de Meij was super clever and there were some good brass moments.

I have been watching it some too. That whole show is powered by great music first and foremost. Their brass and percussion are always stellar, but the composition of that music book really set the stage. They then constructed a visual package that perfectly reflected the music, and over the season added the staging and visual interaction that made the show a true classic. Santa Clara is pretty high on that list of classic shows as well. What a great product by them this past summer, and almost equally competitive with the great Blue Devils. It was certainly a magical year for the West Coast.

Just watched BD 2017 for the 20th time since finals and finally decided that it is my favorite of all time, overtaking Filliniesqu. Blue Devils are simply awesome, year after year. Can't wait for 2018 to see what magic they produce (and they will!)

Such a, as we say- "bando" answer, but man, this 2017 show was fantastic. I loved it, because it didnt just thrive off of drill. The guard, percussion and brassline were fantastic as well. Plus I'm a sucker for that My Way/Mars mashup.

Yes. We all in some way deserve credit and blame. With me, some might go more one way than the other. That being said, I'd like to think the young people I've worked with were better for knowing me than not, same for the people who I marched with.

There are two ways I have looked at this: 1) BDB and SCVC should be placed in WC due to their financial stability and competitive prowess; ie they are way too good to be in OC; or 2) if an OC corps can hang competitively with BDB and SCVC while being financially stable, that is a litmus test in which the corps is ready for WC. At this juncture I lean toward number two.

2018 Pioneer Brass Educational Team: Caption Supervisor: Andy Grindle Associate Caption Supervisor: Dr. Matthew Smith Ensemble Specialist: Trevor Bailey Ensemble Specialist: Albert Vela Technique Specialist: Brad Parks Technique Specialist: Patrick Keeley High Brass Instructor: Brittany Barnette High Brass Instructor: Michael Khuraibet High Brass Instructor: Carol Weirich High Brass Instructor: David Kolar Low Brass Instructor: Anthony Viega Low Brass Instructor: Jason Priest Low Brass Instructor: Brenna Wilkinson Low Brass Instructor: Collin Shackelford

My mom read Hop’s blog (remember that?) when I marched, and was totally disillusioned with his ego, self-righteousness, and inane stream of consciousness posts by the end of the summer. I did not but so much in his FB- from random musings to veiled attacks and rambling, meandering, often bitter Live videos reflects poorly on the organization.

We are looking to create a show that uses the best parts of Pioneer to push us forward into a new era of excellence and success for our members. While we can't say we're abandoning our identity, we are looking to bring forward a different angle and level of excitement that we think people want to see from Pioneer. The excitement level is high right now!

Try getting anything the way you did from the 50s 60s or 70s.your point is well taken but has no relivance to today...none! Also if "real" corps died maybe look at why..,and look inward.

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." Harry S Truman

This. 100 percent. His work overload and stress are resultant of his own inability to not micromanage literally everything. He and his organizations would have so much more success if he could leave stuff to other people to take care of instead of just throwing more hard work and stress at the problem. It's interesting how you can see his faults are reflected in The Cadets own problems.

1976 ( what a drumline) 1979 (I have to include this year) 1985 ( the planets, version 1) 1992 (Gavorkna Fanfare) 2006 (Machine) 2016 (propaganda)

Wait, most "local" shows, as you call them, are restricted to weeknights. People work. Shows can't start the actual corps competition until around 7pm. (We offer food trucks and local entertainment as "pre-show"). I agree with your idea, but I think the answer is actually more shows with a wider dispersion of WC and OC performers. This makes especially good sense if the overall level of OC show quality continues to improve as it has in very recent years. I admit to being a drum corps snob and, mostly, ignoring the OC for years (decades?) but now some of their performances are spectacular, their size and sound presence has increased, and they're paying for show production that puts them darn-close to their WC brethren. We used to struggle including OC corps in our WC show but, after what I've seen of OC corps in the last few years, I'm thinking we should rethink our current strategy to "pay up" for top-12 corps and, instead, support the OC by letting them perform, save DCI costs, and get some pretty great entertainment in return. I'm actually more inclined to restrict OC admission to a minimum number of performers (the "One Bus" rule or even a "two bus" minimum" rule) and let them play with the WC boys instead of schlepping them off to their own circuit where they get little love, attention, or gate.

Am I the only one who thinks the optics of his posts are way off? In one post, your begging for money, in the next post your going to a Youth marketing seminar (cost from what I see of a little under $1,000 before travel) and in the final post your say you spent the seminar working on your computer "Kind of" engaged.

When Genesis was in OC I went to a lot of OC shows. Some were really well attended (Avon Lake comes to mind) and it was a real turn on for the kids. Genesis even got to do the encore at a few OC shows which was also slot of fun. Being first in a WC show playing to empty stands is a little anti-climatic for sure.

This news is into page two of an earlier thread. Could not all of these announcements, some of which have been discussed already, been put into one "new topic"?

I wonder who's his audience. He's always trying to convince someone. We can never tell if it's himself or someone else. Maybe sleep is rehearsal for death and the Internet is rehearsal for getting therapy.

They have good tastes :)

Congratulations, MCDC! Been waiting for this one for some time now. This corps is poised to make a quick jump as a finalist contender. Way to go!

Thank you for your interest in becoming a member of the Genesis Drum & Bugle Corps. Genesis has created a rich tradition of precision and excellence in the world of drum and bugle corps. Every year Genesis welcomes more and more talented young adults to its “FENIXperience” camp and auditions. They are taught by some […] View the full article

You know, 15 Minutes of Fame (2012) was the first show of theirs my kids ever saw live, and they absolutely loved it! They felt like the corps totally sold themselves as rock stars, and my kids pretty much thought the MMs were stars by the end too. I can't dislike that show for that - if nothing else, they nailed the "vibe" they were going for. And I think the dubstep ending is still *really* cool... Mike

GH let slip that there will be a DCI show at Franklin Field, U of P, Philadelphia June 30th.

Interestingly... the WC voting body only gave the Div II III corps the options to either combine into one OC or lose DCI show support. Of course they chose one OC. Same thing applies to the now lack of OC show payouts; the WC voting body gave the OC the options of voting to eliminate their own payouts or risk losing DCI services.

CLASSIC HOPKINS

Me neither.

Depends on what you think Open Class is there for. If all you see is between the yardlines, then you see little value, considering they don't score well against World Class corps. If you look beyond that, then the value is evident. (And while I think BD/VC's monopoly on the top 2 is ultimately bad for Open Class, I certainly don't think it's bad enough to warrant any changes to the system. At some point, someone will just have to beat them on the field.) Mike

A new stat I have added to the list... Of the ten highest scoring championship programs....BD owns 6 of them.

A touch ironic...

I know Dan has been a polarizing figure for some here on DCP, but he defined what it was to be a Regiment hornline member and helped shape that characteristic Regiment sound so many of us fell in love with. And he was The Godfather of the Buicks. (He also bought me my first legal beer when I turned 21 on a free day when we were on tour.) Thank you for your years of service to the corps, and best of luck.

I have a Roger Goodell portrait that adorns the wall in my den though. Its a working dartboard.

So true. Imagine the consternation in Concord, Calif, if the Blue Devils finished out of the Medals some year... say 4th( they have, although quite rare). On the other hand imagine the cartwheels they'd be doing in Sacramento, if the Mandarins finished 12th.... also imagine the joy the Buffalo Bills football fans would feel if they ever won a Super Bowl some day, or New Yorkers/ New Jerseyites joy if the Jets franchise moved to Mexico City or London. (... ok, so the last example was posted tongue in cheek.. haha)

Just curious for some students, will the show be a departure from the past few years? Thanks

Thanks, Jeff! If you know of anyone looking for a great opportunity, please send them our way! https://pioneer-corps.org/join/request-information.html Andy Grindle Brass Caption Head

Nice! Put out a show that people can buy into, give them a great experience, and they will come. Fingers crossed for a great year!

Over 100 brass interest forms for the Pioneer Hornline so far! It's going to be a great year as we look to march the largest hornline in Pioneer history.

Kick off weekend for Inspire Arts & Music and the Boston Crusaders! Golf tournament was a huge success - over $40,000 in sponsors and 140 golfers. Board retreat weekend in Quincy today and at our building tomorrow. Board members in town from all over - India, Scotland, Florida, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Indiana, and Massachusetts. Fist ever Wine tasting tonight in Quincy. Updates on all aspects of the organization; Great East Music Festivals; Great East Music Store; Our building; Concert in the Park; all performing groups - BAC, HpYPE, SAC, 7th Regiment, Brass Choir, Koto Band; reviewing the strategic plan; reviewing the 2018 budget; Overall a great opportunity for engagement for 50 people that are passionate about helping kids!

Join our brass interest groups for information regarding auditions for the 2018 season! Trumpets: https://www.facebook.com/groups/271532240003920/ Mellophones: https://www.facebook.com/groups/149285252328882/ Baritones: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1044518688984222/?ref=br_rs Tubas: https://www.facebook.com/groups/266115193906555/

I usually stay out of this sub, but saw the title and was curious. This is actually something I've put some thought into, and I believe it solves a lot of the problems we've seen in licensing. More to the point, I think we often overthink the costs/process associated with "original" music. I follow a lot of Electronic music composers, and many of them generate truly original pieces of music that spans the emotional spectrum, lasting anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours+. And their style of music (from a composational standpoint) isn't too far off from drum corps. There's an artist named Tiesto who basically does super emotional Blue Devils shows, and Bluecoats' show from this past season pulled a lot of the musical structural elements I've seen from several artists. To the point of Electronic, we naturally assume "electronic" won't work for our activity, but the electronic part is purely because that's the set of audio files they upload into their system. I've spoken to a few EDM composers about this, and every one of them feels they could make an amazing 12 minute production using nothing but brass and percussion audio files, spanning literally any emotional spectrum we'd want. On top of that, there's literally software that can translate these electronic compositions into sheet music. If a corps were to hire a moderately talented EDM producer to produce the music, and then run it through a basic sheet music annotation software, that corps could literally have a super engaging, truly original, wholly owned musical program in a weekend.