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In a prior job I used to travel through the US and Canada training clients on our software package. I loved it so much. Never a dull moment and I met a lot of very interesting people. It's almost all CBT now (Computer Based Training) and it's been that way for a long time. It's just not the same. You lose control of a lot of things you would normally be able to deal with in an in-person group setting and this was training adults. I can't imagine the challenges teachers are going through with Zoom training with children.

The following is from an article posted on the African Americans In Drum Corps site on facebook. Thomas L. Brown did the research behind the article and wrote it. I am happy to re-post the article over here for all to read. Enjoy our history in Drum Corps. In 1957, the George Washington Carver Gay Blades, an African American senior drum and bugle corps; were formed as The Masonics out of the Prince Hall Masonic Temple, Belmont Ave., Newark, NJ. Their original 27 horns and 7 drums, won the first contest that they entered. In the late 50's, the name of the corps was changed to the George Washington Carver Gay Blades, sponsored by the Washington Carver Chapter, Order of Pythagorean, P.H.A. Newark, NJ. The Carver Gay Blades won championships in both the Yankee and Northeastern Circuits. In 1959, they were undefeated in the Yankee Circuit and were champions in both the Yankee and Northeastern Circuits. In 1960, they repeated as champions in the Northeastern Circuit. By the mid sixties, the Carver Gay Blades were faced with dwindling membership and soon out of existence. However, in their brief tenure, the Carver Gay Blades managed to: win their first show, win multiple circuit championships, go undefeated in the Yankee Circuit and gain the love, respect and admiration of both the Newark and drum corps communities. And boy could they swing and they were rocking the timbales, with a harness, long before others caught on to the concept (see photo). Business Manager: Joseph Tucker Members (partial): Drum Major: Charles Hampton; Color Guard Captains: Thomas Drummond and Charles Davis; James F Jordan, Cliff Humphrey, Hubert McQueen, Charlie Hampton, Burnell "Big Man" Henry, Dave Blocker, Walter Caldwell, Sonny White, John & Jerome Cherry, Woody Shaw, Ray Dandridge, Dr Gene Grant, Joe 'Red' McDonald, Henry Grant, Eugene Bennett, Roy Dandrige Jr (father in Negro Baseball Hall of Fame) and Roland Casey. Instructors (partial): Victor Casella, Dominic DelRa, Hugo Evarelli, Frank Luke (drums), and William Carrig (drill) Repertoires (partial): 1962 - Theme from Samson and Delilah, King of Kings, Sincerely, Temptation (from Singin' In the Rain), Sweets for my Sweet, Rock Around the Clock, Keep Your Sunny Side Up (from Good News!), To the Ends of the Earth. 1963 - Sweets for my Sweet, Miserlou, Temptation (from Singin' In the Rain), What Kind Of Fool Am I (from Stop The World I Want To Get Off!). I loved me some 'Sweets for my sweet!' Yankee Circuit Champions 1959, 1961 and Northeastern Circuit Champions 1959 & 1960. 3 September 1959 - Northeastern Circuit Championships - Agawam, MA 1 85.630 George Washington Carver Gay Blades, Newark, NJ 2 85.420 Interstatesmen, Troy, New York & Pittsfield, MA 3 84.750 Amboy Dukes, Perth Amboy, NJ 4 83.160 Springfield Marksmen, Springfield, MA 5 80.310 Connecticut Hurricanes, Shelton, CT 6 78.370 Colonial Cavaliers, Port Ewen, NY 7 75.950 Sunrisers, Long Island, NY 8 73.800 Fitchburg Kingsmen, Fitchburg, MA 4 September 1960 - Northeastern Circuit Championships - Agawam, MA 1 80.780 George Washington Carver Gay Blades, Newark, NJ 2 80.730 Interstatesmen, Troy, NY & Pittsfield, MA 3 80.260 Springfield Marksmen, Springfield, MA 4 78.610 Connecticut Hurricanes, Shelton, CT 5 78.400 Criterions, Newburgh, NY 6 77.850 Amboy Dukes, Perth Amboy, NJ 7 74.710 Sunrisers, Long Island, NY 8 71.160 Fitchburg Kingsmen, Fitchburg, MA 15 September 1961 - Northeastern Circuit Championships - Agawam, MA - 3rd 83.28 2 September 1962 - Northeastern Circuit Championships - Agawam, MA - 4th 83.830 1 September 1963 - Northeastern Circuit Championships - Agawam, MA - 2nd 83.290 15 September 1963 - World Open Finals at Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City, NJ 1 87.033 New York Skyliners, New York, NY 2 83.483 Reading Buccaneers, Reading, PA 3 80.850 Syracuse Brigadiers, Syracuse, NY 4 80.766 Sunrisers, Long Island, NY 5 77.900 Pittsburgh Rockets, Pittsburg, PA 6 77.150 George Washington Carver 'Gay Blades,' Newark, NJ 6 77.150 Springfield Marksmen, Springfield, MA 8 76.583 Amboy Dukes, Perth Amboy, NJ 9 50.663 Keesler Air Force Base Blue Knights, Biloxi, MS 6 September 1664 Northeastern Circuit Championships - Agawam, MA 4th 76.680 Disclaimer: The info above is only as accurate as its source material.

I've been teaching at a college for 35 years, and if you count drum corps instruction, my experience goes back to the Johnson Administration. (Not Andrew, but Lyndon) For the past 9 months, all my interaction with students has been online. Neither my students nor I signed up for this, and not to put too fine a point on it, it flat-out stinks. In-person instruction is vital and must be resumed as soon as possible, especially for earlier grades. (The older ones can much more easily adjust to a virtual environment, limited though it may be.) Teachers must be immunized early on for this to happen safely. On a personal note, I am one of the Phase 2 "lucky" ones, being over 65, albeit free from a compromised immune system, so far. Child care workers and K-8 teachers should come before me.

What is confusing is what people are saying what a "season" is. The only proposed event in the one DCI put out in August. To me one event does not constitute a season of performances.

The Blue Devils post today basically acknowledged the obvious. 2022 will hopefully see the return of a DCI touring season. It's a tough pill to swallow, but better to be realistic with the kids, the fans and the instructors/judges. Most researchers are predicting a 3rd wave of Covid-19 in February. We can only hope the vaccines being rolled out this winter will be effective, and bring an end to the pandemic sometime in 2021. In the meantime, we will continue giving till it hurts, to keep our corps going.

I applaud both BD and SCV for making the intelligent decision

#20 in 2022

you admitted in the past to not attending Allentown and watching it on Flo