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Also, every caption has staff that cycle in and out all summer. I don't know how the techs at Boston are paid (and I wouldn't say if I did), but they are mostly teachers who have to schedule their time considering their own band camps and other obligations. Really, why does anyone care how many techs the Cavies or anybodyelse has?

I can't speak about Cavies' guard staff, but I can tell you about BAC'S guard staff. While I don't think it is 13 strong, it's probably not too much less than that number. BUT, here's the thing...Boston's guard staff doesn't take any blocks off. They are with them during all the sectional times in the mornings, also during the "drill" time say in the afternoon, and also they are out there on the field during the full ensemble. And, LabMaster is correct; there are choreographers, movement coaches, rifle, sabre, and flag techs, and a caption head and assistant caption head. Anyone suggesting with a straight face that you could shrink Caviies' or anyone else's guard staff to 2 or 3 simply is not aware of the demands of the modern activity. Yes, we had fewer guard staff back when I was alive.....guards marched around for 11 minutes at right shoulder arms at a high mark time.

Let's just hope this works out for the best for Surf. The last thing the activity needs is another corps on the sidelines.

Here's the thing. If these "small appearance fees" really did not matter, then there would be no objection to DCI sharing them equally across all participating corps, members and non-members.

It did not break the bank. What it did however, was generating more membership interest than years past. That result in a typical 30-35 members corps growing to 50 kids in 2022. A 61% growth from 2019 coming back from a pandemic. It may look like small numbers but in a land where there is no marching band and where school music program are melting as fast the ice on top of the kilimandjaro, this was a remarkable achievement. The corps finished the season in the black...as always. Wish we would be base in a more music friendly zone. At least we have winterguard and a beginning of a drumline scene getting started.

That was my thought too. Of all the sections out there, the guard probably has the most varied demand as far as the sheer number of specialized skills they have to perform. Add to the weight that design puts on what the guard has to carry and the extreme individual exposure for errors and it's a place where it makes sense to invest in staff. That's not to devalue the complexity of percussion and brass, but dang the guard is 'every member learning to do every skill set across all the equipment.'

As a former member of a Corps that would now be Open Class, I will point out that we liked being on same sheets as World Class; we wanted to know how we measured up. And there was one time a judge called it as he saw it and had us 0.5 behind Phantom in percussion. Critique was raucous that night but he stood his ground.

All of these corps had issues that had nothing to do with the environment in Texas, IMO. Even Crossmen's (relative) struggles have been more self-inflicted. In some ways, Texas has an advantageous environment for running a corps, but there's definitely no "easy button" you can press to replace the same infrastructure you would need for a corps anywhere. Mike

Wow. Dude really isn't a fan of Jersey Surf. Z

What model didn’t work last year? Surf had a healthy number of marching members last year, they had an audience friendly show that was well received, and they were better prepared in early season shows than they had been in the past. Their home show in Glassboro, NJ was a success. Surf receives good grades from kids who march with the corps. Some have felt the shows are not challenging enough to sustain interest as the season concludes, but they still enjoyed the experience. Regarding kids being disappointed if they do not field a corps, that would be the case, and perhaps moving to Open Class should be a consideration, but a later start to accommodate school schedules, especially high schools in the Northeast that tend to end the school year in mid-June may be a benefit.

The OP presents some very cogent arguments for adapting the model to suit regional reality. I say "go for it". Having had some personal contact with the management of Les Stentors, I am impressed with their philosophy and family/community style of operation, as well as their creative programming. (Full disclosure: I have the T shirt.) In a conversation about them with Hall of Famer Michel Boulanger, I suggested that this and similar Canadian corps go with their strengths, i.e., maximize uniqueness by changing the ratio of musicians to guard, for example. Consider: Electronics provide opportunities like utilizing a small number of musicians and featured vocalists who might be essentially stationary, accompanied by a massive color guard/dance ensemble for movement, color and field coverage. Emphasize the effect caption, a traditional strength of groups north of the 39th Parallel. When I first marched, Scout House looked and sounded very different from US corps. Their arranging and marching styles were refreshingly unique. They celebrated these things (the Bb bugles and glocks helped) and were not particularly concerned about out-doing the state-side corps at their game. They brought their own. But they consistently "won the crowd", a very gratifying thing for any performer and a great incentive to keep the act together. Many Canadian corps followed this route, Les Diplomates being a prime example. Sitting in the stands at DCI Canada in 1986, my mother (a very hip drum corps fan) witnessed the performance of the 10th place unit, Les Eclipses. During their closer, La Vie En Rose, she turned to me and said, "Now there's a group that knows how to reach an audience". It's notable that she held her opinion even after watching powerhouses like Madison, Cadets, Star, and Spirit in that same show. (Quick, what ear-worm do you have at this moment?) I think there's a lesson in there.

Great point KVG, there are far more demands on todays guard than ever. BITD the guard members were limited to whatever piece of equipment they tried out on or learned. Dancing was very limited but then Stacy Lynde and BD changed all that. But there were still limits. Now guard members do it all; all use all pieces of equipment and dance and they do it all at a high level. It takes a village to achieve all what we see now. Some amazing performance levels. And brass and now percussion are more integrated in many more facets of a show. Not only playing a sop or snare.

Agreed. I'm not saying a Texas corps can't succeed and I'd love to see a corps from DFW grow into a top-tier corps, but it seems like a lot of folks are convinced a move here would fix everything for a corps that's history and tradition is distinctly tied into the vibes and attitude of Santa Clara county.

Open class has been on the same judge sheets since 2011.

sure. ECJ and Lake Erie Regiment often were in the black. But when came time to pass them to other directors, or they couldnt fill the ranks, it no longer was viable to stay active. I do understand this. i also understand these examples were rare.

Thank you, Lab Master. I see by other responses too all 13 instructors (Cav guard) are not necessarily present at the same time and getting paid for the entire Summer. That still seems odd and I wonder how continuity of instruction is maintained. The expanding number of instructors "required" to produce a modern Drum Corps show reminds me of a bloated government agency - way too many unnecessary and overlapping positions. But the kids ARE being fed better and receiving better medical care, which I'm happy to see.

It may be to have clear separation of responsibilities, staff availability. It is very like not everyone is on, every minute. There are teachers, designers, cleaners, choreographers. Not everyone can be good at everything. A designer doesn’t necessarily clean. A tech can clean equipment work but not so much movement. There are specialties, especially at the top levels. Same can be said for brass and percussion. People for each section focusing on the performance for each to put it all together. Now if you ask about personal coaching being utilized this year….

What work, training, or certification has Stephanie Chavez done since she left Phantom Regiment to indicate that she's improved in her ability to support queer guard members and manage a staff to do the same?

I don't think they all tour at the same time. BD has 18 in their visual staff and 17 in their brass staff.

Hmmm, I can't say that it bothered me enough to even think about it... Other uniforms have been more over-the-top and controversial showing the "middle area" of guys' bodies. The guy @ 2:04 was covered up in "that area" better than unitards I've seen from SpinCycle guard uniforms, or even the "Stoned Trumpet Soloist".

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A and A-60 (eventually div 2/3) got paid a small sum for performances. Many up the food chain thought that was a drain on the rest of the collective organization (DCI) and now open class only shows pay $0. Mixed bill shows they do get a small sum. Technically even BD gets a "small sum" based on what it costs to get a bus down the road these days or the several 1000s a night it costs to use a school. here's the thing. as a nonprofit it really doesnt matter if you collect an small appearance fee or not. (in regional theatre we don't count tickets sales into operational revenue for the season... that's spare money we MIGHT get to use next season) you still need to have a development team that's good at grant writing, finding major donors, running funding campaigns, and in general funding the machine.

Like the old Mills Brothers tune: "You always hurt... the one you love..."

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Moving to North Texas because the Rennicks are there is a dumb reason to move. Where a Corps rocates should be based on rehearsal facility availability, tax advantages, fund raising opportunities, local support, potential to recruit locally (for all programs offered (i. e., Corps, Winter Guards, Winter Drum lines,wind symphony, and others), location of nearest airport for out-of-town member, etc. (Cadets ticked many of these boxes in their move to Erie) Relocation site should not be decided because 2 instructors (who could be hired by some other Corps in future) currently live there.

i think the staff is key.....to retention. I'm not talking big names, i am talking people who are good yes, but have deep ties in the region. Surf used to have kids that stayed a while. Why not now? Well....placement. with Cadets moving to Erie, Surf has a huge upside in the I-95 corridor, even out to Harrisburg/DC. But you need the staff people that can draw the kids from their band programs....then keep them.

This topic has kinda moved on, but this has been stewing in my brain for months. To my count, there's been at least 12 junior corps hailing from Texas. Two of those didn't originate from Texas, Sky Ryders and Crossmen, and at least one other was formed out of the ashes of a non-Texan corps (Forte was built out of Memphis Sound). With all the orgs that relocated, there was an assumption that being closer to the bulk of their membership could only help. Of those 12 Texas corps, we only have 3 still active (and I would unfortunately not be surprised if at least one of those doesn't make it to 2025). Of the relocation corps, only Crossmen remains. I bring these numbers up because they're the first thing I think of when folks bring a move to Texas up. Texas is the second largest state in the country, the largest central state in the country, and has incredibly well-established public high school and university music programs. Likewise, there are DCI shows galore throughout the state each year. Yet, there's only been 12 total junior corps and only has 3 left; the third largest state (CA) has had 76 junior corps(!) and there are 11 currently listed on DCI's website. And what of that 3 remaining? Crossmen is the oldest in residence, moving in 2006. They are nothing to shrug at, but the org has yet to translate all the local talent and staff opportunities into a top 7 placement since the move. Genesis had a couple third place finishes in open class before moving to world class, but they've yet to not get out placed by open class corps since moving to world. And then there's Guardians, the current open class option for Texans, who are seemingly having difficulties getting housing sites for each monthly camp this year. What's my point? I don't think moving a drum corps to Texas is the winning solution it's so often thought to be. There's something going on here that's making drum corps harder to start and sustain than other locations. What that is? No idea. Some Music History or American Studies researcher should look into that. But I think VMAPA needs to think long and hard about Sky Ryders, Memphis Sound/Forte, and Revolution before thinking things will be much easier if they just moved states.

Nice comments. In a tournament like this we could run this not just once a year but even 2 or 3 times a year and every time it will come out differently. There are so many variables. Who gets paired with who, who is voting and how they see the shows, age and experience of the person voting and what shows they have seen live, personal favorites, and on and on. Do you vote on performance levels, entertainment levels/iconic status, your favorites, or perhaps are you voting for the most innovative shows? I found myself considering all of those things. For example if the criteria was to only vote on excellence in all captions (even if you did not like the show) then the results would be different but you would still run into the difficulties of comparing 80s shows to some in the 2000s or beyond. Just setting up the brackets takes a lot of work. How do you really rate corps from the 80s or 90s with those from the 2000s and 2010s? I appreciate all the work that went into setting this up. Definitely ready to hear some live corps this summer.

the thing is, going OC kills them financially. the money is in WC, even a reduced schedule. i know taking that time off in July last week saved them a fortune in bus fees, fuel, housing and food. yeah it hurt them competitively. to score well, you need the early start and the commitment to going all out to place well...and that's probably what people feel is holding Surf bak....that commitment to being a top dog isn't evident. the key is finding a balance. Look at Colts...15 years out of finals, but yet always kinda near the top 12, with a good sized corps doing the full tour. Troop too. while going OC could help Surf with scoring, financially it would be a huge issue.

Which one is your son? He’s the sweaty guy with the ratty towel around his waist… and nothing else. 🤪

I called him Backflip Jesus. But naked works, too.

The Lord smiled upon you

the generally reduced schedule limits some demand in design, as well as the membership is generally younger than the rest of World Class. and that age difference leads to the usually reduced schedule because the kids don't get out of school until mid June. some areas in the NE arent done high school til the middle of June...and Surf tends to have more HS kids than most WC corps. now this even further reduced schedule could hurt them competitively because of the amount of time to get out there and clean and get performances in. my hope is the design is smart so performance can be maxed

I keep my Corps t-shirts in a magic drawer which makes them shrink.

I think the lot thing as opposed to sitting in the stands to watch and support the smaller corps is more about being seen, than seeing. Lot's of preening and look at my corps jacket. I would do it too, honestly, but my corps jacket doesn't.......fit.

I was completely seduced by the mellos. I’m pretty sure I said ######## when Brandt mistakenly announced that BD won brass.

Paul Lovatt-Cooper's "Vitae Aeternum"!

I’m going to go out on a limb and say… diddly