Shannon98

They should have only used G bugles because at the time of their existence that was the only horn allowed.

I have been fortunate to work as a tour manager for three world class corps' that have a very good reputation, however, all three corps have had moments lose housing sites because of various reasons. At one school the field paint burnt the field, it was an accident and the field crew put the paint to close to the grass. Needless to say we were not welcomed back nor was any other corps. Then at another schools there was a staff member that went into the principals office and used his computer to look at interesting websites. Yet again not welcomed back. so in these two incidents one was not intentional and the other was a single staff member that ruined it for the corps. Sometimes things happen by accident and sometimes it only takes one or two individuals to blow it for the corps. You can fire or kick those people out but the damage is done in the schools mind. One school opened the pool for us. single sex corps. only rule-no nudity. Band director stops by and sure enough two guys thought it would be funny and took their swim suits off. That was the end of our visit. Then there are issues that have nothing to do with the corps itself but it is just the school. sometimes schools do not communicate effectively and the corps gets caught in the middle. I had one band director told us to use the main field, we did, football coach showed. thought we were damaging the holly field. coach complains to principal. While the principal did agree originally he changed his mind because of the coach. lost housing site after that. Show coordinators can be very damaging. sorry to those out there, but I have been promised many of times that schools will provide certain accommodations and that never happened. Some show coordinators will promise certain corps' the world and guarantee the best housing site with 3-4 fields, as many rooms as we need, the stadium, access to ice, etc. then they will not give the direct connect to the school until last minute. promises not met. I even had one tell us last second oh another corps will be staying with you. I hope you don't mind. To this day I am still not a fan of the show people at Stillwater. Great fans, fun show to be at, housing wise I have no trust for them. Please understand all of the corps I have worked with are in the mid-west and all have the policy about "leaving a school cleaner than you found it" and most of the time they did. However, housing problems are very situational and changes from corps to corps, show to show, and housing site to housing site. sometimes it is the corps (even the ones with a great reputation), sometimes it is the school just looking for a reason, and finally sometimes it is the show. So are we hurting ourselves? Yes and no, depends on the situation. Can corps' be to demanding? sometimes but that is the job of the administrative team. Some schools will give you what ever you want no problem. sometimes it is knowing who to ask, (love custodial workers most likely to open something for you, principals don't count on it. general rule: it never hurts to ask. What is the worst they can tell you "NO." Usually you have a feel about the schools flexibility when you first arrive.

I agree if you march yes you earned the right. If you didn't march, what right does anyone have to tell you no. Of course what is the difference between this and the people that get tatoos of their favorite sports teams. You know those who marched know the difference between the posers and those who marched or volunteerd. I remember when i went back to help with my high school there was a a guy helping and he was wearing the hat, t shirt and sweatshirt of a corps. everyone thought he was great because he tried out for the corps but chose not to march. then when I showed up with no markings of any corps and the band director mentioned that I did march and volunteerd all of a sudden the band had more respect for me because they knew I had the experience. Point is people will have the respect for those who actually marched, volunteered or work witha corps versus those who pose. If someone wants to get a tatoo let them, they will have a harder time explaining that they never marched, volunteered or worked witha corps. shannon

Was it a great show? yes! Best Ever? Nope, not even close.

While I understand you are proposing the NFL system of Revnue sharing but I believe there are some issues with your idea. First and formost mentioning the Glassmen as a corps in need is not your best choice. Financially they are a very stable corps, their issues lie within staffing. remember they had put together a staff that was of Championship caliber i.s cesario, McNutt/Bedis, Frank Williams, Mark Metzger, Jaimie Thompson. They were on the rise yet after 2002 for some reason they all ended up leaving mostly moving to other corps' and created success where ever they went. As for Academy they are grwoing they are just taking time. In today's times it is not that easy to field a championship corps instantly. As for Pioneer until they stop trying to act like an Open class corps and act like a true World class corps it will never happen. I appreciate your idea of everyone donating extra money and the glassmen alumni did that last summer, however more money does not mean better placement. you can have all the money in theo world and it does not mean that you will win championships i.e. the Dallas cowboys. shannon

It is all about the vollunteers. Phantom will make sure they wash the uniforms the next day after a messy show. The uniforms are designed to be washable. That has been one of the great parts of the recent uniforms. Breathable and washable material. and how can one forget the ever important stain stick!

While I understand what you are saying but this is not always a luxury in Drum corps. However, with the demands of marching and the music being played, there are many times when all you have is one count. Breathe-dah has become the back bone of many hornlines accross drum corps. it creates a clean entrancefor an entire hornline. It may seem simple but you are asking 72 horn players spread accross a football field to hit at the same time. breathe dah is the only way to do it. If you have marched and your staff has used this practice, yet you do not understand its importance, I wonder if your staff was diligent in using this practice properly. by the end of the summer it should be clear as to how and why it works so well.

You forgot after Sal

No ofcourse he doesn't quite have the history that jim does with taking corps to championships as a director. Of course Sal as aguard designer and drill writer does have that kind of reputation.

BTW way scouts used a lot of cirque Du Soliel music in 2003

Um basically it is like having Tom Hanum taking over the Drum lIne. Similar to Tom, Donnie has has a history with Brass lines that are second to none. Lets see he responsible the Cadets in the early 80's, Star of Indiana on and off the field plus BLAST, Cadets in the early 2000's, and Crown of late. The only other person to match him in Brass technique and dominance would be Wayne Downey. To Waynes credit he has the fortune of being with BD for almost all of his career. As for Donnie Van Doren if you look at his resume it seems everything he touches turns to Gold. To learn from him is like learning from God him self. Ok maybe a little much, however he is that influential. Now this is my own personal opinion, I have never learned under him and I have learned some great brass line instructors such as Frank Williams. But Donnies seems to always be successful no matter where he goes. I understand some may argue with my point of view but thats ok you are intitled toyour opinion as well as I am entitled to mine. But eveyone needs top remember Donnie may not move because he does have a lot invested into crown. His son works there, his daughter marches there and they are so close to a title why would you leave when you are that close. Shannon

The Best thing you are doing is that you are addressing the issue early enough in the school year. I am a teacher and have worked on the administrative and instructional staff side of a WC drum corps. the biggest thing that needs to hapen is COMMMUNICATE! COMMUNICATE! COMMUNICATE! Clearly you and your daughter are addrssing the issue immediately, which will make all parties involved happy. Some schools will say if you wait until April or May to address the concern, however if you make arrangements now everything should work out. You may have to watch out for any important test like AP test or state mandated test that she may or may not have to pass for graduation. The other item is most corps have a form letter they can submit to schools explaining who they are and how the activity is an educational experience and will help her grow as a student. You are doing the right thing and there is a balance out there. You can have her band director advocate for her as well. If you are in the state of Maryland PM me and I can give you aahand if you need it. Shannon.

As I sit here and read everything about the scouts I am saddened by all the things being said about the scouts and what everyone says about how to make the scouts better and what got the scouts to this point. 1) people keep trying to blame Sal for the problems with the scouts, yet every year he was in charge he made the scouts stronger and got them into finals. 2) The uniform changes meant the downfall of the scouts, yet what did they where before 88 oh what did they where when they won their first championship in 75. Ladies and gentlemen white pants and a green stripe does not make a corps great . The members and its staff make a corps great. 3) The possible stealing and battle with another corps, as much as I wish that this did not happen, unfortunately it does happen. I traveled with the scouts in "03" and some members thought it was ok to steal gatorade from the housing site. The staff sat down with the vets and made this incident stop and it never happened again. Now every corps has dark secrets about members and staff making poor decisions. However it is up to the Vets and the staff to make sure this does not happen again and make these problems disappear. Of course when corps' struggles throughout the year the members do tend to take there frustrations out on others. There are problems within the scouts, at this point you can no longer blame Sal it has been three years. The uniforms I have already said it. the 90's are gone move on. It is time for this great alumni that the scouts claim to have to step up and help their corps. find this great money everyone seems to think have and make the corps better. I hope the alumni will teach the new members what it means to be a scout in the public eye. Face it a lot of things are broken, but who will step up and help fix it, going back to the way things were in the 90's is not the answer the activity has moved on from that time. It is time for the scouts to do the same. Shannon

I do understand peoples concern but you do have to realize that DCI and DCA have to be out of stadiums by a certain time or they have to pay the next day. I have done full retreats and full brass line. Both can be cool and be very annoying. Lately the full brass line is pointless because horn line members play out of tune on purpose, go up the octave they can't hit, hold over on purpose. It became more ugly than good, what is the point of having it in that case. Ful retreats are cool however they do last a long time because not all corps' stay to the five minutes.

I had the opportunity to know Arlene through The Glassmen and the University of Toledo. She was a wonderful woman that had done a lot for the glassmen, myself, and the University of Toledo. She made everyone feel special and apprecaiated. the fact I knew her and a member, a staff member, and a UToledo band member as well, just showed how fortunate I was to share the personal connections with her. Arlene and her sister Joan took great pride in teh members that were glassmen and went to Utoledo. She was there to listen and tell you how proud she was of the corps and of you! Even when i had fallen on dificult time she was there to support me when needed. Arlene is a woman you will never here a bad word about. Her and Joan would follow the glassmen all over the country. When we went to California in 2000 she was there. I can not remember a DCI final without her. She was awoman that had volunteered sponsor countless members throughout her invlovement. I am very proud and greatful for having the opportunity for working with and knowing Arlene. She has left a possitive mark on me that will never go away. She is the type of volunnteer that every corps has and every member better take the opportunity to know. She is part of the reason as to why Drum corps is such a great activity for everyone involved. Arlene you will be missed and we love you! Shannon