noneofyourbusiness

The internet has made these "paper" projects too easy. People need to avoid making these public announcements until they have some of the little things in place, like MONEY, management, staff, volunteers, etc., etc.

Exactly. There are very few corps that get these really large numbers at their camps and the time contraints prohibit them from having "group hugs" with every person involved. I personally know someone who has a child that is a long-term member of a upper level corps. This member takes the time to make sure that they speak to as many of the new people as possible at each audition camp. However, since there are only a few hours of "free time" at these camps, there is no way this vet could possibly talk to the hundreds of new people that show up each year. The schedules prohibit it and the logistics of moving that many people through the audition process prohibit as well. This is not a slam to the OP, it is simply a statment of the facts of life at a large audition camp. That's why some people cannot make it at schools like Ohio State and Michigan and attend the small, private schools. Drum corps is very similiar in experience. OP: Go where your heart tells you. But do not ignore your head at the same time. Where do you really want to be come August 13th??

Agree. The issue is most likely caused by several factors already mentioned: - The sheer number of people involved. Kind of like a Tokyo subway at rush hour; - The vets wanting to spend the little bit of social time they have at a camp with the people they have already lived with; - No corps can afford to feed and house a bunch of people and then offer refunds if they do not make it or do not enjoy themselves. Try for that refund after your next airline flight or after a movie you do not thoroughly enjoy; - Staff only getting to spend 5 or 10 minutes with each auditionee. Think of how personal a 400-person Chemistry lecture is in college. The OP obviously does not have much experience with large auditions for any activity. I know students who have gone to auditions for prestigious private music schools, etc., and they say drum corps is a piece of cake after experiencing those auditions. It is truly the OP's decision, but they need to know that it is sometimes a little different process if you are trying to make a top corps where there are hundreds of people trying for a few spots than it is with a corps just trying to fill its line. And the spring and summer experience is always completely different for everyone involved than the first two camps in the fall/winter no matter what corps it is.

Any link to a website?

Well, if you are really as concerned as you seem to be in the status of the Blue Stars' hornline, I suggest you attend their December camp in Indianapolis on December 17-19. From what I have heard, their end-of-camp "show and tell" performances are open to the public and usually happen around 2:00 PM on Sundays. I also saw some pictures that indicate you might want to get there early, as the place was packed at their last camp .

Auditions really became a necessity for some of the corps due to the sheer number of people wanting to march only the top corps. As the total number of corps has dropped, the number of auditionees has skyrocketed at these top-level corps. Now you have a corps like Blue Stars getting 170+ brass at their first camp, or Cavaliers with 200 potential brass and percussion at their second location camp of the year (had one in TX and one in IL).

The opener is NOT what I would normally expect from Pioneer. Much more complex, much more interesting than the past. I think this could be a very good show for them if they can draw the talent needed.

Were you there? I talked to several that were actually there and they said the pro trumpets are amazing and the lower brass were rich and full.

61 trumpets? THAT must have been interesting. I also saw on Facebook that they have 11 or 12 veteran mellophones returning from what was a very good line last year. Modern corps are scary good.

According to Blue Stars' Facebook page and their fans' posts and pictures, they have close to 200 horns and well over 100 battery auditionees. Don't know if they have guard or pit there, as there has not been any mention of them. Any news on Madison? Crown?

November 19-21 is the beginning of the 2011 season for the majority of the top 12. Corps like Cavies, Bluecoats, Crown, Cadets, Blue Stars, Boston, Madison and Blue Knights are all having their first major audition camps this coming weekend. So, do you think we'll actually hear any major news from any of these camps? Will some DCP regulars actually get some inside knowledge of what is happening with any of these corps? Or will next week simply be more of the "rate so-and-so's show from last year" and "drum corps is dying!" threads as usual? Inquiring minds want to know .

In terms of time period, the current Buccaneers streak in DCA has to be either close or the record. They have not lost a show in six years! The reason it may not be a record in terms of number of shows is simply because DCA corps do not compete in nearly as many shows as DCI each year. Bucs only competed 10 times last summer, while BD had 27 competitive performances scheduled (but two were rainouts).

This. Judges had every one right except 7th/8th this past year. That should have been a flip. Crown was where they belonged in 2010. 2009??????? Should have been much closer, or flipped with BD IMHO.

Only issue with King tubas is they do not hold up at all. The pipe that rests on the players shoulder gets flattened out really quick.

http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=e...0b-b8acf11a013a

"The Implosion of the Dome" by K. Dynomite.

I don't think the "extra" material the top 8 are going to learn will hurt them. I do not think we will see much change again next year in the top 12. Maybe some movement within it, but nothing dramatic.

I wish both Bridgemen and VK were back in the DCI WC ranks. We need something to liven up those WC shows right now .

I'm not normally one to support anything that was proposed by that guy from PA, BUT, the 150 member thing was NOT a proposal that increased expenses. It was proposed so they could actually fill all of the empty bus seats they were riding around with. Virtually all of the buses in use today have 51- 53 seats. The 128 member rule was passed when buses had 41-43 seats. Having 128 members in today's buses meant having 25-31 empty seats. Since transportation is a huge part of a corps buses, adding 22 people at an income of $2500-$3000 each into those empty seats is actually a sensible business move. All the other things I agree were excess.

OK. Semis too!!

Agreed. Top notch stuff coming from them. Hope their 2011 show continues the progression they have made since 2007. Last year's "darker" show was a great move for them. If they can have some decent retention of vets (seems that they did not have all that many age-outs in Indy), they could do some real damage next summer.

Your probably need to include BDB, SCVC and a few other OC corps if you want to cover all the corps that will appear at WC Prelims this year .

Sorry, just speaking from my experience after being President of the local arts council, a coach and board member for the local soccer, football, wrestling and baseball leagues, a board member of the HS Band booster group, and a drum corps volunteer for many years a while back. It is the same 10-15% of the people that we see at all of these groups, donating their time. We actually have many parents who not only just drop off their kids for sports practices and then expect the coaches to drive them home (even though they are home watching TV), but many of them do not even come to watch their own kids play in games and tournaments! There may be thousands of hours being donated to the non-profits in my small town, but you can bet that it is a very small percentage of the people who are actually donating all of that time. We have tried everything to get people to donate their time, from offering discounts on sign-ups to free tickets to all of the arts festivals and shows, but they still do not volunteer. Most seem to feel it's just easier to pay than it is to volunteer.

Agreed. BUT, as I pointed out, where do you find the people to start 15-20 corps at the same time so these corps have someone to compete against? It may be much less expensive to operate corps on the regional model than on the DCI model, but it will still take alot of blood, seat and tears to start this many corps at one time. Even just doing this region by region (which is more likely), it is tough enough to get a few people together to volunteer at the local soccer league or indoor guard program. How do you get the number of people it would require to start 4-5 corps in the upper midwest at the same time in the current climate in this country? It seems to me that the volunteerism we saw in drum corps back in the 60's and 70's is long gone. From my experience lately in not only drum corps, but also local things like the arts council, youth sports, and winter guard, very few people volunteer for anything anymore.