DrumCorps21

Hi, long time lurker, rarely poster here on DCP. I remember the moment when I stopped reading RAMD. It was after DCP had first started and there were about 5 people posting on here and when Catherine started posting obituaries from around the world of every human being who had ever been involved in something like a drum & bugle corps. There would be just dozens of posts every day of some random person who died who once played a valve-rotor bugle back in the day in some community parade corps. That's when I stopped being a RAMD lurker and came to DCP. CRAZY memories from when I was in high school and college!! Ok, back to lurking...

Interesting concept. I'm looking forward to seeing if this will be better than the Goodbye Blue Skies show... my favorite DCA show to date as of now. Is this the trailer for the movie? If so, I think I might try tracking the whole movie down and giving it a watch before DCA this year.

Wow... 2005, 2007, 2008: Three shows that have blown me away just hearing what the repertoire will be!

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about Surf when I was putting it together. I know MartyBucs suggested some stuff with featuring a moon, but isn't that one of the symbols SoCal Dream uses? I guess the trouble is developing a unique name/symbol/identity that isn't too close to anyone else.

This is what I thought up today.

I can work on a Myspace; I'm pretty good at making them, or I was when last I made one. The high notes are all yours, Mike, since I'm a mellophone player. I also think I have a pretty amazing arranger who might be very interested in writing some great charts out. One idea I had toyed around with for a name was Borderlands. I'm not terribly attached to it, but I think it could work. Tri-State Diamonds has some possibilities. Anyone know the history or tradition of Delaware being called the "Diamond State"? I know there is a diamond shape on the state flag, but that's all. Anyone up for some wikipediaing?

I had thought about that one, but didn't want to be the "other" Statesmen. One is enough, I'd think! There are still plenty of possibilities for names for a corps, though I think getting an organizational meeting first would be more beneficial than figuring out a name. Though, for those who just drool at the chance to name a new mincorps, here are some ideas to bat around a bit that might, in some way, lend themselves to a name: Delaware The first state Diamond State Huge chemical industry thanks to DuPont Tax-free shopping Interesting names of bodies of water like Brandywine Creek and Murderkill River Former jr./sr. drum corps: Blue Rock from Wilmington, DE Delaware/Maryland Mid-Atlantic states Chesapeake and Delaware Bays Connected by a lengthy canal "Border States" in the Civil War Both (with part of Virginia) on the Delmarva Peninsula Bohemia and Elk Rivers on the eastern shore Just some ideas. Mike, perhaps it will soon be time to start an email list-serv or yahoogroup so we can keep in touch better and bat around ideas? Also, it would be a place to focus our energies towards having some form of organizational meeting in the fall.

I've been talking to some buds of mine who are coming down to the area, some of whom play brass. If we can get like, even 10 people together who are really interested in growing an eastern shore minicorps, I think we could have success. Just need to start getting that interested core of folks together at some point. Maybe not this summer, but definitely get something in the works for next. There are a lot of great names already suggested; I don't think I have any quality ones to add at the time.

I think the area could definitely produce a minicorps. Plenty of drum corps alums down here but no drum corps since the Crossmen left Newark years ago. I'm up in northern Delaware, but wouldn't mind trying to get something going down south a bit.

Glasgow High School Marching Band is looking for percussion instructors for the 2007 season. We are looking for a drumline instructor and a pit percussion instructor to work with our developing program. There is a lot of talent in our percussion section with many students taking private lessons and with the right instruction this could become a truly great program. If you are interested, please PM me through this site or email me at rogalskim@christina.k12.de.us. Thank you. Michael Rogalski Director of Bands Glasgow High School Newark, DE

The Glasgow High School Marching Band program is looking for a colorguard instructor for the 2007 season. An instructor with experience working with smaller groups is preferred as this is a developing program. If you are interested, send a PM through this site or an email to rogalskim@christina.k12.de.us. Thank you. Michael Rogalski Director of Bands Glasgow High School Newark, DE

Make sure you let the DCA I&E crowd know how to say Leb'nin, PA, as opposed to that Middle Eastern country way of saying it.

Well, DCIguy01, there are a lot of things to consider with a DCA corps. Distance is definitely important, especially since you'll be commuting every weekend in the spring and summer for rehearsals and competitions. Think about how many miles you might have to drive, divide that by however many miles per gallon your car gets, and then multiply it by $3.50, $4.00, or more for next year. But tell us what you like in drum corps? What music would you like to march on the field? Classical (mainly Romantic period), Symphonic Band style, Broadway, Jazz, Swing, Latin/Spanish, Rock, Movie scores, a little of everything, or no preference? If you really have your heart set on a style, then that could help you figure out where you might want to go. But seeing a lot of corps live is the best bet for finding a match, especially if you can get to a rehearsal or two before a show and see how the different groups rehearse. From personal experience rehearsal jumping prior to a show, there is a HUGE difference in rehearsal style from one corps to another. Some more things to consider... do you want to be in a long-established, large corps that has a well-cemented identity? Do you want to join a corps on the move, growing every year and beginning to make waves? Or perhaps you want to get in early with a brand new corps and have a huge impact on the future? Answering those questions will also give you a better idea of where you want to go. But do remember this is DCA. There is no "touring" so although there is no tour fee in the thousands of dollars, you will be forking over a lot of cash if you drive a good distance by yourself or even with a small carpool. Just some ideas. Answer those questions, and you might have your mind made up pretty easily once you realize what it is you want from a drum corps.

Actually, I do believe that Buc Field is a couple hundred feet outside of Reading city limits. I was curious about that one day and, thanks to Google Earth, it looks like the little stream that runs along side Aviation road is the border between Reading and the neighboring township! Technicalities.

That's an amazing story from one hard core drum corps fan! It's great to see the Jolly Roger flying so far away from Reading. But all the better that it's in the hands of someone making so big a sacrifice of time and effort for the sake of something that much bigger than any drum corps.