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OK, Division 1, II and III finals are all I see for 2007, as well.

I also knew of Dean Musson because he was a music professor at the University of Evansville (my alma mater, but he was there long after I graduated). His family, friends and loved ones are in my thoughts and prayers.

I love the Blue Devils' current look. To me, it's very distinctive, very them. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Yup. Having marched with people who experienced abusive situations at home, one thing I know for certain is that going into another abusive situation (even if it's a different kind of abuse) isn't the healthiest place to be. And especially for a young person, it can have a drastic effect on his/her emotional/psychological development.

I was born and raised in Indiana, and for a long time I was a Knight fan. My attitude changed when reports of his tantrums, chair-throwing, etc., became publicized. More and more, I started to see him as a bully. I have relatives who say, "Yes, he has a temper. But he's a good coach, and he was generous to the community." In my mind, that doesn't justify the tactics he used not only with his players, but also with others. I used to work at a university, and the image that sticks in my mind is of him throwing a potted plant at an IU secretary to intimidate her. I don't care how many titles a person has, or how "successful" he or she may be, none of that justifies being abusive toward others . . . which this clearly was. There are ways of lighting a fire under people (the occasional use of language, etc.) to fix mistakes that don't involve institutionalized abuse. There are other instances to demonstrate that this wasn't just a "temper" issue, but serious anger-control issues which Knight was inflicting on others around him as a means of control. I try to imagine being that secretary and told (I assume) to let it go because that's just the way he is. No, it's unacceptable behavior no matter who the person is.

The Scouts is the corps I really wish I could've seen. Couldn't make it to any shows this summer, due to a move that's even farther away from any DCI contests than where we were before. The Fan Network was a wonderful substitute, and I'm thrilled to have that. But of course it ain't the same as experiencing it live.

I agree. Humiliation may work in the military, but it does not work as a teaching tool for young people.

You're welcome. I salute you, Kevin and anyone else who gets this done for us. I don't know how you do it!

In the future, you might want to consider getting a Blu-ray player. Hubby and I weren't going to, but then he got a PlayStation 3 which has some neat downloading features plus doubles as a Blu-ray player. Last year I upgraded from the "Live" package to the Blu-ray package, and for me it was worth it. Not only did I get to watch finals the very next day (this year, too), but the Blu-ray is vastly better than the DVD in video and sound quality. Plus you can continue to play DVDs on your Blu-ray player, and it will bump up the video quality on your DVDs, too. I couldn't attend any shows this year, so for me it's definitely worth it.

PBS isn't there to make a profit, but there's a reason why they have targets for pledge drives; it's to pay the bills and keep the affiliates up and running. The problem with the DCI broadcast, from what I understand, is that fans would call in pledges, but then many would never pay up. You can't do that for long and not have somebody assess the situation . . . and no amount of apologies from DCI would fix that basic reality. Do you really think fans would behave any differently now than they did then, especially when there's this growing mentality that everything should be free? Also, I think you would be surprised at the viewership of the programs that PBS carries. You might not like Lawrence Welk; I'm not crazy about those reruns being part of the PBS lineup. But they pull in a significant viewership from a certain demographic who, more importantly, will pay their pledges to ensure that such broadcasts continue.

Mozart's music may be, but that particular arrangement may not be. If the arrangement itself was copyrighted by the publisher when it was first printed (and I assume that it would be), then from what I understand, the publisher owns the copyright to that arrangement for 70 years after publication. If 70 years go by and they don't reprint it, then it goes into the public domain. But if they do reprint it, then that adds another 70 years on to their copyright ownership of that published arrangement. Someone who knows more about this than I do, please feel free to chime in!

Like you, I have very mixed feelings about this. I think the Scouts genuinely believed they would get all the necessary permissions, including synch rights. I have no way of knowing, but it may be that they had most of the synch rights permissions and had no reason to believe that the rest wouldn't follow suit. From what I heard from the live streams on the Fan Network, I believe that ESOM was the ideal closer for this particular program. Yes, I will be disappointed if it's not on my Blu-ray, but I also think that the fans' enjoyment of this program outweighs the potential muting of this piece on the DVDs. It will be a sad omission for the public record, but it doesn't change what actually happened during the season. And sometimes you've gotta go with what you believe in, and let the chips fall where they may. For me, this is too open-ended a question. There's no way to know if Scouts had changed closers, would their placement have moved up . . . or down? Again, sometimes you've gotta go with what you believe in, and let the chips fall where they may.

Yup. I think people don't realize the amount of work that goes into covering a drum corps show . . . and it's been made even more so in the electronic age. Back when I was writing show reviews for Drum Corps World, I found it to be a lot like judging. It's a very different experience from just sitting back and enjoying a show (though there are moments when I was able to do just that; I couldn't help it with BD in '82). When you're analyzing something and trying to remember enough of the details as you get them written down, your brain is working in a very different way than it does when you're able to just sit back, relax and go with the flow. Back then, I was just taping the shows and scribbling down notes. I can't imagine what it's like to type in blog observations plus photos, plus try and keep up with the shows. I tend to be very slow and methodical about everything, mainly out of fear of not getting something right, so that process would drive me out of my mind!

Just watched "Romeo and Juliet" (the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli film) last night. I was just a wee bit too young at the time for my parents to allow me to see it . . . though kids my age knew all about it. I think it's the first time a major studio film cast actors so young in serious leading roles, and both Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey were amazing. Anyway, I always knew the song as "A Time for Us" (probably because that's how it was released on pop radio stations). However, the film version is called "What Is a Youth?" The music is by Nino Rota, also famous for "The Godfather" theme.

Canadian corps back in the top 12? I wish it were so, but sadly, I doubt that it will come to pass.

Here's another RAMD thread that alludes to that: Blue Devils 2000 Snares......

This was actually the summer before I started marching drum corps. My family had just moved to Evansville, Indiana, and I was getting ready to start my first year of university. Hadn't done band camp (such as it was) yet. A friend of my mom's was visiting, and they were all sitting in the backyard chatting. I heard the news on the radio and went down to tell them. My parents were never Elvis fans, but even they were shocked to hear that he had died.

Kevin Gamin at least partially answered this question in a related thread: Re: Madison's Full Show on Fan Network! I can't speak for the "Legacy" series, though I have most of those DVDs. I also have a number of WGI DVDs. Something I've noticed over the years is that performances captured on my various DVDs are no longer available in the DCI or WGI archives. I have no way of knowing for sure, but I have wondered if the reason is because licensing issues have come up since those videos were initially produced, distributed and then redistributed through the "Legacy" DVDs and other media. I think it's misleading to believe that once things are nailed down, they are always nailed down. It seems like things are becoming more and more complex, and no corps can rest assured that every piece played and captured on some form of digital media will stand the legal test of time.

I have no inside knowledge of this situation, and so am only guessing, but if you read the list of writers and publishers for ESOM, it's a pretty long list (even though contact info for four of the five publishers goes back to the same company: EMI). So all it would take is for one on that list to say no, and then it doesn't matter what the others say; the synch-rights deal is off.

I like Kevin Gamin's reply in a related thread: Re: Madison's Full Show on Fan Network! Especially this part (Kevin, I hope it's OK with you that I'm quoting you here):

Going by Chris's July 2 reply in the Madison thread, it seems that synch rights have to do with synching the audio with replayable visual media: Posted 02 July 2011 - 09:35 AM (#1190) ckomnick At this point in time, the synchronization rights to "Empire State of Mind" have not been secured. The Madison Scouts have secured the ability to arrange and perform the piece, but the sale of synchronized video content has not yet been granted and DCI has appropriately decided to mute the replay content on the Fan Network to avoid any possible infringement at this time. This does not affect the broadcasts of live performances, only the replay of them. We have been furiously trying to resolve this issue for over 7 months. Due to the popularity of the piece and the numerous artists involved in its creation, it has proven to be vary challenging. Let's just say that drum corps licensing is not a high priority for the agencies involved with a pop tune like ESOM. We are continuing to aggressively secure a license and we appreciate your patience as we work through these matters. Chris Komnick Executive Director

More and more, Radiohead's "Creep" (performed by Bluecoats) keeps running through my head.

All we can do is go by what Chris Komnick posted in the Madison thread. If you look at the list of writers and publishers, it is quite extensive (yet, interestingly enough, four of the five publishing contacts all go back to the same company: EMI). I do not envy anyone having to go through this long, drawn-out process, as it is becoming increasingly complex. I suspect that's why more and more corps are going the route of having original music composed for them, so as to get all of the rights bundled up all at the same time and avoid all this jumping through countless hoops (some unforeseen until you encounter them). To quote Chris: Posted 02 July 2011 - 09:35 AM (#1190) ckomnick At this point in time, the synchronization rights to "Empire State of Mind" have not been secured. The Madison Scouts have secured the ability to arrange and perform the piece, but the sale of synchronized video content has not yet been granted and DCI has appropriately decided to mute the replay content on the Fan Network to avoid any possible infringement at this time. This does not affect the broadcasts of live performances, only the replay of them. We have been furiously trying to resolve this issue for over 7 months. Due to the popularity of the piece and the numerous artists involved in its creation, it has proven to be vary challenging. Let's just say that drum corps licensing is not a high priority for the agencies involved with a pop tune like ESOM. We are continuing to aggressively secure a license and we appreciate your patience as we work through these matters. Chris Komnick Executive Director

I'm guessing that it's due to changing/expanding copyright laws and a growing emphasis on intellectual property (brought on by the widespread availability of electronic/digital media, whereby artists and copyright holders run a much greater risk than they once did of losing distribution and/or financial control over their copyrighted works). I also think that, with the music industry facing so many economic challenges, they're going after every dollar they can get. Hence, a growing insistence on complete (or, as complete as possible) licensing control over their copyrighted material.

I can't recall specifically, but there are some RAMD threads from the time with the usual mixed sentiments on whether their line was "dirty" that year, what constitutes "dirt" and so on. I'm not sure how helpful these will be, but here's what I found: 2000 Drum Lines, What do you think? 2000 Blue Devil Drumline question.....