Ron H

Regardless of who wins, I think DCM will primarily be a celebration of the lasting contributions of Minnesota and Wisconsin drum corps. Many of the Blue Stars' staff have been involved with Minnesota Brass Inc. and several people on MBI's staff have been involved with the Blue Stars, Colts, Madison, Pioneer and Phantom. It's all good, and it's all circular. The drum corps activity is a relatively small one, and we should be happy that we share in the amazingly terrific activity that is drum corps. MBI has established itself as an Open Class powerhouse in DCA, having won the championship percussion captions two years straight. The Blue Stars are about to establish themselves as a comparable powerhouse in DCI Div II. But scores among the various circuit subdivisions mean nothing at this point. All that matters is the score among the corps that are competing together on any one night. It is futile to compare the Blue Stars' score with ECJ's, Jersey Surf's or Teal Sound's score until all these corps go head to head in the same show. Who knows? Maybe Blue Stars will top MBI in horns or guard, while Teal Sound may top Blue Stars in horns or drums. But even then it ultimately doesn't matter. What historically matters is how effectively the audience has been entertained. What matters is what the people leaving the stadium are thinking about the performances they just witnessed. What matters is how each corps lived up to its own potential. Look back on the history of drum corps. How many people can really recite the exact scores and placings for any particular show that occurred 20 years ago? (Drum Corps Geeks excluded B) ). But how many people will remember a particularly fabulous performance? I remember seeing the Bridgemen do the "Bridgemen Shuffle" in a live show sometime in the '70's. I don't remember who won the show. But I do remember the Bridgemen.

I also understand the reasoning behind the new retreat. However, I think it's a bad move all around. Mostly for the sake of the audiences and the cameraderie of the activity. I've been in countless shows on the field and I can complain about retreats with the best of them. But it is also important that the corps stand together in unity and the spectacle of 6 to 12 corps on the field at once is mesmerizing from the stands. I've also been in countless shows in the stands and I can assure you that audience newcomers to the activity are generally blown away by a full retreat. That is another factor that causes them to come back. Eliminating full retreats, from the perspective of a theatrical production design standpoint, makes the whole contest end somewhat underwhelmingly. I've also noticed far more people leaving the stands after the final corps performs and not staying for finale. Why should they when they can get the scores online in a matter of minutes? This is especially true in shows where it's pretty obvious who is going to win. "Yup, Mable, we seen the show. Nice. Let's go home and watch 'Friends'." For those of you who think it's a waste of time as a performer, that is one of the most selfish statements you can make. And the audience can sense this. Yes, a few corps can get on the road earlier, but the reasons for doing so are not about safety. The bus and equipment drivers should have had plenty of rest prior to taking any corps on the road - if not, then the corps should re-think their daily schedules. And if competition is so fierce between the corps that they must squeeze out every last second of rehearsal time to get ahead then why not eliminate everything but the show performance itself? Why not show up minutes before a show, play your gig and blow Dodge immediately? Why even try to connect with an audience? You are a DCI Touring Corps now. You don't need to hang around with the riff-raff. No, the real reason is that DCI wants to maximize flexibility in scheduling, which is not a bad thing of course. But to do so at the expense of yet another unique feature of this activity further devolves the drum corps scene into just another "entertainment" for the masses. An "entertainment" conveniently broken down into 11-minute sound bites. And if I can be just as entertained in an air-conditioned movie theatre then I'll opt for that over a night full of mosquitoes.

Thanks! We can't figure that one out either...

This seems an appropriate time to repeat a post I made (in Jeff Ream's direction) a couple of years ago... Here in the Twin Cities we are fortunate to have the amazing talents of many Minnesota Public Radio and PRI (Public Radio International) personalities who are also of national and international renown: Garrison Keillor, Mindy Ratner, Chris Farrell, Cathy Wurzer, Lynne Rossetto Kasper, Dale Connelly and Lynne Worfel-Holt just to name just a few. Lynne Warfel-Holt has recalled several times on the air about her remembrances of growing up with the Westshoremen. Her father used to help run the corps and she has mentioned her fond memories of the corps and what it stood for. For example, she recalls as a little girl the thrill she got as the corps warmed up in her very own backyard. (Imagine that as a kid of 10 or 12!) (Of course, many people in the listening audience are going "drum corps?? huh??" :) ) So, remember, all of you who have had the good fortune of being a part of a great corps like the Westshoremen: You have influenced more people than you might think. Your efforts have made a difference. Who knows what the future will bring? Perhaps someone from your past will help the corps rise again. Or maybe someone yet to appear in the future will be the one to help bring the corps back to life! Just keep the spirit alive - it will then be able to grow. Regards, Ron Haselius Minnesota Brass, Inc. P.S. You can read a little about Lynne's hstory here: http://mnbrassinc.org/news/showcase04.html#lynne

One of our gifted sopranos had to resign due to unfortunate family conflicts. So YOU can be the 60th horn! If you are re-locating to the Twin Cities (via the University of Minnesota, Augsburg College, St. Thomas University, Carlton College, St. Olaf, St. Catherine's, Northwestern, Hamline University, etc.), we'd like to talk with you! Are you working for 3M, Cargill, General Mills, Pillsbury, HGA, Ellerbe Becket, Target, Northwest Airlines, Marshall Field's, Mervyn's, Wells Fargo, Mesaba Aviation, US Bank or any of a number of other Fortune 500 companies? You can re-locate to the fabulous Twin Towns! The Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St.Paul are among the wealthiest and progressive metro areas in the country, with 3 million residents, 1000 lakes, 1000 parks and some of the best living this country has to offer! Minnesota Brass, Inc. is one of DCA's hottest corps (placing 4th last year) and is expected to be a contender for the DCA crown in 2003. As one of DCI's few associated senior corps, we believe in competition, quality and a great show! Our schedule easily accommodates work conflicts yet we consistently compete against the best junior corps of the great Midwest. Our dues are an incredibly low $225, which includes travel, housing, instruction and the like...Contact us ASAP at mbidirector@hotmail.com or visit our website at www.mnbrassinc.org. :)