pmaustin

I found it on this very site several years ago. I've been told by a couple of friends that marched with Star during their championship era, that it was one of their horns. I have no way of proving that however, I do know that Star used King 2 Valves during their run. Sorry to see it go, the K-80's are beasts!

Hello CDM, You may want to take a look at my King K-80 Euphonium that I have for sale on ebay. It's a nice, low cost horn that doesn't require any work. Sound like it might be just what you're looking for.

Hello folks, I've just placed my K-80 for sale on ebay. It's in nice shape and reasonably priced. Great sounding horn. PM me for details. Thanks, Paul Updated - Horn is Sold

FYI: I just placed my Kanstul Grande Baritone for sale on ebay - Excellent Condition! Three Valves, Key of G PM me for more information. Thanks, Paul Updated - Horn is Sold

Sir, Thank you for taking the time to read though a number of posts filled with largely hot air and uninformed opinions. You have captured the issue, and our stated goal - i.e. to enhance our ability to put on a better performance/show each and every year, by leveraging enhanced feedback from the judges - in whatever form that ultimately takes - audio recording, critique, revised scoring sheets, or a combination of the above. No other agenda - Period.

The only big concern I would have in holding the event outside - at the Dock for example, would be a lack of seating for the audience. It's about a 2 hour show give or take, and that's a long time to stand, particularly for those with disabilities. Just say'n

Joe, You raise a number of valid points, but the fact remains that the activity changed dramatically that night in 2006, when Star United showed up and played for the first time in Rochester (for the better in my opinion). From that date on, it would never be enough to just show up and play, as you now had a group in the activity that has continued to push the boundaries of excellence - I'd say after seven wins in a row, they've done just that. What to do as a member of a competing unit? Do you just roll-over and not show up anymore (as several groups have chosen to do), or do you try your best to close the gap and produce the very best product that you can? Fortunately, there are still enough groups in this activity that will not settle for mediocrity - just because Mini Corps are small in number, doesn't mean that our competitive fires burn less brightly than larger organizations. I promise you, that if you had to jump into the ring every year and compete against the likes of Star (and all of the other very talented groups that participated), you would want beneficial feedback as well. It is a simple and reasonable request isn't it?

As a point of fact, yes we did offer to pay for tapes several years ago in order to resolve this issue. The whole "DCA lets the mini corps perform there" is a cheap cop-out. There is an obvious and beneficial symbiosis between DCA and Mini Corps in which the venue gives participants a chance to perform in front of a crowd, while DCA benefits by providing an attraction for fans on the Friday night before prelims. By the way, the local Chamber of Commerce also benefits by having extra people in town spending money that might not otherwise be there that early in the week (Mini Corps typically arrive on Thursday). No one on here is suggesting that the manner in which the Mini Corps show was run was anything less than exemplary. 2012 was in fact the most enjoyable time that I've had at the event going back to my first year in 2006. The coordination, venue, and community were all first class, and I absolutely love Annapolis and it's friendly people. Donny was 100% correct in that this was the wrong forum to discuss this topic, as there are too many people that can't wait to give an opinion - whether it is informed or not. Paul

HBD, Your response in your "side note" that DCA judging now uses digital recordings indicates to me that you don't fully understand the situation. Audio recording does not occur with Mini Corps - that is the issue. Furthermore your "100%" statement about placement being the driver is just plain wrong. It has nothing to do with the situation, as this issue has been raised on many occasions over the last five years, and no progress has been made in rectifying the situation. It comes down to the future viability of the activity itself, as more and more Mini Corps are deciding to stay home. The original poster is correct, in that there are no judges tapes, (or digital recordings of any kind) furnished to competing Mini Corps. Three score sheets are produced with no correlation between them. One sheet had only these three comments: "Aggressive Book", "Well Done", and "Excellent Job" followed by a score. There are no category breakdowns on the sheet. There are no critiques or opportunities to have judges explain a given score. There are no recap sheets produced. There is no way of determining if there is a deficiency in show design, content, execution, performance, etc. There is no opportunity to measure strengths and weaknesses vs the competition. Since there is zero judging feedback, next year's show by default is developed in a vacuum. Could you imagine a scenario in which the Caballeros (for example) received a single score, with no granularity as to how it was arrived at, coupled with no information as to what any other corps scored in any category, and no opportunity to question the judges as to how the score was arrived at? Their score sheet simply said "Nice Job". One can only imagine that the second place corps score sheet said "Really, Nice Job" I suspect that this would be the subject of much more discussion if it were Open Class Corps instead of Mini's. Mini Corps spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of man hours of time in developing the shows that you see on Friday night at the I&E. We truly enjoy the opportunity to compete, and the thrill of performing in front of a wonderful crowd. Shouldn't Mini Corps have access to the same professional judging evaluation that is afforded to all other competing drum corps?

Without trying to speak for other Mini Corps, I don't believe that the majority would object to a "Park and Play" type of performance. This was after all, how it started years ago.

Suggest checking out Basement Brass at 6:30PM followed by Kidsgrove Scouts Brass Ensemble at 6:35. These two ensembles will be excellent!

Thanks Fran, nice to see the Renegades back in the Mini Corps competition after a little bit of a break.

So is this line-up official or is it conjecture?

Given that we're just a little over a week away from the show, will a performance schedule be published? Thanks

Dick, Our thoughts and prayers are with you in hoping for a speedy recovery. Get well soon!

So I guess the moral of the story is that you're crazy to place an order for DVDs in August (as I did), when the company drops the price by $20 in December! How is that fair to everyone who ordered early?

Michael, That one's easy. Star should do their 2012 show on Rick Astley's Greatest Hits! I can hear it now - Never Gonna Give You Up..... Trust me, it would be great Once again, Congrats on an incredible performance in Rochester!

Hello Tom, Congratulations to DCA and to all competing/performing corps for a wonderful weekend. As an aside, do you know if the Mini-Corps competition on Friday night (8/31/2012) will be outside in the stadium? Thanks in advance!

Ed, For those of us at Mass Brass, the I&E Mini Corps show is our Super Bowl! We literally began work on our 2011 show just minutes after our 2010 DCA performance. I'm sure that many of our hard-core Mini Corps cousins have similar stories. The Friday night I&E competition is what we work towards all year long, and everything we do throughout the year is geared to those ten minutes of performance time on stage. While we love competing against the many fine Mini Corps in the event, it's our time performing in front of the always enthusiastic audience at the venue that's the juice that makes all those rehearsal hours worthwhile! It's very disappointing that a number of excellent Mini Corps have dropped out recently (Renegades, Sine Wave, and our good friends, the Golden Eagles, to name just a few). For those of us that are fully invested in this event, we hope that this trend reverses. Earlier this year, I thought we'd be beating corps away with a stick in order to fit everyone into the event schedule. Instead, it looks like we'll get an early chance at the beer cart as the show looks to finish earlier than usual. To those organizations considering making the jump into our little corner of the world, please soak in the atmosphere on Friday night, get back home, and make the necessary commitment during the off-season to performing with us in 2012 in Annapolis, MD. You will not regret it! P.S. Thanks in advance to the wonderful I&E audience - We sincerely appreciate your support, and we do it all for you!

Larry, Welcome to the Mini-Corps party! Best of luck with your organization, and we look forward to seeing you perform in Bridgeport

Tim, I've just gotten home from work a short while ago and discovered that Christmas has come early! My Mini Corps DVDs have arrived in the mail and I must say congratulations on a job well done. There are actually three DVDs in the set, and each corps is featured in both Multi-Camera and High (or wide) Camera recordings. From what I've seen to date, the quality is outstanding. I'll do a further update once I've had an opportunity to view all of the discs. Thanks again, Paul

Michael, Very well put, and I could not agree with you more. Let's all work together to encourage and foster growth in our segment of the activity. Each year we're exposed to new and exciting entries into our competition, and we need to find ways to be inclusive. I would suggest that the level of musical performance and competency for Mini Corps is at a much higher level now, than it would have been had SU been denied the opportunity to compete for the first time in 2006. Competition makes everyone better, and who's to say what some of these new, "future" Mini Corps will do to enhance the activity in years to come.

Here are the excerpts from the 2010 I&E Rules: "GENERAL RULES AND PHILOSOPHY 1. All contestants must be a member of a past or present All Age Competitive Corps or active member of an Alumni Corps. 2. Judging will be looking for the technical ability in each performance although effectiveness will be considered. 3. Rules will be used to assure a fair competition, but they will be interpreted to allow competitors artistic freedom. 4. One point will be assessed for every rule infraction. 5. Scheduling will be done allowing for the best possible evening entertainment with consideration given to competitors who are entered in multiple categories. 6. DCA Caption Chiefs will decide any rules not specifically stated. 7. In fairness to all competitors warm ups will ONLY be allowed in the designated areas. 8. In order to be eligible for an I & E medal there must be more than one (1) entry in a category. 9. All entry forms and fees must be received by the published registration end date in order to participate in the I & E. NO late entries will be accepted. 10. ** Only DCA approved Brass/Percussion instruments will be allowed at I&E. All other instruments will be disqualified. This includes taped Music** 11. The philosophy behind the Brass and Percussion contest leans to musicality; visual maybe considered and rewarded on the Effect part of the score sheets. ***** " AND "MINI CORPS 1. A Mini Corps is defined as a minimum of 11 participants and a maximum of 21 participants. 2. If a Drum Major is used, he/she is not counted as one of the 21 participants. He/She may not play an instrument unless the total number remains at 21. 3. There will be a one (1) point penalty for each participant under 11. No Corps allowed with over 21. 4. Any combination of DCA approved horns, percussion instruments and guard equipment may be used. 5. The time limit is 5 minutes minimum and 10 minutes maximum. 6. There will be a one (1) point penalty for each minute over or under the time limit. 7. Time starts from the first note and ends with the last note. 8. Music scores DO NOT need to be presented to the judges. 9. NO tape music is allowed. 10. An “A FLAG” section (honor guard) may be used and not counted as part of the 21. However if any member leaves the “A Flag” section to perform, he/she will be counted as a participant and included in the total numbers of performers, which shall not exceed 21. 11. A Performance Agreement document must be completed and signed for each participating Mini Corps. This requirement will be waived for a Mini Corps, which is covered by a Performance Agreement submitted by an All Age Competitive Corps or an Alumni Corps. 12. A Mini Corps must present proof of a one (1) million dollar liability insurance policy, under which Drum Corps Associates is identified as an additional insured. This requirement will be waived for a Mini Corps, which is covered by an insurance policy submitted by an All Age Competitive Corps or an Alumni Corps. 13. A Mini Corps must provide proof of music clearance. NOTE: The contest area for Mini Corps in 2010 will be a stage 40’ by 50’." Rules typically don't change much from year to year, so these should be fairly solid as you design your show. Hope this helps, and welcome to the game! Paul

hey Frank, I think that was Randy Newman?

Dick, I love playing in the venue the way it is set up now, and believe the acoustics are far better than when we played the "long room" as in 2006. What if the refreshments were simply moved out into the lobby area behind the judges? That would at least provide some physical separation between the crowd that's engaged in the show, and those that are more interested in catching up with each other. Just Say'n