Bossop

I should add, percussion features being considered are: "Unsquare Dance" and "Ballad for Giraffes".

Will St. Kevins be performing an exhibition?

The Crusaders Senior Drum and Bugle Corps of Boston welcomes Joe Nuccio to their staff as their main horn instructor, replacing Rick Connor. Joe has a long background in drum corps, performing as a member of St. Mary's Cardinals of Beverly back in the 1960's and served most recently as brass instructor for the Light Brigade of Revere, MA. Joe is a music teacher and band director in the Newburyport, MA Public Schools. 2011 marks the 20th year anniversary for the Crusaders Seniors, and the routine for this year will feature Sader Classics. Tentatively, the corps will perform: Captain from Castille Conquest (orchestral version) Man from LaMancha Mondo Cane Artsa Alinu-Hava Nagila Don't Cry Conquest (reprise) El Capitan March (For parades and encores) The corps welcomes new members in all positions, but is especially eager to fill slots in the contra bass line. For a practice schedule, check out our web site: www.crusaderseniorcorps.org

The Defenders were O.K., but there was one horn player in the back that was way off! Just kidding! I thought it was your best performance yet. Actually, I saw everyone except the Lancers, Sac, and I was performing with Boston. There were NO weak sisters in this show. Reilly and Kevins were both 100% better than last year. It was a shining moment for alumni corps. My favorite tune that your corps played was "Never My Love" because I favor ballads, but all songs in your repertoire were well done. Being from the old school, I'm not thrilled seeing guys with lyres holding the music on their horns, but with limited rehearsal time, I guess you have to do what you can to make it work. I wasn't covering the show for Drum Corps World this year, so I'll save the review for the writer who did. (don't want to hurt circulation) I'll just say that I think this show raised the bar for alumni corps shows. My only disappointment was that the hotel closed down the party so early. We would have been good for another three hours!

I hope that whatever the personal issues are, they can be resolved in as satisfactorily a manner as humanly possible. Not only will the Golden Eagles miss you; the drum corps community as a whole will miss you.

Early DCA years- 1966 Skyliners- Pee Wee Todaro still my idol playing Flight of the Bumblebee solo. Pre-DCA, 1961 Prince playing Conquest off the line and 4 or 5 songs from West Side Story.

My first corps was hired to play at a Bris- We played, "You Always Hurt the One You Love". Just kidding! Probably the strangest place my Crusaders Seniors played: The guy who used to make the Salad Master and other kitchen pots and pans commercials liked us during a parade and asked us to stop back to play around the pool in his yard. We did, with a sop playing a solo from the diving board. He paid us for our efforts. It was fun!

My solution! And it worked perfectly in Rochester. Many of you had excellent ideas to conquer my dry mouth problem. I was convinced it wasn't simply nerves, because it happened during our third show, when I wasn'r excessively nervous. And usually if I am nervous, it happens on the very first song. At Mission Drums, I got dry on the third and again on the last song, when I was more relaxed and confident. I am convinced my medication had a lot to do with it. I've often used lemons pre-show, but that only helped temporarily, unless I kept one in the palm of my glove to take a lick during a show dry spell. But it made for an awkward grip on the horn Extra hydration didn't seem to help at all. I tried sour gummy candy on my mouth piece, but it took more than a quick lick to dissolve the sugar and get to the sour stuff. Plus, my mouth piece got sticky, and I didn't like that . This is what I did! I bought a small plastic bottle on E bay. Ironically, it was designed for Holy Water, and I am Jewish. I drilled a hole in the flip top spout to accomodate a small cocktail straw that didn't quite fit in the original opening. Then I covered the bottle with aluminum tape, and also taped it to the horn tubing, with the straw only about an inch from my lips. The aluminum tape makes the bottle almost match the horn. In corps pictures, you can't even tell. The 2 or 3 little sips of water I took during the show made all the difference in my playing, and I am sure no one in the stands could see what I did. It worked to perfection. My friends said I should patten the device. Probably use a small aluminum or chrome plated bottle, with a clip that is used to hold tools onto a work bench backing, instead of messy tape. Anyway, my crude set up worked well for me. Bossop

With the help of a few veterans of Prince from several generations, I've written a history of Prince, which should appear in the November issue of Drum Corps World. Lots of pictures to go with the info. I hope you enjoy reading about "the Mother of all Boston area corps."

http://s1189.photobucket.com/albums/z437/A...emen1966Art.jpg My favorite uniform is the one I wore in 1966 as a member of the Lt. Norman Prince "Princemen".

Post #11 I just got back from Rochester, and since I haven't seen any mini-corps reviews, I'll give you my impressions from memory. Don't consider this to be a valid review, just some of my thoughts and opinions. It was a large and enthusiastic crowd, and I am pleasantly surprised that they didn't charge anything for admission. DCA sold pins for $2.00 and asked for support from the audience, but I don't know if anyone would complain if buying a $2.00 pin would have been mandatory for admission. The show was certainly worth more than that. The Springfield Marksmen made quite an impression on me. Two years ago, I thought one of the oldest alumni corps was dead. Never heard much about them and I am usually up on Alumni Corps news, especially in Massachusetts. Saw them earlier this year in a parade in Braintree, and they looked like they were hurting. At this show, they showed talent and poise, presenting a program of "serious" music- about a battle between French and English forces. I prefer mini-corps not to takes themselves too seriously and do more fun stuff. Their signature song of "I Believe" brought back many fond memories. Sine Wave of Chicago was my biggest surprise and my most entertaining corps of the evening. Of course when I find a corps to be the most entertaining, that's a kiss of death placement wise. They played the music from Jersey Boys and the audience loved it. A most sincere and well deserved standing ovation. "Walk Like a Man", "Sherry..." had us all in the palm of their hands. I wish more corps would do stuff like that. I couldn't believe they finished seventh or eigth. Freelancers- My second favorite corps in terms of entertainment value. Of course, again, that's a personal choice, like ice cream flavors. Big jazzy sound- reminded me of a Maynard Ferguson concert. Boy, do I wish I could play like their lead trumpet/director. Vigilantes- Their schtick had a vamp of a drum major seducing the various members of this talented ensemble. My first response was to invite her back to party with my corps, but reality hit, and I remembered that this was just part of the act. CYO was never like this. The 2 snare drummers never stopped moving throughout the entire presentation, ala "Blast". A high energy and entertaining performance with very talented corps members. It looked like they had a great time with this show. Skyliners- last year they were one of my pleasant surprises. I have always loved the Skyliner sound and their classic tunes. I've always been a Skyliner fan, even when I competed against them in in the 1960's. I must be frank and say that I was disappointed this year. They didn't sound like they were as prepared as they could have been, and slipped a notch from last year. MinneBrass- Another light hearted entertaining approach. They did a T.V. thing, with a set with rabbit ears and familiar T.V. tunes of the past popping up. Clever and entertaining. Golden Eagles- Frank Ponzo's screaming solos keeps the Latin oriented corps from Long Island constantly among the mini elites. Certainly consistent in terms of excellence. Ghost Riders- Very clean and balanced in their "Casper" style show from "parts unknown". Showed that a corps can finish among the top without a lot of "screaming", though I do admit that I like the screaming. It's nice to have some variation. Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing. Donny Allen looked like he really enjoyed directing this young group. Mass Brass- Must tell you that I was rooting for this group. I have recently performed with almost every member of this corps with "Legends of Drum Corps" from Massachusetts, and I know they were disappointed in finishing so far out of first. They didn't dispute that Star United should have won, but they thought it should have been closer. I haven't looked at the sheets and don't really want to,but one member told me that 2 judges had them in third, and one had them in eigth. He couldn't understand the disparity, though it had no effect on the overall placement. Good solid performance in another Latin oriented show. Hot, searing solos, pulsing rhythms- well arranged quality show. Star United- No one disputes Star becoming the only corps to win the mini title 5 straight years. The Erie Thunderbirds have won the title 6 times, but only 4 consecutively. Star can tie them overall with a sixth win next year. Technically excellent; well balanced, high level of difficulty, a superb sound- no weaknesses. Why did I like some of the other corps better? Just personal preference and my lack of musical sophistication. Shame on me, not on them. Should they change to something I like better? No! Unless they want to lose. Plus, one of the things that makes DCA special is different styles. Overall- a great show, and one of DCA's great success stories.

I just got back from Rochester, and since I haven't seen any mini-corps reviews, I'll give you my impressions from memory. Don't consider this to be a valid review, just some of my thoughts and opinions. It was a large and enthusiastic crowd, and I am pleasantly surprised that they didn't charge anything for admission. DCA sold pins for $2.00 and asked for support from the audience, but I don't know if anyone would complain if buying a $2.00 pin would have been mandatory for admission. The show was certainly worth more than that. The Springfield Marksmen made quite an impression on me. Two years ago, I thought one of the oldest alumni corps was dead. Never heard much about them and I am usually up on Alumni Corps news, especially in Massachusetts. Saw them earlier this year in a parade in Braintree, and they looked like they were hurting. At this show, they showed talent and poise, presenting a program of "serious" music- about a battle between French and English forces. I prefer mini-corps not to takes themselves too seriously and do more fun stuff. Their signature song of "I Believe" brought back many fond memories. Sine Wave of Chicago was my biggest surprise and my most entertaining corps of the evening. Of course when I find a corps to be the most entertaining, that's a kiss of death placement wise. They played the music from Jersey Boys and the audience loved it. A most sincere and well deserved standing ovation. "Walk Like a Man", "Sherry..." had us all in the palm of their hands. I wish more corps would do stuff like that. I couldn't believe they finished seventh or eigth. Freelancers- My second favorite corps in terms of entertainment value. Of course, again, that's a personal choice, like ice cream flavors. Big jazzy sound- reminded me of a Maynard Ferguson concert. Boy, do I wish I could play like their lead trumpet/director. Vigilantes- Their schtick had a vamp of a drum major seducing the various members of this talented ensemble. My first response was to invite her back to party with my corps, but reality hit, and I remembered that this was just part of the act. CYO was never like this. The 2 snare drummers never stopped moving throughout the entire presentation, ala "Blast". A high energy and entertaining performance with very talented corps members. It looked like they had a great time with this show. Skyliners- last year they were one of my pleasant surprises. I have always loved the Skyliner sound and their classic tunes. I've always been a Skyliner fan, even when I competed against them in in the 1960's. I must be frank and say that I was disappointed this year. They didn't sound like they were as prepared as they could have been, and slipped a notch from last year. MinneBrass- Another light hearted entertaining approach. They did a T.V. thing, with a set with rabbit ears and familiar T.V. tunes of the past popping up. Clever and entertaining. Golden Eagles- Frank Ponzo's screaming solos keeps the Latin oriented corps from Long Island constantly among the mini elites. Certainly consistent in terms of excellence. Ghost Riders- Very clean and balanced in their "Casper" style show from "parts unknown". Showed that a corps can finish among the top without a lot of "screaming", though I do admit that I like the screaming. It's nice to have some variation. Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing. Donny Allen looked like he really enjoyed directing this young group. Mass Brass- Must tell you that I was rooting for this group. I have recently performed with almost every member of this corps with "Legends of Drum Corps" from Massachusetts, and I know they were disappointed in finishing so far out of first. They didn't dispute that Star United should have won, but they thought it should have been closer. I haven't looked at the sheets and don't really want to,but one member told me that 2 judges had them in third, and one had them in eigth. He couldn't understand the disparity, though it had no effect on the overall placement. Good solid performance in another Latin oriented show. Hot, searing solos, pulsing rhythms- well arranged quality show. Star United- No one disputes Star becoming the only corps to win the mini title 5 straight years. The Erie Thunderbirds have won the title 6 times, but only 4 consecutively. Star can tie them overall with a sixth win next year. Technically excellent; well balanced, high level of difficulty, a superb sound- no weaknesses. Why did I like some of the other corps better? Just personal preference and my lack of musical sophistication. Shame on me, not on them. Should they change to something I like better? No! Unless they want to lose. Plus, one of the things that makes DCA special is different styles. Overall- a great show, and one of DCA's great success stories.

http://i1189.photobucket.com/albums/z437/A...49Fullcorps.jpg I am new to posting photos. Lete's see if this photo of Prince from 1949 is accessible.

I appreciate all these ideas. It's reassuring knowing that I am not alone in facing this problem.The Sour Gummi worm idea intrigues me. This is what I am going to try for the Alumni Show in Rochester. I was looking on E Bay for a plastic bottle small enough to tape to my soprano near the mouth piece. I found the perfect sized one, and ironically, it's designed for Holy Water. It has a gold cross above the gold "Holy Water" inscription. What makes this especially ironic is the fact that I am Jewish. If I use it, and it works, do I have to get "uncircumsized?"

Whoops! Didn't notice that my friend Brasso already posed this question!

Maybe this topic has been covered before, but I am curious as to why the Cadets march off the right foot instead of the left. One of my corps' members who is notorious for being out of step said that someone suggested he join the Cadets. How long have the Cadets done this? Do they do it just to be different, or is there a practical reason for it? Do new members who have marched with other units find it difficult to adjust?

I had an iced tea before getting ready for the show and was hydrated. As we marched onto the field, I had a lemon slice. (I brought them for the whole corps) Still, by the third song, my mouth was like the Sahara. I don't think it was just nerves, because it happened late in the show in songs that I was fully confident in playing. I've got to think my medication is the culprit.

I was wondering if anyone out there suffers from the same problem I get while performing on the field- dry mouth. It seems that during field shows, where the brass plays one song after another, my mouth gets so dry, it's like trying to play when your mouth is full of saltines. We are an exhibition alumni corps and do a limited drill, and it happens both while moving and while parking and blowing. I can't play at all at these times when it happens. I always thought that it was because my adreneline is pumping, and this dries me out, but I've found out that my hypertension medicine (I take six different things now that I've had 4 cardiac stents- I'm 65 years old) can have the side effect of creating dry mouth. Does anyone bring water onto the field with them? What is the least distractive way of accessing water? Should I just give it up and join the honor guard? It really bothers me to not be able to play my best during the important shows. It doesn't seem to happen during parades because we have a break in between songs where I can rejuice up. I'd be real interested in hearing if others suffer from the same thing.

I think successful finals placement is a combination of many factors. Dynamic leadership is one; resources is certainly another; a staff talented enough to put together innovative and winning programs is another; but I think among the top factors is the ability to recruit and retain talented performers. Today's kids are pretty much unlimited in where they can go to compete, and the top corps have hundreds competing to earn a spot on the field. And what attracts top talent? I would say a winning tradition with a chance to compete for the championship year after year. If a corps can inch its way over several years to where it can compete for a top spot, it will attract top talent. Kids want to be with a winner. Consistent excellence in management and instruction can maintain a top peforming unit for an indefinite period of time. Top corps don't seem to need to rebuild; they reload. Just like Kentucky basketball, the program will attract the talent to stay at or near the top.

If it was you, it was me, too. I saw the show in Lynn, MA and the "Forging an Icon" voice over completely turned me off in terms of enjoying the show. It was more annoying to me than entertaining.

The idea of marching with multiple corps has long been an issue in my Boston Crusaders Senior Corps. Originally, playing in another unit was strictly forbidden. Even playing in a "one concert a year- read the music from a music stand- unit" like Legends, was discouraged. My personal belief was that if a member honored all his comittments to the Crusaders- learned his music, made almost all rehearsals, parades, and shows; then what he did on an off day was his own business. For me, it was an issue of personal freedom; and I felt it so strongly that I quit the corps over it. It was the only year in our corps' 19 year history that I wasn't a member. Now our policy is "Honor your comittment to the Crusaders." And that's it. We have 2 of our members that perform with Mass Brass, and 1 who makes a rare appearance with the Reilly Raiders where her parents are members. A large percentage of Legends (Massachusetts) consists of active Crusader members. I know that St. Kevins and the Defenders share a number of members. You'd have to talk to them to see how things are working out, but I know that at a recent parade in which both units were appearing, I felt bad for my friends in Kevins who were marching with only about 18 horns. I think the bigger factor in the future possible demise of alumni corps is the realities of the aging member population. Medical issues this year kept me out of several parades and a show. I hadn't missed a thing in over three years, and this killed me, but what could I do. I was in great pain. And I agree with what has already been about younger members not being attracted to the typical alumni corps because their drum corps experience is not the same as that of current alumni members. Most DCI age outs won't even march in DCA. Why would they want to march in an on-going alumni unit? For most older generation participants, drum corps was thier sole musical venue. Today's younger drum corps folks are members of bands, orchestras, combos, and a myriad of other performing groups. I hope alumni corps can keep going; and I am fortunate that presently my corps has one of the largest memberships in its history, but reality says the handwriting's on the wall.

I'm still waiting for someone to tell me where the name "Hip Pickles" came from!

The Crusaders Senior Drum and Bugle Corps of Boston, in at least some small way, want to show our support for the brave men and women who have placed themselves in harms' way for the good of our Nation. While our members may find ourselves all over the political spectrum, we stand united in our support of the troops, and want to take some action to demonstrate such support. We have made up red silicone wrist bands that are embossed, "Crusaders Senior Drum and Bugle Corps" in traditional cloister script. For a $2.00 or more donation, you can proudly wear one, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the "Wounded Warrior Project" (check out woundedwarrior project.org), an organization that is highly recognized for its progarms and services for severely injured service members during the time between their active duty and transition to civilian life. To get one of the wrist bands, visit our souvenir stand or contact me (artandmarykel@verizon .net) and a $2.00 or more donation with a SASE will make you a supporter of the "Wounded Warriors."

I think there were also the Braintree Tomahawks.

I'm glad the corps will be in full uniform tonight. My sister, who works for the Quincy police, said that she drove by the park and saw "some huge band" practicing in their underwear! She said that they were impressive, but didn't understand the underwear thing.