sopemloud

5. 2004 - 2006 - Esperanza 2008- Velvet Knights 2009 - Carolina Crown I'm a May 31st birthday... one more day and a few less injuries I could have made it to 8.

*Edited to fix link 12/9/08*

Thank you! This was most helpful.

The LA Area is so full of corps!!! any chance I can convince you to move further south? (Inland Valley or San Diego?) Either Way, Good Luck!

Oh, wow! that's a good one! Thanks for posting!

i've put this one out there in previous PR suggestion threads but... how about "Dracula" using at least some of the Philip Glass music made for the 1931 film. Amazon.com: Philip Glass: Dracula Has potential to "fit the formula".

did somebody say jump the shark?

OMG! Awesome!!!

Awesome pic. Thank you so much!

i'd like to thank everyone for posting these wonderful pictures.I really had a blast playing the role of the shark (and cymbal killer ) if anyone has pictures of the shark roaming the lot at finals i'd love to see them. Thank you.

Lol...Thanks.

I'll go ahead and add my endorsement of the "Body Glide Warmfx" it's stronger and easier to use than Icy Hot!

I am currently fighting with myself on this exact topic. I marched 3 seasons in what was considered a lower tier div 1 corps...that whole time i enjoyed myself, built great friendships and learned all of drum corps great lessons. I decided at the end of the 2nd season that my abilities did not match the challenge being presented to me by that corps and that lack of challenge combined with my passion and drive to switch from playing the trumpet to becoming a conductor convinced me it was time to move on. I went out for my "dream corps" and didn't make it. I had the luxury of being able to return to my original corps and continuing to march. I enjoyed myself but knew it was really time to move on. I pursued my dream corps for what would have been my 4th season but again didn't make it and while i was away, the original corps folded. The second cut from my "dream corps" was handled in such a way that i was turned off from auditioning again. Since then I've found a new love and with the help of all the wonderful resources on the internet i am more confident that it is a perfect fit for me. The only problem is that it is late in the pre-season and there are no posted openings. i check the website for this corps about 4 times a day. i keep myself in shape and keep my chops up so that if an opening comes up, i won't miss my chance to jump in and dedicate myself to the corps. my point here being that, after marching a few years and getting experience...the most important thing to me is not a score or a staff member. It's not a matter of location or time commitment...for me it comes down to finding the place i most long to call home for my final 3 years in drum corps. what song will i sing before my last show? what traditions will i come to cherish? the struggle i am having with myself is what to do if an opening with this corps doesn't come before the point of no return? also, it's horrible living with yourself knowing that the one thing you want most means a potential heartache or injury for someone else.

I've been a proud BAA member since around 2003. it feels so rewarding to give back to these veterans and honor them. IMO it's something all brass players should do at least once.

is that world class or will they start in open?

True, but I don't know a girl of marching age today (including myself) that would dare interfere with the beautiful traditions those brotherhoods have.

I sent you a PM. it seems a bit more appropriate for this.

Lol, um...you did kinda ask. oh well...it's in the past now. ( and in two different threads) And now back to the topic (?)

you're not the only one going out for this spot i know that. Conducting spots are rare finds and corps generally have a nice selection of candidates to choose from. Good luck. *edited to be more helpful*

as someone with a may 31st birthday, i was really hoping the rule would pass. if some people with bonus years are allowed to march while 22, why not everyone? I understand the "youth activity" argument...but it's not as if DCI or it's corps go to lengths to "hide" 22 year olds with bonus years from the drum corps community. And as for moving on, of course we all have to, and i think we should all decide when the time is right for ourselves...but for every person needing to enter an internship during their 22 year, there's someone who discovered the activity later, or a music/dance performance major who sees drum corps as a great performance opportunity and something worth adding to their adult resume. it goes both ways.

question...since the Hardcorps is all age, will this mean no starcorps?

Toward the end of my first season we had an incident where a member learned some very stressing and sad news from home while on the way to a show. ...after that the new policy was No phones were to be used between the end of ensemble block until after we had performed the show. Also, no phones after lights out and our parents were asked not to send us any stressful information while we were on tour. They were told that we were working hard towards our goals and that we would rather hold off on any bad news that might jeopardize them until we came home. So I guess the point I’m trying to make here is that not all the policies were to ensure proper corps bonding. They were more to prevent us from losing focus or being worried about home. It was awkward to come home one year to find out that my mother had broken her ankle while I was away, and the next year to find out she had been diagnosed with Lupus...but I am very glad that I was allowed to have a worry free tour and keep my focus on my commitment to the corps. On another point I would add that, these days members choose a corps for its staff, its traditions, its personality, its level of intensity, some people might even take uniforms and food into account... Why then, in this new generation, would it not be expected that members could choose not to spend all of their free time talking to corps mates with... conflicting personalities . I know, in a group that large it is unlikely you will dislike everyone…but even in a group of friends, it isn’t uncommon to literally run out of new things to say…and that’s where I imagine the phone coming in. As far as reading a book…the summer that the 6th Harry Potter came out, the bus was nearly silent for a week. Some of you may not like that idea because we weren’t bonding…I assure you, we did. The post-book discussion groups lasted for the rest of tour. sorry for the long post. it"s a bit more than 2 cents...keep the change.

2004 my bus buddy and I had matching Knee injuries 2005- This isn't really an injury but I marched a season suffering from the effects of Mono. (As did several members of the corps) 2006 was the worst- I had inner and middle ear infections that eventually caused me to develop equilibrium issues. Both ear drums perforated over the course of the tour (both during shows). I performed every show except one, where I was forced to kneel down behind the pit until my solo because I couldn’t march straight. The worst moment of the season was when I realized I couldn’t hear myself enough to properly tune my horns…although the pain of crossing the high altitudes of the Rocky Mountains on the bus was a close second.

*bump* As audition decisions need to be made soon, any info on this subject would be greatly appreciated. hopefully the website will be updated soon.

At a 4th of july parade in 2005 "EsperNanza drum and Bug corpse" To the announcers credit ...there was some mic feedback that may have caused "bugle" sound like "Bug". I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.