DCP Commentary
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I'm an idealist, not an illusionist. ~ One of John F. Kennedy's speechwriters, 1917-Nov. 22, 1963
Rinsing in a public water closet after gleaning a 1977 Readers' Digest, I paused at the sink to contemplate the route a colony of pharaoh ants were marching up their vertical cliff, wall, pondering what sweet treat treasures they were communicating to the opposite flow of traffic......Yep, 'tis truly a sign that corpsdom's in the off-season pit row if such antsy drill captures me beyond parade rest. This time of year, corpsdom news can be as slim pickin's as plucking cotton from an already harvested field.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...2&Itemid=52
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I'm an idealist, not an illusionist. ~ One of John F. Kennedy's speechwriters, 1917-Nov. 22, 1963Rinsing in a public water closet after gleaning a 1977 Readers' Digest, I paused at the sink to contemplate the route a colony of pharaoh ants were marching up their vertical cliff, wall, pondering what sweet treat treasures they were communicating to the opposite flow of traffic......Yep, 'tis truly a sign that corpsdom's in the off-season pit row if such antsy drill captures me beyond parade rest. This time of year, corpsdom news can be as slim pickin's as plucking cotton from an already harvested field.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...2&Itemid=52
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I'm an idealist, not an illusionist. ~ One of John F. Kennedy's speechwriters, 1917-Nov. 22, 1963Rinsing in a public water closet after gleaning a 1977 Readers' Digest, I paused at the sink to contemplate the route a colony of pharaoh ants were marching up their vertical cliff, wall,...
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...2&Itemid=52
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I'm an idealist, not an illusionist. ~ One of John F. Kennedy's speechwriters, 1917-Nov. 22, 1963
Rinsing in a public water closet after gleaning a 1977 Readers' Digest, I paused at the sink to contemplate the route a colony of pharaoh ants were marching up their vertical cliff, wall,...
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...2&Itemid=52
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An Unlikely LessonI deliberated for some time about what amazing and unique topic my first Drum Corps Planet article would cover. My fellow columnists had covered such a wonderful array of topics, I wasn't sure where I was going to fit in. Then, late one night it suddenly occurred to me - luggage! (And to a greater extent, the cousins in the baggage family of Garment Bag, Hat Box, Duffle, and Backpack). Now, I'm sure those of you reading this column are scratching your heads wondering why I would choose such an unassuming inanimate object to discuss in a Corps article. I encourage you to stay with me, dear reader, and I think I'll help you understand why there are some unavoidable (and often hidden) universal lessons that come from a summer full of touring or a spring shuttling between camps and home.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...1&Itemid=39
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An Unlikely LessonI deliberated for some time about what amazing and unique topic my first Drum Corps Planet article would cover. My fellow columnists had covered such a wonderful array of topics, I wasn't sure where I was going to fit in. Then, late one night it suddenly...
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...1&Itemid=39
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Drum Corps: Through Triumph and RegretIn doing research and interviews for my book, Not for the Fain of Heart: My Journey to Manhood in the Santa Clara Vanguard, I made a surprising discovery about the lives of drum corps alumni and the drum corps experience. My research focused mostly on my years in the Santa Clara Vanguard drumline but encompassed interviews with individuals in other sections and from other Corps and eras. What was most striking about these interviews was the passion each member had for their experience, good and bad. My marching career, like many, was filled with prominent ups and downs. I was lucky enough to end my marching career on a high note and leave with a tremendous feeling of accomplishment and awe.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...0&Itemid=39
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Welcome back to the land of “All Things Brass.” This installment of Brass Advantage continues to discuss brass pedagogy (the study of performance techniques specific to brass instruments.) If you haven’t read the last two Brass Advantage columns, I would highly encourage you to do so to gain an understanding of the concepts that have already been discussed. Simply click on the links that follow to catch-up on what we've covered already: Brass Advantage #11 (http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/content/view/2008/39/) #12 (http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/content/view/2235/39/) The Aperture - I like to create the image (for my students) of the aperture gliding along what I call a laser beam of air (the air column) in a forward or backward motion towards or away from the throat of the mouthpiece. The motion of the aperture is controlled by the muscles of the face and is accompanied by the corners of the mouth moving in a similar manner (much like puckering your lips). The motion of the facial muscles should be very elastic and smooth and the condition of the tissue vibrating should be very supple.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...0&Itemid=39
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This week's Box Center episode is ready for download! It's a big one, too, as Drum Corps Planet's Managing News Editor, Kevin Gamin, has some catching up to do...
This week's episode takes a look back at many of the major stories which occurred during the past few weeks. Buying a house and getting blown away by a sinus infection can make it tough for even the most die-hard drum corps fan to keep up with all of the news in drum corps. Join Kevin as he reviews the staff moves, announcements, events, and upcoming 2008 open houses and auditions from the junior, all-age, and international drum corps worlds.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...9&Itemid=39
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The Winter Season of a Drum Corps LiferDrum corps kids have called Don Warren “the Old Man” since he was a teenager.Sixty years later, the nickname fits like plume to shako. Warren, founder of The Cavaliers and their president since the Truman administration, is as classic as a single-valve G bugle.But don’t let that fool you into thinking the times have passed him by.Warren is as devoted to drum corps – and as frank in his opinions – as he was when he stalked the sideline as Cavaliers director from 1948-73. His pulse rate still rises and falls with the outcome of each contest.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...4&Itemid=39
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Here's a scoop for you, Cozy, DCAssociates President Gil Silva told me at DCA Rochester. The Kingston Grenadiers are coming back out next year! As if DCA Rochester wasn't a big enough success, to have our Canadian brethren join DCA once again, is more of a rush than barreling over Niagara Falls.Silva's news capped off one of the finest DCA Championships of all time since the first year, 1965. The weather was flawless, Allen Buell's committee hosted corps and fan$ with the hospitality of a Dixie picnic, the precision of a Borg society replicating Utopia and the entertaining grace of Tony Bennett.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...1&Itemid=39
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My name is Gregory M. Kuzma (GM for short) author of the book, On the field from Denver, Colorado -The Blue Knights! One member's experience of the 1994 summer national tour and I'd like to welcome you to Company Front. The intent of this column is to be a forum where you can inquire about any topic related to drum and bugle corps or marching band. One thing that makes this column unique is that I will share it with three other marching arts book authors; Colt Foutz, author of Building the Green Machine, Jeremy 'Spike' Van Wert, author of Not for the Faint of Heart, and Courtney Brandt, author of The Line. The four of us will provide a different perspective on the marching arts activity and will take turns providing our thoughts, passions, and inspirations. We will also answer any questions readers may have as well as do our best to cover suggested topics.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...0&Itemid=39
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“Old School/New School – Earning Your Ancestry”Twyla Tharp has written a fascinating book. You ought to know who she is, especially if you are interested in the great debate over the past and future of Drum Corps as we know (or knew) it.Actually, any thinking person should know lots of strange-named folks, like Ezra Pound for instance or Dweezil Zappa, or Vladimir Ashkenazy. The mere look and sound of these names alone makes them interesting. And what’s Drum Corps if not “look and sound”?
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...8&Itemid=53
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This week's Box Center episode is ready for download! Join Drum Corps Planet's Managing News Editor, Kevin Gamin, as he reviews this past weekend's drum corps activity and looks ahead to the drum corps offseason in North America.
This week's episode looks back on DCA weekend and highlights the champions as well as some of the more surprising events during the competitions. Be sure to listen carefully as Kevin also makes a major announcement regarding the show and the 2007-2008 offseason.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...5&Itemid=39
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The DCAssociates Championships was earnestly the finest non-Ernesto weekend one could survive in corpsdom. Rochester rocked Labor Day weekend as we forced ticket salespersons, vendors, bartenders, fireworks setteroffers, blimp tether tacticians and Dinosaur BBQ waitresses like Emily from NYC to labor, serve us and keep us entertained. The only workers who got to relax around corps fan$ were the police, as we mostly behaved, thank you!Sandy McNeal rode with Steve Hairbear Masters and me to Rachacha after we snatched him in Pittsburgh, visiting with Eugene B Sharpley. Hairbear, Sandy and B all performed with Steel City et al. Corps nuts, what an honor to ride in the Kiltie-decaled vehicle with two of the finest musicians who ever graced a corps field. The Showmanship award was invented just for McNeal, because of his phenomenal performance in 1985 with Steel City, according to Fred Windish.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...4&Itemid=52
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The DCAssociates Championships was earnestly the finest non-Ernesto weekend one could survive in corpsdom. Rochester rocked Labor Day weekend as we forced ticket salespersons, vendors, bartenders, fireworks setteroffers, blimp tether tacticians and Dinosaur BBQ waitresses like Emily from NYC to labor, serve us and keep us entertained. The only workers...
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...4&Itemid=52
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It's a Box Center special edition podcast as Drum Corps Planet Managing News Editor Kevin Gamin reports on the 2007 Drum Corps Associates 2007 World Championships.
In this edition of Box Center, Kevin talks about the results from Saturday night's Prelims competition. What corps moved up? What corps are on the outside looking in? Kevin also looks ahead at today's Finals competition as the DCP Live From the Stands crew stands ready to continue bringing you all of the action throughout the weekend.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...5&Itemid=39
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It's a Box Center special edition podcast as Drum Corps Planet Managing News Editor Kevin Gamin reports on the 2007 Drum Corps Associates 2007 World Championships.
In this edition of Box Center, Kevin talks about last night's DCA Mini-Corps competition as Star United successfully defended their title against very strong competition. Kevin also looks ahead at today's preliminary competition as the DCP Live From the Stands crew stands ready to bring you all of the action throughout the weekend.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...4&Itemid=39
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4 August 2007Saturday, 10:39 pmPhoenix Regional
I’ve been slacking in my updates. Where I left off was when we had the Pittsburg, KS show. The next day we had the Dubuque, IA show. The only thing I remember is that the show didn’t seem as energetic as the day before. We had no floor time in the morning because we had a massive change in the closer to put in before Indianapolis.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...4&Itemid=39
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This week's Box Center episode is ready for download! Join Drum Corps Planet's Managing News Editor, Kevin Gamin, as he reviews this past weekend's drum corps activity and looks ahead to next weekend as the 2007 competitive season continues.
This week's episode looks back on two DCI Regionals, Indianapolis and Drums Along the Rockies, and also reviews the current DCP Weighted Caption Rankings and DCP Power Polls for DCI Divisions I, II, III and DCA. With less than two weeks left in the DCI season, fights for the key placements in all divisions are tight. Kevin also previews the many major shows in DCI and DCA and looks back on the news of the past week.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...1&Itemid=39
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Once Upon A Time meets Someday (The basic facts of this particular story are true. Variations have played out throughout the land for years. May it ever be so.)Once upon a time, in a more or less remote corner of the drum corps world, a group of good folks convinced the local law enforcement authorities of the benefits to the community of forming a youth musical group. And so it came to pass that some horns, drums, flags and other necessities were acquired, along with volunteer instructors who set about the task of bringing order to chaos. Within a few seasons, the little corps was doing quite a respectable job of representing the town, which had heretofore been known primarily as a repository of sports memorabilia. By the mid-1980s, the little corps had begun to make appearances at some fairly prestigious shows, with fairly predictable results. This is called “dues paying” in corps circles.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...5&Itemid=53
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25 July 2007Wednesday, 10:21pmPittsburgh, KSIn the past week we have endured cricket infestations, scalding hot showers, and fourteenth place. But really, that's looking at everything from a very negative point of view. Last Wednesday night (July 18), we had the Lafayette, LA show. It would've been a great show if my cold and asthma hadn't mixed together. At the end of the closer, there was phelgm lodged in the back of my throat. I was wheezing walking out of the gate. The next day we had a shortened rehearsal day. It threatened to rain all day, although it held off until we began our full run. We stopped at the end of the opener to vacate the field in the rain. We had a very delicious Cajun cookout for dinner- rice, pork, and sausage. We departed to do laundry elsewhere in Louisiana.
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...6&Itemid=39
All Age, All Good - Open Houses Open Arms
in DCA - All-Age Corps Discussions
Posted
It's time! The DCAssociates' off-season is thankfully less off, as the weekends now have open houses beckoning. Mowing the lawn, hosing down the boat, etc., are finished as is being a couch potato since Labor Day weekend. Batten the hatches and allot some of the gas budget for...
... Read the rest of the article here - http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/index.php?o...1&Itemid=39