wolfgang

Cascades link I hope their 2021 plans come to fruition. I like what they had to say to current and (hopefully) future 2021 members. Interesting note about the offseason brass in Dallas.

Things will be all well and good when the $35 million earmarked for the Kennedy Center in the bill proposed by the House of Representatives passes, along with same day voter registration and mandatory carbon offsets for airlines, because those are SO CRITICAL to helping the current situation. To relate this to drum corps, I hope DCI doesn't take any of the relief package money (if the House bill passes), because one of the items in the bill requires companies to report on the demographic breakdown of their supply chains (not just the company itself, but of it's supply chains). How is a company supposed to know that level of detail about another company when they're just buying paper or office furniture or whatnot? As Rahm Emanuel said, "Never let a good crisis go to waste."

I'm not sure how many FTE's work for DCI or what (if any) layoffs/staffing changes may occur if/when 2020 cancellation announcement is made.

Images of Dan Acheson running onto the field wildly waving his arms just as the Bluecoats soloist was about to do the solo ending with "the wink."

For something non-virus related: What is your favorite meal to eat before watching a dci contest? For me, a good steak or nice, thick cheeseburger.

Study showing spread slower as temp & humidity increase Maybe the Texas part of tour would be the ideal place to start, if the research in the article is correct.

To have a non-Covid-19 topic: There are 4-valve contras and (to the best of my knowledge) marching tubas. With the extra parts comes extra cost. Topic question: Is the 4th valve worth the extra money? What practical benefits (ie- musical benefits that would be noticed and contribute to scores or overall sonority to an audience member) does the 4th valve provide, if any?

Tone-deaf lawsuit If you want to read how out of touch some companies are in our currect situation, read this Ars Technica article about one company suing another company working on a coronavirus test for a patent violation.

Generational rift WSJ article Interesting article in Wall Street Journal about "so-what" attitude of a number of millennials and younger.

Just got the word. WGI officially cancelled Championships for Guard, Percussion, and Winds. _________ WGI World Championship Statement At the direction of Dayton & Montgomery County Public Health, and in consultation with the Ohio Department of Health, and Governor DeWine, WGI Sport of the Arts is canceling the 2020 WGI World Championships for Color Guard, Percussion, and Winds. The numbers involved in an event of this magnitude urge caution in light of recent national and international health concerns. Over nine days of competition, groups from 41 states and five countries would travel with over 16,000 participants. While we are deeply saddened to cancel these prestigious events, our priority is, and always has been the health and well-being of all those involved with our organization. Creating opportunities for young people is the foundation of WGI. The world championships are the culmination of a competitive season and this will mark the first time in 43 years this tradition of excellence will be interrupted by an unprecedented situation. We are grateful for the support and guidance of Dayton & Montgomery County Public Health as well as Greene, Hamilton, and Campbell counties in arriving at a decision in the best interest of all parties. Although it’s true the 2020 WGI World Championships will not take place as we hoped, WGI as an organization will continue our mission - to provide a venue for young people to achieve the extraordinary through performance and competition. Over the coming weeks WGI will be working to untangle the complexities of this situation and we appreciate your patience and understanding. Regarding Refunds: Entry fees - WGI will offer all groups registered for the 2020 World Championships a credit to be used towards any 2021 event entry fee, or a full refund issued upon request. Backside ticket orders - Full refunds will be processed within the next 30 days and/or those invoices will be voided if currently unpaid.

WGI update Event Update for Tuesday, March 10 Because the Coronavirus is progressing at different rates, in different global regions and countries, the first advice from all sources is to be in direct touch with local health and government officials, and to follow whatever protocol they are establishing and requesting. In limited instances, large mass gatherings, including festivals and events, along with corporate meetings, theme parks, religious gatherings, and travel to/from those locations have been cancelled to protect against the further spread of the virus, with others (like the Olympic Games and NCAA) watching very closely. In North America, there has not yet been any mandatory directions given at this point, but all businesses and schools and the general populace have been advised that they should discuss and make plans in the event that closures, or cancellations become necessary moving forward. For festivals and events, should the virus continue to spread and grow, the options will likely be a short list: to proceed as normal, with messaging regarding prevention steps (as against the flu) to our attendees; or, to cancel or postpone. We realize that postponing is not an option due to the school calendar year and obviously cancellation would be devastating to our participants and fans. We understand this uncertainty regarding the World Championships is frustrating to all concerned and we share in that anxiety with all of you. Directors should review travel plans for any flexibility in final travel arrangements to Dayton until we receive more information about possible restrictions and/or changes to previously announced world championship plans. WGI has been meeting with Dayton & Montgomery County Public Health as well as Ohio Public Health and will have a final determination by end of this week. Currently, all regionals are proceeding as scheduled. We are in communications with each event partner and will inform participating groups immediately of any developments. All those involved with WGI should reference the Information on Coronavirus on our website containing important information to prevent the spread of the virus and reinforce these guidelines with your participants, staff, and volunteers. WGI continues to follow guidance from the Center of Disease Control, state and local departments of health, and school districts of our participating groups to ensure a safe, healthy environment for our performers and fans. In this time of uncertainty, rest assured that we are monitoring the situation on a daily basis to make the best decision to protect the health and well-being of all those participating in WGI. We wish everyone continued good health and thank you for your attention and vigilance. WGI Sport of the Arts

I know some motorsports events have insurance for rainouts. If their event gets rained out, the insurance pays, though I'm not sure how much. Do any drum corps shows have a similar type of insurance? I am not sure if that type of event insurance pays only for weather related cancellations, or if something like a (hypothetical) virus-related cancellation would be covered.

The problem is there is a set time for the cinema broadcast. When that time comes, there are 15 corps left. They can't stretch it later. In theory DCI could move the start time earlier, but at some point it seems counterproductive. DCI isn't (yet) BOA, and the 9am start has worked well. Even if the numbers grow, I could see a cap on number of corps in place before they would do a 6:15 am start time.

Assuming Carolina Gold gets approved and no one folds/goes inactive, there should be 40 corps in Prelims (22 WC and 18 OC/DCUK), not counting any additional international groups that may enter. My question: Is there a max # of corps DCI will allow for WC Prelims? If there is, I presume the highest placing Open corps would compete up until the max# is met and bottom placing Open corps would be out, but that's just a guess. In the modern era, they've always been able to find room in the schedue for all the Open and World corps, but hypothetically if there were 46 or 48 total corps, would DCI have to institute a quota?

Article from Jerusalem Post discussing possibility of coronavirus vaccine possibly within a few weeks and ready for distribution in about 90 days. https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Israeli-scientists-In-three-weeks-we-will-have-coronavirus-vaccine-619101 Random stream-of-thought question: I wonder how many jewish people have marched in drum corps, especially in the DCI era?

Context can be your friend. Quote from USA Today article fact-checking the news conference. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/02/26/coronavirus-trump-addresses-nation-amid-first-case-community-spread/4883728002/ "The first 14 cases confirmed in the United States included 12 travelers returning from China and two individuals who had close contact with those travelers. The California man is the 15th confirmed case, not counting infected passengers from Diamond Princess and others repatriated from Wuhan, China. " And yes, I am aware as of this post one case in Oregon and two in Washington state have been dx'ed (one of those two appears travel-related).

Are you suggesting that the core essence of what the activity is and has always been (brass and percussion) be changed for the benefit of one corporation? Fwiw, one of my interests aside from pageantry is motorsports. Several orgs from a gamut of motorsports series have had deals with companies to be the exclusive supplier of this or that product or component. While the benefits of cost control are usually touted, funny thing is the costs in these deals usually go up ( for the competitor).

Not sure if this was posted here, but Carolina Gold decided to move to DCI Open Class from DCA. My understanding is, if approved, they would compete at Championships. Did they (or anyone else) get approved? I can tie this to World Class as they would compete in WC Prelims. If nobody folds/goes inactive, they would make the 40th corps in 2020 World Class prelims.

Neither. You left out choice C, which is neither acoustic strings (more accurately, artificially amplified) nor synth. More available tonal colors for arrangers does not automatically enhance the experience for the viewer. Not speaking for anyone else, but I am perfectly content experiencing drum corps limited to sonorities of brass and percussion.

I would not say SoundSport competes against WGI Winds. One is a summer activity, one is a winter/spring activity and the structure of each is quite different.

I am not greatly familiar with Ms. Black. This is her relevant bio.--- Upon accepting Morrison’s resignation, the board elected New Mexico lawyer Kathy Black as its new chair. She is an attorney for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, representing the U.S. Forest Service in civil rights matters and joined the DCI Board of Directors in 2016. Black is an Indianapolis native and is an accomplished jazz, rock and blues drummer. She marched as a member of the Guardsmen Drum and Bugle Corps and has long been an advocate for the marching arts. DCI Executive Director and CEO Dan Acheson said, "Kathy is an integral member of our board, and we look forward to her leadership. The DCI community will no doubt benefit from her efforts not only as the board’s new chair, but also through her newly established ‘IN STEP: Women in DCI’ initiative."

So, you're saying as long as WC corps (in Seattle or Jersey, let's say) have a few openings, then there is no reason for an Open Class corps to start up in Kansas City, Charleston SC, or Portland, ME, even though those area have nothing to do with each other.

I mentioned Academie Musicale '90 and Boston '83 to point out the irony of two top 25 corps (in an era with lots more total corps than 2020) that would not even be allowed to see the field today.

Someone can correct if this is not accurate, but in the 80s, I believe Boston Crusaders were known simply as Boston for a few years. In 1983, a search of archives shows a 21st place finish in Semis. Was that the year they had 50-something members and always competed in World Class ( which at that time was known as Open Class.)

How large was Academie Musicale when they made top 25 in 1990?