Kasspa

if you are that worried/sure something will be stolen cant you get travel insurance?

Try counting down to fly 1/2 way round the world to voulenteer with a corps for the season and then trying to explain to every1 who asks you "where are you going to be going when you are there?! what are you doing there for so long?" what on earth Drum Corps is when you come from a country that doesnt do corps or even really has marching band... at all! (and when you don't 100% understant it yet ether ) As far as those injuries go... you guys are crazy hardcore! Kudos!

We have Drum Corps down here? EDIT: PS.. I think the pink trumpet is cute! It would match my pink violin!

After going thru 117 pages in 1 night.. it starts to get to you.. and you start talking like that... lolz

Cant wait! I get to skip winter * dances * I'm flying over from Australia for the summer to volunteer for the season with a friends corps so I get pretty much a full 12 months of summer this year!! (Seeing as here we have 9 months of summer, 3 months of 'I want to be a winter when I grow up') I cant wait!.. I love it... It’s the cold I can’t stand!

Eh.. My brother learnt how to make wine in year 12 science. Every1 in the class had to make a bottle as part of assesment...

I'm flying over to America for this years season to work as a voulenteer... I live in Australia and every single time without fail when I've told ppl I'll be on tour with a drum corps..... "What on earth is Drum Corps??"

lol thanks yeah, I'm hopin they let me have a job there when I get back.. but the experience will be well worth it..I hope I'm going to be volunteering with the Troopers

Thanks.. and yeah its closer.. last time I flew to America it was actually via Japan . If I had found out what Drum Corps was a little erlier then I would have thought about it, had time to save and learn the instrument.. This year I have already paid the 4k in flights and told the Corps i'll be there for the whole tour.... once I've made a commitment to something I see it thru... + I dont think I could afford the 2k in corps fees or whatever it costs aswell on top of flights and everything else.. I already have to quit my job for the trip as it is... eep..

Just one of the fun adds they run all summer down here

Didn't / Don't... Because well.. We dont realy have Drum Corps in Australia.. at all... I'm still young enough to march but I dont play a brass or percussion instrument.. BUT.. I am flying over for the summer tour this year to work as a voulenteer with a friends corps. EDIT: PS.. you guys are so amazingly lucky to even have something like Drum Corps.. we have NOTHING like it down here.. I have to fly round the other side of the world to just get a taste of it!!! I would march.. if I could (and had of learnt of it sooner).. But I cant...

Ok.. Australian here. I know NOTHING about football fields...But, I was talking to one of the guys at work who plays american football and he started telling me about is sunburn he got from marking out a field on the weekend.. it took 5 of them about 4 hours!.. he wants to know how on EARTH you guys can do it in 20 minutes? he doesnt believe it can be done... I myself am quite interested too I guess, as I remember my old soccer days marking out fields for that..

We sell them at work so I can ask some1 after christmas if they know how to fix that seeing as we have a couple of ppl who are uber gaming nerds... I know they are doing updates to the live side of it in the new year so that might even help.. One word of advise tho about PS3s and TVs.. NEVER play cricket in a room full of TVs.. spesh not a 60" plazma hooked up to a PS3 and home theater system (twas the best setup EVER!!!!).. The TV will end up smashed on the floor! oops! *hides*

Yes.. well kinda.. They dont't really cut down the amount of glare and light entering your eyes but you can get "UV-Inhibiting" contacts so at least the protection is there...

YAY for Cataracts!

I remember paying $1100 to do an 8 or 9 day tour up the coast to the Whitsundays... (wasnt marching band because well.. we dont have any here.. but it was High School instrumental music all the same)

This website is reallly good too The Cancer Council Queensland - Sun Protection

Ok.. They teach this stuff at schools in every single year here in Australia seeing as the sun is so hardcore... I remember sitting in a classroom repeating back to the teacher “SLIP – SLOP – SLAP. Slip on a shirt, Slop on some sunscreen and Slap on a pair of sunnies and a hat!” So here are my tips... Prob the best website I can think of for this thread is http://www.sunsmart.com.au/ Its an Australian website... but there’s pretty much everything u know about the sun protection on there... If u can find it.. use a product like invisible zinc for your face + ears .. I’m uber white and burn easy but this stuff is amazing!!!.. http://www.adorebeauty.com.au/adorebeauty/...?idproduct=8499 (I know this one is marketed more for girls but hey.. better then getting a skin cancer cut out of your nose at 25!!) SPF 30. Apply it 20 minutes before going into the sun.. then reapply it every 2 hours. Don’t just go out and buy the cheap stuff ether.. they do actually make sun block for fair skin so look around for the sun block that suits you best.. DON’T FORGET YOUR HANDS My mum has had about 6 sun spots cut out of her hands before she turned 40 because she always forgot to put sun block on the back of her hands.. Make sure you get a lip balm that has sun protection in it too.. sore lips sucks enough without them being burnt.. and I'm sure its no fun playing a brass instrument with sunburnt lips!! OH! and don’t forget the sunnies, a long sleave shirt, and ether a wide brim hat.. or if that’s going to get in the way.. bandanna around the head to cover your ears then chuck on a cap…

And we all know how fun it is to pay for international flights... I'm in the process of working my bum off full time trying to pay off my credit card from buying AU$4000 worth of flights, tax and travil insurance for next years season.. and I'm only working as a volunteer!! I can onlt imagine how hard it would be for kids who have to then find money to cover all the other expenses involved on top of flights.. I know most are students so full time work isnt always exactley an option... Kudos for them for doing it tho!! Its got to teach them some pretty awesome money management skills!!!!

Drummergirl, Do it!! If you have the opportunity to do something then go for it!! I think one of the most valuable things I have learnt in life up to this point (21..I’m getting old!) is that if you have something you really want to do with all your heart then its something your obviously meant to do. You can make things happen! I’m in the process of researching as much about dci, touring, volunteering and everything else drum corps at the moment because ($4k worth of credit card debt later) I’m flying over from Australia next year to be a volunteer with the Troopers. I’m counting down already.. CANT WAIT! *dances* b**bs We have NOTHING like Drum Corps here in Australia, so yes, I know I’m diving in head 1st for a lot of hard work. But its something I’m used to doing.. I love the hard work and effort that goes into creating these sorts of events and making everything happen. I played Violin in HS (I know its not a marching instrument!) and used to be involved in all the school bands etc I worked on school tours and concerts and even went back as a volunteer on more then one occasion. Ever since finishing school 4 years ago I’ve hated not being able to be involved in that side of the music scene (I do artist/venue/event/festival management on the side of my day job). Anything music related that I can get involved with, I do it… lots of stage management at concerts and festivals, music photography, mentoring etc, I’ve even run a couple of music festivals! <3 I LOVE every minute of it! So yeah, moral of the story.. if you want to do it, and you are in a position in life where you are able to do it... then do it! Being part of a team and seeing everything all fall into place and knowing that you are part of it is the greatest feeling!! Well worth the work! Now lets see what I think about it all AFTER the summer lol

Actually LAX would be the closest and cheepest place for her to fly into...

WOO! I was in syd for the 1st time the other weekend for the ARIAs.. Nice little city you have there.. when I say little I mean WAY bigger then Brisbane! ahhh there has to be something in Syd!! How anoying.. I'm a totall music nerd so i'll still be trawling over the net for stuff rite till I leave so if I find anything at all as far as drum corps and marching bands in syd I'll post it straight away for you.. Are there any UNIs or sports clubs down there that have marching programs?

kauliflower, Where in Australia are you from?? I'm guessing Sydney since you are talking about HSC exams.. I'm a Brisbane Drum Corps fan! I'm actually flying over in 08 as a summer volunteer for the Troopers.. I would maybe have thought about marching.. but seeing as I'm both too old being 21 this year and a violin player.. oh and also the fact I would be horrible at the marching part... Ether way tho I come from a more behind the scenes area in the music industry down here so working behind the scenes in Drum Corps as a volunteer works for me just fine!! But hey I think you should deff look further into it. Get a little marching experience. Talk to your music teachers at school.. they are normally pretty in clue with what music stuff goes on in their cities... I'm sure they would be able to help u find other marching bands or drum corps groups in your city.. If not call the local council. I know its gonna be hard to find stuff.. I've done heaps of research into drum corps over the last 6 months and a lot of it has been into trying to find Australian drum corps and marching bands and it is hard.. But they are out there!!! They just might not be the same as American Drum corps... there’s more pipe bands down here.. and when u find marching bands they are more your normal marching band line up rather then drum corps style. When u are researching different Drum Corps groups now don’t forget they have changed “Div 1, Div 2” to “World Class” and “Open Class” I’m sure a lot of the stuff on the net still is going by Div 1, Div 2 -Kass