MrWyoming

I know how I feel about it. I am most definitely excited about the music selection and the show for 2011, and I feel honored to be on staff for Pioneer's 50th anniversary season! There will be many new staff members next year, and I completely put my trust in Larry Case and believe that he will bring together a great staff. My conversations with him have been wonderful and he has a lot of great things set in motion for 2011. It is great that so many people appreciate Pioneer and support us. A lot of positive comments and suggestions have been made in this forum and it is wonderful to know that people care.

Thanks for all the comments, suggestions and words of encouragement! It means a lot to this corps that so many people are rooting for us. As for the DM saluting the crowd: we have two DMs on the front podium at the beginning of the show. The head DM keeps conducting while the other salutes the crowd and then leaves the podium to go backfield.

Thanks for the nice review about Pioneer. Just wanted everyone to know that the uniforms the guard is wearing are only temporary. We have new uniforms for them this season but they arrived later than expected (they are now in Milwaukee waiting for our return in a few days). Also, the rest of the corps will be performing in their new uniforms on our second tour. Again, thanks for the comments.

I saw the 2010 drill for the first time a few days ago and I am more excited than ever to put this show on the field. Jeff has really delivered this year and I think the members and audiences will be pleased. Over the past few years it has been nice to see the brass numbers get bigger and bigger. But, we still need those last few brass players to fill the ranks. For those college students who feel like they need to work over the summer to pay for school - this is understandable and honorable. However, you can only march Jr. corps for so long and then never again. Ever. (Although I have to admit Senior corps is a blast!) There is always a way to march if you want it bad enough. If you truly want to march, the corps will work with you and we will find a way.

Absolutely! Please give us a call.

Absolutely. I have immense respect for people throughout the history of drum corps that stayed with their corps through thick and thin. At the end of the 2009 season, I was talking to an age-out member who marched Pioneer in 2006 and 2007. I have heard many stories about the '06 season (which was the year before I started teaching there) and how a lot of members were just fed-up with how the corps was ran. So I asked him why he and a few others came back for '07 after all they had gone through the previous year. He told me that someone had to. Also, if there weren't a dedicated group of vets to return, then Pioneer would sink even lower. That is dedication.

Jalissa, It is thanks to dedicated members like you that keep the heart of Pioneer going. I hope that we keep getting people like you back year after year. Every year we do get members who just want to march Pioneer to get the experience to move on to another corps. And, to be honest, I can usually tell who these people are after knowing them only a few hours. But, I would rather those people be happy somewhere else than be miserable at Pioneer. (And I would much rather work with a member who is dedicated whole-heartedly to the future of the corps.) This year is turning out to be a good - and very welcomed - change in the corps' history. We have more vets returning for 2010 than we have had in about 10 years. Our hornline will be the largest for Pioneer in a long time. Plus, the music is amazing. Our hope at Pioneer is that with all of these great things happening, then more and more vets and new members will want to be a part of this great corps in the future. I can't wait to get the summer started!

I believe Pioneer had 60+ horns for a few years at the end of the '90s, and then around '01 or '02 the numbers started to drop (I heard a lot of people aged-out after they made semi-finals in '01). Donny would probably know more details. Thanks for the comment about '08.

Our hornline numbers over the past few years have been: 2008 - 36 horns 2009 - 42 horns For us to have 56 horns this season would be tremendous. That is 20 more than we had just 2 years ago! I think not getting last place in 2009 really helped us retain more vets and recruit more horn players. I know that Pioneer has a new guard caption head in 2010, which should help us a great deal in recruiting and getting vets back. Hopefully, we can get a much bigger (and stronger) guard this year. Since I live in Wyoming, I have not made it to a camp yet this year. I can't wait to hear the music live (I've listened to the MP3 recording on our web-site many, many times). And, I am very excited to start learning drill and bring the show to life!

Thanks for all you do for Pioneer, Sam. You really set a great example for Pioneer alumni. The Michigan clinic produced some great results last year, and I can't wait to see what this year brings!

Just got a call yesterday that another baritone vet from last year is returning.

Pioneer is entering a new era. As everyone knows, we have been in last place for a few years. This was due to a variety of on- and off-the-field problems. We have fixed those problems and are no longer going to be "that corps" that always gets the lowest scores. Each year the corps sees more and more returning members who believe in Pioneer and what we can achieve. Already we have more than twice as many veterans returning for the 2009 season than we had for 2008. The hornline has the entire brass book and has played through it. We are learning drill in April instead of June. The drill design is exceeding all of the staffs' expectations. Our music arrangements are phenomenal. And Pioneer is still the cheapest World Class drum corps to march! We have a great show. We have a great staff. And, most important, we have great members. "We will have a winning corps." March Pioneer.

Absolutely! Everyone is welcome. In 2008, we had a member join the baritone line at the beginning of June who had never marched a field show, never played a brass instrument, and only knew how to play the pit percussion instruments. He worked very hard and by July, you could not tell him apart from the rest of the baritones. One of the many great things about Pioneer is that if you show us that you want to learn, then there will always be a spot for you in the corps.

This weekend, the hornline will play the ENTIRE 2009 show music. Thanks to our new arranger, Donny Allen, all of the hornline music for our 2009 program is finished. 2009 will not see the same-old Pioneer. Be a part of the change.

I've never been to Milwaukee in December, should be fun. The mp3 recording of the music is really great. I can't wait to hear it played by our hornline.