SuperSaderFan

Windmills were professionally built in California after thoughtful engineering by the design team. The design of the show included the Windmills and is incorporated into the animation (yes you can actually watch the drill to music on the computer). They were driven cross country and delivered to last winter camp in Florida and yes they were out on the field as the corps played and marched though the first 2 1/2 minutes of the show. They will be in every day during move ins and all details will be worked out as the rest of the show is put our on the field. The show information that was outlined on the Annual Fund and shipped out to all supporters as mentioned here.

Help spread the word, The Boston Crusaders are bringing Drum Corps back to Alumni Stadium at Boston College - formally the host of almost every CYO Nationals! The stadium is the perfect venue to sit back and be blown away by some of the best in the activity. The evening will include the first ever all Drum Corps Tailgate in Conte Forum starting at 3:30. This is the event to get together with all of your friends in the activity! Tickets will be handled locally and be available soon, sign up for the pre sale: http://goo.gl/forms/5ZYm7iGnHn

It's been an incredibly busy off season and we have made a ton of progress: Parent Organization Inspire Arts & Music: Board is now approaching 50 people with varied backgrounds focused on building a world class non profit with a local/regional/national presence Hired great leadership in Chris Holland Chief Operating Officer/Executive Director - he has filled out his team with very qualified individuals Moved offices to new Headquarters in Hyde Park - back to where it all began Launched several local programs focused on original mission - teaching kids right off the street - percussion/brass/movement Expanding partnerships - Blessed Sacrament Winter Guard - Hyde Park Community Center - Riverside Theatre Works Growing & Expanding Great East Music Festival Business - group sales up 15 % year over year Great East Music Store - now a full out Brick & Mortar business in Hyde Park - Yamaha new partner Concert in the Park largest Fund raiser to exceed $200,000 in sponsorships this year - including Mayor Walsh Building on partnership with the Boston Pops - Tanglewood expand to include 4 Corps this year

Help spread the word, The Boston Crusaders are bringing Drum Corps back to Alumni Stadium at Boston College - formally the host of almost every CYO Nationals! The stadium is the perfect venue to sit back and be blown away by some of the best in the activity. The evening will include the first ever all Drum Corps Tailgate in Conte Forum starting at 3:30. This is the event to get together with all of your friends in the activity! Tickets will be handled locally and be available soon, sign up for the pre sale: http://goo.gl/forms/5ZYm7iGnHn

Sitting in the airport waiting for my flight back to Boston. Great camp, here is what I can share: After 7 successful audition camps and video submissions, over 650 have auditioned so far (more Guard in April) we held the final selections this weekend Over 200 talented individuals were called back (including vets) to participate in a Brass & Percussion camp this weekend in Orlando The writers, caption heads and instructors were in to begin the 2016 season and conduct the final evaluations The Brass learned and performed a new version of the Corps song Giant The Brass & Percussion played through the first 4 minutes of the show. The Brass & Percussion marched through the first 2 minutes of the drill The organization contracted the entire Brass & Percussion sections including alternates and is helping those not selected to march in other Corps The Executive Director/COO of IAM, the Corps Director, designers, caption heads/managers and administrative staff remain in Orlando through Monday night for planning meetings All in a great weekend and everything is moving according to plan

Jay is the head designer of the entire program Brian Murphy is the Visual Designer Tony Smith is a visual consultant and design contributor The show is completely mapped out, a minute and half of music was learned during the audition camps, the intro drill will be taught at the January camp and the 2nd piece of music will be as well.

View this email in your browser Inspire Arts and Music, the Boston Crusaders, Great East Music Festivals, HyPE, Create Art and Create Dance continues to grow and make a significant impact in our community. Our kids, youth and young adults thank you for your generous support. CLICK HERE TO GIVE TODAY This year Inspire purchased the Riverside Theatre Building in Hyde Park, Massachusetts and is scheduled to move “home” on April 1, 2016. Inspire launched HyPE, a free percussion program for inner city youth in Hyde Park. The Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps celebrated its 75th Anniversary in style, hosting the largest outdoor professional venue competition in DCI at Gillette Stadium; performing at the Esplanade with the Boston Pops before a live audience of 500,000 and a television audience from around the world; performing at Tanglewood with the Boston Pops Brass - a first for any drum and bugle corps; and finishing inside of DCI’s elite top 10 for the 17th consecutive season. Great East Music Festivals served over 420 groups and 18,000 students - giving those students a quality music performance and adjudication experience. Inspire created a partnership with the historic Blessed Sacrament Colorguards, and various alliances with the city of Boston. In 2016 Inspire will “double down” in its commitment to the inner city and launch more percussion, art and dance programs while we immerse ourselves in the civic, art and business culture in Hyde Park. The Crusaders will again host the largest outdoor professional venue competition in DCI on July 2, 2016 featuring the Boston Crusaders, Bluecoats, Cadets, Phantom Regiment, Crossmen, Jersey Surf, Spartans, 7th Regiment, Crusader Sr. corps, and the Muchachos. The Putnam Club theme will be a celebration of New England Drum Corps, Guard and marching band - an indoor VIP tailgate party! Great East Festivals is expanding into new markets with offerings in the city - Freedom Trail, Duck Tours, Museums, and in Connecticut at Lake Compounce. Inspire is proud to partner again with Blessed Sacrament which celebrates its 80th Anniversary season in 2016 and is forging more partnerships and alliances within the city of Boston, including the Riverside Theatre Works. This “Giving Tuesday” I hope you will take great pride in the accomplishments and growth of Inspire Arts & Music and The Boston Crusaders. Our ability to make a meaningful difference in the lives of young people, and an impact in our community, is a testament to the power of our generous donors and volunteers. Thank you for your support and best wishes for a wonderful holiday season! Chris Holland Chief Operating Officer/Executive Director Inspire Arts & Music and the Boston Crusaders

http://bostoncrusaders.org/our-events/golf-tournament/ It is amazing how this tournament has evolved over the past 17 years! What started as a way to get people together in the fall and raise a little money in a tough part of the year for cash flow, has grown to over 40 sponsors and over $30,000 to date and heading to 36 foursomes/144 golfers and lots of volunteers. There is still time to sponsor and we have a few spots for golfers. If you are already on board - thank you! it will once again be an awesome event! ‪#‎BuildingAChampion‬!

Very proud that the idea that the Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corpsstarted several years ago - the Old School Challenge - has been adopted by the entire activity! This was also put in place at the DCI Board consortium meetings that our Board, led by Garry Martin established to get all boards to work together for the health of each Corps and the activity! Please participate!

http://www.dci.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=33500&ATCLID=210178104 AND THEY'RE OFF! Help your favorite Drum Corps cross the Fundraising Finishline! - Click on the helmet for the participating corps to make a tax-deductible donation - Use #DCCrace15 and share your support with family & friends - Check back daily to see the standings

Well Ghost, coming off of 2 incredibly successful fund raisers Concert in the Park (corporate) and the Spring Fling (alumni & friends) both raising over a combined $200,000 there was a question of giving up more rehearsal time. The Mayor personally asked that the Boston Crusaders to be his official Drum Corps for the parade. The Corps leadership didn't hesitate to proudly represent the City. Reading post from the members, it appears that participating in the Pride parade was viewed as one of the most fun and proud performances many of the members could recall.

http://www.bostoncrusaders.com/news/408-bod-job-listing Board Administrator Inspire Arts & Music (IAM), based out of Boston, Massachusetts, a 2.5 million dollar non-profit that serves over 19,000 students per year, is seeking a part-time paid individual to manage the administration of the Board of Directors (BOD). The IAM Board of Directors consists of over 32 individuals from across the United States. This newly created position can be located anywhere in the United States. The time commitment is expected to be approximately 10 hours per week. There is no set weekly schedule for the position as the tasks to be performed are flexible and only need to meet the expectations of the position. This allows flexibility for the individual being hired. A small fraction of the tasks must be performed Mon-Fri, with a majority of tasks independent of day of week/time of day. This position reports to the Chair and Vice Chair of the BOD for Inspire Arts & Music. Compensation is $5,000 per year, payable monthly (end of the month) at $425 per month. This is a 1099 position. There are no benefits. Once a year (October), the individual must attend the annual BOD meeting in Boston (all expenses paid). All other engagement will be through email, telephone, and video conference / webex. Responsibilities include: - Management and maintenance of BOD one page biographies - Management and maintenance of BOD mailing and e-mails lists - Management and maintenance of Drop-box/file sharing/archiving - Ensuring committee minutes, agendas and action items are captured and stored in appropriate folders - Ensure that annual/compliance documents are completed - Ensuring that on-boarding tasks for new Board members are completed - By-law distribution (DCI and Inspire) - Conflict of interest - Risk management / member interaction policy - Ensure monthly update communication (e.g., email to BOD with updates, reminders, etc.) - As needed, phone calls & emails to BOD members to help drive, interact and engage on organizations priorities/objectives - Committee facilitation – help organizing meetings, providing dial in / webex details, collecting minutes, sending meeting reminders, etc. - Preparation of monthly BOD meeting - Distribution of materials prior to the meeting (~72hrs) - Obtaining and management of ppt's, agendas - Meeting management (800 lines, attendance, etc...) - Ensure approval of monthly BOD minutes - Preparation of Annual BOD meeting (e.g., logistics, communication, working with committees on presentations) - Ensure "Downtown DCI" best practices and DCI BOD consortium information is distributed to the Inspire BOD - Management/Administration of the IAM Board of Directors Facebook page - Distribution of educational articles and books to the BOD Qualifications - Passion for the music, arts, and education of youth - Strong written skills - Functional ability with Microsoft Office (e.g., Word, Excel, Powerpoint) - Ability to successfully interact and engage with senior leaders - Previous experience in administration a plus Interested candidates should send their e-mail to: Thompson Vou, tvou@iaminspired.org. Applications must be received by August 29th

To be discussed and debated is an indication on being relevant. Although I do not always agree or disagree with every post - thank you for caring enough to offer your thoughts on a Drum Corps that we love very much. Plans are already underway for an incredible 75th anniversary in 2015! No time to rest, theres work to be done!

A few thoughts: The Tuba player Nik tore his ACL in his knee last night during the show. He has a big heart and incredible intestinal fortitude. He got himself off the field ultimately with the help of a field judge. I was standing next to our corps doctor (she is also a Board member) when it happened and she immediately went down to the field. It is upsetting to read post on DCP about a perceived lack of care by the corps or the staff. This is so far from the truth and obviously from people who are completely uniformed about the BAC family. Godspeed Nik and I know it breaks your heart not to be able to perform your age out night. I stopped reading post on DCP of late as it has turned incredibly negative and opinionated. People posting on here must not work with any corps as they have a ton of extra time monday morning quarterbacking from a comfy seat at home. Thank you all for perpetuating the "they are so dirty and could never clean this show" discussion. As for last night's color guard score, looks like someone had an agenda and the kids were the victim of it. I was at rehearsal today and the energy and performance level was the best of the week. Thanks for the additional motivation. The team has made some additions to the show, completing a body of work that has incredible layering, demand, sophistication and some very cool moments. I am very proud of the entire organization, staff and members and look forward to performing tonight for the 16th consecutive year. Results are what they are and the focus remains: BAC - Building A Champion!

Some perspective: The Boston Crusaders will be performing in Canton Ohio tonight, another historic stadium for the Corps. In 1982 after returning from Europe (which the Director bounced a check to the airlines) and being delayed in going on the DCI tour due to poor finances, we had reached the end in Canton. The bus company realized that the check they received from the Corps Director had bounced and announced that they were returning to Boston. The Corps would not be able to travel on and complete tour. As a 19 year old member of the Corps, I got on a call with Tony DiCarlo and the head of DCI and we negotiated a deal. DCI would pay all show money due directly to the bus company in return that they would stay on the road. The bus company agreed and we agreed that the Corps Director at the time would be let go. We had to then let the Corps DIrector know, send his wife and kids home and let the Corps know what happened. We finished tour and went into the offseason with a ton of doubt externally on whether there would be another addition of BAC. The members rallied off season and held the Corps together and Tony Smith established the first Board of Directors. They enter the field tonight some 32 years later stronger as an organization than ever before! Eat Em Up Boston!

If you have not seen the Corps live, it is tough to judge the cleaning via the fan network. The Corps stepped up the design of the program this year with a focus towards top 5. As a matter of data, it is showing up in rep and content sub captions, the achievement lags and at this point perhaps a pre set or easy way to place people. Do you ever really get full credit for demand? The changes to the show throughout the season were made to embellish or improve the product. Any enhancements made at this time are intended to improve the communication of the product to the audience and the judges up in the box. This program does not need anymore difficulty and the focus is on performance excellence. So however critically judged by some, called ambitious by others it is a step towards competing at the next level. Keep in mind year one of a new Corps Director, Artistic Director,Visual Writer, Inspire Arts & Music Admin team - all an improvement in my eyes. Some of the caption heads were new as well. Building A Champion will not happen overnight and remains the focus.

The Corps has definitely cleaned the show. The staff and Corps have been making improvements throughout the summer. I spoke with one of, if not the best arranger in our activity the other night and he said "Boston's show is the most challenging he has ever seen, the multiple demands and constant activity is incredible". He also acknowledged that some spots seem to be to hard to get perfect. The show is better to watch in person, and I believe cleaner than it is being given credit for in the performance captions. The show is not obvious and that makes it challenging for the performers to maximize from an effect standpoint. The members have loved the challenge and love performing the show. Focus on excellence, communication and some additions to further shape the show and add to effect coming this week. This show and Corps has more opportunity to grow than anyone else this week.

http://us3.campaign-archive1.com/?u=e88d94dc33c7b1af4245c2da1&id=339fb54894 CYO Nationals Tribute presented by Boston Financial Data Services Show Site: Veteran's Memorial Stadium 850 Hancock Street Quincy, MA 02170 View Spectator Map Event Schedule 2:00 PM - Ticket Booth Open 5:00 PM - VIP Party Begins 5:30 PM - Gates Open 6:50 PM - Welcome & Anthem 7:00 PM - Crusaders Senior 7:17 PM - The Muchachos 7:34 PM - Jersey Surf 7:51 PM - Crossmen 8:08 PM - Intermission 8:25 PM - Troopers 8:42 PM - Madison Scouts 8:59 PM - Boston Crusaders 9:20 PM - Joint encore with Troopers, Madison Scouts, and Boston Crusaders. VIP Party Information: The gates will open at 5pm for anyone attending the VIP Party. VIP card pickup will be available at this time. JOIN 2014 THE CRUSADER CLUB for exclusive content, digital downloads, and access to the VIP party in Quincy. Corps Housing Sites Boston Crusaders - Rehearsing at the stadium in Quincy Crossmen - Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School Jersey Surf - Randolph High School Madison Scouts - Norwood High School Troopers - Sharon Middle School

Behind the Fence: The Musical Design of Animal Farm http://youtu.be/yn6J1TbfNNE?list=PLap6YyIGD2seY1fujsP9DQpCvXi9-oeRN

Behind The Fence: The Visual Design of Animal Farm: http://youtu.be/O-TKk2_5znY?list=PLap6YyIGD2sf80JvPlsXJCgCEbrRzFviI

The show is very difficult and a tad cerebral. The staff and members are working hard to improve the performance and communication to the audience. Lot's of edits and enhancements this past week including some edits designed to improve flow, performance and endurance. The focus now is excellence. After a free day in Dallas, the Corps will be in a stadium for a couple of days rotating blocks for each section to get a chance to clean in a big venue. For a group to break into the top you have to have a show with the significant content. Now it is a matter of how excellent it can become in 3 weeks. The entire organization is focused on improvement and pushing thorough the final show. In addition, the organization is well positioned to sustain itself at the next level, a key to Building A Champion.

Yes it was done in New Hampshire last night. The parent organization of BAC co hosted the show in Manchester with the Muchachos all age Corps. A few open class corps including Spartans and 7th Regiment and some all age groups. IA&M picked up the financial obligation of the show so that the show could be run. The team came up with food truck idea at one of the DCI Board consortium meetings from the Mandarins in Sacramento. Ticket sales for last nights show were up 55% year over year. https://www.facebook.com/inspireartsandmusic

https://www.facebook.com/BostonCrusaders Lot's going on every day on the official Facebook page, check it out: Daily updates Weekly videos 7PM Wednesday 6/11 Community Night at Colby College 5PM Thursday 6/12 Concert in the Park - Post Office Square Boston, Ma (concertinthepark.org) 7PM Friday 6/13 Spring Fling IBEW Hall Dorchester, MA 5PM Saturday 6/14 Flag Day Quincy, Ma 11AM Sunday Bunker Hill Day Charlestown, Ma Also check out Inspire Arts & Music official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/inspireartsandmusic

http://www.concertinthepark.org

Just to clarify some points that Bsader made in an earlier post from my memory bank: The point about alcohol and drugs is overplayed. I can not recall one time that the buses pulled up to a package store to load up the buses. Even though their was not any parent chaperones, the corps was always in the hands of the older members/leaders & staff (and Tony Smith was not the only staff member - Jay Murphy, G Watts, Eric Rosen, Gerry Dolan to name a few). Drugs were not tolerated and if caught there was punishment. It was a different time for the Corps, for those of us who stayed involved for all these years it was a great learning experience. The good was the "Winner never Quits and a Quitter never wins" mentality. It sustained us for years through hard times. It also taught us that it was not a sustainable model. The Corps has a rich 74 year history with good times and bad - each of us take away a memory. I would have preferred to have been a well run organization with less BS that you describe. The process of natural selection worked out well as the bad seeds found their way out of the Corps and the ones who really cared helped make it what it is today - a well run organization that is once again headed in the direction to compete for a national championship.