HBD

I don't know why I bothered BUT I googled an article written by an association of music educators on Long Island where it commented that there is over 50 competing bands and at least the same amount that just perform halftime shows, It was an article about the health and benefits of Long Island marching band programs . That's at least 100 programs where kids are getting a music education and having the chance to experience the thrill of competition. But WTF do I know? I'm ignorant of the facts!

How many times do people have to explain it to you? Frank Dorrite even tried, Fran Haring tried, you just don't want to accept the explanations. Get over yourself!

Sun was trying to put together a third show on Long Island the last weekend of August. It was scrapped early on when no corps would commit to going based on the date. My previous comment has nothing to do with C2 or the Everett show this weekend. I was commenting on Floridasuns comment about 3 lost DCA shows this season.

I wouldn't bother anymore trying to explain what is happening in today's drumcorps activity to this guy. It seems all he does is post on all the forums the same thing over and over and over and over. I've given up trying to comment on things.

Trying to plan a show on the last Sunday in August on Long Island wasn't a great idea. Many college students are leaving for school that day after squeaking out the Saturday night shows. Let's not forget the last time someone sponsored a June Saturday evening DCA show on Long Island where the Bushwackers had more brass players on the field performing then paid customers in the stands. I applaud the Sunrisers for making the smart choice in abandoning this show, It was a very wise business move.

They exist still.

Yes.

Sticking my neck out on this but maybe they were better???

And don't forget the local veterans groups are dropping like flies, it's hard enough for them to keep their doors open let alone fund a drumcorps or band of any type. The world we live in today is quite different now. Like it or hate it, it's the truth. Jay

As long as they didn't look and sound like the corps from the 60s you so fondly remember, they would have to be something they would want to join. I'm an executive director at the Bushwackers, this past winter we started a "collaboration " with a charter school that sent us 50 middle school students to learn how to march and play, we call this group "Bush Academy". They had 5 rehearsals this winter taught by our staff before our winter camps on Saturdays. They learned a few easy pieces of music, I believe a Bruno Mars tune, and by May this group paraded down the streets of Princeton NJ on Memorial Day representing our organization. They play 3 valve Bb brass, student model drums including quads and tuned bass and they are taught how to read music the minute they join. Next season the plans are to expand to high school age students and add a color guard and more rehearsals. It can be done if you have the patience and funding BUT be forewarned these kids won't join if you plan on emulating a 1960s type drumcorps, they want something more to their tastes and likings. Jay Bush

Absolutely! I think his issues with the activity lie deeper than worrying about keeping neighborhood kids off the streets.

MARCHING BANDS are the community corps of years gone by. I live in Norwalk Ct, in the 60s and 70s Norwalk was home to a small ( very small) corps called the Hot Shots, they were not a "big shot corps " in any sense of the word and they folded in the mid 70s when the Police and Fire department pulled the funding (funding is a big reason the small corps went away)Fast forward to today, Norwalk Ct is home to 2 VERY good high school bands, Norwalk HS and Brien McMahon HS, Norwalk HS is VERY GOOD and their indoor percussion is Nationally Ranked as one of the top drumlines in the ENTIRE COUNTRY almost every year. The two Norwalk bands of today are FAR superior to anything the Hot Shot corps could have ever imagined fielding years ago, heck put the 2 schools together and you would have about 400 members total, then add in the elementary students and the middle school student and your talking a huge amount of kids learning music, teamwork and having the time of their lives, I would be surprised if the Hot Shots ever marched over 40 members in their heyday? The feeder music/color guard programs for both these HS programs start in elementary school up until the musicians and guard members reach high school. These kids learn to READ and appreciate music at an early age and not Xs or Os written on sheet music or taught by rote in a smokey legion hall on a Wednesday night. Did that one little Norwalk corps back in the 60s serve a purpose? It sure did and today THOUSANDS of HS marching bands across the country serve the same purpose now. It's not doom and gloom, the activity is alive and doing well, it's just a bit different then what you might remember. Jay

AMEN Frank! I've been saying this for years, maybe they will believe you! Jay Bush

Details! There important!

I can speak on behalf of the Bushwackers in saying we would have been at the Wildwood show either way, a score or no score. Actually we would have welcomed a score from last Saturday's show. We were not part of any decision either way in regards to a judged competition or an evaluation show nor do I think any other corps was. Jay

I heard the show was standing room only, great weather and ALL the corps were fairly good and very prepared for the first show of the season, you just need to know where to look for the information.

Bush's guard of 30 and front ensemble of 15 stayed back for rehearsal today. Unfortunately The brassline was hit with a few band banquets today and graduation parties, BUT we had pretty full corps last night for our ensemble rehearsal where we were able to push through 9 + minutes of the field show non stop. Next week we should be done with the last remaining minute of the show. Season starts in 2 weeks!

For what it's worth, I've been told by someone on the perc staff that this line has a really good chance of top 3. A good amount of returning vets in addition to some very talented new kids. Looking forward to seeing this show soon.

You can hear his incredible chops on the old Sunrisers albums during the "Sing Sing Sing " concert where he played on the bass drum with his tenor sticks, holy moly! Jay

I've heard through the grapevine a sizable amount of Cadets brass (35) made the trek to Boston this off season, but who really knows???

The original proposal years ago was for 45 minimum members but was changed to 35 after much discussion during the rules congress. It was a Bushwacker proposal but all the corps agreed it needed to be implemented. The summer before the rule a corps showed up to our homeshow with 9 people total.

You certainly are not aware of the high school band activity on a whole throughout the country. There are dozens of shows on Long Island each fall from various band circuits, I'm guessing you only know of the one show that is sponsored by the Newspaper, I've seen that on the local channels on cable a few times. Do some quick research, check out BOA, US BANDS, TOB and countless others across the country, if it weren't for these band programs and circuits you wouldn't have what's left of the drumcorps during the summer. The marching band activity and indoor guard and percussion activity IS the grassroots drumcorps activity of years past. Jay

Have you checked out the marching band activity in this country lately? I believe the high school bands have replaced the "community " corps you remember. Most are funded mostly by parent booster clubs and in some cases you have 2 to 3 quality bands in towns and cities that never even heard of drumcorps back in the day. Add in the indoor activity with the high schools across the country and I'm going to go out on a limb here and say today's high school marching band activity , outdoors and indoors is 20 times the size of the drumcorps activity in its heyday. IMO of course.