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drumlaw80

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Everything posted by drumlaw80

  1. Rumor - Top-five DCI corps joins the cast and music team of Goodbye Blue Sky.
  2. If you are curious, here is the Facebook page for Goodbye Blue Sky. Like this page, join the mission. 7
  3. Next week, a PR campaign for a science fiction movie will commence in the US and Japan. I think and hope when the details of this movie are released, this campaign will shock, awe, and hype J-pop fans, movie fans, and the entire drum corps community. Part 1 is entitled Red Skies at Night. Part 2, Goodbye Blue Sky. In the mix - a famous pop star, a DCI drum line, an Evil corps, an alien with a magical voice, a deaf kid named Dylan, and Ave Maria. Part 2, the international mobilization of Crunchy Frog. The campaign is going to start small, and crescendo until it hits Level 777. Drum corps wise, the goal is to go so far outside of the box that it rains, and exposure drum corps to a world wide audience in a way that has never been done before. This is not a joke or parody, one major entertainment company is involved, more coming on board. This evil plan may succeed, it may fail, but this is the project of my career, and I am throwing the ball to the end zone. If this fails, I hope it fails big. IIf you think I caused chaos before, wait. You ain't seen nothing yet. :) Seatbelt = on.
  4. I just found out about this, am very sad to see this. Thoughts and prayers out to Red's family - he was a great guy, part of the heart and soul of DCA.
  5. Editor's note - I had thought this Renegades incident happened in 08, it was actually 06. The smart-[bleep] commentary accompanying the photo has been corrected. Thank you
  6. I had forgotten about this Renegades chaotic prank, then came across the old DCA judges sheet. It made me laugh, thought I would share. Here's the story, kinda funny. Enjoy
  7. I am happy to report the Skyliners have a corps on the field. They had 20 horns or so at rehearsal today, drill is written for 30. Lots of hype and energy, positive attitudes -- I think they're going to pretty good by the season start. Fun surreal fact - Sky rehearses two blocks from my aunt's old house, which as a kid, we visited almost every holiday. Go Sky!
  8. After all these years, there is finally ... FINALLY, an explanation for how the Scranton cops treated the DCA corps and fans. READ THIS Lee Rudnicki, not miserable but highly amused Scranton-Wilkes Barre native p.s. DCP needs a "genius" tag, starting with this article. I can not stop laughing.
  9. The fact that one year after the fact, this thread is filled with accusations, finger pointing and blame, instead of people coming together to figure out how to help get one of the few corps back onto the field, tells us all we need to know about the health and future outlook of DCA. I'm not talking about the people running DCA -- I'm talking about the people in and around it. The internal culture of this group is sad and horrible. You are too dim to realize that you are slitting your own throats, one at a time. What part of this thread gives a corps incentive to bust their *ss for a year of their lives to raise $ 100,000 USD to fly out and participate in a DCA weekend? Will the last DCA corps left standing please turn out the lights. Stay tuned, next comes the self-righteous grandstanding and more hypocritical finger pointing West.
  10. "He will enter the Pearly Gates in uniform ..." That's really cool. RIP Mousie.
  11. Once upon a time today, I listened to "CATCHIN A RIDE" the new album by singer-songwriter Rob Robinson … aka the DCI/DCA snare drumming legend. Woah … it's one thing to listen to a friend's album and think it's good … it's quite another to be totally stupefied listening to it. I can not believe these vocals came from one of the most intense snare drummers the world has seen. It's awesome. Long story short, I highly recommend checking out this album, especially if you have only known Robbie in the drum line context. More info here. Wow... Congrats Rob! Lee
  12. >>> Sad to say we've seen the internet all but create a corps, then rip it to shreds Disagree 10000%. The internet never hurt killed or hurt any corps --- it's the exclusive-club mentality and competitive at all cost dog-eat-dog approach of the activity that rips corps to shreds, not technology. I pointed this out to no avail earlier this year, and the sad predictions have all come to pass. IMO, the drum corps activity has never been harmed by the internet -- it has been harmed by how drum corps people treat one another, frankly. Generally speaking, I think the drum corps activity needs to do more to include people in the activity, at all levels, and it needs to be more supportive of those who are now participating. Until that happens, the numbers of corps, fans and participants will continue to shrink. I have never successfully made this point, so please feel free to disagree.
  13. Respectfully speaking, you and a thousand friends sitting at keyboards for six months could not possibly write more about this topic and drum corps than a few people did on the RAMD newsgroup, daily, for several years. That unmoderated virtual happy valley soon turned into a PR nightmare for the activity, IMO. Personally, maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see it as a bigger issue in DCI or DCA than it is for the rest of American society, schools etc. The idea of holding drum corps to a higher background check standard than public schools is not realistic.
  14. Recruiting and retaining new members are among the most difficult challenges any new or rebuilding DCA or Division 2/3 drum corps will face. Although this is an inherent problem seen primarily in DCA and Division 2/3 DCI corps, a comprehensive focus on the elements that make up a solid recruiting and retention program will help any corps be successful in the long run, regardless of its competitive success (or lack thereof). The fundamental elements to a successful drum corps recruiting and retention program has nothing to do with hanging up hundreds of flyers in high school band rooms or single-handedly breaking Jeff Ream’s record for posting on Drum Corps Planet. It is important to understand that the key to success is to focus on improving your member’s experience of being in the corps. The goal is to create a fun and rewarding environment that will make your members want to return year after year, regardless of the ultimate competitive outcome of your season. This philosophy has nothing to do with competitive excellence—an enjoyable drum corps environment does not necessarily mean that it must be a less competitive one. The following principles will help your drum corps recruiting and retention program. You may not agree with some of these methods, or your corps may already incorporate a few. In any event, these steps will make the experience of marching in your drum corps more rewarding for your members, which in turn will lead to a higher retention rate and recruiting success. Principle 1. Create Internal Social Ties. Drum corps is a family. You must encourage and help your members meet people in other sections of the corps throughout the season. If your members have more social ties in the corps, they will be less likely to leave, and they will be more likely to return to march another season. They will also be less likely to leave for another corps if, for example, the two snare drummers on both sides of them decide not to march. Along these lines, breaks and lunch schedules should be coordinated with all the sections, perhaps with the occasional full-corps potluck lunch. Staggered lunches among the sections should be saved for absolutely critical times of the season or if you only have one field, for example, because they eliminate as much as 75% of the corps potential social contact. The basic principle behind this is that if a member has friends in the corps, they will likely return next season. Along these same lines, drum corps rookies tend to be very intimidated at their first rehearsal with a new corps. You should make it your mission to make all new members feel welcome on Day 1. Once a new member is at rehearsal, it falls on everyone – members and staff – to immediately make the potential member feel welcome. As new members join during the season, introduce them to the whole corps, and applaud their presence. Making someone feel like they are part of the team the first time they walk in the door will make a huge difference in the recruiting and retention rate. Also, ditch the “rookie” concept. Once someone is in the corps, they are in. Period. Finally, if a member does not return for a season for whatever reason, invite them to come around the corps whenever they want. Make them feel welcome to come to rehearsal and march in parades etc. Do not shut the door on them, no matter how frustrated you are that they did not return. By doing this, you will stunned by the members who will return this or next season, because they were encouraged to keep one foot in the door, so to speak. Principle 2. Include Family Members in the Experience. The primary reason a member gets pressure from their family “not” to march in a drum corps, especially a DCA corps, is because their family members do not feel included in the experience. The solution is to proactively include your corps member’s family in the experience any way that you can. You should make them feel welcome at all rehearsals, and even host a few events during the year such as Family Day, an Open House or a picnic where the corps plays the show for family and friends, and everyone gets to interact with the corps and staff. This will help keep family pressure at a minimum and keep members in your corps. Along this line of reasoning, the Renegades allow any family member to buy a corps jacket, since they are typically also making a huge sacrifice for their family member to be in the corps (member patches are another story). Principle 3. Zero Staff Conflict. No matter what the issue is, there must be ZERO conflict on your staff in front of the corps, and your staff members must be 100% supportive of one another in front of the corps. A staff in conflict will hurt the morale of the corps, and lead your members to question the abilities of the staff. If a contentious issue comes up, deal with it in a professional manner—away from the corps. Principle 4. The End of Rehearsal Rule. With the possibility of one or two limited exceptions during a season, it must be the mission of the corps director and staff to get the members to leave each and every rehearsal on a positive note, feeling like something was accomplished and excited about returning for the next rehearsal. Sometimes, this is hard to do after a particularly bad run-through, for example, but you must stick to this rule. This is particularly important in a DCA corps. When DCA corps members walk away from a rehearsal feeling depressed or bummed out, the staff typically does not have an opportunity to turn things around for another week (at least). Principle 5. The No Stress Rule. The key to success in any substantial endeavor is not the lack of adversity, but rather, how one responds to adversity. Whether you are the Blue Devils the Bushwackers or the Bananas, things will inevitably go wrong during the season. Your bus may breakdown at precisely the wrong time, as it did for Renegades on the way to 2002 DCA Prelims. Your section leader may forget his or her uniform, law enforcement may kick you out of your rehearsal site for no apparent reason, or the incredible chaotic hurricane may hit just as you take the field. If you establish a culture of supporting one another and “not” pointing fingers when things go wrong, and you allow and help your staff and members recover from mistakes or chaos, you will all have a more rewarding and productive season, and the corps will get better at responding to adversity. Principle 6. Embrace The Internet. The Internet is a valuable tool, one that most drum corps do not understand how to use properly. You should encourage our members to use the drum corps newsgroups and forums. This will help create a sense of community within the drum corps, and will help get the corps badly needed visibility. The key is to make it clear to your members that they cannot and must not claim to speak for the corps on any given issue. Mistakes will be made, but these are easily rectified behind the scenes. There is no need for a collective nervous breakdown when your corps members post on the Internet drum corps newsgroups. Principle 7. Add a Killer Performance and Rehearsal Schedule. You should add one or two non-competitive performances during the season where the corps gets the opportunity to stand still and blow the faces off some people who maybe don’t even know what drum corps is all about. The crowd reaction will be incredible, and the members will have fun performing in a no pressure situation with the fans going nuts. This also is a great way to increase your corps visibility in the community. Along those lines, it is also important to give your corps members some time off. Some senior corps have non-stop summer weekend schedules make it difficult if not impossible for members to remain in the corps if they get married, or take on a significant job or school commitment during the summer. One or two free weekends during the summer where you literally order the corps to take time off and have fun will buy much goodwill with the members and their families, and keeps the burnout factor away. Putting together a schedule with a break in it and the corps being great are not mutually exclusive goals. Simply put, rehearsing each and every possible minute throughout the entire summer is not in the corps best interests. The Bottom Line. The key to recruiting and retaining members is to improve the experience your members have in the corps. © Lee Rudnicki 2007
  15. I want to thank everyone who read my Drum Corps 2014 article and commented, good or bad. I have never had thousands of people read an article on my blog in one day, much less in two consecutive days and counting. I don't think the drum corps 2014 article went viral because I'm a good writer - I think I just said what a lot of people are thinking.
  16. This is great to see. Keep it going, Dream! Lee
  17. "and there's far more options for people to choose to do things with their time." With all due respect Jeff, this is a fallacy that people have been using as an excuse for the decline of drum corps every year since 1976. And it's simply not true. How can one conclude that people are busier now with their "options" than people were 10 or 20 or 30 years ago? Did people sit around bored back then? Are you making the argument that because of all the "options" suddenly available in modern society, people do not have time to do drum corps, and that's why the activity is in decline? Really? Because of what options? Facebook and Netflix? School Soccer? Playstation 4? The amount of "options" there are for people to spend their free time has nothing to do with the lack of participation in drum corps or any other activity, and it never did. No offense, but that view is, IMO, a poor excuse for the decline of participation in the activity. I would put forth that your view is dangerous, in that it gives the activity a rationale, if not an incentive, "not" to figure out what is wrong and turn things around before it goes extinct. With its inherent power and impact that it is capable of achieving, drum corps can be one of the most visible and successful activities on the planet. Writing the current decline off as people are too busy these days with all the "options" they have for entertainment in lieu of fixing the problem is wrong. It's just plain wrong.
  18. Hi everybody. I recently heard about Renegades not fielding a competitive corps this year, and thought I would read the press release here on DCP. So here I am, the guest appearance. Voila. The antagonist for the plot. The bad guy for the scene. You don't have to read much to see many misconceptions and inaccurate statements. For clarity, let me just say a few things, none of which will violate DCP guidelines. First, my time with the Renegades in 1999 through 2008 was one of the greatest, most fun and most creatively rewarding times of my life. I worked with some of the most talented people I have ever met, and the fun we had and chaos we caused was the zenith of my time in drum corps. I wouldn’t trade those unbelievable experiences for the world, including another DCI ring. We were rock stars. Just like getting the phone call that the Renegades were out of DCA, hearing about this season and reading the comments on DCP are not fun for any alumni. Personally, however, I think the Renegades will be around for the next 100 years in one form or another, so I never read this press release as an obit. Looking far back, the mistake I made after the 2005 season was to simultaneously try to pursue an entertainment career in Los Angeles and a drum corps career in San Francisco, when I found that both of which required a full-time in-person commitment to succeed. It was not fair to the Renegades to miss camps and try to run the corps from afar, and it was not fair to my film colleagues and career to miss festivals, screenings and events because I had camp. There was no way to make the two work, although I tried. I eventually made the decision to move focus on film. If I could have figured out how to make a living running a corps, the evaluation might have gone differently, frankly, but I’m not George, never was able to figure that out. No disrespect, Hoppy. To clear up some misconceptions, please note, I was out of drum corps during DCA 2012. It was after the Renegades got suspended and the President accepted the punishment from DCA that I got a phone call to try to reverse that. The then-President correctly points out in emphasis that he was not at DCA 2012. This is true, but the absence is also the problem. It is not a good thing to be absent from the biggest weekend of the year if you’re running a corps, and I have a profound appreciation of making this big mistake myself. When chaos happens, the leader should be there. As for the missed apology that is routinely suggested on here – Jeff did apologize on behalf of the Renegades in writing. Then I did as well -- my efforts then went to multiple phone calls, and about 48-hours of sincere apologies, an offer to make a public apology, and offer to pay fines and anything else that would resolve this situation for the Renegades. I failed to convince anyone of anything, and here we are. I know a lot of you disagree with my methodology or penchant for speaking out vigorously to the point of belligerence on behalf of myself or others. I am not here to apologize for that, that’s a skill set, and a course of action deliberately taken only when all other efforts failed. I am here, however, to tell you I deeply, deeply regret getting involved in this DCA-Renegades situation at all from Day 1. I accepted that call for help out of my love for a corps that I helped get off the ground, and my primary creative outlet for over a decade. Unfortunately, I had no idea the hornet’s nest I was stepping into, and the price I paid for getting involved was too high. I accomplished nothing for the corps by trying, and apparently lost many drum corps friends along the way. I certainly didn't gain any, as you can see. I did get a headache, if that counts for anything. To Gil Silva, Glenn Johnson, and any of my drum corps friends who found themselves on the opposite side of my efforts to keep the Renegades in DCA, I sincerely apologize for stepping into the situation, I should never have gotten involved, and I am very sorry that our friendship was affected and/or destroyed. I wish you all well and hope maybe we can be friends again sometime. To DCA corps and participants – Start supporting one another or the activity will economically fail. To the Renegades – I think the Michael Jordan quote Chris that started his press release says it all quite well. In hindsight, I think the true answer for the Renegades after DCA 2012 was not to go full speed ahead and venture to Europe, or to fight DCA. In my unsolicited opinion, I think the Renegades simply need to find that comfortable warm happy creative zone, where everyone is having fun doing drum corps and loves hanging out together – whatever the gig is, and no matter how many people are there. That’s why the Renegades started, and that’s why I know the Renegades are not done – the corps is bigger than a DCA weekend, it's never been about points or trophies, it's been about the people. Once you get a drum corps in that amazing creative family zone, we once did with two (2) horn players in the arc, the rest will follow quickly, and it will stay fun on the way up. You’ll get there. Lee 7
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