Jeff

Rest in peace, friend......

RIP Jerome.....

Florida is a nice place to live, but it's way out of DCA territory. I do miss DCA and all the people that make it a great activity. Glad to see the level of competition is still strong.

2006 was a fun season and a great horn line. Glad to see the Bush back in the top echelon of DCA.

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Too much of the discussion focuses on key, rather than the design. Back when dinosaurs roamed the planet and my musical journey began, bands and drum corps played completely dissimilar instruments. It had nothing to do with the key. It was about the shape and construction of the instrument. The defining element of drum corps bugles was and still is the bell front design. There wasn't a marching band anywhere that employed straight bell front baritones, euphoniums, or tubas. My high school band, as did the vast majority, marched their concert instruments, except for switching out the tubas for sousaphones. Yes, the keys were different, but they weren't similar instruments of different lengths. During the 1970's, the design of outdoor marching brass began to converge. Corps added upright valves and bands adopted the bell front design of the drum corps bugle. At that point, the instruments began to resemble one another, with the key of the instrument now becoming a more important factor. Many believed that the key of the instrument was more than an aural distinction. It became a line of demarkation that made the drum and bugle corps activity unique. By the 1990's, both Kanstul and Dynasty produced side by side sets of marching brass instruments for corps and bands. A novice would be have been hard pressed to tell one from the other by looking at them. For reasons that have been discussed in the thread, corps switched keys to Bb and F instruments. While this is the traditional key of bands, the design of the instruments is one based on the single valve bugle, with it's distinctive straight bell front that I played in my youth. One could argue that bands adopted drum corps bugles and one could argue that drum corps adopted band instruments. There is truth in both points of view. As far as sound, there have been great drum corps brass lines throughout the history of the activity. I've enjoyed them all G or Bb/F. It's really about the performers and all the hard work and practice they put in over the course of the season to make drum corps the world's best arena for outdoor brass performance.

As someone who has judged a few contests in my day, perhaps this may answer the question. In using the word "deserve" the connotation infers that a placement in a competitive event is a form of punishment. Thus deserving 10th place, becomes a totally negative outcome without any merit. In every contest someone comes in last. That's how we do it. The notion of competition in drum corps is to produce better corps, programs, and performances, not to punish anyone. So from my viewpoint, no corps has ever deserved to the one who finishes just outside of Finals. No corps has ever deserved to be last in a contest. That's just the wrong way to view how competition works in this activity. Whether a corps comes in the 10th spot at DCA or finishes higher, it doesn't change their performance or the audiences perception of it. It is what it is. To discuss the DCA Finals within such a framework misses the broadside of the barn.

Congrats to the Hurricanes Honor Guard. They work really hard and have quite a string of consecutive titles.

Guess that's why they call it NORTH Carolina. Plus we have annexed Ontario into the North East as well.

Phantom actually used Herald G Bugles back in 1998 for their The Music of Rome show. I believe they were made from Yamaha trumpets and converted to G.

This penalty is usually the result of a guard member stepping over the back boundary to retrieve equipment. You need set it close enough to be picked up from on the field. While it may not have be an issue during the season, it may mean the T&P judge just never got back to check it out.

One technique you can try is to pull your tongue back in your mouth, which spreads it out, and then bite down on it with your back teeth. That should provide a release of saliva. That's what I taught back in the 1970's before corps could afford lemonade.

My condolences to Barry's family. I spent countless hours with him over the years judging for DCI and DCI. He was one of a kind and will be missed. I'm sad at hearing of his passing. He was a great friend. RIP...... Jeff Mitchell

Hey, I was actually there when this photo was taken at a Hurcs Brass rehearsal on Jan. 6, 2008. So I guess that I know who they are....... Hope that's not too much of a hint.......

It's good to see lots of love for the Hurricanes. It would be much better to see lots of people at our open house on December 7th. We are expecting a high rate of return from our vets and would love to see a multitude of new, prospective members. Mark that date down on your calenders. The corps worked very hard last season and we are looking to pick up right where we left off. Jeff Mitchell, Hurricanes brass and program consultant