FHdork

<Do you happen to know when the announcement will be? > Official announcement will be May 14, 2012 -

Yes - it's a wedding show, but they're marrying the Blue Devils...hence the 'blue' part - It comes from the 'if you can't beat them, join them (ie: marry them...)' adage...

I think the OP left off the non-top 12 placing years...which leaves out 96, 2003, and 2011.

<There are FAR better ways of networking outside of drum corps. I know that's a popular train of thought in the Music Ed world (and it's not invalid, per say), but to be honest marching drum corps only maybe helps you get a job as a tech or a coach somewhere while in college. What's FAR more important is what/how you do in college and student teaching, as well as practical teaching experience you gain along the way. > While this is true on its face, the author is ignoring - or is not aware of - the enormous intangibles one learns in drum corps...top among them are responsibility, persistence, tenacity, and the ability to keep trying despite falling short of the goal. Drum corps people learn something the average above average (think about it...) college student simply does not learn - and mostly likely CANNOT learn in college. What drum corps truly teaches has nothing to do with music of movement...those are simply the method by which drum corps transforms the young members. To the OP: you've gotten some good advice here, from many folks. The reason to march are given in these answers. The reasons NOT to march...well, only you can know those. But a teenager's wont is to lay about, get little done, eat too much, and make pretty poor use of time. All the old farts here know this, for we speak from experience.

Great post, Mike - finally...some love for Dan's work and leadership in the early 90s!

Great post, Horns up! 75 nationals was my introduction to drum corps (via PBS - thanks PBS!) - and Kilties stood out, largely for the solo work. I always find the 'back stories' interesting.

I would be very interested to know if anyone enjoys a 'moment' where the music is just 'meh'... I believe you CAN manufacture moments...you simply use GREAT music...

Anyone with 3+ decades of drum corps memories cannot possibly type all the moments into this box. That said - here are some fine ones... <Phantom 96....from note one, you felt something special happening> Best description I've yet read of how the Phantom 96 finals show felt to me... 1990 BD - 2nd production...there are two moments when the horn line makes big hits...and the intonation is so stunning...so perfect, Rich Stadium is RINGING right along with them. 2004 - Cavaliers - I sat through all three of their shows that week of finals, smiling from ear to ear for every moment of that show - 1988 - the top 4 corps...yikes...great drum corps 1985 - SCV opener - the epitome of 1980s SCV that said... 1987 SCV - the epitome of 1980s SCV 1993 Phantom - 50 yard line seats...it is my most overpowering drum corps memory. As they finished destroying Bernard Herrmann's Death Hunt, the entire crowd was in the collective palms of 128 pairs of hands. (great composer...read about him here... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Herrmann ) Here is a taste of the power of that little bit of cinematic history... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqL5gEoXWBk One can only imagine how much better Phantom would have sounded if they'd had a French horn line... And as others have mentioned - 1991 Star... topped only by 1993 Star... Ah - so many...

<Receive vague information about a show... "I just don't like this" "gonna be a flop" > Sounds a LOT like what I read about the Cadets concept 12 months ago...and that one turned out pretty well -

Some great ideas here! A reality based show that follows a gaggle of young auditioners as they attempt to make the ranks of 1 World Class corps (makes the most sense for it to be one of the big 4 or 5...) would garner some viewers. Kind of a mashup of American Idol, the Biggest Loser, The X Factor, Survivor, and Dancing with the Stars. I can well imagine lots of whispered shots of rookie #3 saying, 'OMG...we've been in this BLAZING sun since 8am, and it's 4:30pm...I am WHIPPED - and we're going to stay out here till dark...6 more hours!'

This tune...hmmm....to me, it just screams drum corps... If you get bored...skip to the 4:30 mark and listen to the end - But seriously...a classic musical selection (don't repeat drill and color guard...just the music...) - doesn't have to be performed by the same corps that made it famous. It just needs a quality treatment and conscientious attention.

<ou have to remember that the premise is pretty simple....> Yep - this could be the TV mantra...with certain exceptions for British mysteries, Mythbusters, and NOVA. As Boo points out...to Jane Homeshopping Network and Joe World Wide Wrestling, drum corps is just band geeks and band (insert more pejorative word here...), and surely there is something more interesting on TV (like 'punkin chunkin')

The traditional football broadcasts keep getting interrupted because BD keeps changing the TV to channel 1...

I voted for 99 - the Kodaly show was stunningly good...just GREAT drum corps. I also encourage folks to look at and listen to the Dan Acheson finalist years...you can hear the good teaching in the brass, though it's still obvious they had a lot of high school and young college players.

<wierd> Not only are trombone players weird...but weird itself is weird because it breaks the 'i before e' rule... I've made that mistake so many times...weird...

No one had any idea the Bridgemen would do what they did at the close of their 1976 final performance. If it had been any more unexpected, even the audience would had themselves a tumbledown. Next word: "Pickle"

The worst of this is beer talk...the kind of thing best left to a casual night out over beers/wines and good conversation. This board is well traveled by many...most of whom do not register and/or post. They just come here to see what the world of drum corps is all about. And while I don't think this should be closed or removed, I do think we should be wary of airing our dirty laundry HERE. <the demands of the activity mean that it is hard to get away with it.> Exactly. All corps have no mercy policies about this stuff. One of the triumphs of today's drum corps is that, compared to college (or high school) football and other sports, it is a squeaky clean activity. No...it's not perfect...it's an activity centered around youth 14-22...so stuff happens. Drugs are not a problem in today's drum corps.

I thought you were going to discuss Ibuprofen abuse...I would think anti-inflammatory drugs are abused far more than any other in the world of today's drum corps - The days of various corps members earning the nickname "pharmacy" are over...

Those are GOOD places to start! Good Luck!

While little is impossible in music (Arturo Sandoval blew away legendary jazzer Dizzy Gillespie when the latter visited Cuba...but not before Gillespie dissed him because he thought, 'oh, the taxi driver wants to jam with me...how nice...' - well...Gillespie went to his grave singing the praises of that largely self made musician/taxi driver...) - yes, it's possible you can learn to be good enough to make a world class mello line. However, these days it's more difficult than it has EVER been to do so. Your BEST chance to make a line, without taking lessons, is to commit to an open class corps for a year - or a lower tier World Class (Pioneer, Pacific Crest, Mandarin, et al.) and have that process help mold your progress. All previous advice about listening applies...it's just that the smaller mouthpiece instruments are more challenging -

Baritone...imo, far and away the most ergonomic mouthpiece. Learn Baritone...perhaps march a year or two...then think about moving up. As for learning on line: listening is often cited as the best teacher. Being a fan of actual lessons with a human, I certainly vote for that...but if you won't or can't get lessons, just do a whole lot of listening. Learn what you like, then be tenacious in figuring out how to make that sound for yourself.

Motor City Musician: I see what you did there...

<Faure Pavanne/ Woody Herman recording> Ouch...but I'll do you one better...Ride of the Valkyries, by this jazz icon...

Takes a licking and keeps on ticking?

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