ForTheCommonGood

A few thoughts on the corps videos I've seen... Carolina Crown is bringing a much more coherent package this year in terms of theme. The music and the visuals compliment each other very well. While I don't feel this show will win, it should win over fans and definitely not place lower than last year. The brass and percussion have a lot of room to grow musically, but this is to their benefit I believe. The extended use of trombones by members of the brass section will take a long time to sound as full as I would like, but fundamentally they are taking the right approach and will get there. The ballad has some really cool musical moments that I think will be perhaps controversial, but I really enjoy. I have only seen what I can assume is Blue Devils ballad, which is in a similar vein to last summer's spectacle of the season. I applaud them for continuing last years approach, and I hope to see a lot of great film noir elements in the final product. Music wise, not much to say, other than that they are stellar! The Cadets are doing very well at this point. Great arrangements, a much more experienced brass and percussion section, and some really effective moments all drum corps fans will surely enjoy. This is the show I am most excited about. Sensemaya is crazy difficult, probably the hardest thing I've seen on the field this summer. As a lot of you know, I was a huge fan last year of this corps and it looks like this year will be no different. Phantom Regiment is playing better than they have since 2013! Musically, the arrangements are much more cohesive. The props are really cool looking, I'm excited to see how this show develops. Boston Crusaders never really had me hooked last year, which is strange considering how much of a fan of them I have been in the past. However, the last four minutes of this show give me a lot to be excited about! Blue Knights are playing a very demanding show, and are sounding great. No one should be concerned about the new brass staff, they are incredibly qualified and the students seem to be really excited about this year. While I haven't seen any drill yet, musically this one will be very enjoyable. The Academy had the hardest show on the field in my book last year. This year they have stepped it up with not necessarily a whole lot less demand, but better pacing of it throughout the show. They are surely a finals contender.

Got a chance to see and hear the Cadets- this is not a corps you'll want to miss. I was a huge fan of last year, but this corps clearly is very mature and the sounds they are putting out definetly reinforce that!

Crazier things have happened, I wouldn't call it a shoe in just yet. I'm rooting for them to pull ahead! If they can get the reward they deserve for this outstanding product, they may very well pull ahead. Crusaders were for sure 13th at this point in semis last year. And then they played on Saturday night! I'm so excited that THIS show is their "transition" show, the fact that they are doing this well after losing so much in one off season is a testament to this new staff, the marching members, and their volunteers and supporters!

Waiting for the numbers to reward this corps- they deserve it! Not trying to diminish what the Crusaders are accomplishing, but Cadets have a show far ahead of it's time. The brass score and visual proficiency scores especially confused me last night. I majored in music education and trumpet performance and have been following the activity year round for a long time, and frankly I don't see how BAC, Cavaliers, BK, and PR outscored this hornline. But alas, these are just numbers, and what I witnessed in the theater is probably my favorite drum corps show in long time, maybe my favorite ever (I've been following since 2003). Congrats Cadets, keep pushing!

If you are looking at competitive placement you are correct, though Cadets are on track to at least match their score from last year, if not exceed it. Cadets are having a much improved season in terms of a design perspective, one of the most cohesive shows they have put out in a long time in terms of music and imagery. And this is this staff's first time working together, it is a transitional year for them, and the fact they are close to maintaining with a completely new staff in the top 7 now is something unheard of. Now another thing unheard of is Boston Crusaders huge jump in placement. Will they be able to maintain? Will there be any staff changes from them? I can't imagine so because the word from many is that the staff is very happy, so they likely want to build another dynasty. As a big Cadets fan, I am looking forward to the future of this friendly rivalry. There shouldn't be any animosity between these two corps, I feel like we can't have a conversation about Boston with talking about Cadets and as well the other way around. We should be celebrating the success of both of these organizations as both are having VERY good years, albeit for different reasons but I see no reason to be nothing but excited about the future of both organizations! I am not calling your post hostile towards Cadets, because it certainly is not, I would like to bring awareness to people bashing these two corps based on which one they are affiliated with. These are wonderful kids, designers and staff, who I have great respect for! Good luck to Crusaders this week, and I am looking forward to 2018!

Saturday, July 29 DCI Southeastern Championship - Powder Springs, GA Blue Devils - 93.000 Santa Clara Vanguard - 92.950 Carolina Crown - 91.800 Bluecoats - 91.200 The Cavaliers - 90.000 The Cadets - 88.200 Phantom Regiment - 85.700 Blue Knights - 85.300 Blue Stars - 83.800 The Academy - 79.000 Spirit of Atlanta - 75.400 Oregon Crusaders - 74.000 Pacific Crest - 72.900 Genesis - 71.800 Seattle Cascades - 71.000 Jersey Surf - 68.400 Pioneer - 64.900

The biggest synth bass offenders for me have been Bluecoats, Madison Scouts, and SCV. Everyone uses it, but I can't recall it being egregious to me in person. I'll see this weekend at the Winston Salem show!

They aren't 8th yet! And I seriously doubt they will be. Consistently, they have been close to Cavaliers in effect head to head, so that shows the judges think the product is in that same tie at leastr. The execution numbers are getting there, they were spectacular in San Antonio (frankly, I had them half a point over Crusaders, but I'm guilty of putting product over performance). I'm really pulling for them, to maintain 6th will definitely help them retention wise and they can come back with another incredible show in 2018!

Tuesday, July 25 Mustang, OK Santa Clara Vanguard - 90.800 Carolina Crown - 90.650 The Cadets - 87.950 The Academy - 77.900 Seattle Cascades - 68.400 Wednesday, July 26 Little Rock, AR Santa Clara Vanguard - 91.400 Bluecoats - 90.000 Cadets 88.200 Boston Crusaders- 88.000 Phantom Regiment - 85.100 Crossmen - 82.900 Mandarins - 80.000 Colts - 75.800 Seattle Cascades - 69.150 Hattiesburg, MS Blue Devils - 92.000 The Cavaliers - 89.500 Blue Knights - 84.300 Blue Stars - 82.000 Madison Scouts - 81.250 Troopers - 76.000 Oregon Crusaders - 73.100 Genesis - 71.200 Jersey Surf - 66.000 Pioneer - 61.900 Thursday, July 27 Birmingham, AL Boston Crusaders - 88.200 Blue Stars - 83.200 Crossmen - 83.000 Madison Scouts - 81.800 Mandarins - 81.700 The Academy - 80.200 Spirit of Atlanta - 76.000 Oregon Crusaders - 73.000 Jersey Surf - 65.600 Friday, July 28 Dothan, AL Blue Stars - 83.500 Madison Scouts - 82.400 Colts - 76.900 Troopers - 76.500 Spirit of Atlanta - 75.900 Pacific Crest - 74.900 Genesis - 71.300 Seattle Cascades - 69.700 Pioneer - 62.400 Nashville, TN Blue Devils - 93.600 Santa Clara Vanguard - 93.500 Carolina Crown - 92.900 Bluecoats - 92.000 The Cavaliers - 90.000 The Cadets - 88.900 Blue Knights - 86.500 Phantom Regiment - 86.400

And I did give the staff and the corps their due credit in that regard. While I may not have mentioned improvement outright, it is certainly implied (the staff changes are old news at this point). And I have no doubt they will eventually take their place as perennial top 5/4 finishers.

Congratulations Cadets! Trust the process :)

That is not my opinion, as I stated. Last I checked they are not first place in all the content captions. I think they are fantastic though, what people seem to be forgetting is any placement that is higher than 12th is an improvement for them, and a victory for the corps. Even if by some impossibility they got 12th, they should be celebrating a great show and TOP NOTCH execution. It is my personal opinion that the design team needs to write something more demanding for the brass next year. This is the same brass staff that pulled off that incredible Shostakovich in 2015. I would love to see them tackle more great romantic music with this team. I think they underwrote for them, because they are awesome! The percussion and guard writing is top 3 quality in my opinion. I am looking at this as objectively as possible. There is nothing biased about my review of the corps, only observations based off of what I saw. And it is my opinion that the product they are putting out has some effective moments, but they are hampered by arrangements not challenging enough for the brass, which is over half of the corps. As a brass player and music educator I think my opinion is viable. But it is MY opinion. You think BAC has the best show, and I respect that, but I do not. I do not appreciate being called biased in such a haphazard way. I wish you a fantastic rest of the season!

I still hold firm to my belief that this show is a show that will be talked about for years to come! It's so refreshing design wise, they have really figured how to pace an emotionally satisfying show. Arrangements are top notch, the visual product is so engaging. George has discussed changing the opening, I think they need this and one other change (very minor things): -If you're going for chaos in the opening, I think they need to involve the brass musically. The chords being played in the front could easily translate to the brass as well. -In the swing section, when the battery is being featured, there needs to be vocals there, just like there were before. That should make the impact all the more satisfying. Even if they don't do these things, this show will still be my favorite of the year and one of my favorites for many years! Competitively, they have been within .2 of Cavaliers this season, who's to say they can't surge and that happen again? Boston Crusaders have notched two victories, congrats to them, but it would be outstanding to see the Cadets maintain their placement from last year despite the odds. Or to see them IMPROVE! No matter the competitive outcome, this show is a huge improvement for them and honestly the most Cadets-esque show in a long time! Congratulations on an outstanding performance at San Antonio!

Cadets were outstanding! Massive improvement in all facets- they will not settle for anything lower than last year. I think though Boston is excellent, they don't have as much to clean as Cadets which bodes well for the Allentown corps success in the final weeks. Both are outstanding!

Saturday July 22nd: San Antonio Texas: Blue Devils 90.000 Santa Clara Vanguard 89.700 Carolina Crown- 88.900 Bluecoats 87.500 Cavaliers- 86.000 Cadets 85.200 Boston Crusaders 84.800 Blue Knights 84.000 Phantom Regiment 83.200 Blue Stars 81.600 Crossmen 81.000 Mandarins 77.900 Madison Scouts 77.100 The Academy 76.150 Troopers 74.000 Colts 73.600 Oregon Crusaders 71.200 Spirit of Atlanta- 71.000 Pacific Crest 70.400 Seattle Cascades 67.300 Genesis 66.500 Jersey Surf 63.800 Pioneer 60.000

I'm inclined to agree, Boston Crusaders are executing very well, but I do not believe their show to be a strong product (I was also minority last year where I thought Quixotic was a spectacular design, but not performed to its potential). The way I see it is: Brass Content- Cadets win by a big margin. Drew Shanefield has really surprised me with the quality and demand of the arrangements, I think it is a big step up. Achievement- Boston Crusaders. There is not a whole lot of demand here however. When Cadets peak on finals night I do believe they will be over Crusaders. Percussion Content- Cadets have a really well written book, that I feel is more musical than Crusaders. Front ensemble writing is also top notch. Achievement- Cadets battery is dirtier (mostly snares) than Crusaders. Front ensemble from the Cadets gets the nod for me. Visual Analysis/Proficiency Content- Cadets uniforms are beautiful in all three stages. They have a lot of great imagery and the drill design is especially well done in the fallen section. Achievement- Cadets are marching very well, and the choreography is well done! Guard Content- Boston Crusaders content is better than a lot of the top guard groups right now, as is evidenced in the scoring. Not to say Cadets writing is bad, it is very good! Achievement- Boston Crusaders are performing in the same tier as SCV and Bluecoats! Overall- Cadets have the better vehicle and are cleaning fast! Boston Crusaders don't have as much to clean as they do. Once all of the problem sections have been cleaned in Cadets I have no doubt they will pull ahead of Crusaders! Both are fantastic organizations that I have a lot of respect for on and off the field!

Monday July 17th El Dorado Kansas: Blue Devils 86.900 Bluecoats 85.950 Blue Knights 80.900 Mandarins 76.900 Oregon Crusaders 70.100 Pacific Crest 70.000 Olathe Kansas: Santa Clara Vanguard 86.500 The Cadets 83.400 Phantom Regiment 79.900 Blue Stars 78.000 Colts 73.000 Seattle Cascades 67.000 Genesis 65.600 Bentonville Arkansas: Carolina Crown 86.000 Boston Crusaders 82.900 Crossmen 78.500 Madison Scouts 77.100 The Academy 74.000 Spirit of Atlanta 71.000 Jersey Surf 62.000 Pioneer 56.000 Tuesday July 18th: Broken Arrow Oklahoma: Blue Devils 87.500 Santa Clara Vanguard 87.000 Carolina Crown 86.900 Bluecoats 86.400 The Cavaliers 84.900 The Cadets 84.000 Blue Knights 82.500 Phantom Regiment 82.000 Thursday July 20th: Belton Texas: Carolina Crown 87.600 Boston Crusaders 83.000 Blue Stars 80.100 Crossmen 79.500 Madison Scouts 78.000 Mandarins 77.800 Academy 75.900 Colts 75.000 Troopers 73.100 Genesis 67.000 Jersey Surf 62.900 Pioneer 57.400 Denton Texas: Santa Clara Vanguard- 87.300 Bluecoats 87.000 The Cavaliers 85.550 The Cadets 85.000 Blue Knights 83.400 Phantom Regiment 83.000 Oregon Crusaders 71.000 Pacific Crest 70.900 Spirit of Atlanta 70.500 Seattle Cascades 69.000 Friday July 21st: Houston Texas: Blue Devils- 87.900 Santa Clara Vanguard 87.800 Carolina Crown 87.000 Bluecoats 87.000 (Tie) The Cavaliers 85.900 Blue Knights 83.900 Phantom Regiment 83.700 Crossmen 80.100 Saturday July 22nd: San Antonio Texas: Blue Devils 90.000 Santa Clara Vanguard 89.700 Carolina Crown- 88.900 Bluecoats 87.500 Cavaliers- 86.000 Cadets 85.200 Boston Crusaders 84.800 Blue Knights 84.000 Phantom Regiment 83.200 Blue Stars 81.600 Crossmen 81.000 Mandarins 77.900 Madison Scouts 77.100 The Academy 76.150 Troopers 74.000 Colts 73.600 Oregon Crusaders 71.200 Spirit of Atlanta- 71.000 Pacific Crest 70.400 Seattle Cascades 67.300 Genesis 66.500 Jersey Surf 63.800 Pioneer 60.000

Love this show already! I am seeing some great changes to this show, some still in development but a lot of moments are starting to sparkle a little more. This show is such a beast musically and visually, it's not a question for me if they will get to a cleaner product, it's when. This staff has worked really hard to create a really special show, and these kids are certainly up to the task. Don't let one defeat by .2 bring you down! You were 1.1 behind Carolina Crown a week ago, who says that can't happen again? A few shows ago, they were well above BAC in head to head competition, it's still pretty early, and I would definitely say Cadets have a more demanding product than BAC. Regardless of competitive results, I love this corps and show! I'm glad they aren't discouraged by competitive outcome!

12 July – Atlanta Lebanon, IL Santa Clara Vanguard - 82.800 Phantom Regiment - 76.700 Madison Scouts - 72.900 Genesis - 63.000 Pioneer - 56.300 Atlanta, GA The Cavaliers - 80.500 The Cadets - 80.100 Boston Crusaders - 78.500 Colts - 70.100 Spirit of Atlanta - 68.500 Jersey Surf - 58.900 Ogden, UT Blue Devils - 83.500 Blue Knights - 77.000 Mandarins - 73.550 Pacific Crest - 68.400 Oregon Crusaders - 68.000 Seattle Cascades - 67.000 Friday, July 14 Dubuque, IA Santa Clara Vanguard - 83.600 Blue Stars - 76.900 Crossmen - 76.300 The Academy - 71.500 Colts - 70.000 Genesis - 64.000 Pioneer - 56.900 Martin, TN Carolina Crown - 83.800 Boston Crusaders - 80.000 Madison Scouts - 73.500 Spirit of Atlanta - 69.400 Jersey Surf - 59.900 Casper, WY Bluecoats - 84.600 Mandarins - 74.300 Troopers - 70.900 Oregon Crusaders - 69.400 Seattle Cascacdes - 68.500 Saturday, July 15 Alexandria, KY Carolina Crown - 84.850 Boston Crusaders - 81.900 Madison Scouts - 74.000 Spirit of Atlanta - 69.900 Jersey Surf - 60.500 DeKalb, IL Santa Clara Vanguard - 85.100 The Cavaliers - 83.100 The Cadets - 82.300 Phantom Regiment - 78.700 Blue Stars - 77.000 Crossmen - 76.500 The Academy - 73.400 Colts - 70.000 Denver, CO Blue Devils - 85.400 Bluecoats - 84.700 Blue Knights - 78.400 Mandarins - 75.000 Troopers - 72.000 Oregon Crusaders - 71.000 Pacific Crest - 70.900 Seattle Cascades - 70.000

Couldn't agree more with the last one especially. Both of them remind me of Carolina Crown just before they dropped the bomb in 2008 with that incredibly musically demanding show. I feel like this is Boston Crusaders stepping stone to something incredibly special. The same for Blue Knights! And lets not forget Phantom Regiment, I cannot wait to see how they stack up with Boston Crusaders!

Thank you for your thoroughness, I love having good discussion about drum corps! I have to say I agree with you. In overall visual, BAC 100% gets the nod in terms of design, especially that outstanding guard. BK unfortunately is not hitting their stride with the guard, I think it has a lot to with how you can't really discern them from the brass and percussion, as well as some interesting writing choices that I'm not sure are hitting their stride. Musically I would have to give it Blue Knights, that brass section is divine. Percussion wise Blue Knights writing is so musical, and BAC plays with such aplomb for this point of the season. BAC and BK a lot going for them. It'll be really interesting to see how things play out, they seem really evenly matched. I love seeing the Crusaders making that competitive push this year that brings them in the same tier as the Blue Knights, who also experienced something similar a few years ago. My personal opinion with Boston Crusaders is that they need a more difficult show in the brass caption and the drill caption to compete with the upper echelon in DCI. Not more runs or body movement, just more meat, variety of styles, more exposed passages and less full ensemble work. I'm very impressed by their ensemble sound, but I feel like there are more than enough impact moments in this show. Showing off what your individuals can do in smaller groups or even by themselves in future show designs I think would benefit them. The Blue Devils, Santa Clara Vanguard, and Carolina Crown all are prime examples of mixture of exposure and full ensemble work. Especially this year. Boston Crusaders show falls behind in that department where it succeeds overwhelmingly in the rest! I think the design team might have actually underestimated this brass line, because going back to Boston Crusader's 2016 show, it definitely had more demand in terms of exposure and variety. This is all opinion, but I too did not want to seem one sided. I love what these corps are doing and I'm glad to have a chance to talk about it with people as passionate as myself!