Donny Drum Corps

you have the Ghost Riders confused with Westshoremen I think.

The mini corps I write for and teach is far from a bunch of old guys trying to see who can hit the highest note, and you know that. We have some old guys in the baritone line that still can play. However, the last several years have been Star and Ghost Riders and whoever else shows up. This will be the Ghost Riders 20th year in DCA competition as hard as that may be to believe. Last year's show was very diverse with the different groups that came in. But I digress, pretend I didn't say anything about the topic. I know better than to come over here and say something that is not the norm, so I will go back to Facebook now. DA

So mini corps and alumni corps don't compete. Maybe I said that wrong. They still could be used to fill in the gaps where there are not enough corps that do compete. Again...just thinking out loud. Alumni corps and mini corps are just not considered as part of DCA, even though they are. That is the point of all of this.

Ok...but when asked about DCA just past 2014...more fans (than not) said the 2 most entertaining corps of the whole weekend were Star United and Ghost Riders. Others might say Cabs Alumni and Bridgemen Alumni were the most entertaining. Many people I talked to, including savvy veteran fans, were walking out of prelims and finals complaining about the lack of "entertaining" corps and shows that were becoming similar in design qualities. Believe me Jeff...I know about this whole (only for the member corps) situation. But there are other parts of the DCA experience that just don't get the respect that the WHOLE experience of a DCA weekend entails, that includes the Alumni show. When people come to their first DCA, they go home talking about not just the member corps, they talk about the whole weekend experience. For me that should be a selling point that makes it different from the DCI experience. Now DCI is catching on with the drum battles and soundsport venues. They got that idea from DCA...believe me. The Five Star show was during the day of one of the biggest stage shows of the drum corps world, and most corps members that could have been at that mini corps show were practicing. That cut down drastically the fan base that "would be" ticket buyers, IMO. While I applaud the 5 star guys for doing this, they would have to figure this to happen. Would they have come if they weren't practicing? I am not sure, but would venture to say "maybe" at least. No big deal...I am just thinking out loud. I believe that is more than DCA brass may be doing on how preserve the activity and the circuit itself, I may be wrong, I have been wrong ,many times. DA

what I am saying is there may be still be some activity in western and central NYS, had this idea been embraced for more than one show at DCA championship weekend. Empire had to travel 6 hours because there were no shows. If DCA could have put a mini corps category into these shows as one competition, a class A competition, and open competition, and alumni exhibitions such as St Joes, Scout House, Hamburg Kingsmen, United Alumni, Militaires. et al...would there still be shows in western and central NYS? Perhaps even a regional contest sometime in late July to tune up before DCA...who knows? You just said, DCA weekend is set up to make money for the "member corps" only. I just said that mini corps and Alumni corps performances other than on DCA weekend should/could have been considered as members of DCA. Bring up mini corps or the Alumni corps at DCA congress and see the reaction you will get from the elite "member" corps. There are still a ton of performances that we do all year round with Ghost Riders. Parades, BHOF, stage exhibitions and the like...now there are groups popping up like SDCA, SoundSport, the BHOF shows, Alumni shows, military tattoos, and DCA "non-member" corps are being offered significant funds or a chance to perform and to participate in. DCA could think outside the box of what the definition of member corps is before they are all doing soundsport, SDCA or BHOF shows. I am just saying...there are shows that being offered that are not DCA shows. DA

Kamaraq said that he would like to see DCA change the mini corps venue to a SoundSport type venue. I say we like it as it is! They developed SoundSport after viewing the pioneers of the DCA mini corps event. There have been Class A corps that started as a mini corps. The biggest problem is that DCA has still failed to embrace the mini corps as a part of weekend. For the record, 2015 will be the Ghost Riders 20th anniversary as a continuous mini corps entry!!!! My next prediction is that the White Sabers will go open class. I have no actual knowledge of this, but I strong gut feeling that it will happen. After 2 years of scoring well enough to be an open finalist, it is probably time to do so. Donny Drum Corps

I know this guy...

Cadets have used horns reasonable in comparison to other corps.

YEA has used Yamaha horns at a reasonable price. I checked all around for UB and Cadets were the most reasonable. DA

Charlotte beach is in Rochester, as I am from Rochester...better put on this reading glasses.

Batavia Downs racetrack for St Joes when I was a kid, Grant Street Plaza for the Purple Lancers. Most of the Rochester corps also shared the Civic Center Plaza downtown, or the parking lot at Charlotte Beach at times.

good choice. I saw his band Saturday, and they were very good

I like the Phoenix idea...even as an exhibition or mini corps.

yep...Empire beat Bush in Gloversville? by many points the last time we saw them, and were surprised at least to see them climb so fast. So that was the first time Bush beat Empire I am pretty sure.

1990 is still the best for Bush haters....

good luck Kilties

I want to personally wish the Sunrisers the best of luck with their new music arranger JD Shaw. He is a great arranger! I am glad that I had an opportunity to write for the corps for a year, and would still hope to believe that I gave you what you needed for that short time. Donny

I am not trashing the Kilties.

There are many GREAT band programs on Long Island. Copiague, Mineola, Sachem, Brentwood, Malverne, Huntington, et al. All of these districts have strong marching band programs. It is a great idea to get out to these NYSFBC shows to gain new members.

Winning is the bonus...well said Frank.

John, I am not really talking about me as just an instructor, I suppose. Instruction should come from chosen local technicians IMO. But having an instructional and conceptual program that is designed to make a DCA corps competitive is more what I was thinking. Because of my affiliations in Wisconsin at Pioneer, I became to know many very good teachers that could immediately affect the quality of musicianship and marching. But alas, with Pioneer, they could only do what was allowed because of administrative policy, attendance, membership numbers and time constraints. Had Pio competed in DCA during those they would have been a top 5 corps I believe. I say that with experience, because I would go and work with top five corps after tour was done for a direct comparison. I like my role at the White Sabers, so it doesn't matter I guess. At White Sabers, I am in the loop through picking a show idea, which I have considerable weight in, musical design, where nothing really gets handed out without approval or at least suggestions to approach, consultation in visual coordination with musical ideas, etc...I don't actually write the book, but I have a lot to do with what the book is, and how it is constructed with DCA effects programmed at the right times. Also, I do not have to be there for the corps to be successful because every teacher there are students of mine or previous colleagues at some other corps. When I go to a practice, they ask me to run ensemble rehearsals from the box, and take nearly all suggestions I make, not just for the brass line. There is total respect from the staff because of the experience I can offer them as far as being a winner at all levels of DCA. I am not the program coordinator nor a designer, but a design and instructional consultant to a corps with a great bunch of teachers and members. So, you are right, my instruction alone cannot make the Kilties a finalist in consecutive years. I just get mad every year when I see them at prelims, knowing that they wont make finals again with what they are doing. DA

not true that Pioneer has more talent in the brass line. Maybe percussion, Jeff, but the Kilts brass line is very talented. That being said, I think I could help the Kilties. DA

How many times did this scenario take place through the years? It is documented that 1972, 1981, 1996 were top stories in this regard....but there were many more. In the late 80's and early 90's there were shows that whomever produced that night better than the other 2 or 3 corps in the same pack would win the show. That is when it was difficult to judge. Look at the battles between Sun and Bush, Sun and Hurcs, Cru and Empire, Steel City and Westshoremen, Empire and Bush, Empire and Brigs, Empire and Cabs, Cabs and Sky, Westshore and Cabs and all of the above on any given year. You walk out of the stadium with no thoughts of talking to anyone from the corps that beat you that wasn't expected, but it doesn't last long. These are competitors. DA Side note...I competed in mini corps this year with a product that was very good. We got beat by a product that was even better. Disappointed? maybe a little. Mad? not at all. My team did the best they could! That is what you are supposed to do at DCA. The best you can do. If you did that, and you had fun, you did DCA correctly!

Word is, though, they are making some choices.

That is a bear...La Fiesta Mexicana. We played it in the 1974 Auburn Purple Lancers.