nhsalan

Hey Bos, No one was judging out of caption, they simply didn't judge all captions and changed the weighting on the captions that do exist. Last night, DCA corps were judged on Visual Ensemble, Music Effect, Music Ensemble and Percussion Perfomance. They would have had a Visual Effect number but due to a DCI judge who was sick, they simply averaged all the other caption scores and then gave each corps the average of their other scores in that Effect caption, which is probably the most fair way to evaluate the corps in the absence of one judge. It doesn't allow the "missing caption" to unduly influence the score because some other score that may have been stronger or weaker than the missing panel members caption would have been simply doubled in the past. Don't have a recap in front of me, but Alliance won the Music Effect and Music Ensemble Captions, CorpsVets won the Ensemble Visual and Percussion Performance Captions. They tied them in the Visual Effect caption with a 13.0 so neither corps got a bump or drop from that score. Both Atlanta DCA corps are off to a good start. Going to be a fun summer.

As of earlier today, Corps Vets has one Contra spot, one Bari, and possibly down to only 1 sop spot as of tonight. Percussively, we could use another keyboard and aux player and the battery needs a tenor, and possibly one bass drummer (tentative commitment on that one). If you are interested you can contact the corps director Dave Stollberg at director@corpsvets.org He will forward to the appropriate caption head. Thanks, AA

In the 80's, Spirit used to rehearse at Lakewood stadium, an astroturf field with tall white concrete bleachers on either side. We did that from 9 till 4 PM, took a break and then practiced on the ashphalt parking lots at various HS's or one year even at the airport on an abandoned parking lot. Can it be done? Yes. Is it pleasant? NO !! In 1987, the local health officials tried to cancel the show in Atlanta due to extreme heat and the fact that a TON Of kids from the northern corps were going down. Corps Director Freddy Martin told them we were NOT going to cancel our "home town performance" for our home crowd, so Spirit performed that day, though I don't remember if they made them go in halves or not? Some of you guys that actually marched that show chime in. Truly it was not that bad for our kids who were used to the heat. It was hot, but not so bad they couldn't have gotten through a show. The officials freaked however when they saw Crossmen I believe lose 10 or 12 kids in the show. Seems like either Cadets or Boston were there too and had a bunch go down that day too.

Actually John, that's only a portion of what we put on last weekend. That's the beginning of movement three down to the first impact, there are another 10 or so pages that they know past that. What you see there is the ensemble rehearsal the first time we put those pages together marching and playing. That's about 40 minutes or so into that rehearsal. They didn't get the rest of the segment on film because it's percussion features and then a little bit of us backfield after that. I TOLD you things were going to be a little different with CV this year. With a few good weekends of rehearsal, we should be okay for the first show. TON of work to do to clean the show and move it through the summer however. Still got a sop spot (although I have been told at least two and maybe three folks are coming to audition for that), 1 contra spot, some front ensemble and plate spots and I think Victor still needs one or two more flag spots to fill out the drill. Looking forward to seeing everyone in Columbia or come on down and visit one weekend and see what the excitement is all about for yourself. Take care, AA

It's been a good winter and now we are rolling into spring ready to rock and roll. Drums were in for the first time in several weeks and ensembled a nice chunk of the opener with the horns Saturday evening. Horns are marching and playing 64 pages and the guard is spinning and marching 41 of those I believe. If we have horns that are interested, I have one spot in the sop line and one Contra spot left. Supposedly, we have a couple people coming for the sop spot this weekend so if you are interested, you need to email me at cvbrass@gmail.com and let me know you are coming. I think percussion are almost set, but I know we could use a few folks in the front ensemble and maybe another plate or two. It's going to be a fun summer down south. Hop on board quick if you are coming, we're ready to hit the road soon !! Just a few more rehearsal weekends till the first show !! See everyone on the road. AA

My band was making the trip from Georgia to Chicago to march in the St. Pat's Parade there this year. Getting the band ready for the parade, I was determined to find something Irish to play OTHER than "Danny Boy" because that seemed so "overused". I looked around for weeks and played with different ideas.... never really finding anything that I liked better. Finally, I had to make a decision and reluctantly felt like I was a slacker and had kind of "failed" myself a little bit by not finding something else. Ended up writing a chart that combined a bit of an Irish jig melody and then transitioned into Danny Boy to finish. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I just based the last half of my chart off my memory of what 27th Lancers had played so many years ago. Just before we left on this trip to Chicago for the parade, I was chatting with Chris Sink (my asst director) telling him I'd try not to be such a slacker next time around and make sure I found the tune I wanted instead of falling back on something so trite and overdone...... Last night on the eve of the parade I found out that George Bonifiglio, the founder and long time director of the Lancers had passed away. I aged out of drum corps the year the Lancers folded. I cried that night, knowing that one of the legendary corps in DCI's history would most likely never take the field again.... I wiped a tear from my eye more than once today walking down the street listening to the band play the climax of the parade tune.... ".......And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me." Sometimes, I guess some things were just meant to be........ RIP George B.... thoughts and prayers for the entire Bonifiglio and Lancer family tonight.....

Already playing 5 minutes worth of the show. Spent about an hour on the phone with our arranger and looks like we may have another couple minutes of music for the hornline this weekend. See you there !

5 minutes of show music to work this weekend for horns !! I can almost smell the diesel fumes in the air... it's drum corps time !! See you at ECMS. AA

You can always move !! LOL I would agree, Freddy is one of the best in the activity. I had the chance to march for him as a member in his line at Spirit, work with him as a young instructor helping him teach his hornlines, and then hire him to work with my bands and almost every drum corps I've ever taught. I am THRILLED he and I are able to work together again and really excited about the positives he brings to our brass staff at Corps Vets. Can't wait to get Chip over and in front of the line also ! We are all pleased with the response so far from the potential members as well. As Dave mentioned with the multiple conflicts this weekend, we still had right at 60 horn players either present or accounted for with performance or testing issues. And just a side note, NONE of the names on the staff are simply "names on the marquee", they will all be actively involved teaching the line throughout the season. We've also been able to fill out the brass staff in the last few weeks so there are a few more pieces of good news coming in the near future for our members ! Happy Holidays AA

We have show music for tomorrow !! :tongue: See you there !

CorpsVets Drum and Bugle Corps will be holding a rehearsal for the brass line members this Saturday from 10 AM till 7 PM at the corps permanent home at East Coweta Middle School in Senoia Georgia. This is a chance for any horn players who were unable to attend the Open House to come audition for the line. We had a great turnout at the Open House ( over 60 horn players auditioned ) and have several folks coming for the first time this weekend. It's not too late to audition for the line but it will be soon !! Be sure to wear comfortable clothing you can move in (no jeans) as Visual Caption Head Chad Jacobs and his staff will begin the process of establishing the visual technique program for this years corps. Brass staff members Freddy Martin and Alan Armstrong will be on hand to lead the hornline through the beginnings of the technique program as well as some musical segments from this years show. For more information or directions, visit the corps website at CorpsVets Drum and Bugle Corps or contact brass caption head Alan Armstrong at cvbrass@gmail.com Look forward to seeing you there !

Someone else mentioned what were your favorite tunes we never heard anymore. What about the tunes no one reallly heard on the field? What are your favorite "warmup" or "Hype" charts that most folks never heard from this era? Not the ones everyone knows (Never Walk, Clowns etc...) What are some of the "unknown gems"?

John, we recognize there are probably 15 to 20 of those 150ish that we'll never see again. Fortunately, we also had 8 in the hornline that couldn't come last weekend that had specifically contacted us about their absence. After the exciting news coming out of open house, we've also had contact from several other folks in all captions about how they can audition. We'll see how many are capable of handling the higher demand being generated by the design team, and are committed both in attendance and financially. At that point, at least horn wise, I'm planning on still marching a few less than what I have committed knowing that there are always times when real life get's in the way and we lose a few players come spring/summer. It's also good to have a few alternates to put pressure on people to actually be at rehearsal and stay on top of their game throughout the winter. I am not sure about numbers in the drumline yet, but I do believe Eric is planning on marching a plate line... Had a convo with Victor (program coordinator and guard caption head) last night about how we were going to need to "divvy up" the membership based on our possible numbers. Good kinds of problems to have right now. We'll see how things develop through the winter/spring. I'm planning on hearing any new auditionees at the next rehearsal and also handing out the first show segment to the horns to read down with Freddy and I. Look forward to seeing anyone that wants to be a part of the newest generation of CV at ECMS on the 5th. AA

Wow !! What a HUGE upgrade from that hack they've had teaching visual the last couple of years !!

That's right Z, you remember how jazzy that Phantom 08 show was !! LOL No matter what we play, Chip is a GREAT teacher and an even better person. We're excited to have him on board moving forward!! AA

Heard earlier tonight that Annie Sullivan passed away today. Bob and Anne were legendary fans of ALL drum corps. They were ALWAYS sitting right there in the front row, DCI, DCA, it didn't matter, they loved the activity and all the people in it. Thoughts and prayers are with Bob as he deals with the loss of a lifetime love..... RIP Annie, I hope there was a great hornline waiting to bring you in the gates playing all your favorites. AA

Below is a note concerning a change in securing licensing for any Bernstein arrangements The Leonard Bernstein Office, Inc. will now require that the arrangement respect the melody, rhythm and harmony of the original, and be either of the complete composition or, in arrangements for students, a substantial extract that has a clear beginning and end. They WILL NOT not give permission for medleys or paraphrases. Boosey & Hawkes will also now require a copy of the finished arrangement before giving approval. If the arrangement does not meet the requirements with respect to the use of the music, the request will be denied. You will, of course, have the option to alter your arrangement to fit their requirements and resubmit, but you will be required to comply with these policies. I doubt Crown would have been approved nor the Troopers charts if this had been in effect this year. Not sure how they would have felt about Cadets. Will be interesting to see who can get something approved in the future.

Hope you enjoyed all the shows last night..... Still miss you my friend.... AA Jason's page

Might be interested according to where they were. Check your PM.

I know Ashley, and I know Will.... taught them both and they are BOTH great kids. That she chose to march that night is no surprise. Will would have done the same thing as would hundreds of others over the years. I find it interesting that so many armchair quarterbacks feel they have a better knowledge of what was appropriate in whether she strictly followed doctors orders or not. Doctors get sued every day for absolutely FOOLISH reasons, so their malpractice insurance lawyers and companies give them specific training in "minimizing their risks" in the advice they give. Those doctors have to give their advice based on their impression of the "lowest common denominator" of a 21 year old. In other words, if the least intelligent, least well trained, least dedicated, least knowledgeable "least of the least" of 21 year olds MIGHT get hurt performing under their conditions, they would be eaten alive by their lawyers and insurance companies for advising ANYTHING other than "rest" and "probably don't need to do anything tonight". My own daughter was hospitalized earlier this summer. She was setting up for a runthrough before the San Antonio regional and the last thing she remembers is setting out her equipment before the run. At some point shortly after that she passed out (as did several other members that afternoon, the heat had reached 106 one staffer told me). Caitlin was revived, but passed back out. Because she couldn't be revived consistently, they called an ambulance and transported her to the local hospital. They gave her two bags of IV fluids and did some blood work. After they had left the hospital with her, the nurse that had treated her spoke with my wife and told her she was pretty dehydrated and her sodium/potassium levels were low. She had a mild case of heat exhaustion but she should be fine with some rest. She told her they had advised her to stay in the air conditioning with no physical exertion for 24 hours.... My wife responded "well I probably shouldn't tell you that they took her straight to the show and I think she's going to perform tonight....." She's a sabre soloist in the ballad. I spoke with both one of the guard staff and the corps director that afternoon on their way back to the Dome. I asked them only to make sure that if THEY felt she was incapable of performing, to not give her the choice. Her mother and I both knew that given the choice, she'd try to march regardless of how she felt. Her mother and I both spoke to her before the show. We assured her it was HER choice and not to let anyone force her into anything, but that I had asked the staff to remove that choice for her if they didn't think she should perform. We also talked to one of the other captains we know well to insure that she didn't just do a good job of "hiding things" from the staff before the show. They evaluated her before the show, made a decision she would just do the solo portion of the ballad and come back off the field. So approximately four hours after being taken to the hospital in an ambulance, and approximately 1 1/2 hours after being dismissed from that same hospital, she took her place on the field and performed a couple minutes of the show flawlessly. Were we worried about her? Of course. Did we think she put herself in danger by ignoring doctors orders for 24 hours rest in an air conditioned environment to perform a couple minutes of her show? #### NO. These kids are NOT the "least of the least", they are the "best of the best". In the best shape of their lives, as well trained athletes as you will find in the nation at that point of the summer. Were WE the ones most appropriate to evaluate her ability to perform? Of COURSE not... neither are the doctors in San Antonio with Caitlin or the Doctors in Atlanta with Ashley; People who don't know the kids and don't understand the activity. The ones most appropriate to make that decision in Caitlin's case, and in Ashley's case made that decision; the kids and the staff involved who understand ALL the demands that were placed on those performers and know those kids and what they are capable of as performers. They took the medical personnels recommendations as PART of the decision making process, but they also evaluated (along with the members parents), what experience and understanding of the activity the doctors who were making those recommendations had. Kudos' to ALL the performers who fight through. Especially proud of Caitlin and Ashley both since I know them both personally, but I know there are hundreds of others who make the same decisions every summer. They are drum corps kids and they will be better for it down the road as will our country as they take their place as adults in our society. Bloomom, you raised a GREAT kid and I'm proud I got to know her and had some small part in the person she has become.

VERY classy note and very good sentiment. Whether we love or hate the changes in our activity, the kids on the field are the LAST ones we should hold responsible. They are just out there working every day trying to make the product they have been given better for the audience that sees them every night. And I agree, I knew of this young man when he was in High School and he can flat out play... GREAT musician.

MIGHT be because Jim was a trumpet player BEFORE he was a dancer !! Great guy and fantastic talent.

Matt, I truly appreciate your review and the time you spent to write it. More importantly, I appreciate the observations you make above. DCP is a FANTASTIC outlet for the drum corps fan. I deeply appreciate that there is a place where we can all go to read reviews like yours, argue about the latest "fad", praise the great things that happen between competing corps, let parents know there kids are okay (i.e. Glassmen last week) and just generally gather for fun. There are however, those here that take it so seriously, and in their own minds at least, elevate their OPINIONS to the level of the tablets that Moses brought down off the mountain. We would ALL do well to remember your thoughts, and your actions in support of the corps ( just how many shirts DID you buy? ) It's those kind of concrete actions that make things better, not complaining about color choices in the flags, bass guitars and electronics in the pits or even "GASP" the latest judges rankings. None of that really makes things better, it's just for our own entertainment If some more folks here took your advice seriously, our drum corps activity would be stronger and we would all have more fun, at the shows and on here as well. Thank you for supporting ALL the corps and for a FANTASTIC review. Best to you all, and enjoy the shows.

Thoughts and prayers for the entire organization, the driver and any of the volunteers who may have been injured. I know that even though the kids may not be "injured" physically, they are going to be concerned about volunteers who have been. I lived through a situation like this as a member years ago. Those folks are part of their family on the road and it's always distressing to know anyone has been hurt. Thanks to Brian Hickman and the Glassmen organization for their quick response to make sure that the parents know that their kids are safe. Frightening, frightening stuff.

The cut of those uniforms was uh.... "very flattering" I guess you might say.... but there was nothing false about those guards other than the hair extensions they wore.....