ShutUpAndPlayYerGuitar

There's the correct answer. Tradition is nice, but using it as an excuse to push away talented people who don't exactly "get it" doesn't do your group any service. We had a rookie DM my age-out year who was just out of high school. It was the first time we had a rookie leader, so it took awhile to adjust. Yet, compared to the previous two DMs I marched under (both of whom had three years of experience under their belts), the rookie outclassed, outconducted, outled, outworked and out-everythinged the two "tried and true" vets. I'm not saying there's one true approach to selecting a DM. Every year is different for every corps. But considering the proven talent and commitment of Lee, Madison will benefit.

This is what I was praying for after they built the Bank Stadium. I'm really excited, if not overstimulated.

Tale of caution: I marched with a guy who hated showering. Don't know if it was because of body issues, modesty or whatever. But during all-days, people started to notice him skipping shower-time. It wasn't hard to put two and two together, considering he smelled like a mix of moldy cheese and 3-month old laundry. The vets gave him an earful, and he started showing up to the showers. But he'd walk in with just a bar of soap and pretend to wash up for literally a minute, still maintaining his distinct "musk." It got so ridiculous that somebody was assigned a rookie job to make sure that he actually showered with soap. The moral? Not showering because of some false sense of modesty will make you the most hated person in your corps. More hated than any tick-box, bag-out or d-bag. And I agree with every other poster: shower-time is one of the funnest parts of tour.

It's a good idea if you have a set roster. But the majority of corps below the top 5 deal with high turnover rates all the time. There was one finalist group that dealt with a handful of members leaving well into early tour. Not something you'd want to make public.

Many of these "demonizing" posts remind me of the same sort of B.S. I went through my rookie year at another corps that made similar mistakes. Imagine you're trying out for a corps you really like. It's on shakey ground, both financially and competitively. But there's enough history and respect associated with the group to make you want to march there. You want to be a part of THAT corps' image. But something better comes along that year: an up-and-coming design staff with enough BOA cred to make some bando (i.e. you) explode all over himself. The staff tells you the show is a sure winner. It will get the crowd out of their seats. It is crazy enough get us back into FINALS ... Flash Forward several months later: you've just wasted a crap-load of money (money that could have been used for books, rent, food, etc.) to march in a boring, incoherent, embarrassing, train-wreck of a show ... ... mostly because some inexperienced design team had to do things "their own way." Now, I'm not making any judgments on how the Crossmen run things or Guidry's work (I thought Reagan's 2003 show was cute). I didn't even see all of this year's show. But the stuff I've heard from friends who marched, as well as the"demonizing" posts, don't appear to come from misplaced anger.

Is the group registered for the parade this year? Cause last year was a tremendous disappointment for all us BSA folk who wanted to receive a clinic from the masters of tremendousness.

Saw the Chorus video — awesome. It sounds like it was based off an Alanis Morrisette cover.

For you lazy folks, here's the "latest" update: The ad's FAKE. Super FAKE. FAKER than Joan Rivers doing pro-wrestling. That said, I agree that Nike makes inferior running shoes. Both soles fell apart within three weeks of all-days. I bought an ultra-cheap pair of Pro-Spirits from Wal-Mart (yes I know ... terrible company ... I might as well have sucker-punched a small business owner ... blah blah blah). Those lasted me the rest of tour fine.

The Madison Scouts are pleased to announce their 2010 percussion staff: Caption Head: Snare tech: The remains of Tenor tech: (The kit itself, not Bozzio) Bass tech: Hey, we're in a new age of drum corps ...

I hope this rumor isn't true. At least there's a winter guard in the works. I really want to see some sort of activity from this wonderful organization. EDIT: Here's some audition info I found on their site, in case anyone's interested — Southwind Winterguard Auditions Date: Sunday September, 13 2009 Time: 10am-6pm Location: Harrison County HS 320 Webster Ave Cynthiana Ky 41031 Cost: 30.00 non-refundable audition fee What to bring: Flags will be provided for auditions. Please bring a rifle or sabre with you if you wish to audition for a weapons spot. Bring a bag lunch with you or plan to grab lunch at one of the local fast food establishments. What to wear: Please wear form fitting black dance attire. Registration will begin at 9am. Outside the entrance to the gym. Registration is also available on our website at www.southwind.org. If you have any questions please feel to email me at the following address. Marcuslewisdesign@yahoo.com .

As far as physical exercises, it's all about finding what works with your schedule and how much time you're willing to commit. In a nutshell, the most important areas are the abs and lower core muscles (pilates are awesome for this and are a cornerstone for many corps' visual programs. If you have the time, look for a pilates class and you'll thank yourself later) and pretty much any arm/upper back muscle (using light free weights with heavy repetition). Then there's the mental aspect, which is the biggest hurdle for many. I've seen everyone with completely different physiques and from completely different backgrounds hold their horns differently. I marched with a 5 ft. tall Japanese girl who moved her horn like it was nothing. I also marched with an athletic (but lazy) 6' 8" dude who always looked like he was going to snap in half. Mental toughness and persistence is the real advantage. Body-type isn't. If it's any help, here's a few ideas/hints/concepts that helped me my rookie year. Some of them go beyond simply holding your horn, but it never hurts to know what's ahead: — Find YouTube videos (preferably rehearsal) of whichever corps you like or are auditioning for and study their basic "look" when they hold their horns. Look for hand placements, posture, arm positions, etc. — The corps with the best individual styles spend a lot of time on upper body projection, meaning you're projecting your upper body presence to the crowd the same way you're projecting your sound. — Remember, you want to be relaxed so your sound isn't affected. BREATHE slowly if you're holding your horn for a long period (ESPECIALLY, when your muscles start to hurt.) — Pretty much all the weight should be supported with the left arm. Also, make sure your right hand makes a good "C" shape at playing position. — Don't let yourself be intimidated at auditions. Don't give the vets/staff any excuses to make them think you're not good enough to make the cut. — Once you join a corps, give yourself a cut-off date for when holding your horn should no longer be an issue. Remember, you're running around a field playing hard music for 10+ minutes. You have much bigger fishes to fry.

Has DCA released who's judging for Prelims/Finals?

Yeah, because Orlando and Jackson, MS were GREAT areas for a championship. You can never have too much rain. I don't care if it's finals, a regional, or just a first tour show: there needs to be a show at TCF Bank Stadium. The only downsides I can see are parking and long walks for warm-up spots. Other than that, this stadium would be a perfect fit for drum corps. Too bad the Gophers will still suck. EDIT: Here's a good , just for reference.

It's great to see Moore, Vanderkolff and Medworth as the visual heads. The corps has struggled with their visual identity (even the "Madison Look") for a while. I also agree with a previous poster's statement on Nick Williams. He's a heck of an instructor and should be involved in the upper levels.

Blah, Blah, Blah ... this is just for fun ... usual disclaimers. (Parenthetical summaries for the shows I've seen). 1. Reading Buccaneers 2. Minnesota Brass, Inc. (Depending on how their guard performs, MBI should see an increase in vis. performance/GE. The musical ensemble is top 3 for sure.) 3. Connecticut Hurricanes 4. Hawthorne Caballeros 5. Empire Statesmen 6. San Francisco Renegades 7. Bushwackers 8. Brigadiers 9. Alliance 10. Kilties (Good musical program, improved visual: How 'bout this year, guys?) ------------------------------- 11. CorpsVets 12. Music City Legend 13. Rochester Crusaders 1. Govenaires (Plenty of room to grow. Surprised by the SSP/St. Pete scores, but can still see them winning.) 2. Kingston Grenadiers (Saw a YouTube standstill performance. Top drums for sure.) 3. Fusion Core 4. Carolina Gold ------------------------------- 5. Vigilantes (After seeing their crowd-friendly show last weekend, they could be clean enough, and have the necessary GE, to make it into finals.) 6. Sun Devils 7. White Sabers 8. Sunrisers 9. Lakeshoremen (There's lots of musical demand, as well as plenty of good musicians ... just no battery.) 10. Excelsior 11. Shenandoah Sound

In a nutshell they're taking a year off from competition, but still have their original parade units (Chop Stix and Top Chops, don't know if they have a guard unit). From what I saw, they still have a full-size battery and a modest-size hornline ... nothing too different from last year. That's all I know.

Considering he's arranged 3 WGI championship shows with a crew including alumni and current staff of the Cavaliers, and is also a competent visual instructor/designer, I think he would do just fine.

I'm assuming you have a history with him. So do I. Knowing his rough demeanor, he's a bit of an outside choice. But the dude can write some sick beats. If it's just an arranger the Cavaliers need, I think he should be a top 3 candidate.

Shane Gwaltney.

I, for one, welcome our new WGI overlords. But in all seriousness, If "WGI-type themes" (BTW, what exactly is a WGI-type theme?) are a growing threat to the purity of drum corps, then why did Phantom win last year? If there's any sweeping trend, it'll probably be programers/vis. staff looking into visual ideas and motifs completely outside of DCI/WGI/BOA. Example: SCV 09 and the use Martha Graham's movements by both the color guard AND the field musical ensemble. I don't see too many people getting bunched up about that show.

Thanks for the review.

"Kiddie corps" is such an ageist term that completely misrepresents what these young men and women do. The correct description is "Drum Corps International Elite World/Open Class (With Honors ... Times Six) Corps." That said, now that the Drum Corps International Elite World/Open Class (With Honors ... Times Six) Corps are done, I'm looking forward to having just as much — if not more — fun at DCA finals as I used to at DCI finals.

<Stumbles out of a smoke-filled Beetle> Woah ... am I late?

Spirit will be at Blaine H.S.

BD 2000: Insanely loud guy shouting "Frank's an American ######" during quiet part of 'Scene d'Amour' = rude but pretty #### funny. BD 2004: Squeaky voiced teen shouting "Lisa's an American ######" during quiet part of Summertime = just rude and worthy of a bunching.