danieltenor

I believe the Michigan City provides all the corps with a police escort! My corps (Beatrix') also got an escort last year and I remember hearing every corps got that. It's great though, especially if you have to drive a little further and you don't want to have the risk getting stuck in a traffic jam!

I do not know how you guys think about the water in the high schools, but in The Netherlands we get water from the tap as clean as the water you can buy at the gas stations in the US. So, being used to that kind of water, we were always very glad to be able to buy some new water, and sometimes spended 1 hour of our 2 hour diner break to get it. And in our housing in Michigan City there was a vendingmachine with ice cream! That was just great.

I had the pleasure of performing at the regional in Allentown with Beatrix', competing in the open class against Jersey Surf there, who were also invited. I think Jersey Surf was there because they intended to go to World Class in 2008 and we were there because international corps do seem an addition to the program according to the organisation, which I think is great. Although the show wasn't much fun at all. We were the first corps to go on and the stands weren't even half-full by that time. In the end of the evening the stands were packed with people who apparantly didn't want to show up early. Earlier that week I had an all open class show in Sudbury, Canada, on the worse field we marched on that tour, with a lot of enthusiastic people in the stands. We threw down a great show that evening and the spectators were outrageous! A few days later in Allentown nobody seems to like our show and go like well, 'we might clap for them because they rehearse so much too, but this is not what we came for'. When people keep acting like that towards Open Class corps, DCI will not think of scheduling some 5 more corps for that Regional. If people try to think out of their box and take a good look at all the Open Class corps, DCI might think of inviting some more for the next year, because people seem to like it. The shows are good, entertaining and emotional. I found it amazing to see what these corps can put on the field when I was watching shows in Denver in the last huge contest and in Michigan City two days later. Those crowds were eating it up, the corps were entertaining and everybody loved it. World Class spectators, try to be a little less stubborn and give the Open Class corps a look. You won't be dissapointed.

It's great to read all these positive responses! I will be on the field today, I hope you will all enjoy watching it and let us know afterwards what you thought of the shows! Have a nice day

Kiwanis Kavaliers in 2001, Madison Scouts in 1988, and I believe Boston Crusaders also, but I can't remember when.

And thanks VK for the great night in Michigan City! Greetings from Holland

The last time I saw them Strangnas was quite small. You can find a legal video here, it's from the Drum Corps Europe website. Strangnas 2005 DCEurope Finals Performance

Beatrix' will depart from Hilversum in less than 120 hours, check out this teaser: Beatrix' Website, USA Teaser

I bought the APD from Saturday's show and I think it's great. The hornline sounds great, the front ensemble has some great notes en the drumline is sounding tight already. I can't wait to see it on the field.

This past Saturday the Dutch drumcorps scene kicked the season off with a contest in Middelburg. These are the scores: Cadet Class 1. Johan Friso - 48.53 2. Confetti - 39.50 A-Class 1. Calypso - 59.80 Open Class 1. Jubal - 64.10 2. Juliana - 58.55 3. FB - 48.40

Hey, I have Finale for writing music, I used it for some orchestral pieces but when I wanted to write some for a marching drumline I had some problems with the audio. I can get the staff's in for tenor, bassdrum, snare and cymbal but when I put notes in it, it sounds nothing like it should be sounding. Can anyone who is familiar with the program explain how I can get the sounds right?

I really dig the shako's in the Guardsmen picture! I can only imagine how that will be when a storm comes up...

Great topic! I myself listen to all kinds of music, these are some of my favorite artists (there are some Dutch artists in my list which you'll probably don't know, but they're worth looking up!): Aaron Copland, Acda en de Munnik, Alain Clark, Anouk, Average White Band, Barry Manilow, Behave, Bill Chase, Billy Joel, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Bowling for Soup, Casting Pearls, Creed, Daft Punk, Dave Brubeck, Dave Koz, Dave Matthews Band, De Dijk, Earth, Wind and Fire, Elvis Costella, Etta James, Fall Out Boy, Ferry Corsten, Fiction Plane, Fischerspooner, Foo Fighters, Garbage, Gary Jules, Gloria Estefan, Goo Goo Dolls, Gordon Goodwin's, Gustav Holst, Henryk Górecki, Imogen Heap, Incubus, Jack Johnson, Jamiroquai, Jeroen van der Boom, Julio Daivel Big Band, Kate Nash, Krezip, KT Tunstall, Linkin Park, Live, Lost Prophets, Oasis, Oleta Adams, Pillar, The Prodigy, Queen, Reef, Relient K, Rooney, Soulive, Stan Kenton, Stereophonics, Shostakovich, the Dandy Warhols, the Fray, the Police, the Strokes, Three Doors Down, Tower of Power, Van Velzen, Youngblood Brass Band.

Beatrix': The City Music from the movies Face Off and Hannibal, and the song Mr. Bojangles by Sammy Davis Jr.

It would be very cool though if more than one corps is competing in the international class this summer! Is there any word on corps from maybe Asia coming to the USA?

International Class

I didn't want to bash any corps on high fees. I know it's hard for thIe corps with all the gasprices, but I thought it wouldn't do anyone bad to give some attention to kids that come from other parts in the world to march DCI and have to sacrifice a lot for that! Of course, what they get in in return is so much more.

Beatrix' will be in the USA from July 18 until finals. The corps arrives in New York JFK, and then 3 buses will take them to Marion, Ohio. The drumline and frontensemble will be given the time to make the borrowed instruments ready to use and then the 3.5 week tour will start, ending in Indianapolis. This is also posted on their website www.beatrix.org and more information will be posted there as it comes in.

I really want to march a drumcorps in the USA. I now march in Europe but it's so different from what's going on in DCI, and that is something I really want to experience. But, marching one season would cost me about $12000! I'm from an environment where that is something unaffordable. My parents are not in a situation to help me out financially and I can't earn all that money with a job I have next to my school and rehearsals at my current corps. It makes marching something that is out of reach for me, which I will regret for the rest of my life. So yes, form my point of view it's definately a rich kid's sport.

In Europe there's a difference that could be made between corps making a show for the judges and the contests, and corps also trying to be 'crowd favorite'. A lot of money is made by doing tattoo's, especially in Holland and Germany. When you're marching a show being difficult like DCI World Class corps the people at those tattoo's are definately not going to like it. In England corps are more 'contest minded' and are marching shows that are judge friendly, in Holland and Germany corps are more often aiming at a bigger crowd. It depends on what goals you make for a season and how you think about finances and stuff.

Is there a place where I can find that story?

A guy form Beatrix' with many old drumcorps stories once told me that the Bridgemen were once formed to keep kids with 'criminal' backgrounds from the streets and learn them new social aspects in drumcorps which will change the rest of their lives. Can anyone tell some stories about this? I want to write about it in a assignment for school about the social aspects of marching music. Thanks in advance!

Yes, and also the first to break the 90-barrier. So they did a very good job!

Senators took the open class championship with a 90.05, which makes them the first corps ever in DCE-history breaking 90. 2. Beatrix' 3. Jubal 4. Northern Star 5. Kidsgrove Scouts 6. Juliana 7. Starriders 8. Millennium 9. Wölper Löwen 10. Poynton Commodores. I can't remember the scores from the other corps. It was a great and very exciting day! The caption awards I remember are High Brass: Jubal High Drums: Senators Guard: Beatrix' Can't remember the others, but Senators took the most of it home.

Well I'm still here for a post Harrold B) I'm really looking forward to the championships. I told my mother she will be able to see the best finals in YEARS, because of all the good corps coming over. It'll be very exciting in the evening but even more fun, and that's where I come for! See you Saturday