DCI Board Votes To Eliminate Retreats, Caption Awards, Critiques

Drum Corps Planet - DCI Board Votes To Eliminate Retreats, Caption Awards, Critiques

I can't say I like this development, retreats were one of the reasons I enjoyed going to a drum corps show. I guess I am an old f*art but I think some of the traditions should be kept to keep drum corps a unique activity.

I am sceptical of the following statement, coming from the directors of the top Division I corps:

The decision means an end to retreats for non-major DCI tour events, and will do away with all post-show judges critiques. DCI says the changes should create ways for more parity within the activity, namely giving smaller, less competitive corps the chance for more success and recognition.

I am not sure how eliminating valuable feedback to instructors is going to help smaller corps.

Well, this means if my idle dream of running a drum corps show when I am retired ever comes to fruiition, it won't be a DCI show.

The "C" word...

The following thread in the precussion community forums addresses an issue that I have become familiar with when I worked at my last job librarian of the Canadian Music Centre. The "C" word is copyright and in particular the right to perform and/or record copyright music. All the corps that I marched with and almost all the corps I know today use music written by composer not associated with the corps that has been arranged for the corps. Legally this means that the composer needs to be consulted and negotiated with in order to use these works in a drum corps show.

Some things are different in Canada where SOCAN is the only copyright organization however I believe if a Canadian corps goes to the U.S. then U.S. copyright applies to them while they are there.

I find there is a lot of misunderstanding about copyright and some of the posters in this thread are quite knowledgable. This is an issue that directors cannot ignore anymore. Hopefully ODCA (http://www.odca.org ) has some copyright material for Ontario corps to peruse.

PercussionCommunity.com :: View topic - WGI and the "C" word...

Bibliographicorps

The latest version of my Drum Corps bibliography (MLA format):

Texts

Chiefari, Janet. Introducing the Drum and Bugle Corps. N.p.: Dodd, 1982.

DeJournett, Bill. Brass secrets of the drum and bugle corps : a comprehensive guide to outdoor brass technique. Springfield, IL: Focus on Excellence, 1997.

Popp, Jodeen E. Competitive drum corps : there and then ... to here and now. Des Plaines, Ill.: Olympic Print., 1979.

Ross-Robertson, David, and A P. Samuels. The Encyclopedia of drum and bugle corps. N.p.: Allen Co., 1966.

Wilson, J. Richard. The Slingerland complete instructive manual for the piston bugle, including the new rotary slide attachment. Chicago, IL: Slingerland Drum Co., 1935.

Buglers & drummers manual : bugle bands and drum corps : rudiments of music and instruction for the bugle and drum, with regulation duty bugle calls for camp and garrison, including a splendid collection of Bugle-Trumpet marches. Comp. John Slatter. Calgary; Toronto: Waterloo Music Co., 1912.

"Corps-Fax '79." Pickering, ON: Ontario Drum Corps Association, 1979.

Directory of Canadian drum corps. N.p.: Canadian Drum Corps Association,
1963.

A History of Drum & Bugle Corps. Vol. 1. Madison, WI: Sights & Sounds, Inc., 2002.

A History of Drum & Bugle Corps. Vol. 2. Madison, WI: Sights & Sounds, Inc., 2003.

Magic on the march : the 50 years history of Canada's famous Preston Scout House Bugle Band. N.p.: Gagne, 1988.


Music

Hurley, Marty. Circle of rudiments : twelve medium to difficult street beats used by the Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps ; each includes a mallet part in each of the twelve keys. Hattiesburg, MS: Rudimental Percussion Publications, 1993.

Update: Bandettes' Bingo Badness

Re: Bandettes Bingo Hall woes - Bad and good news.

Canadian Corps - What happened?

An interesting thread about Canadian drum corps in the Drum Corps Planet forums:

Drum Corps Planet - A DCP.net Discussion Forum

Write Drum Corps History!

Please visit DrumCorpsWiki and consider contributing some information there.

For those of you who don't know what a Wiki is: it's a web site that you can edit and contribute to with just a web browser. The upshot is, if you can see the web site, you can also post and edit things on it. It helps if you know a little bit about making regular pages but it's not required. It works est with text contributions anyway. It's a great collaborative tool. It may seem like it is open to defacement and wrong information but with a good number of editors working on it, it is a good source of information. Every change is logged and available for everyone to see so mistakes are caught quickly. Another example of a Wiki is the Wikipedia, an on-line encyclopedia made up of the work of many volunteers. The DrumCorpsWIki hopes to become a similar site for information about Drum Corps.

If I had a means of using this software to manage the Ambassadors site, I would do it. It would make things so much easier to manage and allow others to help me out.

This particular Wiki is being run by Harlan Landes who has worked for the Crossmen.

For those of you out there who wish you could set up a tribute site for your corps, this is the place to go. You can start with a little as the name of your corps and let others fill the blanks in or do it yourself when you have time. It's free to contribute. The only caveat is that it's not your personal site and the information you input should be from a neutral point of view. (That means no rants about being robbed at '78 Nationals or the like.)

Have a look!


I have already started an Ambassadors section there!

Conqueror II / Ridge Raiders Reunion

Found on the ODCA web site:

CONQUEROR II & RIDGE RAIDERS ALUMNI REUNION
- SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2004
- HAMILTON FIREFIGHTERS HALL,175 DARTNAL RD
- TICKETS $15, LIVE MUSIC & DJ
- DOORS OPEN AT 7PM
- EVERYONE WELCOMED
- FOR MORE INFO CALL 905-578-0580

Links to info on CorpsReps.com:

Ridge Raiders, Hamilton

Conqueror II, Hamilton

DCI 2004 PBS Broadcast

At this link (scroll down) you can find a list of broadcast dates for the 2004 DCI Championships.

WNED, Toronto, Ontario: Thanksgiving Weekend TBD

I guess that means _American_ Thanksgiving weekend in November.