The End of Canadian (junior) Drum Corps

[I found this sitting in the pending queue. Like me, it's few years old]

This sounds dramatic but I think I did witness this at the 1980 Canadian Championships in Jonquiere, QC.

It was my second year in drum corps with the Ambassadors. That year the ODCA and the FAMQ had cooperated to make a real Canadian chamionships in Jonquiere, Quebec under the CDCA. The result was spectacular.

I remember thinking as I looked out over the retreat at finals: "All these corps are Canadian". It was one of the biggest shows I had yet marched in.

Wandering amongst the servers again...

 Maaaaany years later I find this old blog.

If, somehow, there are still people checking in here:

I am in the midst of migrating the Ambassador web site once again. Telus has shut down their personal websites and so I am looking for another free site for it. It may wind up on a Wordpress site, however that will take some reformatting.

I will post here again when there is something to look at.

The Ventures - 2012

The Ventures Drum and Bugle Corps ( http://drumcorpswiki.com/Ventures ) are no more but since 1981 the Ventures Winter Guard has been going strong.

Flag waving taken to a whole new level 

KITCHENER — Take a few energetic teenage girls, throw in a few colourful flags, interesting props and fast-paced choreography, then set it all to music, and you have one of the most unusual sports for girls, one with the unlikely name of winter guard. Kitchener’s Ventures Winter Colour Guard is, simply put, a blending of old-fashioned military discipline with motivating music. It’s as if the army suddenly took up Zumba.

 ...

 http://www.therecord.com/living/article/838136--flag-waving-taken-to-a-whole-new-level

http://venturesguard.org

Ivor Wynne Stadium 1927-2012

The storied Ivor Wynne Stadium, home to DCI Canada in the eighties is finally coming down:

Farewell to Ivor Wynne Stadium | Football | Sports | Toronto Sun Time for one last huzzah! Time for one final chorus of Oskie-Wee-Wee. Then, Saturday, the music will be stilled, the lusty cheers of a sellout crowd will be quieted and the lights will darken for all time as Ivor Wynne’s gates squeak shut. For 85 years, the corner of Balsam and Beechwood Aves. has been the gathering ground for organized sports in Hamilton. Scott’s farm at the turn of the 20th century was a social meeting place, officially becoming known as Scott’s Field around the Roaring ’20s, morphing into Civic Stadium through the age of hoop skirts and bobby socks, finally being reincarnated as Ivor Wynne in 1970. Unofficially, it has been called everything from quirky and quaint to a rat hole. And, to be honest, it has been — and is — all of those.

Bringing (DCI) Drum Corps back to Canada

From dci.org:

Two men are looking to bring drum corps back to Canada in a big way in 2013. Show sites currently being considered are in Montreal, Quebec and Kingston, Ontario.

DCI Hall of Fame member and Drum Corps World publisher Steve Vickers and High Velocity Media owner Doug Smith are spearheading the initiative.

"I've always felt bad that Canada has not had a DCI level show in more than a decade," Vickers said. "And Canada used to have dozens of corps, and some prominent corps that made the Finals — both in World Class or Open Class."

The DCI World Championships were twice hosted in Canada in the 1980s at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. Currently there are two junior corps in Canada participating in the 2012 DCI Tour, Blue Saints in Ontario and Les Stentors in Quebec.

Vickers said the first thing they did in their efforts to bring drum corps back to Canada was contact the Canadian government. Specifically, the office that facilitates large groups crossing the border, which historically had been a large hurdle for corps to overcome.

Promoters look to bring drum corps competitions back to Canada

Read more: http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=3bf257a4-0009-4227-ad03-8f3bd72b4fd6#ixzz1z16U6ZCs

See also the "BRING DRUM CORPS BACK TO CANADA" project:


http://www.high-velocity-media.com/DCC/news.php

Scout House Alumni opening show for 2012

Spring Opening Show – April 29th (Preston Memorial Arena)

The Alumni Band will open its performance schedule with an indoor show at the Preston Memorial Arena.

There will be no admission charged but donations will be appreciatively accepted (the Alumni Band is a registered Canadian charity).

See: http://www.scouthouseband.com/2012/01/spring-opening-show-april-20th-preston-memorial-arena/

and the Bands Played on

Saturday, May 12, 2012 - 7pm

This show features the music, pageantry and excitement of the finest marching bands in Ontario.

Come on out for a great evening of entertainment and enjoy that “great big sound”

that people loved back when “the Bands played on!”

See: http://www.unitedalumni.com/and_the_Bands_Played_on.htm

Sarnia Corps Reunion

drumcorpsplanet.com: Members Of Five Former Sarnia Corps Planning Giant June Reunion

Former members of drum and bugle corps from Sarnia, Ontario will gather at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 62, 286 North Front Street, on June 23, 2012 to renew old acquaintances and celebrate more than 40 years of shared drum corps activity.

The reunion will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. with an open-house format including displays of memorabilia, video presentations, drum corps music and, of course, lots of reminiscing. Those planning to attend should bring along their memories and any material they wish to share.

See the following links:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarnia-Drum-Corps-Reunion/180144162071772

http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/2012/02/members-of-five-former-sarnia-corps-planning-giant-june-reunion/

X-Corps?

There is some discussion on the Facebook page for the X-corps as to whether they have folded or no. See the link in the post below.

... and Happy New Year!

The X-corps?

There is some movement to create a competitive A-class DCA corps (That means senior all age folks) in the southern Ontario area. Follow the Facebook link for more info (Facebook account is not required to read):

Hello Ambassadors Alumni

I am sending this email to your organization with a message of hope and possibility.

Many drum corps are banding together and combining resources to create a new DCA corps in Southern Ontario.

We have high hopes and the momentum is building.

We are asking you if there is any interest with this idea.

This could be in the form of volunteers, marching members or old equipment.

Please respond to this email with any suggestions or assistance that you can offer.

Please check out the Facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=158197110862715&ref=ts

Hope that we can chat soon.

Jason Adams

Conqueror 2

Executive Director

(905) 920 - 3654

Another tagline

I just read this in a post from drumcorpsplanet.com. I will paraphrase:

They're so old they aged out of the alumni corps!

Canadian Nationals 1981: and the score is...

I have had question from an alumnus of the Blue Saints. He is asking for scores from the 1981 Canadian Nationals in Windsor. Does anyone have then in their scrapbook? Unfortunately they are missing from corpsreps.com and all I have on the Ambassadors site is the placement in "B" class. If you know make a comment on this post. In particular we would like to know the placement and score of the Blue Saints who should be in "C" class in ODCA in 1981.

Thanks

Blue Saints are in Open Class semi-finals!

Good job Saints! (photo from 2009)



Historic firsts as corps jockey for position at Open Class Semis

...

Blue Saints (16th, 59.40) had a record-breaking season in 2010. Jordan Alvey, battery percussion, summed it up: “We’ve come a long way,” he explained. “We started two months ago, got the music memorized, then learned the drill. They’ve become a group I’m very proud to have taught. It’s been their highest season yet and I’m proud to be a part of that.” The corps’ score is a full four points higher than last year.

Today was a milestone in their long history. Fifth-year mellophone Daniel Faubert said, “We’ve been doing well for our corps this year. We’ve broken record after record set for ourselves. Making Semifinals was a huge thing for us because we’ve never been to the Semifinals ever before.”

CNN's take on the G7

As a follow up to an incident where George Hopkin's car was vandalized CNN looks into the G7 proposal and it's implications for the future of drum corps as an activity. (Plus there's a cool video!) Librarian comment: This is classified as a business story?

Trouble at 'Marching Music's Major League'

A powerful group of players known as the 'G-7' has sparked tumult amid accusations of a hostile takeover attempt.
This drama isn't being played out in a corporate boardroom but on the football field, as marching groups converge on Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, for the Drum Corps International (DCI) World Finals on Saturday.

My little survey: Results

Here are my results. I will add the additional comments but reword them so as to keep people from being identified.

There were 72 attempts at the survey of which 62 (or 86.1 %) were completed

1. "What is your gender?"
Male: 91.2% for 62 responses
Female: 8.8% for 6 responses
Would rather not say: 0% for 0 responses

answered question 68
skipped question 4

2. "Please indicate your age. (If you do not wish to do so please leave this space blank and continue to the next question.)"
Response average: 44.27
Total responses: 64

answered question 64
skipped question 8

3. "Please indicate your involvement, if any, in the drum and bugle corps activity (select all that apply)."

No prior knowledge of drum and bugle corps 1.4% 1
Currently participating/performing with a DCI member corps 1.4% 1
Currently participating/performing with a non-DCI corps (junior or senior) 4.2% 3
Alumnus (former member) of a drum and bugle corps 66.2% 47
Parent of participating member 14.1% 10
Instructional staff of a corps (currently or formerly) 21.1% 15
Support/Administrative staff of a corps 12.7% 9
Audience member (live or online) 56.3% 40
Journalist 7.0% 5
Would rather not say 1.4% 1
Other: 12.7% 9
Band Director, Scholarship administrator, Fan, Friend of alumni, Senior corps alumni, Volunteer, Drum Corps Judge

answered question 71

skipped question 1

4. "During the DCI competitive season June to August how often do you visit the dci.org web site"

I have today used the site for the first time 1.4% 1
I visit the site less than once a month 2.8% 2
I visit the site once a month or so 5.6% 4
I visit the site once a week 19.7% 14
I visit the site once a day 35.2% 25
I visit the site more than once a day 31.0% 22
Would rather not say 0.0% 0
Other: 4.2% 3
few times per week, Fan Network subscriber
answered question
71

skipped question
1

5. "From September to May how often do you visit the dci.org web site?"

I have today used the site for the first time 1.4% 1
I visit the site less than once a month 15.5% 11
I visit the site once a month or so 32.4% 23
I visit the site once a week 36.6% 26
I visit the site once a day 8.5% 6
I visit the site more than once a day 2.8% 2
Would rather not say 0.0% 0
Other: 2.8% 2
Visit for downloads, 2-3 times per week
answered question
71

skipped question
1

6. "What are you looking for at the dci.org website? (select all that apply)"

I am searching for scores/recaps from competitions 93.9% 62
I am looking for information about a particular DCI member organization 48.5% 32
I am looking for information about the Drum Corps International organization 19.7% 13
I am looking for information about the drum corps activity in general 40.9% 27
I am looking for a podcast 22.7% 15
I am looking for video or audio to purchase and download 28.8% 19
I am looking for ticket information 45.5% 30
I am looking for the DCI tour schedule 78.8% 52
I am looking for information about live streaming of DCI events 37.9% 25
I am looking for information about the DCI Hall of Fame 12.1% 8
I am looking for information about scholarships 3.0% 2
I am looking for contact information for the DCI organization 6.1% 4
I am not looking for anything in particular 12.1% 8
Other (please specify) 10.6% 7
Photos, general drum corps information, free audio/video, arrangements, DVDs, score archive, Fan Network
answered question
66

skipped question
6

7. What methods of navigating/finding your way through the dci.org do you use? (select all that apply)

I use the menus on the site to get to the page/information I need 71.2% 47
I use links from the home page (the first page) to get the information I need 59.1% 39
I use a link from another website to get to the information I need 10.6% 7
I have bookmarked the pages I use on the site 15.2% 10
I "Google" (or use some other search engine) for the page I am looking for 4.5% 3
Other (please specify) 1.5% 1
DCI E-Mails

answered question
66

skipped question
6

8. "What features, content or information might you wish to see at dci.org that is currently not part of the website? (select all that apply)"

Staff, Member or Director blogs 59.3% 32
Additional podcasts 25.9% 14
Live score updates (e.g. without streaming video) 50.0% 27
Additional news feeds (i.e. RSS) 25.9% 14
Recent tweets/Twitter updates 25.9% 14
Other (please specify) 7.4% 4
Historical photo archive, more video on demand, schedule in iCal format, satisfied

answered question
54

skipped question
18

9. "I have been using the internet and web browsers for approximately"[...]

less than 1 year 0.0% 0
1 year 0.0% 0
2 years 0.0% 0
3-5 years 6.3% 4
6-10 years 15.9% 10
10-15 years 36.5% 23
16-20 years 41.3% 26
Other (please specify) 0.0% 0

answered question
63

skipped question
9

10. "Some other web sites I visit to find information about drum and bugle corps are:"

www.facebook.com 59.7% 37
www.twitter.com 32.3% 20
www.wikipedia.org 19.4% 12
www.corpsreps.com 62.9% 39
www.marching.com 4.8% 3
www.dcacorps.org 21.0% 13
www.drumcorpsworld.com 19.4% 12
www.drumcorpsplanet.com 95.2% 59
www.drum-corps.net 1.6% 1
www.drumcorpstalk.com 1.6% 1
www.drumcorpswiki.com 6.5% 4
None of the above, or no other sites used 0.0% 0
Other (please specify) 12.9% 8
Corps websites, www.ilmarching.com, www.indianamarching.com, Field&Floor, www.SnareScience.com, Cavaliers alumni website (members only), ----------/brad/1254, bknights.org/scores/standings.asp, www.soundmachine.org

answered question
62

skipped question
10


Comments: The text that appears after the "Other" response is my transcription of what people wrote as a comment. (It was all clean. thanks guys!). A skipped question is distinct from replying "Would rather not say".

Apologies for the formatting. If there is anything that is difficult to figure out, please post here and I will edit for clarity.

In retrospect I left some choices out, such as "Judge" in question 3 and a few obvious choices for websites such as Field and Floor were left out of question 10.

Thanks everyone for participating. It did help me complete my assignment.

Website and e-mail are back!

Telus had a serious lightning strike over the weekend which affected e-mail and apparently their webhosting as well. If you notice anything broken on the Ambassadors site let me know.

I can haz 404 error

Telus.com is having some problems tonight. It means that I can't get my e-mail, but also that my website is down as well. This includes all of the Ambassadors alumni site.

If you need to get at it while Telus is hopefully fixing things here, try the Internet Archive's WayBack machine at this link:

http://web.archive.org/web/20070906041358/www3.telus.net/public/zamiel/Ambassadors.html

My informal survey re: dci.org

My studies are interrupting the fun here but at least this is drum corps-related:

As part of my work for my course in Information Architechure this summer I am collecting some responses to the DCI web site. No prior experience required. It's not a big deal; I am in need of only a few responses, so follow the link if you are so inclined...

dci.org survey

I will post some aggregate results (assuming there are any) when I am done.

Thanks!

G7 continued: from Dan Acheson, executive director, DCI

I forgot to add this open letter from Dan Acheson

From the desk of the DCI Executive Director

Thursday, May 20, 2010 - 7:32 PM

My Dear Friends:

Last evening seven member corps of Drum Corps International simultaneously posted a press release. Shortly thereafter an article was posted on the independent Drum Corps World website titled "DCI member corps divided on group’s future direction and leadership." Both the press release and the article were the result of discussion and action taken recently at a regularly scheduled DCI Board of Directors meeting.

One can only conclude from reading the press release and the article that there is a philosophical division among the member corps as to the best course for the future of Drum Corps International. Unfortunately this is true. Some of the actions taken in the past several weeks could be interpreted to be either detrimental to the future of the organization or perhaps a necessary discourse to lead the drum corps experience into a positive direction. Others may contend that this is a dark moment in Drum Corps International’s 38-year history, which in its very own mission statement claims to be "a cooperative fraternity of its member drum corps."

...

(more here: http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=95c3c78f-b6e2-4fa1-8edb-e743bb101e38 )

DCI (indirectly) responds to the "G7"

So to follow-up with this story:

Board meets in Indianapolis, reviews 2010 plans

...

The 2010-2014 Business Plan, approved by an eight to one vote of the previous board in September 2009, calls for an additional across-the-board increase in corps appearance fees for all World Class corps. The newly-seated board affirmed its commitment to the vision which drove the plan and its acceptance; a focus on increasing participation opportunities, increased engagement with the scholastic music education universe and leadership entrusted to serve all of the corps functioning under the DCI umbrella.

“Our vision for the future of Drum Corps International is one of greater inclusion,” said Mark Arnold, Chairman of Board of Directors. “We strive to create more opportunities for young people to experience the unique attributes of the drum corps lifestyle and to gain important life skills that will serve them well for the rest of their lives.”

These thoughts were echoed by Dan Acheson, DCI Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. “Over the past several years, many things have come into focus, and we understand better than ever the opportunities we have to make a profound difference in the lives of those who directly participate in the drum corps activity, and in the lives of those who support these outstanding young people. We’re looking forward to embracing these numerous and varied opportunities to enable the organization and all of the member corps to thrive in the fulfillment of our respective missions.”

Additional tactical elements of the plan call for a number of initiatives designed to develop new fans, preserve existing fans and re-establish relationships with “legacy” fans. Tactical execution of this multi-faceted approach to audience growth will center on a series of promotional and engagement programs including the establishment and implementation of "town hall" and "fan roundtable" forums.

...

http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=4d909db4-31c6-40d4-8bfd-5aa854f91ba0