< PreviousRepresentatives from each of Drum Corps International’s World Class participating organizations and the DCI Board of Directors convened in Phoenix for a late-September business session. A series of regularly-scheduled fall meetings wrapped up the recently completed 2018 DCI Summer Tour while looking ahead to the upcoming season and new business cycle.Discussions centered on a continued focus for best practices in participant safety, as well as health and wellness initiatives. In addition, meeting participants discussed ongoing sustainability and fiscal responsibility for all ensembles taking part in the DCI Tour.“The strategic pursuit of an atmosphere and culture of wellness and excellence is certainly not a new concept within our association. It is ingrained in everything we do,” said DCI CEO Dan Acheson. “The enthusiastic acceptance of the vision outlined in the 2017 strategic plan is providing us with an exceptional foundation for our top-to-bottom commitment to building a stronger, safer and healthier climate in which our participating organizations and their members will grow and thrive.”He continued, “The member organizations of DCI’s World Class are continuing to evolve and re-prioritize their individual and collective resources, operational standards and best practices to serve their respective program participants at higher levels than ever before.”The group engaged in an agenda brimming with a variety of general business matters and discussion topics during several days of committee and plenary sessions.Member safety and health issues remain primary focal point4 Corps worked to adjust the total number of summer tour stops they will make in 2019 to provide increased rest for performers, staff, drivers and volunteers throughout the summer. The average number of performances per corps will be slightly lower than what it has been in the past.4 In January of this year, the directors voted to hold an interim Rules Congress in 2019, anticipating a more immediate need to make adjustments to the adjudication process than that which has become customary. With no rules change Comprehensive strategic, systemic, performer and organizational “wellness” is central focus at fall DCI business meetingby Drum Corps Internationalproposals submitted for the coming season, however, the decision was made to instead recast the coming winter’s business meetings to bring together key instructional and administrative staff members and drum majors from all participating corps for a comprehensive health, wellness and safety summit. This first-ever event will also involve board members from each of the organizations and will include a variety of workshops and sessions encompassing a broad scope of related topics.4 Following a compelling presentation regarding the need for corps to develop enhanced health, wellness and safety programs by Steven M. Rock, MD (Orthopedic Sports Medicine Specialist, Medical Associates/Dubuque) and Dee Higgins, Ph.D. (Program Director & Professor of Athletic Training, Clarke University/Dubuque), corps pledged to increase resources for the Marching Music Health and Wellness Project (MMHWP). The aim is to offer expanded professional networking and facilitate the efficient sharing of best practices, provide ongoing development for guidelines, standards and expectations, and broaden the pool of medical practitioners and additional educational resources available to the corps.4 Corps emphasized the importance of streamlined processes for background checks and other policies and procedures designed to lawfully gather information for better participant protection. They also raised awareness of the need for vigilance to ensure participant safety via new and updated policies, increased communication across all organizations, continuing education for corps staff, members and volunteers, and clear compliance and reporting mechanisms and awareness.4 Further concentration on participant safety policies and practices covered a range of topics including dangerous weather, communicable diseases, injury protocols and food safety. Discussions also placed focus on mental and emotional health issues, including the need for additional awareness, education, training and policies in an effort to provide more resources for performers during the pre-season and while on the road as guided by continuing education and best practices from the MMHWP. A pre-season, activity-wide safety and wellness policies and procedures training event has been scheduled for June.IN STEP: Women of DCI gains momentumCommittee members of Drum Corps International’s IN STEP: Women of DCI initiative welcomed new leadership with the Bluecoats’ Genevieve Geisler taking over for DCI Board of Directors chair and IN STEP founder Kathy Black. The committee will center its efforts on two key focuses for 2019:4 Participation: Work assisting women to succeed in all aspects of activity throughout the DCI community4 Leadership: Encourage and assist women in rising to roles of influence at every level, from participation through administrationFollowing the conclusion of the voting membership meeting, members of the DCI Board of Directors gathered. Focuses of the meeting included discussion on the adoption of evolving governance practices at the organizational level, the continued implementation and refinement of the DCI Strategic Plan and an ongoing review of action plans for each operational area included within the master plan. n n nMusic City from Nashville, TN, is DCI’s newest World Class corps. (Photo by Chris Maher)October 6, 2018 -- Bedford, Bedfordshire U.K. . . . The 2018 British Youth Band Association Championships will be remembered as a triumph of collective resolve, good humour and the banding spirit over adversity. Anyone watching the weather reports for the week or so prior to the event would have been in no doubt that it was going to be a wet day, in fact a very wet day, but we are an outdoor activity and as I tell my kids “it’s only water!,” so the show must go on!A few words about the venue -- t’s fair to say it wasn’t ideal, with the main stand open to the elements and an eight-lane running track between bands and audience, but considering the issues BYBA’s Paul Cartwright and his team had in securing a venue, this year it served its purpose. So in heavy rain and cold, blustery conditions more akin to late November than early October, the day got underway.In Contest Class there were five units in competition. The first was Warwick Corps of Drums (right) performing music from the musical “Annie,” including Maybe, It’s a hard Knock Life, Never Fully Dressed and of course Tomorrow. For a small group, they did a great job and a special mention to the guard that did very well in appalling conditions.A quick personal apology to Warwick for using last year’s staff list in the programme. For the record, Warwick’s drum staff includes Libby Simmons and Jessica Wyatt. Hopefully I am now able to safely show my face in Warwick again!Lanesfield Boys Brigade/Girls Brigade Cadets (below) was next up with music taken from the 2006 Pixar film “Cars.” This was the band’s first National Championships appearance since 2015 after which it relaunched as a Cadet unit with virtually all the members new to the marching activity.Both Warwick and Lanesfield had staff and performers who march with other units. I know this is frowned upon by some, but personally I think it great. They can meet their own needs to move on and have a fresh challenge, but still continue to support the band that brought them into the activity. I used to have enough trouble remembering one marching show, let alone two!British Youth Band Association stages 12-unit championship in four classestext by Richard Haw, Drum Corps World staff (rmhaw@yahoo.co.uk), photos by Carolyn CrootFor more visit tamamarching.comTAMA Marching’s complete line of high-quality percussion instruments, carriers, and hardware gives the competitive edge to directors and performers alike. Forward thinking features, cutting-edge performance, and outstanding durability and sound, are why so many band directors and ensembles rely on TAMA Marching Percussion when Putting Performance First.Genesis Drum & Bugle Corps, Austin, TexasConcord All-Stars were due to perform next, but mechanical issues had befallen their equipment truck, so in the spirit of the day the other bands in the class agreed to go on early to allow them more time.So the next band on were 1st Ibstock Scouts (right) presenting “The Sound of Music.” This is a tremendously entertaining and fun show and I’m not sure I’ve seen so many bicycles used in a BYBA show in the past. The bed prop and role play from the guard really told the story and the usual precision from the band made this a visually-compelling performance.Now it could be said that Christchurch Ashton Church Lads and Church Girls Brigade (below) has no theme or concept to their show, but I’m not totally sure that’s the case. Okay, the music isn’t linked thematically, but it’s all Bb bugle music and when I hear it I’m transported back to the heyday of the Youth Band activity and it never fails to bring a smile to my face.Christchurch’s talent and enthusiasm among the British Youth Band Association groups can cater for you, whatever your style may be. Greg Small, who had come all the way from Scotland for the event, said “I’ve not heard Marching through Georgia played on brass since my own Boys’ Brigade days. It was good to hear it again.”Finally with truck on-site and unloaded, Concord All-Stars (left) took to the field and again highlighted the diversity that makes BYBA so unique in the marching arts activity with their “Under Pressure” production, an homage to the “Pop idol / X Factor” talent show genre. I’m not a huge fan of pre-recorded sound effects, but Concord used them in a way that enhanced their performance, told the story and engaged the audience. An audience-pleasing performance from a young band that is much improved this year.My job on the day was to livecast the performances on the BYBA Facebook page. To my dismay, I forgot to bring my tripod so was forced to hold the camera in my hand so there were a slight tremors on the recording #TeamDeMoulinwww.demoulin.comOfficial Uniform Sponsoras by this point I was shivering a bit, well actually a lot -- it was very cold!After a short interlude, we moved into Championship Class which was kicked off in style by Thurrock Marching Brass (left) with their production “The Story Teller: A Tribute to Robin Williams.” Thurrock’s performance was dedicated to all affected by cancer, but especially corps mum, instructor and BYBA colleague of many years Marie Leighton-Morgan who we lost earlier this year. A great and emotional performance from the Thurrock, Essex, group, special mention to the guard that coped well with the conditions and to the unsung heroes of so many bands -- the prop builders and movers. Even from the distance of the stand they looked great!Speaking of props, the next band on was Stafford Brigades Youth Marching Band (right) with their fairytale-inspired show titled “Once Upon a Time,”including “Oz The Great and Powerful’ and “Into the Woods’.” I mention the props as until today the band had used Christmas trees to create the effect of being in a forest, however worries about the wind and the uneven nature of the arena prevented their use today. A wise move I feel and unhindered by moving trees around the field, Stafford Brigades gave their best performance of the year!Arguably the most improved group at National Championships were Comets Performance Ensemble (left) with their 2018 production called “Heist.” Their show depicted a robbery and getaway with music from “Skyfall,” “Kingsman,” “The Rock” and “The Italian Job.” Undoubtedly their best performance of the year, I particularly liked the atmospheric “Skyfall” number, a good arrangement and the synth worked well to support the brass.In their powder blue uniforms, runaway league winners and odds-on favourites in Championship Class, Next >