July 12, 2019 Volume 48, Number 6From the publisher The next issue Photo credits About photo spreads The July 19, 2019 edition will be uploaded to the Internet on or before Friday, July 19. The cover collage is by Tery LeFebvere, created exclusively for Drum Corps World. The back cover shot of 7th Regiment is by Ron Wyatt. Where a staff member isn’t assigned to write a review, we are including two-page photo spreads to show corps that performed, but they are not necessarily take at the event. July 12 contents 4 n The Cavaliers perform in South LA by Jim Claytor 6 n Kick Start sessions bring next-level training to next generation by Jordan Kaye, Drum Corps International 7 n Madison Scouts will open ranks to all genders by Drum Corps International 8 n July 2 -- East Rutherford, NJ, by Larry Eckert 12 n July 5 -- Lisle, IL, photo spread 14 n July 5 -- Sacramento, CA, by Michael Carlson 18 n July 5 -- “Drums of Fire,” Camas, OR, photo spread 20 n July 5 -- Orlando, FL, by Dr. Mike Wetzel 22 n 07/05, 07/06 -- Camas, Renton, WA, by Donald Chinn 28 n 07/05 -- Whitewater, WI, by Larry Denman 34 n 07-09 -- Mankato, MN, by Chris Maher 39 n Watch 2019 DCI Prelims August 8 at movie theaters, by DCI 40 n Sabian revaps U.S. sales team 41 n Special needs drum corps to make history with performance at 2019 DCA Championship, by CBSNew York 42 n New package deals offered by Drum Corps Europe Drum Corps W orld As the season heats up across the globe, score and quality improvements become more noticeable following hard work in the hot sun by all the young men and women who march in one of the drum corps scattered from coast to coast and on the otheer side of the Atlantic Ocean. It’s been quite some time since we began reporting shows without reference to scores, placements and caption wins. Concentrating on the individual performances of the competitors and exhibitions casts a much more positive light on the inventive ways drum and bugle corps have built their programs. I’ve attended four Midwest shows in the last two weeks and have one more on July 13. The programs are certainly varied and props have become the “required element,” it seems. There are also many, many notes added to arrangements that show off the talents of the young people who are populating all the corps, not just in World Class. With three more issues on the next three Fridays, I’m getting excited about getting to Indianapolis and enjoying all the great things the 40 or so corps will have to offer. Steve Vickers Copyright 2019 by Sights & Sounds, Inc. in the United States and Canada. The logo for Drum Corps World is a registered trademark and is protected by all applicable laws. 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Mailing/shipping address: 4926 North Sherman Avenue Unit H Madison, WI 53704-8443 Madison office phone: 608-249-2590 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM Central time, Monday - Friday 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM Central time, Saturday/Sunday Product order line: 608-249-2590 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM Central time, Monday - Friday 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM Central time, Saturday/Sunday Web site: www.drumcorpsworld.com Madison staff: Steve Vickers Publisher / Editor / Graphic Design E-mail: publisher@drumcorpsworld.com Advertising sales: Jeff Collins 916-200-8151 (cell, California) E-mail: jcdrumman1@yahoo.com or Steve Vickers 608-249-2590 (office, Wisconsin) E-mail: publisher@drumcorpsworld.com or 608-249-2590 (Steve’s cell, Wisconsin) 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM Central time, Monday - Friday, 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM Central time, Saturday/SundayIMPOSSIBLE IN YOUR CLUNKY BAND SHOES. EASY in ROLLED-HEEL® www.drillmaster.com www.systemblue.org MAY 20 Impossible.indd 15/20/19 11:44 AMJune 26, 2019 -- Los Angeles, CA . . . The Cavaliers had a street performance that, when I was told where it was, I just said, “Yeah right.” “South Central LA!” This area has been pigeonholed for years as the not-so-safe area because of the LA riots, Rodney King and much more that keeps this vibrant community of Los Angeles on the negative side of the news and social media. Well things change and so do communities. I was given a three-hour window to get down to South Central LA and cover this story by my publisher, Steve Vickers, and was given detailed information by my close friends Major Stewart and especially Nate Lewis, Executive Director of Vessel Drum and Bugle Corps based in Murrieta, CA. While driving down there from North Hollywood, crazy thoughts were going through my mind, but at the same time all I could think of was, “A World Class DCI-winning drum corps performing in South Central LA. This I gotta See! Even though it was rush hour, I pushed through our ridiculous traffic and made it with a half hour to spare. Yes, it took me two hours to go 15 miles, but I made it. The police gave me priority parking and there they were, the Rosemount Cavaliers World Class drum corps in the hood, and I was immediately being introduced to Corps Director Dr. Michael Vaughn and Corps President Monte Mast. With streets blocked off and people starting to gather with excitement, President Mast stated that this was a first for them to be in South LA, but because of the relationship with former Cavalier Fernando Pullum, they thought it would be a great thing for the community and to possibly forge a new relationship. This event was sponsored by the Fernando Pullum Community Arts Center in Lamert Park, CA. Executive Director Fernando Pullum is originally from Chicago’s west side and he pulled out all the stops to welcome the Cavies to LA. He is a world class celebrity here in Hollywood and is actually a former member and trumpet Cavaliers perform in South Central LA text and photos by Jim Claytor, Drum Corps World staff (thelasportsnetwork@gmail.com)player with the drum corps. Over the years, Fernando has been recognized by Oprah Winfrey, The John Lennon Foundation, President Gerald Ford, U.K.’s Prince Charles, he has performed and recorded with John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Ella Fitzgerald, Jackson Browne, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Pharrel, Crosby Stills Nash and dozens more, all the while being one of the originators of City Sound Drum and Bugle Corps with then director, Nathaniel Lewis. This event started out with the Fernando Pullum premiere student jazz band that was absolutely phenomenal and actually sounded more like major studio musicians instead of students, just brilliant! As people gathered from the community, most had no idea what to expect and kept saying what school is this marching band from. After explaining to a lot of them that this was a drum corps not a marching bad, they still didn’t know the difference until the warm-up. Once they heard this incredible horn line preparing, they all totally freaked out, started screaming and people started literally running through the streets to hear them. The performance was unforgettable! Powerful! And something extremely positive while uplifting for this community. With all of the racial issues here in the United States, this was something where with drum corps, you saw every race interacting as family, hugging, exchanging numbers and doing what we need more of . . . DIALOGUE! This was an absolutely beautiful event, leaving many wiping their eyes and alumni in tears while feeling so proud about what they left this next generation of drum corps members! n n nWith the gates still hours away from swinging open and welcoming fans into the DCI Tour Premiere presented by DeMoulin Bros. & Co., hundreds of high school music students waltzed down the metal stairs and on to the glistening turf of Ford Field for a lesson in group dynamics. They just didn’t know it. As part of the “Kick Start Your Season with DCI” series, motivational speaker Fran Kick welcomed the youthful mass to Detroit and to experience “a stadium-sized team-building leadership experience like nothing they’ve done before.” “We’re giving some psychological principles on group dynamics that most college textbooks cover,” Kick said. “But rather than say that to students and directors, we actually disguise it in an activity and an entertaining presentation. They’re learning group-dynamic principles in a way that’s more meaningful for them, at their level and will stay with them longer.” Just by the cadence of his voice, it’s pretty easy to gauge Kick’s energy. He’s always moving, seeming eager to get out and do things. His presentation is no different. The students arrived to the stadium before the crowds and corps had clustered around the outer edges of the building, garnering an escort to the front sideline. After a short presentation, Kick served as a guide for the students as they built leadership skills among themselves. “On the field they’re interacting with each other, learning the value of treating each other the way they want to be treated, rather than the status they may or may not have in band or in life,” Kick said. “It’s a hard lesson for adults to learn. Students figuring it out is always a treat to see.” Rather than just saying that, Kick demonstrated it with an activity. At random, he gave each student a playing card. Without seeing their card, they plastered it on their forehead, visible for everyone else. The lower a participant’s card number, the lower that person was in the game’s “society.” The students were then asked to speak to each other based on that number, possibly demeaning someone with a lower number and talking glowingly to someone with a high number. At the end, they all got in a line based on what they thought their number was. It was an impactful lesson about treating every person, no matter who, with respect. “You can experience what it’s like to actually make things happen with other people at a high level,” Kick said. “Our goal is to give students, teachers and staff a chance to stop their world and look at how they do what they do in a meaningful way so the lesson will stay with them for the season in band.” The event in Detroit was the first of five in the 2019 Kick Start series, scattered across the country. The beauty of the events, Kick explained, is their welcoming and inclusive nature. There are no captains. Being a brass player, percussionist or color guard performer holds no weight -- everyone is equal together and interacting with one another. “Anyone who does anything performance-related can get a lesson on how we work better together when we’re treating people the way we want to be treated rather than perhaps the status or talent level we have in an organization,” Kick said. “The more we help each other, the better we’ll all get faster. And that’s the goal.” Upcoming Kick Start events: DCI Memphis, Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN, Saturday, July 13; DCI Mesquite, Mesquite Memorial Stadium, Mesquite, TX, Monday, July 22; DCI Arkansas, War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock, AR, Wednesday, July 24; DCI World Championship Finals, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN, Saturday, August 10. n n n Kick Start sessions bring next-level training to the next generation by Jordan Kaye, Drum Corps InternationalForward Performing Arts, Inc., the parent organization of the Madison Scouts, announced July 7 a new policy that will open the ranks of the traditionally all-male corps to all genders beginning next year. “This is a historic day for the Madison Scouts,” said Executive Director Chris Komnick. “No doubt it will challenge our long history, but the value it brings to our mission and the members we serve is immeasurable.” That long history covers more than eight decades for the Madison Scouts. The group was founded in 1938 as a Boy Scout troop, providing the impetus for its genesis as an all-male corps. “From day one, the corps was integrated racially and has since carried a strong culture of diversity through race, sexual orientation and socio-economic status,” the organization said in a release. “The Madison Scouts organization imposes a higher standard of rigor and excellence for itself and its participants, and seeks to meet the dynamic needs of its community as those needs evolve over time.” “This decision has been under consideration very intensely for the last two years and it’s actually been considered for many decades,” Komnick added. “But for the last two years, we’ve been taking a look at the legal ramifications, we’ve been taking a look at what our principles are as an organization, we’ve been surveying alumni, we’ve been surveying fans, we’ve been surveying music educators and we’ve been surveying our own membership as well. Once we went through that entire process, there was a lot of debate and a lot of discussion about it, but it really comes down to what our principles are as an organization.” Similar to the way the Boy Scouts of America organization has evolved, first welcoming girls into its Scouting programs in 2018, so too are the Madison Scouts. With the establishment of Forward Performing Arts in 2017, the Scouts have already started catering to more and more performing arts students outside of the drum corps including a growing series of leadership workshops, a DCI SoundSport team (Mad Brass) and a WGI Winds ensemble (Fleurish Winds), all of which were established as coed programs. The Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps will be the last piece in the Forward Performing Arts portfolio to open its doors to all performers. “It’s the right decision for the right time, said Madison Scouts Artistic Drector James Elvord who was inducted into the DCI Hall of Fame in 1997. “I taught the corps for many years in the 1970s and through the corps’ first [DCI] Championship. The time is right for the Madison Scouts. I think going into the future for our success and longevity, we need to be all-inclusive.” “What I think the future holds for the corps moving forward is very positive,” Komnick said. “I understand and completely appreciate our historic 82 years up to this point, but I think what we’re doing is going to gain so much more for us as an organization, not only in the principles, we’re basically aligning our principles with what we’re teaching our membership, but also what we can put out on the field.” n n n Madison Scouts will open ranks to all genders by Drum Corps International On page 65 of the June 2019 issue there was a photo of the Garfield Cadets, but the photographer was not identified. Joe Courtney e-mailed to let me know he took the 1962 photo in Momence, IL, at the Gladiola Festival. AdditionJuly 2, 2019 -- East Rutherford, NJ . . . Tonight will be my first time viewing the 2019 DCI corps other than watching them in the movie theater on June 20. I’m on the field at MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and the New York Jets. The stadium is also the host for the USBands Yamaha Cup Championships held in the fall and is sponsored by YEA! and The Cadets. We had the pleasure of have the Free Players (above, Ron Wyatt) from Long Island perform. This musical group had so much talent that has not been touched yet. If you are not aware, they are the only special-needs drum corps around! When you have a chance to see this unit, give them a standing O and if you have a chance to stop by to say hello, they would appreciate it,. It would give them a real boost. This year the corps has been invited to perform at DCA in Williamsport, PA, over the Labor Day weekend. The first corps to take the field was Encorps (below, Raymond Fudge) . After talking to the corps director, I found out this corps was only half the size tonight and they will be unveiling their full- corps production at this year's “DCI Eastern Classic” in Allentown on August 2. This corps has a lot of talented staff on-board and should do quite well the rest of the performing season. Canton Bluecoats retain lead at MetLife DCI event by Larry Eckert Drum Corps World staff (Mrcymbals@aol.com)Next up were the Raiders (right, Raymond Fudge) , seeming to have only half of their production done. It was very hard to read, as just when you start to get settled in trying to understand their show, they were done and off the field. No doubt their production will be completed by their next performance. 7th Regiment (bottom of next page, Pat Chagnon) from New London, CT, had uniforms that I love -- yes uniforms! They had a very colorful show. I’m looking forward to being able to see this corps a few more times this season. Jersey Surf (top of next page, Ron Wyatt) was next (WOW!). They have a lot of talent this year. This has to be one of their better productions in a few years. The change in outfits with different colors sets many moods that the corps is working to portray out on the field. There was a 20 minute intermission tonight. Sometimes I wonder why there are intermissions when there is a threat of bad weather reported near stadiums. Tonight was no exception. If there hadn’t been an intermission, we would not have had a problem later on during the show.Next >