Usenet 1993 July/InfoMagic USENET CD-ROM July 1993.ISO/answers/drumcorps-faq/part1

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Subject: rec.arts.marching.drumcorps FAQ  1/6 Contents and General Info
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Archive-name: drumcorps-faq/part1
Last-modified: 1993/06/27
Version: 3.0

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for rec.arts.marching.drumcorps
Part 1 of 6  Complete Table of Contents and General Drum Corps Info

Written by Donald Chinn and Michael Fath
Administered by Michael Fath ([e-mail])

Comments welcome on any aspect of this FAQ.  We are especially looking
for information on DCA corps and schedules, Div. II/III corps, and
early drum corps information (VFW and American Legion Championships
and pre-DCI corps in general).  If you see anything that is inaccurate
(such as corps address information or repertoire), please let us know.

Last updated 4/27/93

Table of Contents:

1.0 General information (what is drum corps, rules, travel, costs, etc.)
    1.0.1 FTP site for drumcorps information
    1.0.2 Drum corps mailing list
    1.0.3 Corps Scorelines
2.0 Information specific to the current season
    2.1 Corps repertoires
    2.2 The DCI Tour
    2.3 DCA Championships
3.0 Historical Information
    3.1 Last Season's Finals Scores
    3.2 Previous DCI Champions
    3.3 Early DCI Scores 1972-1979
4.0 Corps addresses and drum corps publications
    4.1 Current active corps
    4.1.1 Junior corps
    4.1.2 Senior corps
    4.2 Drum corps associations
    4.3 Drum corps publications
    4.4 Drum corps books
    4.5 Audio and Video
    4.5.1 DCI Audios and Videos
    4.5.2 800 Video Express
    4.5.3 Future Corps
5.0 How to join a corps
6.0 Percussion notation
7.0 Information on DCA  (Drum Corps Associates)  - Senior Corps

1.0 General Information                         Donald Chinn

1.0.1 FTP site for drum corps information

    An anonymous FTP site has been created for keeping documents
and GIFs related to drum corps, winter guard, marching band, and
related marching activities.  The address is:

TLC-486.clemson.edu

This site is administrated by Bob Berry ([e-mail])

1.0.2 Drumcorps mailing list

    A Drumcorps-Digest mailing list has been created by Mark Baushke
([e-mail]) to allow people without access to UseNet to receive a daily
digest of articles that appear in alt.drumcorps or rec.arts.marching.drumcorps
and post articles to alt.drumcorps and to rec.arts.marching.drumcorps.

If you have administrative requests regarding the digest, please direct
them to [e-mail] as Mark is NOT on the digest
mailing list himself.

Typical administrative requests should be:
    - please remove me from the drumpcorps-digest list
    - please add me to the drumpcorps-digest list
    - please change my old address <give-old-address> to <give-new-address>

Two addresses have also been created which will post e-mail sent to them to
the corresponding newsgroup of:

    [e-mail]    (posts to alt.drumcorps)
and
    [e-mail] (posts to
                           rec.arts.marching.drumcorps)

so that any replies you wish to make to newsgroup postings you read in
the digest are as simple as sending e-mail to the appropriate address.

If you wish a copy of the sources for the software used to create the
digest, I can e-mail that as well. It is a combination of a C program
and a Perl script a request for sources should be sent to
[e-mail] for best results.

How things work:

The digest software runs an NNTP reader client once per day which will
read all previously unread articles in the group and package them as a
single e-mail message. If there are no new articles, or the news
machine is down, then you will not get any articles that day. If you
have not seen a digest in more than three days, you might want to send
e-mail to the administrivia address to have me look into any problems.


1.0.3  Corps scorelines

    Every summer, several of the top 12 drum and bugle corps set up
their own individual scoreline to allow drum corps fans to get daily
updates on scores.  These scorelines are free except for any long distance
costs.  In addition, DCI has a number 1-900-CAN-DRUM that can also be
used for daily score updates.  The cost for this call is $1.50/1st min,
$0.95 for each additional minute.

Here are some of the scoreline phone numbers:

DCI Scoreline            1-900-CAN-DRUM
Cadets of Bergen County        201-384-7088
Cavaliers            312-763-3807
Santa Clara Vanguard        408-727-5591
Star of Indiana            812-323-3770

Blue Knights and Phantom Regiment also sponsor scorelines, but those numbers
are not avaiable at this time.


1.1 What is drum corps?
    Drum corps is an abbreviation for drum and bugle corps.  During
the competitive season, corps from all across the US and Canadap
erform to crowds of up to 35,000.
    The closest kind of group to a drum corps that is not a drum corps
is the marching band, but the performance levels of the top drum corps
is in general higher than top marching bands.

The music.  Drum corps do NOT play Sousa marches or "um-pa-pa" music.
The repertoire of modern drum corps consists of classical, jazz,
contemporary, and symphonic literature.  Broadway musicals are also
popular.  Some organizations tend to play a single kind of music.  For
example, the Concord Blue Devils tend to play jazz each year, while
the Phantom Regiment plays classical music each year.
    Gone are the days of sitting on the 50 yardline playing the theme
from Rocky and Stars and Stripes Forever (which used to be common in
both drum corps and marching bands).
    The music is arranged by professionals.  The brass and percussion
instructors are among the best in the country.  There are even college
music professors involved in the activity.

The drill.  Drills are also designed by professional artists and
choreographers.  Smooth curves during delicate passages and sharp
angles during aggressive passages accent the presentation of the
music.  Color and dance also add to the interpretation of the music.
The drill and the music are integrated into a whole (unlike many field
shows one sees at a typical halftime show) in a constantly moving
show.

There are three sections of a drum corps: the brass, the percussion,
and the color guard.  See later questions for descriptions for what
are allowed in the brass and percussion sections.  The color guard (a
misnomer in today's performances) is the group of performers who
handle the flags and other props that visually enhance the
performance.  They typically do quite a bit of dancing and equipment
work.

Forget about any experiences you've had with high school and college
marching bands.  Drum corps is a completely different animal, and any
music-lover ought to consider seeing a show towards the end of the
season.

Usage note: "drum corps" (singular) can refer to a particular drum corps
(e.g. "I haven't seen a drum corps in years.") or it can refer to the
entire activity (e.g. "The future of drum corps looks promising.").  It
also can be used as an adjective (e.g. "I'm going to the next drum corps
show in the area.").  The plural "drum corps" only refers to greater than
one drum corps.

1.2 How do you pronounce the word "corps"?  How do you spell and pronounce
its plural?

"Corps" is pronounced like KOR (like the word "core").  The plural of
"corps" is spelled "corps", but is pronounced KORZ.  The most frequent
error in spelling "corps" is to leave off the 's'.

1.3 What is DCI?
    DCI stands for Drum Corps International.  DCI is the governing
organization that oversees the competitive drum corps activity (I hate
to use the analogy to sports, but DCI is roughly analogous to the NCAA
for college athletics).  DCI was organized in 1972 as a reaction to
the "harsh" way the VFW (Veterans of Foreign War) and AL (American
Legion) were governing the activity.

1.4 Are there any limits as to how many people can perform on the
field?
    Yes, but this number depends on the Class that your corps competes
in.  The so-called Open Class corps may field up to 128 performers
(including the drum majors).  This number comes from the fact that
when the rule was devised, this was the average number of people that
could fit on three buses.  The idea was to minimize the travelling
costs for the corps.
    Class A (now called Division II) corps may field up to 90 people
and Class A-60 (now called Division III) corps may field up to 60
members.
    These are the formal differences between the classes of drum
corps, but in reality the Open Class corps tend to be the ones that
attract the better instructors, go on longer tours, and generally
perform better, while the Division II and III corps tend to be more
oriented towards being a youth activity.  Note that these are
generalities so that any particular corps could be anywhere in the
spectrum of youth activity or innovators in performance art.

1.5 What are the budgets of the corps?
    Typical numbers for an Open Class corps are $250,000 to $500,000
per year.  This amount largely depends on how far they travel during
the season, how expensive the props and uniforms are for the year, and
what kind of staff they hire.
    Division II and III corps spend much less than these amount
(probably much less than $100,000) because they tend to travel only
locally or for shorter periods of time.  Also, because they are
smaller, the cost to produce a show is smaller.

1.6 Where do corps get the money?
    Since drum corps are not associated with any school (typically
they are non-profit corporations), they must do their own
fund-raising.
    Fund-raising activities include all sorts of events.  The
Bluecoats from Canton, OH, for example, hold a mini-car race in
downtown Canton which raises all sorts of money (as well as
publicizing the corps name).
    Funds also come from corps membership fees, as they are called.
Fees can range between $200-$500 depending on the corps (if you
calculate that out, that could be as much as $50,000).
    The Blue Devils from Concord, CA, take in about 70% of their $1.5
million operating funds from bingo (the $1.5 million goes to 7
different performing groups in the Blue Devils organization).
    Prize money is another source of income.  The top corps get
something like $2500 per performance, which adds up to about $75,000
total in a season.  Many corps sponsor their own shows, which raises
some more money.
    Donations and boosters also contribute to the money needed.

    Finally, some corps are partially or fully corporate sponsored.
The Star of Indiana from Bloomington, IN, is fully funded by the Cook
Groups, Inc.  The Cadets of Bergen County from Hackensack, NJ, are
partially funded by Emerson Electric.  Circle K sponsored the Suncoast
Sound in 1986.

1.7 How far do the corps travel?  How many competitions?  How long is
the season?  When are the Championships?
    A typical Open Class corps travels somewhere between 10,000 and
15,000 miles during the season, performing in 25 to 35 shows in an
eight or nine week period.  The season usually begins in the second
week in June (the eastern corps tend to start a little later) and
culminates in the DCI World Championships, which are always held on
the third Saturday in August.

1.8 How can I catch the Championships on TV?
    PBS usually broadcasts the tape that DCI makes of the
Championships (actually, DCI produces two tapes: one of the live show
and a highlights film).  Each PBS station has the option not to
broadcast it for whatever reason (too much already scheduled, not
enough interest, etc.).  Some stations broadcast it live (on the
Saturday of the Championships), while other stations save the tape and
broadcast it whenever it is convenient.  If your local station does
not broadcast it, call them up or write them a letter.  It has been my
experience that PBS listens to its viewers (especially those who
subscribe).  As an example, the PBS station in Seattle did not
broadcast the Championships, but got so many calls in August and
September that they showed it in October.

1.9 How does the scoring work?

    The current judging system has nine judges, each responsible for a
particular aspect of the show.  Each caption (as they are called) has
a certain number of points allotted to it.  The sum of the nine
judges' scores determines the overall score of the performance.  There
are three captions for each of Brass, Percussion, and Visual.  The
point breakdown is as follows:

                  Brass    Percussion   Visual
Field              10          10         10
Ensemble           10          10         10
General Effect     15          10         15

The Field Brass and Field Percussion judges are the judges that are on
the field during a performance and are primarily looking at individual
technique and execution of the book.  They are the judges who nit-pick
at things such as overblowing, non-uniform sticking, bad releases, etc.

The Field Visual judge watches the execution of the color guard and
the marching of the brass and percussion performers.  Spacing,
uniformity, and execution are what this judges looks for.

The Ensemble Brass and Percussion judges sit up in the press box.
They are responsible for judging how each area (Brass or Percussion,
respectively) performs technically as an ensemble.  Musicality,
intonation, dynamics, sonority, etc. are the things these judges look
for.

The Ensemble Visual judge tries to assess the ability of the entire
corps to effectively present visual ideas.

The General Effect judges assess the overall effectiveness of each
area in the final product.  This is where entertainment and "special
effects" play a big role.  It is also an area where the design of the
show itself is being evaluated.  Why was this picture presented after
this music statement?  What is the effect of having the percussion
feature and its mood following the ballad with its mood?  These are
the kinds of questions that are raised and the kinds of things that
are assessed by the General Effect (GE) judges.

1.10 What is a legal bugle?
    For competitive purposes (i.e. at DCI competitions), a bugle is
defined as follows: "By the word `bugle' as used herein is meant a
straight bell-front brass instrument pitched in the key of G.  All
instruments shall have no more than three (3) valves except for the
contrabass bugle, which may have four (4)."
    This is quoted from Drum Corps World (January, 1990) which quotes
the rule book (Rule 4.3.1).  This rule was passed at the 1989 DCI
Rules Congress.  The rule used to say exactly the same thing, except
that all instruments (even contrabasses) could have only two (2)
valves.
    There is an interesting history to what was allowed on the field.
At first only valveless bugles were allowed.  Then one-valved,
piston-rotor, and then two-valved were allowed, in that order.  In
fact, there used to be only soprano bugles until the baritone bugle,
mellophone bugle, French horn bugle, and the contrabass were invented.

1.11 What kind of percussion is allowed?
    Rule 4.1.1:  "All acoustic percussion membrane and keyboard
instruments (those not needing electricity to generate sound) are
legal."
    Rule 4.1.2: "Percussion keyboard instruments may use resonators.
A self-contained motor that is battery-powered is permitted to be used
on vibraphones only.  This motor is not to be used for amplification,
but rather to produce a vibrato effect by turning the resonator
propellers.  Electric amplification is not allowed."

1.12 What is the "pit area"?
    It is the area between the 35 yard lines on the front side line
ten feet deep (outside the playing field, toward the audience).
Basically, this area is an extension of the field.  Any piece of
equipment can be brought into or out of the pit area to or from the
"normal" playing field.
    Corps typically use this area to place stationary percussion
instruments, such as chimes, keyboard instruments, tympani, gongs,
etc.  It is also used sometimes to store color guard equipment.  Some
drill writers have used the pit area for performers to march through.

1.13 How long is each show?
    Each corps' performance is supposed to last between 10 and 11 1/2
minutes.  There is a 0.1 point penalty for each 6 seconds above or
below these limits.
    A typical show consisting of 7 corps will last about three hours.
    Usually, the winner of the show will do an encore performance while
standing still (i.e. not marching).  These kinds of performances are known
as standstill performances.

1.14 What are all those strange abbreviations and/or nicknames people
keep using when writing about drum corps?

    It's a lot easier to use an abbreviation or nickname than to have
to type the entire corps name every time.  Here is a short table of
abbreviations:

    BD = Blue Devils (Concord, CA)
    Boston = Boston Crusaders (Boston, MA)
    Cadets or Garfield = Cadets of Bergen County (Hackensack, NJ)
      (they used to be called the Garfield Cadets until 1989)
    Cavies = Cavaliers (Rosemont, IL)
    Madison or Scouts = Madison Scouts (Madison, WI)
    PR or Phantom = Phantom Regiment (Rockford/Loves Park, IL)
    SCV or Vanguard = Santa Clara Vanguard (Santa Clara, CA)
    Sky = Sky Ryders (De Soto, TX)
    Spirit = Spirit of Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)
    Star = Star of Indiana (Bloomington, IN)
    Suncoast = Suncoast Sound (Pinillas Park, FL)
    VK or Velvet = Velvet Knights (Anaheim, CA)
    27 = the 27th Lancers (a defunct corps from Revere, MA)

    Other abbreviations include:

    contra = contrabass bugle
    bari or bary = baritone bugle
    sop = soprano bugle
    DM = drum major
    GE = general effect

1.15 Why do people keep misspelling things?

    Because they want to be like Dan Quayle.  Seriously though, here
is a small set of things people commonly misspell.

    Bluecoats (the corps from Canton, OH)
    Sky Ryders (the corps from DeSoto, TX)
    drum corps (TWO words)
    corps (singular, pronounced "CORE")
    corps (plural, pronounced "CORZ")
    corps' (possessive, pronounced "CORZ")

    There is no such word 'corp'.

--
MM   MM FFFFF     Michael J. Fath
M M M M F    Dept of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
M  M  M FFF     Harvard Medical School
M     M F       Boston, MA 02115                [e-mail]