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The Belgian drum ensemble DrumSpirit from Dadizele has announced their new show entitled 'Tsunami'. DrumSpirit tells the story of a ferocious wave. Both in Belgium and abroad, DrumSpirit is well-known for its captivating theme shows and entertaining street act, Drumline XL.

On 26th December 2004, 400,000 people in Asia and Africa started the day that changed their lives forever. A bright morning sun greeted laborers on their way to work and tourists on their way to white sandy beaches. However, on that same morning, a collision of tectonic plates in the Indian Ocean caused an undersea earthquake, which measured 8.9 on the Richter scale - the biggest the world had seen since 1960. The quake sent enormous waves rolling across the ocean, mercilessly wiping out entire cities. 300,000 were left dead, another 100,000 wounded. Young and old, rich and poor, believer and nonbeliever - all were affected equally.

With a custom-written soundtrack and state-of-the-art choreography, 'Tsunami' portrays the different scenes of a natural disaster. A relentless motherwave and equally destructive afterwaves separate friends, divide families, turn children into orphans. Bodies are buried while loved ones whose remains will never be found are commemorated. But when flowers start sprouting in the mud, the survivors realize it’s time to move on with their lives. The destructive water leaves a tabula rasa, a clean slate. The tragedy calls for humanitarian aid and teamwork to rebuild the community together.

The design team of DrumSpirit includes Maarten Deschacht (artistic director), Thomas Claesen (battery arranger), David Dewyn (visual designer) and Giovanni Maes (graphic designer). The new programme will debut in Almere (Netherlands) at the end of February. On Saturday 12th March, the ensemble organizes a showcase in its home base in Dadizele.

After months of negotiations, Drum Corps Associates is disappointed to announce that the 2015 audio and visual products will not be produced.

"Licensing and releases to allow us to create our audio and visual products have not been approved by several copyright holders and publishers", DCA states. "We apologize for this turn of events, the result of which has been truly out of our control." The organisation has proecessed refunds for 2015 audio/video products that were ordered and paid for.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact DCA at lois@dcacorps.org.

Juliana and their feeder unit Johan Friso from Middelburg are getting their own outdoor facilities for rehearsals, and a private storage place. Work on the field has already begun, but the corps is still looking for financial help. Interested parties can 'buy' part of the field.

Interested to be the 'owner' of Juliana’s 50 yard line? Or do you prefer the pit area? Every square metre of Juliana's new field can be symbolically purchased. Of the 5,000 square metres, the first 3,000 square metres of the field have already been purchased by Zeeland Seaports NV, the Middelburg council and Accountant firm Rijkse. There are currently 2,000 square metres available. A square metre costs 5 euros and the minimum purchase is 5 square metres.

Once someone has bought one or several square metres of grass, their name or company name will be placed in that location on the digital field. The corps home also has a list on display of which party has purchased which part of the field. The purchases can be shared via Facebook and Twitter.

Following the initial announcement at the end of last year, listing the dates of the 2016 Drum Corps United Kingdom contests, DCUK are now pleased to advise that all the venues have been finalised.

The first DCUK contest, on 19th June, will take place at the Barnsley FC Academy in South Yorkshire. The next show is in Woking FC, on 3rd July. The last contest before the Summer break is held at the Saffron Lane Athletics Stadium in Leicester on 17th July. Hednesford Town FC in Staffordshire will be the venue for the DCUK contest on 4th September.

In addition, the DCUK British Drum Corps Championships will be returning for the fourth year to the Select Security Stadium in Widnes on Saturday 17th September. Details of the corps registered for 2016 will be announced shortly. It will be DCUK's 37th season as the home of British drum corps.

The European series of Indoor Music Games and SoundSport will open with a line up of 9 groups in Dublin on Saturday 27th February. The event also includes a winter guard contest.

The Indoor Music Games/SoundSport show in Dublin will feature TFB Mash Up, Celtic Crusaders, Sheilagh's Ukelele School Band, Tallaght Youth Band, Knights Academy Brass (SoundSport), The Vikings, Inbhear Mor and the Blue Barons (IMG Premier Class).

The show will take place in the brand new Sports and Theatre facility at Alexandra College in Milltown, Dublin 6. "This is a superb facility and we are very pleased to have found a suitable alternative", says Oisin Molloy from the Irish Marching Bands Association. The National Basketball Arena could not be used because of the General Elections.

The IMBA Winterguard contest, a co-production of the IMBA and WGUK, includes performances of Celtic Crusaders, Infinity and Winter Festival.

Tickets are available at the door for 10 euros (Under 16 and OAP 5 euros, family pass 20 euros). The show commences at 2.00 pm and ends at 5.00 pm. More information can be found at www.irishmarchingbandsassociation.org.

The IMG/SoundSport season 2016 will feature a new show on Saturday 30th April. The SoundSport Forest of Dean Show will be held in Lydney, Gloucestershire and will replace the Essex show. This is due to the decision by Thurrock Marching Brass not to run any competitions in 2016.

Registration for this event is now open. Show organiser Andy Hewlett commented "The Forest is the home of many successful Brass Bands, including Cinderford Academy who competed in last years SoundSport Bristol show and really enjoyed it. The aim of this show is to get more Brass Bands interested in SoundSport, so it would be good if we could get some of the Corps Style groups to come along to give them idea of what Drum Corps is all about."

The Forest of Dean is a well known tourist destination on the English/Welsh border and, as the show is on a bank holiday weekend, makes a great place for a weekend away. Local attractions include the Go Ape Adventure Park and Puzzelwood, used as a Film and TV location shoot, including the latest Star Wars film. For the adults, there are some fine Country Pubs, one of which keeps over 40 different Ciders.

For further information on the show please contact Andy at andy@drumcorpseurope.org. Want to be part of the historical first series of the Indoor Music Games with your own group? Give it a shot and enter one or more shows! Details on the Indoor Music Games/SoundSport can be found at www.drumcorpseurope.org/img.

Drum Corps Netherlands has opened the registration period for the upcoming summer season. The competition will start on 28th May.

The first contest will take place on Saturday the 28th of May in Roosendaal. After a year’s absence, the city of Huizen will be used as a location again, as the second contest will be held there on Saturday 25th June. The familiar stadium of FC Dordrecht will once again be the scene of the DCN Championships this year on Saturday the 10th of September.

Corps can register for the Premier Class, Junior Class and the Open Class. The latter class is for corps that don't have all three sections (e.g. no hornline or no guard) but do want to receive a full score. DCN hopes that it will be another exciting competition season with many participants, packed stands and great drum corps days.

The size of DCI Open Class corps continues to grow. DCI's Open Class coordinator David Eddleman reports that the average number of members per corps increased by 33% between 2010 and 2015.

From an average of 65 in 2010, 2015 marked an average of 86 corps members up from 82 in 2014. In 2015 10 Open Class corps had memberships exceeding 100. Students in Open Class corps totaled 2,251 in 2015 (up 1,969 from 2014), which accounted for 40 percent of all corps members participating in the DCI Tour.

Currently undergoing an evaluation process, four prospective Open Class corps have applied to participate in the 2016 DCI Tour. Groups include Horizon (Odessa, Texas), Indy Ignition (Indianapolis), Shadow (Oregon, Wisconsin) and the Battalion (Provo, Utah). Not including International Class groups, at least 16 Open Class corps are expected to compete at the Open Class World Championship this August in Michigan City Indiana, up from 14 in 2015.

19 DCI Tour events featuring lineups exclusively of Open and International Class corps were hosted in 2015. Total paid attendance across those events reached 13,515, up more than 2,500 over 2014.

Lynn Lindstrom, the first WGI Executive Director, passed away at the age of 76 following a battle with cancer. Lindstrom led the organisation for 24 years.

In the spring of 1977, a group of six people met in San Francisco to discuss the formation of an organisation to govern the color guard activity from coast to coast. It was agreed that Lynn Lindstrom, the current Commander of the Midwest Color Guard Circuit, would head the newly formed organisation for the first year. This became a post she subsequently held for twenty-four years."

From 1978 until her retirement in 2001, as Executive Director Lynn both held the ground firm for the burgeoning activity and saw into its' future, the reality today. In 1978, 34 guards participated in the national competition. That number grew to more than 300 in 2001. Lynn also spearheaded WGI's expansion into percussion ensemble and marching band competitions.

An inaugural WGI Hall of Fame inductee in 1992, Lynn shied away from personal recognition, opting always to foster, support, and lead those around her: color guards, judges, administrators, and perhaps her favorite group, the thousands of volunteers over her years who brought championships to life.

Kidsgrove Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps has entered a partnership with System Blue. Effective today, they will play exclusively on System Blue brass instruments.

Corps Director Rob Swindells commented "These are very exciting times for everyone at Kidsgrove Scouts. It is a great honor for us to be welcomed into the System Blue Family. Not only do the members get to play on amazing top-quality instruments, but there are great opportunities to develop strong educational links across the family. The potential for growth within Kidsgrove through this is outstanding. The opportunity to work with System Blue and other endorsees is phenomenal."

As one of Britain's most prolific drum and bugle corps and recognizable top musical ensembles in the marching world, Kidsgrove choose System Blue to help them continue their successful journey. In both in 2010 and 2012, Kidsgrove was crowned DCA International Champions. In 2015 they were the only British Drum Corps to compete in America on three separate occasions, finishing in sixth place in the DCA Championships. These are incredible accomplishments for this exciting and competitive group. The corps became European Champions in 2010 and 2015, and have been crowned British Champions six times over eight years.

"We hope that this partnership gives Kidsgrove the opportunity to achieve their goals and express themselves with our elite instruments in a totally new way," says David Gibbs, System Blue's President. "Established in 1910, they're already the most recognizable and successful marching ensemble in the United Kingdom."

Kidsgrove Scouts will be performing their 2016 production entitled 'Symmetricity' around the UK and on mainland Europe on the DCUK/DCE circuits.

2016 marks the 25th Anniversary of the Cadence's formation. The 2016 Summer programme of the corps has been designed to give the current membership "a completely new challenge whilst giving a gentle nod to the history and tradition of those who have come before us."

"The future is shrouded in uncertainty but the universe speaks directly to us through many forms. Through Tarot everyone can hear its song. Each Tarot card holds its own unique meaning and can be used to gain insight, clarity and to achieve greater control in all of our endeavours. In 2016 Cadence invite you to discover your own path. Five movements. Five cards. A hint of what your future may hold?

Musical selections are from Philip Glass, Igor Stravinsky, Nirvana, Camille Saint-Saens and Ludwig van Beethoven. Cadence will be participating in the 2016 European Music Games as part of the DCUK contest circuit which will include their home show at Woking FC and will also be embarking on a five day trip to the Netherlands for the Drum Corps Europe Championships in September.

More details on the Summer production and staff team can be found at www.cadencedrumcorps.org.

Winter Guard International welcomes two European guards this season: The Pride of the Netherlands and Mayflower. WGI is looking forward to the participation of the guards from Europe and therefore made an extensive article of these two groups.

Since 2008 The Pride of the Netherlands has been travelling to WGI every other year and Mayflower has done that every three seasons. Together they have participated in Dayton for fourteen times. They are the record holders in England and The Netherlands. Freelance editor Jenny Lyon interviewed members Chantal Kroon, Michelle Hollander and guard director Robby Overvliet from The Pride of the Netherlands. For Mayflower she had a conversation with Lucy Conway and show coordinator Robert DaCosta. This resulted in an extensive feature article for the WGI website.

The Pride of the Netherlands has built a good relationship with some top designers from the USA who were mentioned in the article. Adam Sage is a WGI judge and has also been active as a designer for Phantom Regiment, Carolina Crown, Madison Scouts and Boston Crusaders. After a couple of years being the choreographer for the Madison Scout, Adam Dalton will be the caption head of the Troopers color guard this summer. David Crook is oone of the primary choreographers for three-time world champion Onyx and has been working with The Pride of the Netherlands since last season. Trevor Davis from Pride of Cincinnati started working with the ambitious guard from Huizen - The Netherlands in 2010. Together with the Dutch staff they have put together the program 'M.C. Escher - Images of Mathematics' featuring the works of the world famous Dutch artist. The Pride of the Netherlands will compete in the Color Guard Netherlands circuit before showing their production on US soil in April.

Mayflower has been working with Blue Stars top designers Michael Shapiro for many many years. Mayflower's large guard of 28 performers will be presenting a challenging programme in 2016. With an average age of 22, it is Mayflower's most talented guard ever. Their new programme is called 'Excess Baggage' and will feature not only UK members but also 6 US members. Mayflower will be competing in the World Class at WGUK. Their circuit championships is only one week before the WGI World Championships so no time to waste before heading over to WGI for their 8th participation.

Luuk Zonnevijlle from Zwijndrecht - The Netherlands has a dream: to march with the Kidsgrove Scouts and to go to the US with the corps in 2017. But that costs a lot of money, so he started a crowdfunding campaign, in the hopes of making his dream a reality.

The 17-year-old Dutchman has already secured a spot with the European Champions, but now needs to get the money together. “I'm still in school and I have a part-time job but that is not enough to pay for everything.” That is why he started an action on GoFundMe where donations can be made.

Luuk has been a big fan of the Kidsgrove Scouts since he saw them for the first time in 2011 at the DCE European Championships. Next year, the English corps will be participating in the DCA Championships in Rochester for the fourth time. Those who want to give Luuk a helping hand can do so on his donation page. He has already collected his first 120 euros.

After 24 years of leading the Blue Devils organization, David Gibbs is announcing his decision to transition into a new role. "As we continue to grow and thrive, I feel that the time is right for us to add to our leadership team in a significant way," says Gibbs. On 29th February, the Blue Devils will welcome Justin Heimbecker as the new CEO of BD Performing Arts.

"I'm thrilled and honored for the opportunity to join the BDPA family," says Heimbecker. "Since its inception, the Blue Devils organisation has been at the forefront of the drum corps activity, both on and off the field, taking risks and embracing a pioneering spirit as it relates to their mission - to support young people through the performing arts. I look forward to working alongside Dave to provide leadership to all aspects of BDPA, contributing to the continued success of the entire organization in an ever-changing landscape of drum corps and nonprofit management."

"I could not be more excited about this addition to our team," says Gibbs. "Justin is a great fit for BDPA. His experience and vision for our brand will allow us to develop and grow as we continue striving for excellence. We all welcome Justin wholeheartedly and look forward to introducing him to our BD world."

Heimbecker has spent his career growing all areas of music and marching programs. While one of his main focuses has been in the drum and bugle corps arena, his classroom experience has also afforded him the opportunity to work with students of all ages. Most recently, he has supported hundreds of music programs across the nation through his leadership role with USBands.

Adding Justin to the team will allow Gibbs to focus on new projects as well as manage the increasing growth of System Blue as the brand's President and Board Chair.

A few more dark months and then the Summer season starts again! Are you itching to take part and do you want to be part of a horn line, drum line or guard this year? You can still join a corps!

Many corps have already started rehearsing their new programmes, but it's not too late to join. Most corps can still use reinforcements in the ranks. Performances, participation in contests and championships, a fun social experience and camaraderie: you'll find it all! And remember: not marching a corps is something you can do the rest of your life!

For a list of all corps within the European Music Games, go to the Corps Page of the DCE website, or find a corps near you on the Corps Map.

Nine proposed changes to Drum Corps International's rule book are up for discussion at this year's annual winter business meetings and rules congress at the end of January. One of the proposals is to move the field judges to the front sideline.

The proposal has been submitted by Fred Morrison from the Crossmen. The purpose of the proposal is to provide a safer environment for the field judges and the performers, as well as a better overall sampling environment. Judges will not get 'trapped' or miss opportunities to judge their entire caption. Percussion judges would not miss a front ensemble moment when near the back sideline with the battery. It would also mean a better experience for people in the stand.

A biennial event, the DCI Rules Congress is a process that is directed primarily by the participating drum corps. During scheduled sessions 29th and 30th January 29 in Denver, drum corps instructors will meet by caption in individual caucus sessions to discuss the proposals.

All proposals can be found here.

Voted upon during a meeting of the Drum Corps International Board of Directors, Daniel E. Acheson has been renewed as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the organization.

Acheson is just the third to serve as CEO of Drum Corps International in more than four decades. The two-year contract extension coincided with Acheson’s milestone 20th anniversary on the job. He stepped into the position in 1995 after serving as executive director of the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps for 10 years in Toledo, Ohio.

During Acheson’s tenure, Drum Corps International has developed into a powerful, nonprofit, global youth organization with far-reaching artistic, educational and organizational influence, and an annual operating budget in excess of $11 million.

“Under Dan’s leadership DCI has seen incredible growth for the organization and the drum corps activity in general,” said Fred Morrison, Chairman of the DCI Board of Directors. “The Drum Corps International Dan inherited is more than three times greater in revenues today than on the day he signed his first contract with DCI.“

The Irish Marching Bands Association has scheduled four shows this year. One of these is an event as part of the Indoor Music Games/SoundSport.

On Saturday 27th February, the European Indoor Music Games will kick off in Dublin, a cooperation between IMBA, DCE and DCI. The Irish summer season will kick of with a contest in Arklow on 16th July, followed by a contest in Clonmel on 21st August. The IMBA Championships will take place on 10th September in Dublin.

Both for the indoor shows and the summer shows, the IMBA will work together with Drum Corps Europe. The summer contests of the Irish Marching Bands Association have been part of the European Music Games since 2009.

Indoor Percussion Europe has announce that the 2016 edition of IPE Championships has been cancelled. "Due to a lack of entries there really is no other option", IPE's Erwin van Gemert said.

According to IPE, some units are having to rebuild, so will not have time to train new members, as well as put a competitive programme together; and some units have advised that they will struggle to attend due to a lack of funds.

"The 2015 event was very encouraging, as we had a record number of units register for championships", Van Gemert said. "There were a few unavoidable problems on the day – torrential rain and wind; a delayed start time, and an issue with lack of equipment storage/an area for members to change into uniform/costume. However; I hope you will agree that it was a fantastic day of great performances, with a positive and friendly atmosphere."

In preparation for the 2016 event, the IPE team had made arrangements to rectify the problems previously mentioned, but will now implement these improvements at the 2017 event. These improvements include an additional hall to be used for storage/changing, as well a big change of moving to the WGI judging manual.

Jubal Indoor Percussion, DrumSpirit, GOT Motion, MDC Drumline Hallein, New Spirit, and Harpe Davids registered for the event. "We would like to thank these units", Van Gemert said. "Their loyalty and support is very much appreciated. Please continue to support IPE with its endeavours to provide a percussion-only circuit in Europe."

In May 2015, I set off to Great Britain to attend the DCE Judges’ College. What should I expect? What will others expect from me?

A report by Malte Steiner

In the run-up, Mark Bassett (DCE Adjudication Manager) and Marco Harder (Caption Head Music) supported me with my preparation for the event, which was done via Skype sessions and emails, which helped me with the topics I should revise for the examination. Nevertheless, I became a little bit nervous as the College drew nearer!

The Journey. I flew to Manchester to meet up with Matthieu Meulenare (Ensemble Visual judge) and together we drove to the hotel to meet-up with the rest of the judges team. (I was really glad that Matthieu was about to drive, as I’ve never travelled by car on the left side of the street. ;)) Arriving in the hotel lobby, everyone gave us a warm welcome and we had the opportunity to talk to several judges.

Saturday. We had breakfast and drove to the school where the Judges’ College was held. On the basis of an agenda, several topics were discussed in the whole group, and afterwards in the specific captions. As an interest as a DCE trainee judge, I tried to catch as much information as possible from the discussions and meetings. My personal highlight on Saturday was to listen to some tapes and afterwards the judges' descriptions and to their tape. It was impressive how professional and dedicated each judge explains their impressions and ratings. 

I was finally glad to sit the certification exam, which has to be taken by all prospective judges, as well as re-sit by each judge every three years. My preparations, and the help of Mark and Marco in advance, helped me a lot, and I managed to get through the test without too much trouble. Happy that I had finally taken the exam, we went out to eat and I had the opportunity to get to know the judges team a little bit better. The test results are usually published a few weeks after the College – I was pleased to have passed!

Sunday. On Sunday, we spent the morning with The Company. They gave us an inside look into their rehearsal, and their design process during the early part of the season.  We split into Music and Visual captions and had the opportunity to go on the field with the corps to get our first sampling experience. The percussion judge team discussed the performance, the technique, the written book and other specific details during this session. 

We had a meeting together with the whole judges team, before I had to say goodbye to leave again for Manchester Airport. 

I was impressed how professional and dedicated the judging team prepares for a season, and how the team work during the season itself. I am really glad that everyone was kind and open with me, and that I made the acquaintance of a lot of interesting and friendly people.

I am really looking forward to meeting up with everyone again at the 2016 college, and during the upcoming season.

Malte Steiner
Trainee Percussion Judge

If you are interested in training to become a judge for Drum Corps Europe, please contact Mark Bassett, Adjudication Manager at judges@drumcorpseurope.org