MMA Archives

Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers recorded a song together years ago. The name of the song was "You Can't Make Old Friends." No, you can't, but there's a great way to remember those old friends, honor them, maybe reconnect, or even make new-old friends who share your...

Over thirty-five years ago a rag-tag group of old drum corps friends had a crazy idea, but then, what's so different about that! We were all a little crazy back in the day, and the drum corps stories we could tell would probably fill volumes. This age-out bunch had...

20,000 B.C. - The Early Man Invitational is held at a site in what is now Ukraine. The Cro-Magnon Cadets are a crowd favorite, playing prehistoric hits on conch shells. The Peking Men incorporate live saber tooth tigers into their program, which ends in tragedy when...

Mars Free State, October 12, 2067 On a recent trip to Mars, I dropped in on Jim Wedge. We spoke at Wedge’s suite in the Emperor Bezos Home for Cranky Earthlings. "Gee, Hymie" said Wedge, as he sipped a Red Planet Lite, "You didn't have to drag your ass to Mars. You...

By Jim “Mac” McKenzie

By 1968 Jack Whelan was already known nationwide as a potential Drum Corps Hall of Fame member.

The picture with this article is from my mother’s 1948 high school yearbook. The resolution is poor, but one can see that the corps uniforms resembled those of Salvation Army ladies and that the girls wore sensible shoes. I don’t know whether they were a competitive...

By Phil Dennesen with Jeff Sacktig

Can you remember seeing a Drum and Bugle Corps for the very first time? What are the visual images you can recall? Just think about it for a minute……….

By Phil Dennesen with Jeff Sacktig

In 1977, when Arthur Sacktig’s son Jeff was a boy of nine, he also joined his local parish corps. It was the same parish as his dad Arthur’s, St. Matthias in Ridgewood, Queens / Brooklyn, NYC. The Corps had been reformed in 1972 and named St. Matthias “Blue Max”. 

by Phil Dennesen with Jeff Sacktig

How did props come into the visual picture in current day Drum & Bugle Corps? When, where, how and why did they come into existence?

Back when the VFW had control of the activity, there were no props, There were no non-military type uniforms. This was not allowed!

by George Oliviero

“In second place with a score of…………….” We’ve all heard those words in one context or another. For drum corps fans, the announcement of the scores is the moment to hold one’s breath and to cross one’s fingers, hoping that…

I’m sure that most MMA readers know that Bob Locke, who marched in the Charlestown Majestic Knights, Somerville Annunciators, and 27th Lancers passed away last year. He is survived by his wife Roberta; his children Robert, Thomas, Aimee, Renee, and Janeen; his brother...

THE QUESTION: Dear Mr. Kerchner, I’m a lifelong drum corps fan and feel I have been very patient through the years with all the changes DCI has made but enough is enough. I saw the quarter finals in 2019 at the movie theatre and was astounded first by the costuming,...

I made another trip around the sun last week. It started me thinking about corps memories from nearly six decades ago. I remember the night my best friend and I tried out for the color guard, but I don't remember anyone else who tried out that night. There were nearly...

In Part ONE, we covered brass.
In Part TWO, we covered electronics.
Next, we look at the evolution of Repertoire.
Back in the day, drum corps played complete songs. Remember that?

Chick joined the St. Rose Scarlet Lancers in the Fall of 1956, and left to take a job with his father and uncle at a dance club in Hyannis during the mid-1959 season. He marched the entire 1957 class B season, 1958 class A season, and part of the 1959 season. Two...

It was a simpler time in New York City. Corps directors had jobs in the real world. Instructors had no assistants— they taught what they created. Corps members were from the neighborhood, and “outsiders” were from a relatively short subway stop or bus ride away.

Calling all drum corps members: drummers, guard members, and horn players alike. If you have been out of practice, it is high time to get back in shape! This season is going to materialize before you know it and you had better be ready. The first few times out on the...

I hate Covid-19. I hate it more than most. I think I had it in January '20 - that weekend I sounded exactly like Barry White. As of this writing, Ohio – as well as most of the planet – has been mired in shut downs. Covid has been deemed a worldwide pandemic of epic...

Part TWO – Electronics In Part ONE of ‘Innovation and Evolution’ we discussed brass instrumentation. Next, we consider another significant innovation; the use of electronics. After preventing the use of electronics in competition for many years, the DCI Board of...

Drum corps enthusiasts who have followed the competitive activity for decades have witnessed a significant evolution. Gone are the days of the ’starting line,’ playing ‘concert’ at a standstill, inspections (ended in the early ’70s), color presentations, the ‘tick’...

By Jim Hager

In order to talk about the meteoric rise of the 27th Lancers in 1975, first we must step back and look at the 1974 season.

At the end of the 1973 season, the corps had graduated many members and the last of the true “original members” from 1968. Along with the age-outs and their experience, the departure of staff members Richard “Ike” Ianessa (RIP) in M&M and Jim Buckley in percussion left gaping holes.

Francis G. Noonan

23 November 1958 – 24 September 2020

29 September 2020

St. Raphael Church, Medford, Massachusetts

By John Oppedisano

Lorrie, Sean, Sammy.  Michael, Patty, and Judy, other members of Jerry’s family, colleagues, friends and acquaintances:

Thank you all for coming, and as is the norm today, for watching. Your presence here today reminds us of the scripture’s counsel, “…that those who mourn are blessed for they shall be comforted;” and we are comforted by the knowledge that, somewhere up above, God is getting an earful of trumpet solos and double C’s.

How do you honor a legend?   Let’s start with the basics.

“2020, the Movie.” Once upon a time, this would have been the title of a sequel to the film 2010, or a graphically esthetic date of a science fiction novel. More fantastically, it might have been a possible calendar date reality in which we got around town in our own,...

The Question: Dear Larry, How do you feel about all the changes that have happened in our lives regarding computers changing the way you write, etc.? I have seen a few of your old hand-written charts and I love the personality of them. Now everyone uses music-writing...

Top DCI competitors these days regularly leverage their wealth of resources to put out excellent shows. Over the last 10 years, six corps: Blue Devils, Santa Clara Vanguard, Carolina Crown, Bluecoats, Cadets, and Cavaliers have been at or near the top of the rankings,...

A Tribute to Ralph Randall Pace   By Joe Marrella We remember vividly those in our beloved drum corps activity who share their unique talent, dedication, creativity, and life philosophy, toward catapulting the activity and its performers to greater heights. Their...

In today’s column we will cover alumni drum corps action. Or shall we say inaction? The last time the United States experienced this low level (zero) of drum corps activity was during World War 1! When the war was over, American Legion posts across the country formed...

A Conversation between Rick Wygant and Tad Faccini Rick spent six years in the hornline of the Garfield Cadets. We all know his distinctive tone quality, as he was the soprano soloist from 1984 through 1988. We became acquainted through social media, and I have asked...

Having been involved in drum corps, band, and winter guard for over half a century, I’m usually pretty good at following orders, but I’ll readily admit to finally having to run laps and do push ups. You see, Rick (bless him for being back in full swing as we’ve all...

Writer/master brass technician opines on Don Angelica’s imprint on the drum and bugle corps activity.