by Guest Contributors | May, 2021
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……….Can you remember where, when and how you were impressed by a Drum Corps and what you were thinking? I believe most of us can, it is one of those things you don’t ever forget, it leaves such a lasting impression.
For me, it was in 1959 in front of my childhood home across the street from the Central Cemetery in Beverly, MA. It was the Memorial Day Parade, and marching down the street were the St Mary’s Cardinals Drum & Bugle Corps.
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by Guest Contributors | May, 2021
By Phil Dennesen with Jeff Sacktig
In Part One we covered Visuals in the “Golden Era” of Drum Corps
Part Two: Evolution from “The Golden Era” to Drum Corps today
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”. Jeff was one of the seven siblings in his family, all of whom marched in Drum & Bugle Corps. From his father Arthur to all seven children, it was the “total” Drum Corps family. It must have been one very busy household.
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by Guest Contributors | May, 2021
by Phil Dennesen with Jeff Sacktig
In Part One we covered Visuals in the “Golden Era” of Drum Corps.
In Part Two we covered Visual Evolution from “The Golden Era” to Drum Corps today.
Part Three – Visual Evolution of the “What, How and Why” of Today’s Drum & Bugle Corps
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! The first props and dramatic uniform changes towards costuming appeared to my knowledge in the 1971 season.
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by Aunt Mildred | May, 2021
Dear Aunt Mildred,
As I sit here checking my social calendar, I feel like a homely girl (person – does that make it more p.c.?), sitting at home by the telephone on a Saturday night.
My older brother’s birthday was on February 2nd so I checked in with him and asked, as I have for the last 70 years, if he saw his shadow. He said he couldn’t remember, but he’s 85 years old so I gave him a pass. He’s still much more reliable than that groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, who has a less than 40% accuracy rating.
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by MMA Staff | May, 2021
Hello, readers! MMA has two new articles for you.
George Oliviero explains adjudication in How Drum Corps Is Judged Today.
And Jim Macri shares memories of his dear friend in My Homage to Bobby Locke.
As always, thank you for reading and subscribing to Masters of the Marching Arts!
by Legacy Contributors | May, 2021
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 the favorite team moves up in the standings. Of course, that excitement often turns to amazement, disbelief, shock, and perhaps a bit of anger. “Those judges…….” Or “How did THAT happen? My team was clearly better.” Or “It’s a fix. They always win.” Gosh, I am sure we have all heard a long list of complaints after a competition some time or other. We can probably agree that even in professional sports the audience reactions are not so different. “How could they miss that interference call?” Or “It was clearly goaltending, and they didn’t call it.” Or “It was a fumble. What’s the tuck rule?” Yes, you have to remember the “Snow Bowl” days for that last one.
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by Jim Macri | May, 2021
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 William, many cousins, and hundreds of friends.
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by MMA Staff | Apr, 2021
We have two new articles for you to enjoy this week in Masters of the Marching Arts. .
Larry Kerchner offers a history of how drum corps has advanced through the years in Ask the Arranger
Linda O’Connor shares some of her memories of drum corps in I Remember.
Thank you for reading and subscribing to MMA!
by Larry Kerchner | Apr, 2021
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.
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by Linda O'Connor | Apr, 2021
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 a hundred of us (all girls at the time), and I remember that my friend, Jeanne McGinness, and I were the only two who made the cut that night. Jeanne’s older brother, Paul, was a soprano then (they call them trumpets now) in the hornline, and they’d just come back from the 1962 Nationals in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Just listening to the stories he told was magical.
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