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95-643: The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps (also known as "The Green Machine") is a World Class competitive junior drum and bugle corps based in Rosemont, Illinois . The Cavaliers were one of the thirteen founding member corps of Drum Corps International and is a seven-time DCI World Champion. The Cavaliers are the only active all-male corps in the activity. The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps was started in 1948 by Don Warren, Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 111 in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood after being impressed by

190-840: A DCI record sixty-four (64) contests in a row. The 2003 show, "Spin Cycle" by Richard Saucedo won the last DCM Championship before the top corps abandoned the circuit, and the DCI Southwestern Regional before The Blue Devils caught up and won both the Midwestern Regional and DCI East. The two corps went into DCI Championships in Orlando seemingly neck-and-neck, but the Devils dominated the Championships, and rather than The Cavaliers getting their sixth crown,

285-667: A Korean Folk Song" and the dragon drill that placed Brubaker solidly with George Zingali as the two greatest drill designers of the day. it also moved The Cavaliers into a third-place finish at DCI Finals. Before the season ever started, the 1987 Cavaliers knew that it was their year. Everything seemed to be in place: the musical program, the drill, the talent to take it all, including a large number of members marching their last, "age-out" year. The corps started out by going undefeated in Drum Corps Midwest (DCM), then won their first few DCI shows. The Cavaliers seemed to be "on

380-525: A city corps to suburban. By the time the season was over, the Cavaliers were undefeated during 1961, had won twenty-five shows in a row dating from 1960, and would eventually win twenty-nine contests in a row over a period of twenty-three months before losing on June 17 in Spring Valley, Illinois . The Cavaliers won VFW national three years in a row, 1961–63. In 1963, the corps traveled to Canada for

475-720: A competition that featured thirty-nine corps from the East, the South, the West Coast, the Midwest and Great Plains, and Canada. The 1972 Cavaliers also won another VFW National Championship in Minneapolis , their seventh. 1973 was a troublesome year for The Cavaliers. Money was tight; recruitment was difficult; the staff was having a hard time dealing with a rapidly changing activity It was not widely known until later that Don Warren

570-411: A core principle of CYO not to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, or gender—as was common in other youth organizations of the time. CYOs operate around the world in the 21st century. The organization's main purposes are guiding the young Catholics to live a Christian life from a young age, developing trust between peers, and living a happy life in a positive manner. Usually each group uses

665-618: A defined season at all. They practice and perform as they deem necessary or possible. Occasionally such corps make exhibition appearances at DCI or DCA shows. While on tour, junior corps travel mainly at night after leaving the performance venue. Members sleep on the buses and in sleeping bags on gym floors when the next housing destination is reached. Housing for the entire tour is secured in advance through local schools, churches, or other community facilities. Corps practice their shows for as long as possible each day before getting ready to leave for that night's competition if scheduled. Not every day

760-968: A fire in the equipment truck, but the corps was also on fire and won their first fifteen shows before falling to Phantom. Star won the DCM Championships in Toledo after Cavaliers had been consistently beating them. The Cavaliers won DCI North in Buffalo, but at the Preview of Champions in Nashville , the corps found themselves trailing not only Star, but also BD. The Green Machine then returned to winning until losing back-to-back Regionals; to Star at DCI Mid-America in Bloomington, Indiana and to Blue Devils at DCI North in Ypsilanti, Michigan . At

855-436: A fraction of the corps that existed in the 60s and 70s remained, although several new corps, some of which have become very successful, did start up along the way. Freed from the traditional and more-restrictive judging rules of the late 1960s, corps began making innovative changes such as the use of B ♭ brass instruments, wide-ranging tempos, intricate asymmetric drill formations, elaborate guard costumes and props, and

950-470: A host for a show of their own, which was a spectacular success despite fears of failure that lasted until a standing-room-only crowd arrived literally at the last moment. But 1971 was not as much of a success for the Cavaliers. Their show with the guard doing an Irish jig and a circus section was not well-received, and the corps fell to eighth at CYO Nationals and, with most of the top corps opting for VFW VFW Nationals, they finished in second, two points behind

1045-483: A new show each year, approximately 8–12 minutes in length, and refine it throughout the summer tour. Shows are performed on football fields and are judged in various musical and visual categories, or "captions". Musical repertoires vary widely among corps and include symphonic , jazz , big band , contemporary , rock , wind band , vocal , rap , Broadway , and Latin music , among other genres. Competitive junior corps usually spend between 10 and 15 weeks on tour over

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1140-701: A roll" as they went to Drums Along the Rockies in Denver , where they crashed back to earth and finished in third place, far behind the Santa Clara Vanguard and the Blue Devils (BD) on the score sheets. The Blue Devils' members even taunted that The Cavaliers could/would never beat them. They also finished in third at DCI South in Birmingham (behind Blue Devils and Phantom Regiment ) and at

1235-427: A show. The rift between factions widened as accusations of fault were bandied back and forth. Don Warren and the corps management met with members, parents, and boosters to get everything out in the open. Some members were expelled, some given cover. The hangover from the incident carried over into 1978, as the corps, with many new staff members, largely alumni, managed only a sixteenth place finish at DCI. Although it

1330-398: A single composer's material is featured. Corps have performed virtually every genre of music that can be fit for on-field adaptation, including jazz, new age, classical, and rock music. It is becoming increasingly common to hear the corps performing original music, composed specifically for the corps by their musical staff or consultants. The exclusive use of bell-front brass instrumentation

1425-618: A single harmonic series. Until 1999, drum and bugle corps horn lines within DCI were required to be pitched in the key of G. That year, the DCI rules congress passed a rule change to allow "brass bell-front valve instruments in any key with the exception of sousaphones and trombones." In World Class, the rule did not go into effect until the 2000 season, while Open Class opted for a two-year moratorium prior to implementation in 2002; DCA followed suit in 2004. Hornlines are now most commonly pitched in B ♭ , with mellophones pitched in F. In 2014,

1520-404: A weekend. For this reason, and to boost audience attendance, large competitions are more frequently scheduled on weekends. A typical regular-season contest consists of fewer than 10 corps, with corps from one or more classes competing together but scored separately. In North America, DCI and DCA corps occasionally perform at the same shows. DCI also schedules larger contests interspersed throughout

1615-414: A well-run corps is just like a well-run business. It requires many people to handle fiscal and operational responsibilities. There are four levels of staff operating a drum corps: Executive Management , Executive Staff , Instructional , and Volunteer . Each plays an essential role in creating a well-run corps. The executive management consists of the board of directors and the executive director. Often

1710-402: A wide variety of other auxiliary instruments such as hammered dulcimer . Since the keyboard instruments do not project as well as brass or marching percussion, they are often amplified to produce adequate sound. Due to the size of these instruments, the pit typically remains stationary, positioned directly in front of the field and centered on or around the 50-yard line. However, some groups use

1805-448: Is a defining musical element of drum corps. Throughout the years, the horns used in drum corps have been changed from true, single-valved bugles to B ♭ brass instruments. While brass bugles in these competitive drum corps began as military signaling devices, successive modifications made them capable of greater ranges of music. These traditionally valveless, key-of-G bugles evolved to include pistons and rotors, gaining notes beyond

1900-738: Is a full member of the Catholic umbrella of youth organizations Fimcap . CYO Sierra Leone is a Catholic youth organization in Sierra Leone . At international level CYO Sierra Leone is a full member of the Catholic umbrella of youth organizations Fimcap . There are also active units of this organization in the Philippines . Most units are choirs of their parishes, and they also organize various activities under sports, spiritual, social, cultural, formation, ways and means, and membership committees. All of these projects have helped in nurturing

1995-459: Is a performance day; many days on tour are spent simply traveling to a distant location or entirely on the practice field. A full-sized, adequately funded junior corps will have a fleet of vehicles, including three or more coach buses for members and staff, a truck or van to carry souvenirs that are sold at shows, and two semi-trucks, one for show equipment and one that serves as a kitchen on wheels. Most meals for all members and staff are provided by

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2090-613: Is an international Catholic youth movement founded by Bishop Bernard Sheil in Chicago in 1930. It became a major factor in the development of race relations in the US Catholic Church following World War II . The first CYO was initiated by prison chaplain and auxiliary bishop Bernard J. Sheil in Chicago in 1930 during the Great Depression . The first CYO was conceptualized as an athletic association. Its aim

2185-415: Is another technique used, most often at slower tempos. As an alternative, there are four major groups which utilize a bent leg technique ( Santa Clara Vanguard , Madison Scouts , Pacific Crest , and Guardians), in which the feet come off of the ground and move in a bicycle type motion. Marching technique programs have largely been inspired by dance technique. Terminology from ballet and high school band

2280-517: Is divided by two is divided by two The timing and organization of contests varies significantly from circuit to circuit. Only large DCI corps typically have the funding and time commitment from members to participate in DCI's touring circuit, where corps spend the majority of the summer traveling around the continent performing at different local and regional contests. In other circuits, and for smaller DCI corps, competitions are usually scheduled to allow corps to travel, perform, and return home within

2375-551: Is used to describe foot placement and positioning, and members of the color guard and hornline often jazz run in order to maintain upper body stability when moving at fast tempos with large step sizes. While performances and competitions only occur during the summer, preparation for the next season starts as soon as the last one ends. Corps activity of some sort goes on year-round. Months in advance of next season's first camp, corps begin assembling their staffs, choosing their musical repertoires, writing drill, etc. For junior corps,

2470-464: The American Legion . Owing to many of these groups' roots, corps were traditionally militaristic. By the late 1960s, many corps wanted more creative freedom and better financial compensation than was offered by their sponsoring organizations. Some felt the prize-money structures, based on competitive placement, were not fairly compensating all corps for their appearances. Additionally, some felt

2565-964: The Argonne Rebels at the Legion Nationals in the Houston Astrodome . In 1972, The Cavaliers, along with the nine other corps from the Combine and the Alliance, plus the Anaheim Kingsmen , Argonne Rebels , and De La Salle Oaklands were founding members of Drum Corps International, which remains as the sanctioning body for junior corps in North America. At the first DCI World Championships in Whitewater, Wisconsin , The Cavaliers finished in ninth place in

2660-692: The East Coast corps had held on the national championships. Although the win was considered by the East Coast corps to be just a fluke, the Cavaliers repeated as VFW champions two years later in Los Angeles. By 1960, the Cavaliers were a national powerhouse in the drum corps activity, but the corps' existence was not easy. Money was short, and the American Legion Kosciusko Post and the Chicago's Own VFW Post tried to meet

2755-513: The Fourth of July weekend, corps often locate themselves in large metro areas so they can participate in more than one parade. Competitions are usually held at college or high school football stadiums or similar venues, and are scored by circuit-approved judges. Most circuits follow the three-caption system of General Effect (GE), Visual, and Music, with GE carrying the most weight. This is the scoring system currently used by DCI (others are similar):

2850-605: The Racine Scouts . In 1949, the corps found an additional sponsor in the American Legion Thaddeus Kosciuszko Post 712 of Chicago's Little Warsaw neighborhood. This sponsorship allowed the corps to purchase new uniforms. The corps entered the world of field competition for the first time in 1950, adopting the name of Chicago Cavaliers and green as their main color. While many corps of the time had only their locale or their sponsor as

2945-542: The 1996 season, The Cavaliers traveled to Japan. The corps won DCM and both DCI Mid-America and DCI East, but dropped to fourth place at DCI in Orlando, Florida . The 1997 season saw wins in only three minor shows, and The Cavaliers' return of "The Firebird" slipped to seventh place at DCI Finals. In 1998, The Cavaliers reclaimed the DCM title, but they failed to win any of three DCI Regionals, and they finished in fourth place at

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3040-786: The Blue Devils, but they won three other DCI Regionals: Drums Along the Rockies in Denver, DCI Mid-America in Murfreesboro, Tennessee , and DCI East in Allentown. At the DCI Championships in College Park, Maryland , The Cavaliers were three-tenths of a point behind The Cadets in both Quarterfinals and Semi-finals, but added nearly a point to their Finals score and tied The Cadets for their third DCI World Championship of

3135-734: The Cadets of Bergen County) in Buffalo in 1990, but The Cavaliers would finish the 1980s without returning to the top of the drum corps world. There was not even a "nationals" championship, as there had been in the Seventies, since the American Legion, the VFW, and the CYO were no longer hosting national championships. But 1990 also saw The Cavaliers start the transition to three valve horns, and it

3230-677: The Cavaliers had risen to the number one ranking in the Midwest, but could only manage a third-place finish at VFW Nationals. However, in 1957, after trading victories with the Madison Scouts and the Belleville Black Knights, the Cavaliers won not only both the Illinois State American Legion and VFW titles, but also their first VFW National title in Miami. Their win broke the stranglehold that

3325-899: The Chief Executive Officer is Robert Baker-Hargrove, the Corps Director is Daniel Belcher. In addition to The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps, the organization also sponsors Chromium Winds, a co-ed indoor marching wind ensemble that will compete in WGI Winds. the Classic Cavaliers alumni; Midwest Connection, an all-age community-based drum and bugle corps that will compete in DCI's SoundSport ; and GearWORKS which hosts "Chop Sessions"– intensive workshops geared towards students looking to develop their individual skills for drum corps, winter percussion, indoor winds, and other performing ensembles. In conjunction with

3420-465: The DCI Board of Directors passed a rule change that changed their definition of a bugle to allow the entire brass family, including trombones and concert French horns. The percussion section consists of two subsections: the front ensemble (also known as "pit") and the battery (also known as the "drumline"). Front ensemble members perform on orchestral percussion , electronic instruments , and

3515-413: The DCI Championships in Denver, The Cavaliers, The Cadets, Madison Scouts, Phantom Regiment, Blue Devils, and Santa Clara Vanguard, the winners of all but two DCI Championships made a four show tour through California. In early 2008, Jeff Fiedler stepped down after seventeen years as The Cavaliers' director. He was replaced by former director Adolph DeGrauwe. After their 2006 title, The Cavaliers remained in

3610-564: The DCI World Championship Quarterfinals in Madison, The Cavaliers were second to the defending champion, Star of Indiana, but at Semi-finals, The Cavaliers moved into the lead. At Finals, The Cavaliers' show title of "Revolution and Triumph" proved to be prophetic, as the corps was finally crowned DCI World Champions. The 1993 season was difficult before it ever began; drill designer Steve Brubaker died during

3705-495: The DCI championships in Buffalo, winning Quarterfinals, Semi-finals, and Finals for their first consecutive championships since winning the American Legion Nationals in 1966 and '67. 2002 was much like 1961 had been; with an original program of "Frameworks" by Richard Saucedo, Bret Kuhn, and Erik Johnson, The Cavaliers won, and they won again and again and again. They won DCM and then won three DCI Regionals,

3800-419: The Devils gained their eleventh. In 2004, the corps hosted a percussion reunion; Cavalier drummers from 1948 through 2004, including every snare drummer since 1961, gathered to play together. Then The Cavaliers' "007" show of tunes from James Bond movies powered through the season, losing once to the Devils and twice to The Cadets en route to the sixth DCI title that had eluded the corps the previous year. After

3895-968: The Madison Scouts through the DCM season, with the Scouts taking the DCM title. They continued to trail only Madison at DCI Southwest in Houston and until the Preview of Champions in Ypsilanti, when they found themselves ahead of Madison but behind BD and the Cadets. DCI Mid-America at Champaign, Illinois also went to the Blue Devils. At the DCI World Championships in Buffalo, The Cavaliers took command in Quarterfinals, expanded their lead in Semi-finals and Finals, and won their second DCI Championship in four years. Before

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3990-517: The Regiment and the same Blue Devils who had taunted them in Denver, and finished in third place. After losing so many age-outs in 1987, the '88 corps was very young. Playing Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, the corps finished in fifth place in Kansas City . 1989's John Rutter program carried the corps back to third place, and the "Cavalier Anthems" took them to their first runner-up finish (behind

4085-1046: The Southwestern in San Antonio, the Midwestern in Indianapolis, and Drums Along the Rockies in Denver. When The Cavaliers swept through the three rounds at the DCI World Championships in Madison with unheard of score margins of 1.75 to 1.95 points, the corps had not only won a three-peat , but they had earned the second undefeated season in the corps' history. Additionally, The Cavaliers set a world record for highest ever score in DCI history twice: 99.05 in Semifinals and 99.15 in Finals. This latter score remained unbeaten for several years until tied by The Cadets in 2005 and then beaten by The Blue Devils in 2014. From August 2, 2001, through July 25, 2003, The Cavaliers won

4180-552: The Toronto Optimist's "International" competition, then to Seattle to VFW Nationals, and had marching members from as far away from Chicago as Rockford and Milwaukee . In 1964, The Cavaliers added mellophones and contrabasses to their horn line. 1967 saw Cavalier Hall go up in flames, taking the corps' trophies with it. They won the VFW Nationals, then repeated as American Legion Champions. The high of 1967

4275-641: The United States, following much the same model as in the time of its founding. CYO youth sports leagues are the most recognizable feature, and teams are typically connected to individual parishes. CYO Ghana is a Catholic youth organization in Ghana. At international level CYO Ghana is a full member of the Catholic umbrella of youth organizations Fimcap . CYO Nigeria CYO Nigeria is a Catholic youth organization in Nigeria. At international level CYO Nigeria

4370-730: The World Championships, held for the third consecutive year in Orlando. The 1999 season was much like the one before, except that the Green Machine moved up to third place at DCI Championships in Madison. As the Twentieth Century came to a close, The Cavaliers performed a show of Michael Daugherty's "Niagara Falls" and an original composition by Richard Saucedo. They lost an early show to The Cadets, lost their home show and DCI Midwestern in Indianapolis to

4465-409: The all-male Cavaliers Indoor Percussion that performs in WGI Independent World class, the organization is also co-sponsoring, with the Crystal Lake Strikers performing arts organization, Crystal Lake Thunder, a new co-ed percussion ensemble that will compete in WGI's Independent A class. Source: At the annual World Championship Finals, Drum Corps International (DCI) presents awards to the corps with

4560-420: The board are unpaid volunteers. This group is almost always long-standing within successful corps. They create the long-term vision and strategy for the organization, handling the financial, operational, and organizational issues to keep the corps running. The board of directors may be composed of alumni and other closely affiliated people. They hire the Executive (operational) Director who is responsible for hiring

4655-478: The center of attention, and visually reinforce the choreography. As visual programs have increased in complexity, corps have developed and formalized various movement techniques, the goal of each being the achievement of fluid, consistent movements that allow for precise musical technique at all tempos, step sizes, and directions. Given that instrument-wielding members most often face toward the audience (for maximum sound projection), marching technique must not affect

4750-443: The championships are often the only time all corps in a class compete together. Some circuits also organize optional individual and ensemble (I&E) competitions for individuals or groups from corps to showcase members' skills outside the field performance environment. These are usually held only once or twice per season at championships or a major regional contest. Members practice their routine(s) in their scant free time throughout

4845-532: The church for meeting and gathering, although some have their own premises. Activities vary in accordance with local culture but often includes prayer , singing, charity, sales, sports and visiting the sick. In the United States , CYO is mainly known for its organized sports programs, notably boxing, basketball, baseball, track and field, and volleyball, as well as drum corps . Its athletic contests are often so competitive that CYO has been jokingly described as "Crush Your Opponents." CYO operates in many dioceses in

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4940-486: The cigarette company, and the K-712 corps became the Chicago Cavaliers. After being an also-ran for their first two seasons of field competition, the Cavaliers won their first contest in 1952. At the Spectacle of Music in South Milwaukee, the Cavaliers were winners in Class B, while all the corps considered to be "big corps" were in Class A. They capped the season by finishing in seventh place at their first American Legion Junior National Championship in New York City. In 1956,

5035-431: The color guard has become a crucial part of each group's visual and thematic program. Standard equipment includes silk flags, non-functioning rifles, and sabres, and other objects like bare poles, hoops, balls, windsocks, and custom-made props are sometimes used to create visual effects that enhance the show. The primary role of the color guard is to complement the corps' musical program by creating visual interpretations of

5130-448: The cook truck, but occasionally corps have scheduled free days where there are no rehearsals or performances and the members are free to see some local sights and procure their own meals. Competitions are not the only performances that corps partake in while on tour. Most corps also participate in parades and standstill performances throughout the summer to gain further public exposure and to supplement their budget with performance fees. On

5225-507: The corps fell to fifth place. In 1994, The Cavaliers' program showcased the corps' guard. It won the DCM crown, but it was only good enough for second-place finishes in Regionals and fourth at DCI Finals in Boston . Gustav Holst's "The Planets" had been a crowd-pleaser and had earned The Cavaliers their first finish in the upper half of DCI's Top Twelve as the largest part of the show in 1985. In 1995, The Cavaliers brought back "The Planets" as their entire show. The Cavaliers traded wins with

5320-458: The corps of many financial worries. The corps improved to ninth in 1983 and eighth in '84, and the crowds were witnessing something new and different in Brubaker's drill schemes. The 1985 program of "Also Spracht Zarathustra" and selections from "The Planets" impressed fans and judges alike, elevating The Cavaliers to a fifth-place finish in Madison, Wisconsin ; the corps' first finish in the top half of DCI's Top Twelve. In 1986 came "Variations on

5415-402: The corps should be making their own rules, operating their own competitions and championships, and keeping the bulk of the monies those shows earned. For the 1971 season, the corps stuck together, offering show promoters the five corps as a package. Despite pressure on show sponsors, judges, and other drum corps, the Combine corps were not only booked into a number of shows together, but they found

5510-405: The corps that remained, longer travel times were necessary to attend the shrinking numbers of contests, further adding to the financial and time demands on the organizations and their individual members. At the same time costs for the increasingly complex field shows mounted and creative and instructional demands rose leading many competitive corps to falter and become inactive. By the late 1990s only

5605-429: The corps work on a day-to-day basis—driving buses and trucks, caring for the corps' uniforms, cooking meals for the corps and staff, and countless other peripheral duties. Corps on touring circuits particularly rely on volunteers due to the extra necessities which come with the tour: cooking and cleaning, providing mechanical maintenance, health and medical needs. CYO Catholic Youth Organization ( CYO )

5700-429: The corps' financial needs, but the temporary banning of bingo and other similar fundraisers by the State of Illinois was an almost crippling blow. The corps' high level of competition also made recruitment difficult. As part of the solution to the ongoing problems of money and recruiting, in 1961, the Chicago's Own VFW was replaced by the Park Ridge VFW Post 3579, marking the beginning of the Cavaliers' move from being

5795-550: The current judging rules were stifling musical and theatrical possibilities. At the peak of North American drum corps participation (with perhaps a thousand active corps in the U.S. and nearly as many in Canada), several corps decided to "unionize", as stated by Don Warren (founder of the Cavaliers ). They formed their own organizations, which ultimately led to the formation of Drum Corps Associates (DCA) in 1965 and Drum Corps International (DCI) in 1972. By this time, many corps had already lost their church or community sponsors. For

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5890-413: The decade. The Twenty-first Century opened for The Cavaliers much as the Twentieth had ended. The 2001 program of Saucedo's "Four Corners" won DCM, was second to Blue Devils at DCI Southwestern in San Antonio , then won DCI Mid-America in Murfreesboro, DCI Midwestern in Indianapolis, and DCI Eastern in Philadelphia. Although they lost several shows to both BD and The Cadets, The Cavaliers took command at

5985-465: The end of World War I, advancements in radio technology rendered using drum and bugle corps for communication obsolete. When the war concluded in 1918, there was no longer a need for these instruments. The instruments were sold to veteran organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the newly founded American Legion (AL) . These veteran organizations would become the first sponsors of civilian drum and bugle corps. The veteran's initial goal

6080-403: The executive staff, the instructional staff, and recruiting volunteers. The executive staff usually includes the operational office staff, the program director(s) and tour director(s) who run the day-to-day operational needs of the organization. The instructional staff puts the show on the field. They create the concept of the show, choose and arrange the music, write the drill, and instruct

6175-428: The faith of the Filipino Catholic youth, their holistic growth, leadership capabilities, cultural and artistic talents, love for the family, and for the community. CYO in the Philippines was founded by Fr. George J. Willman in the year 1938, with Loreto Parish in Sampaloc, Manila as the pilot unit. Its National Chaplain, Emeritus is Msgr. Francisco Tantoco, and Fr. Jerome Cruz as National Chaplain. CYO's Founder's Day

6270-449: The formations made by the performers on the field. Modern drill formations are much more complex and dynamic than the drill formations of early drum corps. Traditional blocks, company fronts, and symmetrical formations — while still utilized occasionally for impactful moments — have largely given way to more abstract and artistic designs. Drill writing at large is meant to keep instrumental sections together, put featured members at

6365-567: The front ensemble in creative ways by moving them around the field or putting them in different locations. A full-size front ensemble typically features 10 to 15 members. Members of the battery perform on marching percussion instruments, including snare drums , tenor drums (also known as "quads", "quints", or "tenors"), tonal bass drums , and cymbals. A full-size battery typically features 7–10 snare drummers, 3–6 tenor drummers, 5-6 bass drummers, and sometimes cymbal players, which tends to be 4-6 players in size. In modern drum corps,

6460-691: The high average scores from prelims, semi-finals, and finals in five captions. The Cavaliers have won these caption awards: Don Angelica Best General Effect Award/Formerly Known: High General Effect John Brazale Best Visual Performance Award/Formerly Known: High Visual George Zingali Best Color Guard Performance Award Jim Ott Best Brass Performance Award Fred Sanford Best Percussion Performance Award/Formerly Known: High Percussion Drum and bugle corps (modern) Competitive summer drum corps participate in summer touring circuits, such as Drum Corps International (DCI) and Drum Corps Associates (DCA) [Now recognized as DCI All-age ] Corps prepare

6555-447: The hornline. Being visually oriented, guard members are not as bound to facing the front sideline, and may face any direction at any time as dictated by choreography. The most common backward marching technique requires balancing on one's platform (visually seen as the 'toes' and keeping the heels off the ground), which is especially effective at faster tempos. The reverse the heel–toe roll step, allowing for heel–ground contact

6650-408: The latter half of its season. These are restricted to corps in specific classes and feature many (if not all) of the corps within each class. European circuits, such as DCUK, operate on a "minimum performance and lot" system: appearance at the first two shows of the year is determined by lot, and then the corps must appear in a minimum number of shows before the circuit's championships. In such a system,

6745-411: The leadership of Steve Brubaker, winning the Winter Guard International championship in 1981–83. In 1982, Brubaker, who had also been working with the Cavalier Cadets corps since '78, was named head drill designer for The Cavaliers. That change brought about a change in the corps' attitude and this, along with the music selections becoming more and more classically oriented, helped The Cavaliers rise to

6840-411: The members and alumni, with some glorying in the Green Machine's past success; some wanting to just to do anything as long as they were doing something; and others who were among the new breed of "corpies', who would move from one corps to another in search of competitive success. There was also an unacknowledged drug problem that came to a head in 1977 when several members almost died while returning from

6935-469: The members have been chosen and camps are held more frequently as the beginning of the summer touring season approaches. Most junior corps require their non-local members to secure temporary housing (often with local members or a vacant dormitory) near the corps' rehearsals facilities around Memorial Day weekend. For most of May and into June (as college and high school classes end), full-day rehearsals are held virtually every day so members can finish learning

7030-402: The members on their technique. The staff consists of brass, percussion, guard, and visual instructors who are most often alumni of the corps or other corps. A well-funded World Class corps usually has 15-20 full-time instructors. Just as members, they attend winter camps and travel with the corps all summer long. Volunteers are the lifeblood of any corps. Parents, alumni, friends, and fans make

7125-823: The music and marching drill of the show. This pre-season "spring training" is usually 3–4 weeks long. It is not uncommon for members to rehearse 10–14 hours a day, 6–7 days a week throughout the entire pre-season. In mid to late June, corps leave to begin their summer tours. For all-age (formerly senior) corps, the process is not quite as grueling. Since most members have lives outside of drum corps, senior corps rehearse on weekends and occasionally on weekday evenings. Rather than extensive tours, senior corps usually take weekend trips to perform in shows, and make longer trips only to regional championships and finals. Many smaller DCI corps and foreign corps have similar itineraries. Non-competitive corps, such as classic-style corps, alumni corps, or newly aspiring corps might not have

7220-422: The music through choreographed dance. The color guard can also enhance the overall drill design by marching in formations that integrate with the rest of the corps. However, the color guard most often performs as an ensemble that frames the rest of the corps or performs within the drill formations of the corps proper. Like all other sections of the corps, the guard often features solo work. Drill formations refer to

7315-532: The name of their corps, the corps wanted a distinctive name, as had the Austin Grenadiers, one of Chicago's top corps of the day. When Cavalier cigarettes had a flashy promotional campaign with much fanfare, the corps members' reaction was unanimous. They adopted the Cavalier name and the logo of the cigarette brand as the corps' logo (the "Standing Man"), they all ordered pins of the Cavalier logo from

7410-464: The off-season. Once the season got underway, everything was overshadowed by the previous year's success. Star once more left The Cavaliers in second at DCM, they trailed both Star and the Cadets at DCI North and the Preview of Champions, but they won DCI East over the Blue Devils. The DCI World Championships were held in hot and humid Jackson, Mississippi . It got even more humid, when the rains came during Finals; several Cavaliers slipped and fell, and

7505-541: The rain-shortened DCI Midwest in St. Louis (behind Santa Clara and the Garfield Cadets ). After semi-finals at the DCI Championships in Madison, The Cavaliers were behind all four corps that had beaten them earlier, with Garfield in first, followed by SCV, Phantom, and BD. Before their Finals performance, corps director Adolph DeGrauwe told the corps to just go out and play for each other, and they did just that, passing

7600-630: The rains came as The Cavaliers were performing, this seemed to bring out the corps' best and they won the DCI East title. They also won DCI South on an oppressively hot day in Birmingham. At Dallas, the percussion ensemble won the Individual and Ensemble contest with a perfect 100.00 score, and The Cavaliers were far ahead of all others, except Star and the "Christmas Show" earned the corps' second consecutive second-place finish. 1992 started with

7695-415: The rigidity of members' upper torsos. Although most horn players are able to follow this technique, members of the battery must keep their entire bodies facing forward at all times due to the nature of their equipment. This has led to the invention of the "crab walk" or oblique, where the legs cross over one another to facilitate sideways motion; the technique is used mostly by battery, but in rare instances by

7790-418: The season is a very intense process. Most corps begin having camps on or around Thanksgiving Day weekend and continue having monthly weekend camps throughout the winter. Potential members travel far and wide—literally from around the world—to attend the camps of their favorite corps. Membership in the top corps are highly competitive and are generally determined during the first few camps. By spring,

7885-469: The season. Most corps are operated as or by dedicated non-profit organizations; very few are associated with schools or for-profit entities. Some corps are even parts of larger non-profit performance arts organizations, which might also include theater groups, winter guards , winter drumlines , and other various musical or visual activities. In Europe, many are also registered charities, assisting with their fundraising aims. Despite their non-profit status,

7980-461: The summer, practicing and performing full-time. The term "modern" is used for the purposes of this article to differentiate it from classic drum and bugle corps , using the time period of the establishment of Drum Corps International as a dividing point in the timeline of the two types of drum and bugle corps. Modern drum and bugle corps stems from a rich American and Canadian military history, separate from other marching musical activities. Towards

8075-528: The top four at DCI Finals until finishing eighth in 2012, seventh in 2013, and sixth in 2014. They then returned to DCI's top four in 2017. The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization sponsored by The Village of Rosemont, Illinois and has a board of directors. The chairman Emeritus is Don Warren, the Corps chairman is Adolph DeGrauwe, the Corps President is Dale Young,

8170-515: The top half of DCI Finalists, though not without tests. 1982's Pines of Rome started the season with near-disastrous results, and the corps felt that it was luck as much as talent that earned the corps an eleventh-place finish at DCI in Montreal . But 1982 saw The Cavaliers forge a solid association with the Village of Rosemont and its mayor, Donald E. Stephens , a relationship that would relieve

8265-587: The urging of Don Warren and Troopers founder Jim Jones, the Blue Stars , Cavaliers, Madison Scouts , Santa Clara Vanguard , the Argonne Rebels and the Troopers formed the Combine. This action was taken in reaction to the rigid, inflexible rules of the American Legion and VFW (the primary rule makers and sponsors of both corps and shows) and the low or nonexistent performance fees paid for appearing in

8360-465: The use of stationary orchestral percussion instruments. A few corps still utilize the traditional G bugle which is very rarely found in DCI marching units. A typical show usually revolves around one genre of music, or sometimes melds separate genres together. Modern corps' programs have become increasingly conceptual and programmatic, with overarching show themes rather than loosely related musical selections. Often, especially within classical selections,

8455-519: The various competitions. The corps stated that not only were they having their creative potential as artistic performing groups stifled, but they were being financially starved. (A similar group of Eastern corps, the United Organization of Junior Corps [also known as the "Alliance"], was formed by the 27th Lancers, Garfield Cadets , Boston Crusaders , Blessed Sacrament Golden Knights, and Blue Rock.) The Combine members further declared that

8550-477: Was considering shutting down The Cavaliers. But The Cavaliers persisted and finished in fifteenth place at DCI in Whitewater. Over the next four years, 1974–77, The Cavaliers seemed to have rebounded somewhat from the down year of '73. Two years in eighth place were followed by two years in seventh place at DCI. They also won two more VFW National Championships in 1974 and '76. But there was dissension among

8645-497: Was finding ways to engage with their communities while maintaining a connection to military traditions and values. Drum and bugle corps became the perfect vehicle for adapting military musical traditions to civilian life. Beginning after World War I through the 1970s, corps and competitions were often sponsored by the VFW, Boy Scout troops , churches, fire departments, Rotary clubs , the Royal Canadian Legion , and

8740-522: Was followed by a 1968 where nothing was just quite right, and the corps finished second at VFW Nationals. The corps rebounded in 1969, winning the American Legion title. The highlight of 1970 was the Cavaliers' rise from eleventh place at VFW National prelims to third place in finals. Overall, the Green Machine of the 1960s won three American Legion and four VFW National Championships, and did not finish lower than third place in sixteen national finals competitions (VFW, American Legion, and CYO ). In 1971, at

8835-463: Was not immediately apparent, the foundation had been laid for future success with the naming of Adolph DeGrauwe as corps director. The Cavaliers ended the 1970s by winning the 1980 VFW crown, their tenth. During the decade, they had made DCI Finals seven times in nine years. During the early 1980s, the judges were looking for "cutting edge" performances, but The Cavaliers were not performing at that level. However, The Cavaliers' winter guard was, under

8930-780: Was the year of The Cavaliers' very first DCI Regional championship, when they upset the previously undefeated Blue Devils and Phantom Regiment to win DCI Midwest at Whitewater. Before the start of the 1991 season, Adolph DeGrauwe stepped down as Corps director, and was replaced by Jeff Fiedler. 1991 was a very good year for The Cavaliers, even though the corps still could not win DCI. In eight meetings with Star of Indiana prior to DCI in Dallas , Star had won seven times. There had also been loses to Phantom and BD, but mostly, The Cavaliers were winners. At DCI East in Allentown, Pennsylvania ,

9025-552: Was to offer young males, especially from the working class, a community and constructive leisure activity in the hope to dissuade them from taking part in criminal activities. The first CYOs adopted structures similar to the older Protestant youth movement, the YMCA . However, unlike the YMCA, the CYO used Catholic social teachings and New Deal ideology. Furthermore, under the patronage of archbishop George Cardinal Mundelein , it became

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