Blog Report

I have been involved in the blogging experience for approximately four weeks. As a novice, it took a while to learn proper utilization of the technology associated with this genre. I continue to learn. The topic of my blog is the drum and bugle corps activity.
Over a four week period I posted 26 original comments, received four comment responses, and four votes on a poll I created. Additionally, I made numerous comments in response to posts on other sites. I created links to other blogs and specific comments within those blogs, and also provided links to mass media artifacts within the Drum Corps International website.
With regularity, I read blogs on twelve different sites: BEANTOWN Caffe, Gazing Into The Abyss, Drum Corps International, BRUCE REYES-CHOW, STICKY DOORKNOBS, On The 50, Point Two-Five, StickyFigure, Drumline Blog, La Vie 101, Historical Drum Corps Publications, and Drum Along The Mohawk Blog.
La Vie 101 was the most "hip" site that I visited, as well as the only international (Canadian) blog I watched. I felt like I was getting to know someone who didn't take themselves too seriously. Topics included graphic design, fashion, family, food, drum and bugle corps (Syracuse Brigadiers), and the exchange rate. Many observers added short comments. As I will soon be 46 years old, something about this site made me feel as if I were bridging a generation gap. Because the writer is involved in the summer drum and bugle corps season, she couldn't post very frequently. Even so, her site seemed very alive.
BEANTOWN Caffe is a very attractive and well constructed blog from Boston. Generally, this blog reveals a strong sense of community, appreciation of the natural, and desire to find personal meaning in life. There are ads and links to friends on this site. There are links to musical performers: Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps and others. Pictures displayed on the blog are beautiful and of high quality. The writer posts frequently. I'd like my blog to be more like this one.
Gazing Into The Abyss is a most intriguing blog and originates from Myrtle Beach, SC. It is very much a daily diary that addresses life issues. The writer addresses perspective by strategically intermingling song lyrics throughout his comments. The writer posts lengthy commentary daily and I'm amazed and appreciate the commitment and effort shown by this writer.
StickyFigure is another interesting and attractive blog and a site that I will continue to watch as I am keenly interested in the topics it addresses, i.e., the sociology of work ethic, marketing, consumerism, and business ethics. This blog has dense interconnection with other blogs and also advertising links.
STICKY DOORKNOBS, originating from Denver, caught my attention not only because of its connection to the drum and bugle corps activity, but also the 24 hour "blogathon" that was conducted to raise cash for charities. Other topics covered were baseball and the writer's personal health. Also, I discovered the technical term "meme" on this site and I still need to find its meaning.
On The 50 is a blog that addresses issues associated with the drum and bugle corps activity. This site has a link to a "Wiki" about drum corps. Also, rather than covering numerous interests on a single blog, this writer has created three separate blogs each dealing with different topics. The writer posts on the drum corps blog every few days.
Bruce Reyes-Chow conducts a blog that is geared toward, "Pastors and church geeks." This is a very good blog originating from San Francisco and the writer posts daily. My original attraction to this blog was the writer's connection to Mandarins Drum and Bugle Corps. However, after watching this post for a while, I found a very interesting exchange of comments regarding the kidnapping and murder of Korean Christians in Afghanistan and the lack of coverage of these events by mass media. I desire that great cultural, ethnic, and religious diversity exist in the U.S. and on this site I was exposed to backgrounds different than my own. This blog is highly interconnected to other blogs. There are also ads displayed on this blog.
Point Two-Five caught my attention not only because it is a blog dealing with the drum and bugle corps activity, but also has three authors rather than one. This site provides links to marching activity blogs. The writers post every few days.
I have been disappointed with the response to my blog, but realize my technical incompetence may have been a cause. Additionally, the name I chose is too long, bland, and associated too closely with a single, obscure topic; the drum and bugle corps activity. As I became more comfortable with blogging, I tried to expand the content of my blog by pulling in comments and links regarding topics connected both with the drum and bugle corps activity and society at large. Topics included: work ethic, marching band, life changing experiences, music education, terrorism, Indianapolis, media coverage, travel, commitment, and youth. Additionally, I added a poll in order to attract more interest.
Overall, the blogs I observed were updated at least every few days, were heavily interlinked, displayed advertising, covered a variety of topics as well as my primary interest (the drum and bugle corps activity), and exhibited great freedom of speech with little censorship. Generally, writing and comments were very personal.
Mass media utilized within these blogs included videos, news articles, songs, and advertisements. Specific comments regarding media artifacts included: regret that a certain drum and bugle corps wasn't receiving the enthusiastic coverage it deserved by writers on the Drum Corps International website, unbelief that American news media were not intensely covering the Korean hostage situation, and dispute as to the accuracy of the date a certain event was being claimed to have been videoed.
I have greatly enjoyed my introductory experience with "blogging" and plan to continue to participate by creating a different site. Importantly, even though I didn't observe great controversies displayed among bloggers, it is obvious to me that this genre provides a non-threatening way to express dissent and provide alternative views alongside mainstream practices, concepts, and ideology.

Life Changing Experience

As I have indicated numerous times throughout this blog, being part of the marching band community is a life changing experience. The effect is difficult to describe, but one hears and sees hints of it here and there from those who have experienced it.

The Performance

Follow-up to the last post: Here is a snippet of a great performance.

Marching Band Is Cool

Thirty years ago this month I became a member of my high school marching band. It is difficult to describe, but it was the first time in my life that I felt I really belonged and mattered. My very best friends were in marching band. I wasn't the best musician, but I tried. At my school, the students and community members were proud of the marching band and it meant something to wear the uniform. It was great to be a member of a team. The marching band experience influenced my life and behavior in ways too many to mention. There must be something to this phenomenon as the experience has remained in my heart and head these past thirty years. Its much more than the performance. Here is a hint.

Music in the Family

Both of my sons and their wives have all graduated from college recently. Three of the four have degrees in music and the one who doesn't plays gigs with a band that tours nightclubs. Two of the four have landed jobs and the other two are searching. Now, its time to pay the school loans.

"Every day I write the list
Of reasons why I still believe they do exist (A thousand beautiful things)
And even though its hard to see the glass is full and and not half empty (A thousand beautiful things)
Annie Lennox

It is interesting to hear about this guy's music career and to read the music verses along the way.
Thanks
Kevin B
http://www.drumandbuglecorps.blogspot.com

Indianapolis Show

I attended the DCI event in Indy last weekend and found all of the corps' shows entertaining. The audience attendance was good and the crowd was very attentive, enthusiastic, and supportive of all of the corps. Thinking back on last weekend, I realize how easy it is to be especially impressed with the top corps and overlook the efforts of the smaller, younger, and lower scoring corps. The audience members in Indy didn't seem to take for granted the lower tier corps and gave groups like Capital Sound and Colt Cadets frequent and strong applause. There is a short video regarding these two corps' performance on the DCI website. The DCI World Championships will be held in Indianapolis next year and I can't help feeling the Championships there will be special. The citizens of Indianapolis appreciate the arts and especially the marching activity. Bands of America has held its national championships and DCI has held regional events in Indy for many years. So the community has been and educated and socialized to appreciate and enjoy the marching music activity. I'm really looking forward to attending the World Championships in Indy at the new dome next year.

I did have one concern develop while attending the event in Indy last weekend. There was a man who moved from seat to seat in the stadium during the evening. He acted very strangely and carried a large backpack. He made several calls by cell phone. Did he have a ticket? If he did, why wasn't he sitting in his assigned seat. The event was crowded, so I wasn't certain how he was finding empty seats. At one point he placed the backpack under a seat and left the seating area. A number of us became alarmed and at about the moment we were going to alert an usher, the man returned to his backpack. People continued to watch this man throughout the evening. It was an unnerving circumstance.

Given the threat of terrorism in today's world, I don't understand why facilities and DCI allow people to bring in any large containers. I saw officials going through people's bags as I was passing through the entry gates and I considered this while observing the behavior of the man with the bag. However, I couldn't help but wonder, did he slip by the guards somehow.

reyes-chow :: FAITH: Silence about Christians held hostage by Taliban

Often, I think, certain stories (such as Korean Hostages) receive little coverage by the media because to report that certain story would cause ill effects on some company, group, country, or person. The ill effects are usually economic.

I really don't understand why the kidnapping and murdering of Korean Christians has not been covered by the media. One could guess that our government might not want the American public to think they have blundered in Afganistan as badly as they have in Iraq. Maybe deciders think that to widely report the stories would widen the gap of animosity between Christians and other religious peoples.

Regardless, these are very sad and disturbing events and we should have access to the facts regarding the Koreans.

It is interesting to consider which stories are covered by the mainstream media and which are not. Check out this story and blog.