As the entire drum corps community enters the New Year and looks ahead to the summer of 2012, this week, Drum Corps International recaps some of the highlights of 2011, today with the most read headlines on DCI.org. The most read news items of 2011, and consequently some of the most "liked" and shared of nearly 1,000 posts made last year, were comprised of a mix of both in- and off-season topics including competitive wrap-ups, live blogs, news on upcoming events, and more.
1. "Drum Corps at the Movies" brings two big screen events to theaters this summer Thursday, April 28, 2011: Fans of Marching Music's Major League from across the United States will have the opportunity to watch outstanding performances of top DCI corps when Drum Corps at the Movies marches into theaters this summer for two one-night-only events. Theater-goers will experience a historic first on Monday, June 20, when the top eight finishers from the 2010 DCI World Championship share the silver screen for the "2011 Tour Premiere," a competitive event that will be taped in high definition one night earlier in Round Rock, Texas. Featured in this special early-season performance will be the 2011 productions of Blue Devils, Blue Stars, Bluecoats, The Cadets, Carolina Crown, The Cavaliers, Phantom Regiment and Santa Clara Vanguard. "It's historic in that never before have the top eight scoring DCI corps from one season come together in one place to start the next season together," said DCI Executive Director Dan Acheson. Read this article in its entirety.
2. Cadets' "Angels and Demons" rise to glory Cadets surpass Blue Devils by 0.55 to take 10th World Championship title Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011: For the tenth time in the organization's history, the Cadets can again call themselves World Champions. The corps proved that "Between Angels and Demons" lies a corps with unparalleled talent and dedication, earning a score of 98.35 and the 2011 World Championship title on Saturday, Aug. 13, at the Drum Corps International Finals. "It was the best performance I've ever seen in Finals, by far, in 29 years," said Cadets director George Hopkins. "If you can get the audience to stand up for two minutes at the end, I don't know what else you can do." "It was so electric in here when the corps members were performing," said Cadets brass caption supervisor Gino Cipriani. "I've never seen them feel the way they felt when they came off the field. They worked so hard and they deserve everything they have; I was very happy for them." Read this article in its entirety.
3. 2012 Drum Corps International Tour Schedule All roads will lead to Indianapolis for DCI's 40th anniversary season Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011: Founded in 1972, Drum Corps International will celebrate its 40th anniversary season throughout the coming months, and particularly when the world's most elite marching music ensembles take the field at football stadiums across the United States this summer. "We've come a long way since Drum Corps International's founding, from an organization that simply hosted a two-day championship series back in 1972, to one that now annually organizes more than 100 events on a national tour including our week-long World Championships," DCI Executive Director Dan Acheson said. The 2012 Drum Corps International Tour will take place over 56 days from June through August. 45 corps are expected to put their caravans on America's highways this summer, traveling to 44 states to compete in a total of 101 events. The entire tour will culminate Aug. 9 to 11 during the DCI World Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis. Read this article in its entirety.
4. 2011 DCI Rules Change Proposals Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011: Drum Corps International's rules change process is an annual affair that kicks off each summer when proposal forms are distributed to the corps and judges. Once any submitted proposals are received by the Rules Change Committee in the fall, they are sent out to judges, directors and instructional staff members for review. At DCI's winter business meetings (Jan. 20-23, 2011 in Indianapolis) instructors will meet by caption in individual caucus sessions to discuss the proposals. One staff member from each eligible corps (World Class member corps and the previous season's Open Class finalists) will be polled to determine whether or not the proposal should be passed along to the full membership to debate, discuss and eventually vote on in the final round of the rules change process. Each of the proposals that are passed in the membership meeting will become part of the DCI rulebook, depending on implementation dates that are agreed upon by the voting members. Three proposals have been submitted for review this year. Read this article in its entirety.
5. Live Blog: World Championship Finals Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011: Drum Corps International staff writer Michael Boo teamed up with Field Pass correspondent and Drum Corps World reporter Mike Ferlazzo Saturday, Aug. 13, to report on all of the action live from Lucas Oil Stadium during the World Championship Finals competition. From the opening notes of the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, to the trophy presentation to the Cadets after their 10th World Championship win, Boo and Ferlazzo provided their expert insights and an inside look at what was going on in and around the stadium throughout the entire evening. Read this article in its entirety.

Other Popular 2011 Headlines

• Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011: Recap analysis: DCI World Championship Finals • Saturday, June 18, 2011: Season opener in Saginaw • Wednesday, April 13, 2011: Five great percussion moments in DCI history • Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011: Live Blog: World Championship Prelims • Sunday, July 24, 2011: 2011 Individual & Ensemble Competition Results Stay on top of all of the latest news from Drum Corps International in 2012. Subscribe to the weekly DCI.now e-mail newsletter at DCI.org/fans.