Drum Corps Europe Championships, Rotterdam, Netherlands
On September 29, 2007 Drum Corps Europe held their championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Despite the weather the show went well and here is a list of all the Dynasty USA groups at the show. Congratulations to them all.

Bill Bachman's Trip to China September 2007!
I've been blessed with opportunities to travel the world playing drums and am always amazed at how this art form can bring otherwise different people together. Ive always had warm receptions by people who were excited to learn the craft and China was no exception. I traveled solo this time spending the first seven days in Beijing and the last three in Shanghai.
Day by day the trip went like this:
Day one was a mellow day to recover from jet-lag. After sleeping in a bit some new friends, Ha and Fay, brought me out to tour the Emperors Summer Palace. Beijing is the capital of China and everywhere you look it seems there are buildings and artwork thats a few hundred--or a few thousand years old. The Summer Palace is just one of the many amazing things to see in Beijing and I highly recommend checking it out next time youre in town!
Days two through five involved workshops with the Peoples Army Band and their students in the mornings, and workshops with one of Chinas best high schools in the afternoons. The art of marching percussion is very new there, and I quickly learned this after the first clinic (which was too similar to what I do in the states). From then on the clinics centered on details like tapping off, sticks in/out, and marching basics. They were quick to catch on and it was amazing to see how much improvement there was with the students by the end of each session. I spoke with teachers a lot about the “culture” of a drumline--the intense discipline and how excellence must be insisted upon in everything a drumline does, even to the point of lining the drums up when its time for lunch. I never realized just how many details there are that go into making an excellent drumline that we take for granted here in the States.
Day six was a break to go see the Great Wall of China; this is one of the Seven Wonders of the World for good reason--its huge and awesome! I cant imagine any army attacking thinking that they can cross it. To me it felt like a milestone just getting to the Great Wall and it made me think about how cool my life has become. I thought, “How on earth did I end up here?”
Day seven was pretty much a travel day getting set up for an overnight train ride to Shanghai. Before starting the train journey though we stopped off at Tiananmen Square. I was really excited to be in the heart of China surrounded by government buildings where so much significant history has occurred. I was even walking in the footsteps of some very brave students thinking back to the 1989 protests. The train ride was fun, especially since Id never ridden an overnight train before. I had a choice of flying or taking the train and Im glad that I chose to live it up!
Days eight through ten were spent in Shanghai, a huge city in southeast China with a lot of industry and commerce going on. Here again I did clinics with high schools and the material was similar to what Id discussed in Beijing. More than ever though I was stressing discipline, teamwork, and the determination it takes to perform in an excellent drumline. On a side note, after a week of authentic Chinese food I started requesting McDonalds & KFC in the last three days. A lot of Chinese food is great for most Americans, but things like sheep stomach, donkey, goose head, and lamb spinal chord had taken their toll on me!
China is beautiful, the people there are great, and they definitely share our passion for music! Its an honor for me to go and share our style of drumming and learn about theirs in the process. Thanks to Dynasty Drums for making this trip happen, Remo drumheads for some additional support, Zhang Ke my host in China who put this whole thing together, and to all my other new friends in China who took such good care of me. The trip was fantastic and I hope to do it again down the road!

Video Test Brian Zator
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2007 DCA Rochester, NY Pictures!
Pictures online now for DCA Rochester, NY

DCI Pasadena Videos from the Lot!
DCI Pasadena Videos from the Lot!

Dynasty USA WGI 2007 lot videos

Check out some of the lot videos from WGI 2007.

Dynasty USA at WGI Finals, Dayton, OH
The Dynasty USA family had a huge presence over the three days of the WGI Finals Competition in Dayton, OH April 19-21, 2007. Dynasty USA family members Riverside Community College won Independent World, Greenfield Central High School won Scholastic A and Pioneer Indoor won Independent A. Father Ryan High School was a third place medal in Scholastic World! Congratulations to these family members that either won or medaled. Also finishing as finalists for 2007 in Scholastic Open were 5th place South Lyon High School, 6th place E. D. White High School and 10th place Franklin Central High School. In Independent Open there was 4th place Metro Alliance, 5th place Pariah, 6th place Atlanta Quest, 10th place Stryke Percussion and 11th place Groove Pursuit. In Scholastic World there was 3rd place Father Ryan High School, 4th place Choctawhatchee High School and 7th place Fred J. Page High School. And in Independent World there was 1st place Riverside Community College, 4th place North Coast Academy, 5th place Matrix, 6th place Rhythm X and 7th place Freelancers! Congratulations also go out to Tim Bray and Tunstall High School for a 6th place finish in Scholastic Concert World and to Chris Smith and Goshen High School for a 3rd place finish in Scholastic Concert World as well. Wow...........what a great year for all Dynasty USA family members.
Other family members competing at WGI are as follows.............Surround Sound, TX, Virginia Helmsen, VA, Optima, OH, Powhatan High School, VA, Valley Independent, CA, Centerville High School World, Centerville High School A, OH, Plainfield High School, IN, Howell North High School, MO, Bassett High School VA, Destrahan High School, LA, KIngs High School, OH, Stamford High School, CT, Harison Central High School, MS and Madison High School, MS, Olentangy Liberty High School, OH, Elements, OH, Hudson High School, TN  ..............................................   congratulations to all the Dynasty USA family members!

2007 WGI Nashville Regional Championships

This past weekend at the WGI Nashville Percussion Regional we had a number of family members in attendance. Gateway World, Father Ryan HS, Fred J. Page HS, Tunstall HS, Pariah, VA Helmsmen, Stryke Percussion, South Lyons, HS, Kings HS, Houston HS, Harrison Central HS, Howell North HS and Long Beach HS.
Congratulations to all that traveled and competed. We look forward to seeing you at the WGI Championships in Dayton.

WGI Dayton Regional
Dynasty USA would like to congratulate the following groups who were out at the Dayton Regional.Greenfield Central HS,Howell North HS,Olentangy Liberty,Pioneer Indoor,Kings HS,Northmont,Elements Indoor,West Athens,Optima,Goshen HS,Father Ryan HS,Centerville HS,Matrix,RhythmX,North Coast.

Dynasty USA at the WGI Percussion Indy Regional

Dynasty USA family members at the WGI Indy Regional on February 10, 2007 included Olentangy Liberty High School, Greenfield Central High School, Centerville A High School, Centerville World High School, Fenton High school, New Philadephia High School, Howell North, Crossroads Indoor Percussion, Franklin Central High School, Fred J. Page High School, Plainfield High School, Kings High School, Elements Indoor Percussion Ensemble, Rhythm X and Matrix Indoor Percussion Ensemble.

Most of the groups are represented below in our photo gallery...........keep coming back to see other Dynasty USA family members at other regionals soon.

Signature "Mark Ford" 5.0 Octave Marimba, P08-DSPMR50
Rosewood bars tuned A=442 from c2-c7, 61 notes. The bar sizes range from 22.5" x 3" to 7" x 1.5". The instrument is 9'6" long with ends of 3'6" and 14" wide and with height adjustments from 2'10" to 3'6" total.
Frame construction is of beautiful stained hardwood supported by a strong metal frame, the rails are built with sturdy steel connectors without hinges to avoid sagging. The Signature Series "Mark Ford" marimba produces a rich, warm sound with great projection, resonator tuning with gauges, spring loaded rail dividers and 4' casters.