[TubaJon]

GREENBLUE, on 19 February 2012 - 03:55 PM, said:

I do think the Cavies visually peaked a few weeks early this year, it would have been great to see all the "tricks" revealed around Allentown instead of early in the season. I honestly think if they had waited they would have had a much larger reaction and better score. For example, look at Mad World, that show started the season in 5th place, and constantly evolved and progressed in theme. Same with the Cadets this year, that show theme evolved and peaked at the right time.

I could not agree more! they were druming upside down way too early!

[dapperpoet]

In case you're someone considering auditioning for a corps next year and reading this post, here are my observations from watching my son march for four years with three different corps:
1. Corps go up and down. Yes, there are general tendencies- it's likely that year in and year out BD or Cadets have a better chance of winning and march older and more elite musicians than say Spirit or Colts (just to pick a couple of corps randomly) but that doesn't mean your experience in any particular corps has anything to do with general tendencies. All elite corps are very demanding, all of the kids in the activity work unbelievably hard all summer.
2. A better question to ask is, perhaps, what will my experience be. My son marched with Spirit in 2008 and 2009. In many ways they were disappointing seasons for them- they finished out of the top 12, there were financial hardships along the way, and so on. Does that mean your experience marching with them in 2013 or whatever year will be the same? No. Different people, different structure, and so on.
3. As someone who has taught at the high school, community college, and research one university level, I can tell you that as no two classes I teach (even when they're back to back the same course on the same day in the same place) will be the same. Never happens. Same thing is true for DCI. My son went to Cavvies camp as a 16 year old and they forgot him at the bus station for 3 hours. When he got there, he was very turned off by the atmosphere. Does that mean that would be your experience (or even his now that he has marched Boston and BD as well as Spirit)? Probably not. Does that mean that Cavaliers are a bad organization or bad people? Of course not. It does, he tells me, matter a great deal who the caption head is and who the techs are. I think corps who have stability in leadership in these areas have it more figured out than those that have a turnover every year.
4. Decide what your goals are. Do you want to be a band director? Then you might be interested in a corps that has teaching as its focus. Do you absolutely want to have a shot at a medal? That might drive a decision. Do you want to honk? Another decision.
5. What, it seems to me, matters more than the "reputation" or "sound" or M and M (or even rings) of a particular corps is the folks who you have daily contact with. If you were starting out as a contra player, I would absolutely recommend you think about Spirit because Patrick Hinton is a good person, a fabulous musician, and a very good teacher. What if he, for example, left after this year? It might be a different ballgame.
6. Finally, I realize that all this is stating the obvious: The past is not necessarily a predictor of the future.
7. Can't wait for the season to begin so everyone can get back to the usual: Hating on BD.*

Love,
Dan

*Just kidding. Mostly.

This post has been edited by dapperpoet: 20 February 2012 - 12:13 PM

[soccerguy315]

i'm a couple pages late with this, but better late than never!

[Lance]

wow

4 months to go. looking forward to seeing all the corps, including crown and cavies.

[Michael Boo]

dapperpoet, on 20 February 2012 - 12:11 PM, said:

In case you're someone considering auditioning for a corps next year and reading this post, here are my observations from watching my son march for four years with three different corps:
1. Corps go up and down.
...

Good point.

I imagine there was someone in the fall of 1980 who decided not to audition with Santa Clara Vanguard because they placed 7th at the DCI World Championships in August.

SCV won the title in 1981.

[danielray]

Michael Boo, on 19 February 2012 - 06:24 AM, said:

"I had the experience of learning great brass technique that helped me develop as a musician by marching a horn line that had awesome instruction focusing on my development as an awesome brass player."
"Did your corps have girls?"
"Uh, what? Why would that matter? I went to the corps for the experience of marching and playing and what I would get out of that. I didn't go for the girls."
"Did your corps have girls?"
"Before I answer that...again...why would that matter?"
"Did your corps have girls?"
"I can tell you they were never far away, either on the buses and the field or on the sidelines and the volunteer crew."
"Why won't you just answer if your corps had girls?"
"Because it's not relevant."
"Why not?"
"Because I didn't join drum corps for the girls."
"So your corps didn't have girls?"
"I didn't say that."
"Why not?"
"You realize there are girls outside of drum corps."
"Yes, but were there girls in your corps? If there weren't didn't you miss having them?"
"Again, I wanted to march drum corps for what I would get out of it. Having girls in the corps or not in it had nothing to do with my decision."
"So you're saying 'no.'"
"No, I'm not saying that."
"Why not?"
"Honey, help me out here. Oh, meet Emily."
"Hi. Pleased to meet you. Why do you care if there were girls in his corps?"
"Is that where the two of you met?"
"No. We met at a convention of brain surgeons."
"Are there lots of girls at those things?"
"I'll tell you after I get a chance to open up your brain and reset your switch."

When I was 18 ... seriously... girls were a factor in probably about 98% of the decisions I made. I would assume this is probably not all that unusual.

[Michael Boo]

danielray, on 20 February 2012 - 05:06 PM, said:

When I was 18 ... seriously... girls were a factor in probably about 98% of the decisions I made. I would assume this is probably not all that unusual.

No, it probably isn't unusual at all. However, one who is a member of an all-male corps doesn't have to give up girls outside of rehearsals. Instead of looking at them on the field, they would look at them on the sidelines.

Being a mallet player in the mid-1970s, I used to march The Cavaliers' honor guard during parades. (For those kiddies who don't know what a parade is—being that corps don't march them in the same numbers they used to—think the Tournament of Roses Parade, but with no floats, a microcosmic fraction of people along the parade route, and a parade queen named after some vegetable that the festival the parade was connected to was named after.) Whenever there was a bevy of young beauties along the parade route the guard sergeant thought should be shared with the section, he would yell out, "Eyes left" or "Eyes right." (It usually took something like a tube top to qualify, or other not-quite modest apparel.) I can verify you'll see just about anything along a parade route...not that I was complaining.

[JimF-LowBari]

Michael Boo, on 20 February 2012 - 05:15 PM, said:

Being a mallet player in the mid-1970s, I used to march The Cavaliers' honor guard during parades.

No mallets in parade??? Next thing you'll tell me the tymp players pulled the water cart.

Oh wait... no water cart in the 70s that I remember.... glad we wised up.

[DAvery]

Does Crown still have their "remedial" fundamentals block? That alone would decide it for me.

[soccerguy315]

DAvery, on 20 February 2012 - 06:45 PM, said:

Does Crown still have their "remedial" fundamentals block? That alone would decide it for me.

what is this?