pidget Posted January 30, 2015 Author Share Posted January 30, 2015 Uhhhh....get one NOW, if that is your final placement decision. It might not necessarily mean buying one: check around with friends/family/neighbors...kids are quitting all the time, and there are times that a formerly-used horn ends up being thrown in the bottom of a closet, not seeing the light of day for years, and eventually forgotten. You might strike upon a very fortuitous short-term lending agreement...or if even luckier, a "cut-rate" purchase price (just so the owner can get the danged thing off his hands). Even if you don't end up sticking with it, you can always make a very treasured and well-appreciated donation to your local school district. I'll actually try baritone since my band director will let me borrow one of the School's baritones and now that I'm thinking about it baritone would probably be better for me learning wise. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 (edited) I'll actually try baritone since my band director will let me borrow one of the School's baritones and now that I'm thinking about it baritone would probably be better for me learning wise. Know you have a lot on your plate with learning a Bari but try to hold it like you would in a corps. IOW - bell straight and elbows not mashed into your ribs. As long as you are playing you might as well work on muscle stamina.... But learning to play is the main priority for now and building up the upper body to hold the #### thing will come.... Edited January 30, 2015 by JimF-LowBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perc2100 Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Hello DCP! So I'm currently a freshmen in High School and I've only marched Saxophone. I really want to learn a brass instrument for DCI but I was wondering if anyone has any tips. I want to learn trumpet and was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to learn it myself since I've tried finding a trumpet private lesson teacher in my area but to no avail. Anyways cheers! ~pidget Edit: I'm actually gonna try baritone instead of trumpet Don't have a ton to add to this that others have already contributed except: 1) good luck! There are a plethora of stories of successful drum corps Marching Members who switched from woodwind instrument to brass (or percussion or guard) for the sake of marching in a drum corps 2) my DM the two years I marched wasn an alto sax 'convert.' He had joined the corps mid-season the year before I marched and learned baritone (I think: maybe mello) to fill a hole. He is a GREAT guy, and was promoted to DM the following season (my rookie year). He was DM of my corps for three years, and aged/rooked-out as DM for Blue Devils. Skies-the-limit when it comes to work ethic & the harder you work for your goals the more you will get out. I wish you nothing but the best!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Freedman Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 (edited) I am going to add some things you may not know about drum corps. I'm not sure about the details myself, so check me on these things, people: You will probably not get into a DCI World Class drum corps this year. Beginners can get into some DCI Open Class corps but you have to investigate each one. And then there are all-age DCA corps. These corps are a great option today if there's one around you - they are local (you live at home) - they train mostly evenings and weekends because many of the members work during the day, but increasingly they have kids as well. Some seem to be mostly kids. Also look for a local SoundSport group, SoundSport is ... well ... kind of a winter/spring drum corps league. (right?) It's new and there are lots of them. The audition period just pretty much ended for most DCI corps, but some auditions/audition camps may still be going on. (Auditions are just that, audition camps are full day or weekend training experiences including an audition. Either way it costs from $60 to $125 or so.) The camps you will see in the spring are mostly rehearsal camps for those who got accepted. However, people sometimes drop out and so they suddenly need replacements, and will be more likely to settle for a beginner. So, a good strategy (if you want to march DCI) would be to periodically check all the OC corps websites news sections looking for announcements of sudden needs for additional performers. This can happen right up to June, so keep checking and be the first to respond. They may also take you as an alternate who trains like everybody else but doesn't perform in shows unless someone drops out. Drum corps "tour fees" vary a lot but can cost upwards of $3600 a year for corps that do a "full tour" (training pretty much all day, every day, all summer long). Many OC corps do a shorter tour with less transportation costs and can charge a lot less. DCA corps charge even less since you live at home. Instruction: You must get with a skilled horn player, if not an instructor, at least once in awhile. There are bad habits that can limit your playing that can creep in without some basic instruction. But I don't know that it has to be every week. You say there is a band teacher at your school - at least have him/her check your embouchure every once in a while. Explore the forums at two brass websites: trumpetherald.com and trumpetmaster.com for lots of good advice on everything brass. Good luck! Ok, folks, did I get anything right above? Edited January 31, 2015 by Pete Freedman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pidget Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 I am going to add some things you may not know about drum corps. I'm not sure about the details myself, so check me on these things, people: You will probably not get into a DCI World Class drum corps this year. Beginners can get into some DCI Open Class corps but you have to investigate each one. And then there are all-age DCA corps. These corps are a great option today if there's one around you - they are local (you live at home) - they train mostly evenings and weekends because many of the members work during the day, but increasingly they have kids as well. Some seem to be mostly kids. Also look for a local SoundSport group, SoundSport is ... well ... kind of a winter/spring drum corps league. (right?) It's new and there are lots of them. The audition period just pretty much ended for most DCI corps, but some auditions/audition camps may still be going on. (Auditions are just that, audition camps are full day or weekend training experiences including an audition. Either way it costs from $60 to $125 or so.) The camps you will see in the spring are mostly rehearsal camps for those who got accepted. However, people sometimes drop out and so they suddenly need replacements, and will be more likely to settle for a beginner. So, a good strategy (if you want to march DCI) would be to periodically check all the OC corps websites news sections looking for announcements of sudden needs for additional performers. This can happen right up to June, so keep checking and be the first to respond. They may also take you as an alternate who trains like everybody else but doesn't perform in shows unless someone drops out. Drum corps "tour fees" vary a lot but can cost upwards of $3600 a year for corps that do a "full tour" (training pretty much all day, every day, all summer long). Many OC corps do a shorter tour with less transportation costs and can charge a lot less. DCA corps charge even less since you live at home. Instruction: You must get with a skilled horn player, if not an instructor, at least once in awhile. There are bad habits that can limit your playing that can creep in without some basic instruction. But I don't know that it has to be every week. You say there is a band teacher at your school - at least have him/her check your embouchure every once in a while. Explore the forums at two brass websites: trumpetherald.com and trumpetmaster.com for lots of good advice on everything brass. Good luck! Ok, folks, did I get anything right above? Thank you so much for the info ^-^ I can't really march this summer so I'm planning to practice through the summer and go to a camp next audition season for the experience then march in the 2017 season if I'm lucky. My band director said he'll help me if I come in during my lunch period so I hope I won't develops any bad habits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Freedman Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 Thank you so much for the info ^-^ I can't really march this summer so I'm planning to practice through the summer and go to a camp next audition season for the experience then march in the 2017 season if I'm lucky. My band director said he'll help me if I come in during my lunch period so I hope I won't develops any bad habits. That's great news about the band director. The audition camps are valuable training experiences in and of themselves. There are also some online video-based brass training programs where a few videos are free and you pay for the full course. I have no idea how good they are, but your band director might have an idea. Search Euphonium Lessons or some such. Euphoniums (Euphonia?) are very similar to baritones. Practice buzzing with just the mouthpiece as long as you have it, just a couple of minutes a few times a day until your lips stop tingling and hurting. That'll help until you get the instrument. Oh, I forgot to mention: If you're not already in an aerobic exercise program, get into one now if you are aiming for a WC corps someday. Running is simplest, but dance, martial arts or gymnastics would also teach body control. Auditions usually include a physical component. The sharp end of the order is extremely physically demanding, but for now any kind of regular aerobics should suffice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornTeacher Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 (edited) Thank you so much for the info ^-^ I can't really march this summer so I'm planning to practice through the summer and go to a camp next audition season for the experience then march in the 2017 season if I'm lucky. My band director said he'll help me if I come in during my lunch period so I hope I won't develops any bad habits. Pidget, please know that the best wishes of all us here go to you. It's going to seem a daunting task at times...but stick with it. If you haven't discovered it by now...and at risk of sounding like a pollyanna...it's sort of a "family" thing. Some here have years and years of experience in both marching AND teaching at the highest level. Others have marched. There are those who marched, but due to various circumstances, maybe their experience was at lower levels (even some who, like me, came upon the participatory level of the activity later in life, and maybe only in "parade" type corps.) And still for others, it is nothing more than a life-long love as a fan. What we ALL share in common is our love for the activity, and wishing for it to continue. Youngsters like you are the future. Our best thoughts go to you and with you. Edited February 1, 2015 by HornTeacher 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 No idea where you are from but any All Age corps in the area? If one is nearby maybe you could be around them a bit since they don't tour. Couldn't hurt to explain your situation and see what might be possible. Don't have to march with them but maybe they could think of something that would work for both of you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pidget Posted February 1, 2015 Author Share Posted February 1, 2015 That's great news about the band director. The audition camps are valuable training experiences in and of themselves. There are also some online video-based brass training programs where a few videos are free and you pay for the full course. I have no idea how good they are, but your band director might have an idea. Search Euphonium Lessons or some such. Euphoniums (Euphonia?) are very similar to baritones. Practice buzzing with just the mouthpiece as long as you have it, just a couple of minutes a few times a day until your lips stop tingling and hurting. That'll help until you get the instrument. Oh, I forgot to mention: If you're not already in an aerobic exercise program, get into one now if you are aiming for a WC corps someday. Running is simplest, but dance, martial arts or gymnastics would also teach body control. Auditions usually include a physical component. The sharp end of the order is extremely physically demanding, but for now any kind of regular aerobics should suffice. I actually never knew there where online courses, I'll try looking for some ^-^. The exercise part I'll try to start by running since I don't know if I can find a aerobics class anywhere near. No idea where you are from but any All Age corps in the area? If one is nearby maybe you could be around them a bit since they don't tour. Couldn't hurt to explain your situation and see what might be possible. Don't have to march with them but maybe they could think of something that would work for both of you. Well the nearest all age is about a 3 hour drive away so I don't think there's much I can do there :P Pidget, please know that the best wishes of all us here go to you. It's going to seem a daunting task at times...but stick with it. If you haven't discovered it by now...and at risk of sounding like a pollyanna...it's sort of a "family" thing. Some here have years and years of experience in both marching AND teaching at the highest level. Others have marched. There are those who marched, but due to various circumstances, maybe their experience was at lower levels (even some who, like me, came upon the participatory level of the activity later in life, and maybe only in "parade" type corps.) And still for others, it is nothing more than a life-long love as a fan. What we ALL share in common is our love for the activity, and wishing for it to continue. Youngsters like you are the future. Our best thoughts go to you and with you. Thank you so much for the support, when I first posted this thread I never expected the amount of feedback that I would get. To be honest the marching arts community are some of the only people in my life to ever inspire me to do something. Again, thank you so much for the support and I'll try to make sure the activity doesn't die out ^-^ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Freedman Posted February 1, 2015 Share Posted February 1, 2015 This thread is talking about some of this year's startups. That's a new thing. After many years of decline, we are now seeing the creation of 5-6 new OC corps last year and this. One of these, Southwind, is a restart of an old corps that had gone inactive. Their FAQ page suggests they will take people even if they are "not the best player", are doing a 2 week tour with ten days full-time prep, and are charging 1,500+fees. So when the time comes and you've saved up a little money (or can do a heck of a lot of fundraising) there should be an option for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.