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That describes my love life, and it hasn't killed me.

Hmm. I just came here to post the clip below when I saw your post. A bit of Symphonie Fantastique, but with period instruments:

Ok, you win the internet today. The rest of us can stop trying now...

it's not my call or your call to make unless you marched Madison.

"Hey, will we need a third tractor-trailer to haul 13 portable, rolling wind tunnels?" --2018 Bloo design staff

I remember those tymp players well. I think a lot of teenage boys in drum corps back then were in love with them. Les Diplomates were ahead of the curve in DCA, as was my old team... Sunrisers. Sun had a female brass player in the 1960s... I believe she might have been the first one in DCA... with many more women to follow. An all-female guard in 1969, one of the first if not the first in DCA... women in the drum line, including at least two in the snare line when we were winning percussion titles nearly every year... and DCA's first female brass soloists. Not bragging here... just pointing out that some corps at all levels got there early, and others got there later. Each at their own pace. And if the Scouts open up to more women... good for them. If they don't... as a private organization, that is their choice. The world won't spin off its axis either way.

Les Dips had female brass players as early as 1970 AND percussion players. Les Dips were percussion champs at the '73 DCA with almost half the line being female and this was when we had to carry the tymps. BTW, the female twins on the tymps went on to pursue their professional careers as percussionists. I know that this isn't point of the discussion (integrating females), but it appears that Madison has decided to go with the prevailing societal trends in including females, albeit slowly and respecting more important traditions attached to the Scouting movement. Good on them. BTW, I detested the 2017 show - not Traditional enough.

This is like the Cavaliers' shows during their championship run. I can watch this with the sound down, just for the visuals, and still enjoy it.

I don't get this. There were many corps that prohibited girls in the horn line thinking that was the end of them if they did. Many of them are still around and flourishing. Is it a gender thing for you? There were corps last year who many thought were going to fail because they lost their identity by changing uni's. "They are not who they were" was the cry. Well they are who they were and they are a better version of who they were. Welcome to 2018.

Madison got its start as a Boy Scout Troop, and some years went by Madison Explorer Scouts, Explorers have allowed young women for years, and Boy Scouts now allows girls to join (it is a council by council decision, is still being implemented, and some councils may choose to continue to be boys only), would Madison cease being Madison if young women were to join their ranks? Depends on whether the tradition is based on the Scouting which came first, or the all male that continued after the corps was no longer affiliated with Scouting. Personally, I have no problem with Madison or Cavies being all male. I know the strong sense of brotherhood is important for Madison alums and I know it is still important for some marching members today. For me, Madison Scouts ceases to be Madison, or at least does feel like Madison when that classic Madison sound is missing. As much as I enjoyed 2011, 2013, and 2015, they were not perfect Madison shows, but each had that Madison spark and sound people love. That’s what I’d love to see, in a way that is relevant and competitive, not a small challenge.

This sentiment will guarantee at least 3/4 pages of discussions.

Manufactured controversy to gain attention in an attempt to remain relevant in the off season Why else release this without context or show info? Slightly annoying as a cheap play by their media team, bad hype As to ‘the issue’, it’s amazing how little I care

yeah adding guys into the guard just killed Phantom. (insert sarcasm here). That said, I don't think long term Madison plans to integrate more than one offs.

205 pages was achieved last year by December 15. A bit off the pace to hit over 1,000 pages this year. But this is an amazingly prolific group that posts on the Cadets thread. Passionate to say the least.

I guess they are being open minded and feel the sky actually isn't falling.

Really? Relampago wasn't an indicator that something is seriously wrong? I think their problems run much deeper than whether they allow females as members. Like - what do they want their identity to be? WTF was last year? It's been schizophrenia on a football field with them since Scott Stewart was dumped. They have issues. I'm not sure the sex of their members would rank very high on the list of issues. And I say this in full agreement with the sentiment that as a private organization they can do what they want regarding membership

Not that my voice counts for a lot but, as a parent who's sent tuition dollars to the Scouts and volunteered time with them, I'm very glad to see them make this move.

It has been said many times that higher placing lines have better instruction on average. Certainly there are master instructors at the top of the activity. Of course, all things are rarely equal, and the strength of talent showing up at auditions must be a big factor in the scores. We could hypothesize that better instructional staff should be reflected in a steeper caption score curve during the season, particularly achievement scores. However, most of them seem to improve at about the same rate, so I'm not sure about that. For an individual, though, I would think being in a line with roughly your same skill level would maximize improvement. Jumping to a better corps when you've outgrown the lower corps would make sense (if that's the goal) even if their instructors are no better. The music will definitely be harder.

good save

This is the best post yet!! :D I think if I were the Hop, I'd love having my corps at the top of the message board all the time :) It adds hype & is the first thing the newbies see!

Hey - I've marched both euph and contra for many years (DCI and DCA). It's a moot point --- but it ultimately helps to have a horn. There's no better way to understand the weight distribution and getting comfortable enough to maneuver with the same level of proficiency as the other instruments. There's no exercise that really mirrors getting it from ground to "chop" -- or snapping from "chop" to playing position -- other than actually DOING it. That said: it doesn't hurt to be in generally decent physical shape. I'm no licensed trainer or anything (usual disclaimer applies: talk to a certified fitness instructor or a doctor before starting a new regimen), but below are some exercises or general workouts that have helped me. In general: you want to give as much attention to your core and back muscles as you do your arms. - Yoga Find a class and start doing it now ... it's great for strength/breathing/endurance/flexibility/learning to achieve specific body shapes -- all of that is completely relevant to drum corps There are classes everywhere (community centers, fitness centers, colleges, etc) If anyone makes fun of you for doing yoga, they are wrong and stupid - Core-specific workouts Planks Crunches Leg-lifts - Body weight training Regular pushups, tucked-elbow pushups, pull-ups or chin-ups ... that sort of thing Some of my friends have recommended stuff on the body weight sub-Reddit - Light-weights + heavy rep training For example - Front dumbell raises with 5-15 lbs weights Low cable row machine to work on upper-rear muscles - Running You're going to be doing a bunch of it in the summer anyway Get good shoes, don't cheap out on them Again: this is all stuff I've done over the years. Find what works for YOU and commit to a regular-enough schedule (aim for 3x a week). One final note: every tuba manufacturer is different. Some have better weight distribution and ergonomic design considerations than others. I've marched several seasons on Yamaha ... by far my favorite, from a weight distribution standpoint. It's the easiest to maneuver and toss around. Jupiter is the opposite, in my opinion. They sound good, but are stupid heavy. Dumb design for the drum corps. Played a little bit on an Adams horn last summer ... it wasn't too bad, but still not as effortless to move around as Yamaha.

Yes, with your help.

i said this on DCP the Facebook page, I'll say it here. if those in the Madison organization and alumni are ok with it, who cares? It's their family. It's like every so many years drama when Phantoms guard flips from coeds to Phantomettes. It's their corps, it's their call. Sit back and watch the show and like it or not like it for what it is.

Good for Madison. I'm glad to see the current administration push to grow the corps however they can. Mike

She's a member. Watch the video they posted when they say that specifically as they introduce her. I always thought the "featured performer" label was terrible in the past. Just a label to keep alumni happy. I see this as step one to ease into allowing more females in the future which I hope happens!

As far as literally every other corps is concerned, if you've paid your fees and you're on the field, you're a member. The idea that you can somehow not be a real member of the corps despite having done that is absurd.

You already have your man. Our daughter attended an all girl HS. From wake up to out the door in about 30 minutes. No guys to look great for.

The Facebook announcement said “featuring” which would make me think she will be used much the same way a young woman was used in “Carmen.” Perhaps this is a step towards going coed, but it may be just a one year choice.

Hopefully this is hinting at a big jazzy Madison show

Yes, yes,yes! A thousand times YES!

We talked about Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique tonight in one of my graduate music history courses. I know it’s been done before on the field but not quite in the way I’m imagining now after digging into that work and discussing it. The idea of the fixation on an idea, his issues with drugs and mental problems, the programmatic nature and story of the work, and the general idea of the fantastic in French literature at the time would make a very exciting basis to set a show in. And of course the music is great.