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Joe Flynn

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  • Your Drum Corps Experience
    Blue Rock 1965-1974

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  1. How do you explain it to people? How do you describe a summer on a football field or a winter in a gym? The people. The travel. The victory. The defeat. The sweat. The tears. The performance. The scores. Is it a sport or is it an art? What is it about the passion that captures our imagination and takes hold of our hearts? This blog is a look at the passion of the pageantry arts and the generations of memories it has created. http://paradigmwinterguard.blogspot.com/
  2. How do you explain it to people? How do you describe a summer on a football field or a winter in a gym? The people. The travel. The victory. The defeat. The sweat. The tears. The performance. The scores. Is it a sport or is it an art? What is it about the passion that captures our imagination and takes hold of our hearts? This blog is a look at the passion of the pageantry arts and the generations of memories it has created. The Never Ending Question...Why http://paradigmwinterguard.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-never-ending-questionwhy.html
  3. There is a strange sort of reasoning in Hollywood that musicals are less worthy of Academy consideration than dramas. It's a form of snobbism, the same sort that perpetuates the idea that drama is more deserving of Awards than comedy.--Gene Kelly Read more at paradigmwinterguard.blogspot.com
  4. How do you explain it to people? How do you describe a summer on a football field or a winter in a gym? The people. The travel. The victory. The defeat. The sweat. The tears. The performance. The scores. Is it a sport or is it an art? What is it about the passion that captures our imagination and takes hold of our hearts? This blog is a look at the passion of the pageantry arts and the generations of memories it has created. More at http://paradigmwinterguard.blogspot.com
  5. This post is the first in a series of blog posts from performers to performers. This blog post is from Torie Lawton, a 19 year old, student at Lake Sumter State College. Current and first year member of Paradigm. In this post, she describes her first moments in colorguard and how it shaped and changed her life. http://paradigmwinterguard.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-words-of-performer-her-struggles_9.html
  6. Blue Rock ... unquestionably it was the 1971 Dream. Still get chills listening to the recording of that day.
  7. It’s that time of year again, folks. The OFFICIAL BEGINNING of WINTERGUARD! It’s a time of great joy and excitement for a new show, new friends, new uniform, no more summer heat, and of great misery getting rid of weird tan lines, expectation pressures, and time frames. DCI and their Finals have been completed for some time now. Congrats again to all those serious summer warriors on their amazing tours. Summer days are long over and schools are finishing or finished with football season. Marching color guards are hanging up their field shows and are ready to embrace their indoor excitement. Independent programs all over the nation have finished auditions and are already putting their shows together. Everyone is getting ready for that mad dash to Premier. But the question is - are the performers really REALLY ready to take the floor for competition? “Let’s start at the very beginning… A very good place to start….” Read the rest at http://paradigmwinterguard.blogspot.com
  8. Growing up Pageantry .... How do you explain it to people? How do you describe a summer on a football field or a winter in a gym? The people. The travel. The victory. The defeat. The sweat. The tears. The performance. The scores. Is it a sport or is it an art? What is it about the passion that captures our imagination and takes hold of our hearts? This blog is a look at the passion of the pageantry arts and the generations of memories it has created. .......and it's finally time for the start of the indoor color guard season!! Here's a direct link to this week's Blog posting from Paradigm! http://paradigmwinterguard.blogspot.com/2013/11/ode-to-end-of-marching-band.html
  9. What is it that makes a great color guard tech? Shelba Waldron explores this in the latest "Growing Up Pageantry" from Paradigm. http://paradigmwinterguard.blogspot.com
  10. How do you explain it to people? How do you describe a summer on a football field or a winter in a gym? The people. The travel. The victory. The defeat. The sweat. The tears. The performance. The scores. Is it a sport or is it an art? What is it about the passion that captures our imagination and takes hold of our hearts? This blog is a look at the passion of the pageantry arts and the generations of memories it has created. Read more at http://paradigmwinterguard.blogspot.com/2013/09/winterguard-beyond-friendship-beyond.html
  11. Looking for a place you can call home? Looking for a guard whose budget is open for all performers and families to see? Looking for a competitive program that is reasonably priced, school friendly, and where the majority of staff is alumni who've returned? Check into Paradigm! We're returning for our 15th competitive season in 2014 - years that have seen the guard progress from "Novice Class" to achievement at WGI including medals in A & Open class along with multiple FFCC Circuit Championships. Auditions are Saturday/Sunday - September 14 & 15 Warner Christian Academy - South Daytona Beach Visit our website to register for auditions, see what to expect, view our rehearsal schedule, and more. http://www.winterguard.com
  12. Where DCI is becoming the "reviled satan of drum corps" today (in some fan's eyes), that was where the American Legion and, to a greater extent, the VFW was prior to DCI. In fact, their refusal to allow corps to control their own destiny was what led to the formation of DCI. By the late 1960's / early 1970's, for example, corps had started experimenting with show concepts and programming. This was quickly shot down by the powers at the VFW who threatened to significantly penalize anyone who dared to wear anything but standard drum corps "uniforms" or to have any sort of "fun" or (God forbid) dancing on the field. Corps were required to maintain cadence between 120 & 128 beats per minute, measured three different times during the shows, with penalties assessed for any variance. "Inspections" were held with the inspection caption (at the VFW) holding the same point value as the General Effect caption! (Tells you the value that was put on showmanship!) VFW Point Assignments Inspection = 10 points Cadence = 10 points Marching and Maneuvering = 30 points Brass = 20 points Drumming = 20 points General Effect = 10 points In addition to the two veterans groups (who set the national rules), there were also dozens of local circuits who would have a variety of different twists on things as well. On the other hand ....... While there were literally hundreds of corps in existence, the "top corps" (the big name corps) numbered about the same as the World Class corps of today and, pretty much year after year, you'd see the same top corps in the national championship finals (much like today). There'd be some variance year to year with corps dropping out and another taking its place but, overall, that hasn't changed all that much. What HAS changed has been the number of shows nationwide and the absolute need to travel hundreds (thousands?) of miles simply to get a full season in. New Jersey, for example, would see at least a show happening every weekend and usually multiple shows going on each weekend. New York, Illinois, Wisconsin, Massachusetts ... all pretty much the same. By the late 1960's, California had joined that list as well. The "big corps" fed on the smaller corps for membership (again, not dissimilar to today) but the need to be a "music major" was pretty much non existent in those pre-DCI days as even the big corps would teach a kid how to play from scratch. (Most top corps had very few kids who could actually read music). Another huge difference was staff size ...... most corps had a visual staff of no more than 2 or 3, a brass staff of perhaps 2, and a drum staff of 1. The administrations might total 5 or 6 (if lucky). Drum corps was also a true year round activity with (at least in the east) shows starting in mid-May and continuing until early September. There may be a break in weekly rehearsals during October but by November, most corps were back at it (again weekly rehearsals) to get ready for the next season. Definitely different times .... not sure they were "that much better" though. Transportation generally were in death traps (buses that lacked any semblance to a safe vehicle), no one understood (or cared much) about such things as "warming up" or "dehydration" but we all survived. I see how kids in corps eat and are cared for physically today and think, "Holy ####". And, finally, that all adds up to costs. Corps used to be able to function on a shoestring budget with unpaid staff and operations that were entirely run by volunteers. Corps dues of $0.50 or $1 per week were commonplace (but kids had to feed themselves at restaurants on the road). Today, if a corps dues is under $3,000, it's considered low .... and there's no way a kid, today, can maintain a summer job to help pay for things. A lot has been gained musically and professionally ..... corps are infinitely better today musically and physically. But a lot has been lost as well ....
  13. FINAL PARADIGM SPIN CLINIC OF 2014 Paradigm will hold our final spin clinic of 2014 THIS Saturday - August 17th! Warner Christian Academy South Daytona, Florida Register online at winterguard.com Come out and spend the day Spinning with Friends!
  14. PARADIGM returns for the 2014 season out of Daytona Beach! Auditions - September 14 & 15 Warner Christian Academy South Daytona, Florida For more information and to register http://www.winterguard.com/register-for-auditions.html
  15. This weekend in Allentown, Troopers continued their historic tribute to the tradition that have made them America's Corps. Audience members across the country have enjoyed show after show finding all the layers that are nods to past Troopers. Some are small, such as the rifle exchange at the beginning of the show, and some are large, like the iconic sunburst at the end of the show. At Allentown the long blue line unveiled another piece of history as the star performer carrying the flag up the 50 yard line in Battle Hymn takes the field, Having worn the traditional black color guard uniform that gave the girls their image in the 70's, the featured performer debuted a new outfit this weekend. This outfit is the white guard uniform that was not only a large part of the image of the guard, but also is reminiscent of the very outfit that the daughter of corps founder and DCI Hall of Fame member Jim Jones wore when she was a marching member. This is sure to produce an emotional moment for not just fans of the Troopers but for all drum corps fans who see the show. Be sure to see this part of drum corps history.
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