HeatherM Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Our Lady of the Single Valve Cadets, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG BARI 3 Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 You gotta admit no matter what side of this post your on that Hawthorne looks great coming onto the field with all their flags flying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santana Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Our Lady of the Single Valve Cadets, nope, single valves were before my time. We used both valves. If I can go to dca's. I'll play in the finale. It would be an honor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Priester Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Hi Liz. A look back at history is useful when considering the place of the color presentation in drum corps. Many of the senior corps such as Skyliners, Caballeros and others were started and/or their ranks were filled with veterans in the years after WWII. The American Legion Post 1523 that was the home to the Skyliners was named after Raymond A. Garbarina who was killed in action in 1944. The post was renamed Garbarina-Mazarakos after the passing in 1951 of John Mazarakos who died of complications of a disease he contracted while serving with the Marine Corps in the Pacific theater. Just about everyone in the generation that fought and won WWII was directly involved in some fashion in the war. My father was an Army Air Force pilot. My uncle served on a destroyer in the Pacific for two years. My wife's uncle was in the Army and was combat wounded in Europe. My wife's Mom was a riveter in an aircraft plant, and her father worked in the ship building industry. The pediatrician who delivered my sister and I served on the infamous cruiser USS Indianapolis. And on and on. Patriotism was ingrained in their generation. I was born in 1949 and grew up raised by a father who held deep allegiance to his country and his flag. I came of age in the 1960's and became draft eligible at the peak of an extremely unpopular war in Vietnam. The country was deeply divided, often along generational lines with the WWII generation generally supporting the government and the war and my generation in some cases vehemently opposed. The sentiment that was echoed by many toward those who opposed the war was summed up as "My country - love it or leave it". Try and imagine the distress that was felt by many when the color presentation that represented a tribute to the flag that they had bled and in some cases died for was removed from drum corps shows. The underlying issues remain today. War is sometimes justified but is never a good thing, and we have been embroiled in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that have dragged on with little resolution for far too long. Nevertheless, those who serve our country deserve our honor and respect. It is always necessary for us to separate how we view those who serve from how we view the politicians who send them to fight and die. The color presentation was one way that this respect was shown in the past that we do not have today. Excellent explanation, Roger. BTW, Ray Garbarina was killed in the Battle of the Bulge. The truck he was driving took a direct hit from either a panzer or an 88. His remains were brought back to the States after the war and he was buried with full military honors, by the corps that bears his name. A very nice description of the formation and subsequent name change for our Post. One thing that must be kept in mind, too, is that most of the folks from Liz's era were never exposed to a Color Presentation and instructional staffs did not explain the whys and wherefores of the whole thing. When one considers the myriad theme shows that sprung up all around, one must realize that the inclusion of a musical selection that did not adhere to the theme would seem very out of place and make the show seem to be choppy, for want of a better explanation. If color pres were still used, this whole subject would be moot. BTW, Liz is very passionate about her color guard work and her desire to be the best to enhance her corps' performance. We don't always agree on a lot of things, but her passion is not to be discounted. She is as intense in her opinions as I am with mine. A lot of the posters here (and I don't think that Liz is among them ) have absolutely no desire to learn from whence this activity or their corps evolved and really don't care about anything other than the "now". It's a shame, for they were truly wonderful times which we'll never see again, at least not during what's left of my lifetime. Perhaps some will "get it", perhaps not. C'est la vie. The alumni corps movement works for me and a lot of others. BTW, I really haven't read anything that was offensive or antagonistic in this thread, but perhaps that's just me. Ray Commander Garbarina-Mazarakos Post #1523, American Legion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) C'mon, I realize I'm not in the DCP click, but what I said is hardly offensive. I can get offensive and that ain't it. It's just a shame you have to explain anything about it at all. I marched many of those years, with and without a color-pre. Since 1967, Jim, and I'm still marching actively in both alumni and our fledgling competitive corps. I also managed to do some cruises on a destroyer in the Navy. She isn't that young that she shouldn't understand. Why make that statement in a thread about people who want to do a nice thing and honor America's military men and women? I don't understand why I'm the bad guy here. Other than I'm not in the DCP lovefest. Mike what I took exception to was: "...younger people who think they know everything....". With that statement and some of what you posted above I think (repeat think, Liz can correct) you misunderstood Lizs intent. (And I have the luxury of being able to use her previous posts to form an opinion.) She never insulted corps using a CP or said they shouldn't do one, she just said that she didn't "get" it since she didn't experience it in corps. To be honest, I'm sure I don't get the same feeling or understanding as some others here seeing an Alumni corps do a CP now since I hardly saw it during my time either. Come to think of it, we only really had one in 1976 and had the HG come out at the end of another years show. Edit (to put it in a sound bite): Saying that Liz "..thinks she knows everything.." was inaccurate/harsh/some other term because all she did admit she doesn't "get it" like DCPers' who remembered CPs. No insult or bad guy tag intented to you, Hell we might have run into each other if you attend DCA with Gary M and the gang. Edit: Waiting for Liz to come back with "No Jim........". Edited July 17, 2011 by JimF-LowBari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 in fact, two of the first three tunes Sky's Alumni learned were Columbia and Broadway/France ... Honestly, and IMO of course, I don't think any senior/all-age corps has handled color presentations, on a consistent basis, quite as well as the Skyliners through the years. Those songs you mentioned above, plus "Longest Day"..."Victory at Sea"..."I Walk with God" and so forth... just seemed like a perfect fit for the Skyliner style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyroo Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 See this is where my disconnect to the Alumni activity really hits home. I don't see why a color presentation should be in every corps' program. I doubt I am the only one of my age group that feels that way. Liz, Cyn and I just pulled in from appearing in a show in which I was a small part of a color pre. There is absolutely no reason why a color presentation should be in every corps show - alumni or competing. I may be wrong, but I don't know of a competing corps that does an actual color presentation, and I know of several that don't even carry the colors onto the field. Alumni corps are perhaps a bit different in that all the corps that I can think of carry the colors onto the field and all of them (I think) incorporate a color pre of one sort or another into their show. But there's no "rule" that says they have to, so if Corps X decides not to bother, then fine. You must understand, however, that for many corps, the honor guard is the last vestige of the type of military bearing that was such an important part of drum corps "back in the day." With corps today dancin' and prancin', arcing and curving, and doing pretty much everything they can to avoid marching - at least as we knew it then, then I definitely think there's a place for American sections and color presentations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegalEagle50 Posted July 17, 2011 Share Posted July 17, 2011 Thanks to the people who have spent time explaining why the color presentation is/was such a big part of shows BITD. I don't know much of the past history. I come from that generation of themed shows. Even the alumni corps I was in did not have a color pre during the 4 years I was on the field with them. I didn't mean to start a war by my statement. I think if you asked most people who had 0 ties to drum corps and started marching when I did or after you would find them equally confused. There were some great explanations passed along here. That's awesome. That's not a DCp lovefest, that's caring enough about this activity to share what they know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny Drum Corps Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Honestly, and IMO of course, I don't think any senior/all-age corps has handled color presentations, on a consistent basis, quite as well as the Skyliners through the years. Those songs you mentioned above, plus "Longest Day"..."Victory at Sea"..."I Walk with God" and so forth... just seemed like a perfect fit for the Skyliner style. Except Empire.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomPeashey Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 The suprise is not a suprise anymore! Tom Allen, The Empire Statesmen Alumni Association and Bugles Across America have combined to set up a ceremony to honor ALL of our veterans at the conclusion of the Alumni Spectacular. He has invited the "Bugles Across America" members, The Ghost Riders (and all of the other interested competing DCA mini corps), Prime Time Brass, The Hitmen, the Empire Statesmen Alumni members and basically ANYONE else that wants to be a part of a mass ceremony following the Alumni show. This will also be including any of the participating competing and alumni corps that are interested. I believe also that the WDCHOF and BHOF members have also been contacted for participation in this ceremony. I also believe that it is open to anyone that would like to do it. Music will be arrangemnets of the Service Themes and Battle Hymn of the Republic and are available on a web link through Bugles Across America. I am sure that Tom will supply more information soon on this forum. Stay tuned for more information from Tom Allen. Don Allen Did your brother have a hard time finding a good arranger? Oh and you guys were great Saturday... even with a few missing horns... I still say that Copeland arrangement is the best you have ever done... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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