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Wow. I thought I was the one who is supposed to be over-caffeinated. God bless you and keep you. This view would be true if the corps paid the students. If the corps paid the students to perform, then what you say would be true. After all, they would not be students; they would be performers for hire, and you would have every right to demand whatever it is you want from the product, because they (or more precisely, the corps) would be the product. But the kids are not paid. Quite the reverse. They pay the corps, and that changes everything. The product is not the show; it is the education, challenge and experience provided to the students. Thus, it is the students, not us, who are in a position to place demands and expectations on the corps (and circuit) providing that product. The enjoyment we get from their efforts is a byproduct. Our pride in seeing dedicated, hard-working, self-sacrificing young people grow into stellar adults is a byproduct. Our DVDs are a byproduct. Our lot experiences and BMFO goosebumps are byproducts. They are happy byproducts, to be sure, and we're happy to pay for the privilege through tickets, souvies and outright donations. But that happy outcome is possible only because of the initial transaction between the student and the corps. For us to inject our personal demands and expectations on the corps/DCI only warps that relationship.

Amen to that. My first year marching was 1971... and according to a t-shirt that was being sold then, it was the year "drum corps died." I think the only thing that eventually died was sales of that t-shirt.

So. How about those Madison Scouts?

There’s more jousting going on here than Medieval Times

I had this conversation a few days ago with some friends... we said, wouldn't it be nice if there was a DCP thread about the Madison Scouts for 2019?

Good luck. I appreciate the effort 😂

Repeat after me: You are wrong! We are THE ONLY customer. The audience is THE ONLY customer, and when THE ONLY customer isn't satisfied the audience gets smaller and smaller and smaller. We see this across all forms a musical entertainment. A musical like Hamilton is a hit, because its audience loves and can in some way relate to it, where as a musical like The Pirate Queen fails because its audience does not love it. A band like U2 has packed stadiums for over 3 decades because their existing audience is loyal and they keep finding a new audience. A band like James, has spent 3 decades struggling to find an audience while they also write great music. One has to deduce that the audience is just not getting it. I'm paying good money to go to a show, then I am part of THE ONLY customer. The designers should be designing for us, not the judges. It's not my problem whether the kids and staff work harder or not. It's not my problem if said kid has a horrible summer and experience. It's not my problem that the kids have to pay to be a part of the activity. It's not my problem that the staff only design shows for the judges and not THE ONLY customer. It's not my problem if I decide to get a hotdog when Corps A is one. It's not my problem if I only politely applaud when I really don't want to applaud at all. It's not my problem if I walk away and no longer spend money on supporting this activity. If it is indeed our, THE ONLY customers, problem, then someday there won't be any customers to have a problem and DCI will cease to exist, at least as we know it today.

Go Scouts, just sayin'.

There are a lot of great photos from Spring Training on The Cadets FB page. Make sure you are checking them out!

unfortunately there was a lot of smoke and mirrors in those musical books while running that made things sound much harder than they were on paper. and trying to play while doing some of the body stuff today is actually more difficult because of the physical demands for the visual and musical at the same time.

Perhaps, but the difference is corps were playing difficult musical passages, while moving that fast, while trying to make those movements as tight and clean as possible. Today, hornlines play maybe half the show, do more dancing and posing, creatively score their parts so those that are doing the demanding movements aren't playing and those doing the demanding musical passages are standing still.

Look, we don’t know what the Scouts are going to put out there. All they said is that they’re not using props or set pieces. The music is pretty eclectic but I wouldn’t read too much into that. Why don’t we just wait and see? I’ll see them at their first show. I’ll let you know what this old 🦖 thinks and you all can tell me how wrong I am. 😂 .

Repeat after me: You are not the customer. The kid on the field is the customer. The activity exists to make the kid on the field happy. If the kid on the field is happy, the people in the stands are happy. Or, they should be. They're "our" kids, after all -- some literally, some figuratively. Do we not want them to be happy? Do we not want them to learn the reward of discipline, hard work and team effort? Is this not the entire point of this crazy, exhilarating, exhausting, life-changing, all-consuming activity? Of course, the paying customers are learning how to achieve excellence through performance, and performance requires a consideration of the audience. They have to consider how the crowd will engage with what is happening on the field. That's inherent in any creative performance. Shakespeare didn't write plays for the sake of the actors. He wanted to say something to the world. The key difference: He didn't charge the actors money to perform. DCI -- or, rather, the drum corps themselves -- charges the actors. The actors are the customer. And if the customer is happy, if the kids on the field are satisfied they got what they paid for, and you're not . . . well, I submit that is a you problem, not a DCI problem.

the stands at finals don't have handrails, so halfway there!

I've been to a couple of Crown's spring training ensemble rehearsals so far, and all I can really say is that they are hauling a** and playing loud catchy music. The hornline sounds great for it being week one of spring training and the drums are on their game once again this year. No idea what the show could be at this point, but it is going to be fun to watch. Do not write them off just yet

Calm down, dude. Can we get you a towel or something? Mike

If you entice the kids, the kids coming back after they are done marching. for a while DCI had failed to do so....now not so much. as a bonus, parents get hooked and keep coming back too. so no, you are not the ONLY customer. If the kids don't want to do what's out there, YOU'RE staring at an empty field

It's NOT 1970 Go back to three man squads. Color pre. Start on the left "off the line". Concert piece. G BUGLES! Leave via the right side of the field. It's not rocket science. Within two years the stands would be full. So would the horn lines and drum lines. Try it. If it doesn't work in two years....fold. Probably going to fold anyways if they keep going this way.

Now that music is starting to be announced, I am truly glad I decided to take the year off and just go to shows. 8 shows and counting. I am so looking forward to this season no matter where the placements are.

when I worked with the Loveland h.s. band there that one season I found you could get those contrasts all in the same day!

kids don't want to do that stuff

Crown faithful will be there in ‘19. Wherever the journey takes us. Of course the whole Abyss thing, as part of Crown ‘13, turned out kinda okay⚓️😏....

For what it’s worth or winter camps arent quite over yet. BK has about 6 inches of snow on the ground right now at spring training

...and, well, Iowa.

I raise you a few of PR's closers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np8px5FqGQc Bonus closers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RKfyF29eTs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMwA3upuCGU

If only people would have listed to Gil silva in 2006 when he said this is exactly what was going to happen if

And, in the "useless trivia" department... Jousting is the state sport of Maryland. Seriously. https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/maryland/articles/why-jousting-is-marylands-official-state-sport/

Goldarnit, Mr. Lamarr... you use your tongue prettier than a.... (The remainder censored due to family-website concerns )

Two sets of "customers" here. The kids/performers... and the paying audience. The flip side of that bolded statement is... if paying audiences don't like the product, then the kids/performers are staring at empty stands. But given the attendance increase at numerous DCI events in recent years, it sure would seem that the current product is to the liking of the audience, in general. Ultimately, neither can live without the other... performers and paying audience... and the activity can't survive without both.

different movement isn't necessarily easier just because it's not running at 180 bpm. In fact, it actually can take far more physical training

I'm not so sure I completely agree. This has been my viewing over the past several years, since I was a subscriber to streaming. 2012: Watched Regiment, Crown, Vanguard and Madison 2013: Watched Crown and Vanguard 2014: Didn't bother watching championship week. Found everyone boring 1st through 12th. 2015: Watched Crown, Vanguard, BK, Madison and Regiment 2016: Watched Bluecoats and Vanguard 2017: Watched Vanguard, Blue Devils, and Bluecoats 2018: Watched Vanguard, Devils, Bluecoats, Boston, Cavies, Blue Stars and Mandarins. Most of the time, I only like a few corps because I am BORED SENSELESS with most of the top 12. So bored. I'm sorry, I'm not going to read a novel much less a paragraph to understand what your show is about. Not going to happen. It's so fracking pretentious (Blue Stars 2016 I'm looking at you). I will agree three valves was good, electronics was good, more members was good, I like the elevated use of props. But, by and large some of it is so ridiculous. Crown 2013 - had one of the greatest show ever until that stupid narration. I'm sorry - narration barely ever works - it's cheesy and embarrassing. Now after all my b*tching, I'm going to show you all what a big hypocrite I am. Madison has to do this. They have to to thrive competitively.

I feel you. I am sorry, but no one will ever convince me that what these members do today is harder that what Star did in 1990, 1991, or 1993, or Cadets have done numerous times. I'm sorry, but playing less and moving less is not harder, it's easier. Standing and doing poses is easier. Not that it has to be harder, but that's the argument we get. That being said, SCV's show last year was my favorite show it probably 2 decades. I do think it's foretelling though - a compact show that won. Welcome to drum corps on a basketball court - that is the future.

Purchase tickets at www.yea.org

that's what makes his use of a word like "prognostication" so amazing when the usual vocabulary is "dut, dut, dut,.. gadish!"

Well he is a drummer -- that probably makes him an expert

The brass rule allowing trombones, French horns, etc in 2014 ###### a lot of people off.

I've been listening to the source music all week. What a great rep to work with.

In two years they wouldn't even need stands!😂

I predict I will be following this season through much different eyes than I have in the past.

I enjoyed all the stuff you mentioned... still enjoy listening to the corps from those eras. But the "within two years the stands will be full" thing... I respectfully disagree. I simply do not see that happening, at all.

And that’s with all 4 DM’s coming out of the Baritone line.

Be like Nike: Just do it. Man - stuff is getting real up in here, fights developing and everything. Almost like old-school. Can't wait!

And they'll break the distance record set by the Bluecoats during their ending in Tilt.

now we know why DCI took the judges off the field: sling shots. They give "judge blockers" a whole new meaning.* *Although I won't be surprised come Indy that Keith and Leon will have a over-life size slingshot catapult someone from the field to the box... GE and everything.

I did have two tickets for sale but they’ve been sold. I pass out ear plugs.

Progress? What PROGRESS? Haven’t you heard, they are saddled with a 9th place show, so they have probably already given up. Because, you know, The Cadets never work hard at anything. 😇

The Cavaliers just posted a video on Facebook.... needless to say, it brought a few tears in my eyes. Gosh darn it....

So... here's what I can tell you. Show design will have a much different feel, and be more accessible. They are taking a new approach to the preseason, and rather focus strictly on the music they spent a good chunk of time learning drill over the weekend. The visual concept (from what I've been told) will be a bit different than in recent years and there were a couple of signs on the field that led me to believe this was going to be a different approach. The music - definitely a different vibe. That same level of difficulty but just a much different vibe with a mixture of a couple of different styles were not used to seeing/hearing from Crown. Brass wise, no trombones for the low brass, all baris and euphs. I counted 6 bass drums in the battery. Someone there told me the corps has all of the music, or at least close to all of it. Move-in's are in less than two weeks. All in all, this is going to be a fun show for the kids to perform, but expect to see a much different side of Crown when they hit the feeling this season.