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Well that was fun! I just caught Bluecoats ensemble rehearsal at Indiana Wesleyan University. The weather was almost perfect except it was a little windy. This show is so much fun! The music is extremely accessible—and hummable. I can’t stop smiling. Bloo has part 4 out of 5 on the field as of tonight. Horns are outrageously talented and despite the accessibility, they have some very meaty parts, especially in the mellophones. The front ensemble is expanded and sounds good to me. Battery is staged up front for their hardest licks—I think they want to strut their stuff for the judges. Whether they win, lose or draw, I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying this show.

Lot's of talk on the new food truck which is well deserved. It is a phenomenal vehicle and as most know on the road, it is home base for the Corps. Also noteworthy is that the members and all staff are sleeping in college dorms and eating in the school cafeteria. This gives us a chance to break in the new truck by preparing snack only and it is a much better experience for all involved.

The Cadets are really good right now...I will leave it at that.

Anywho... These are the days, my friends. These are the days.

Case in point: Cadets with the Angels & Demons show. Two separate uniforms, used simultaneously, with drill specifically written to accentuate that choice. Also, the movement of the angels was different than that of the demons. This HAD to affect the effect score in a positive way. I'm not a judge, so I don't actually have PROOF that they scored higher because of those uniforms. But that uniform/design choice was nearly impossible to ignore for anyone who watched it.

Off to see the Bluecoats!

As long as I have air in my lungs, I will always cheer on the corps! Haha!

First post of the season- hope all is well with everyone. Looks like the Cadets thread is up and running haha. Anyways- I’m a huge fan of the activity, former member, love the Cavs, etc. I teach high school and their first show is WHERE I WORK. How is this possible? I ‘m beyond thrilled. Plan on booking the Cavs up with Gatorade before the show- just like I did with Crown back in ‘13. Can’t wait for the season!!!

rawr

Fear not. They will dancey dance and roll around on the ground more than enough to elicit groans from the ..umm.. jurassic? fans. Don't forget - -plenty of Cadets-style drill from Leon in the past (where did he march again?) . While it's true Crown may have Cadets alums on their staff, they have always been very much their own thing. You could even say it's kind of a "anti-Cadets" (ie what would those Cadets designs have evolved to if they weren't wrapped so tightly in the military traditions). Don't see that changing at all.

and they all stink!

I’m guess I’m an old sap because the narration in the ballad made me all weepy.

I'll say two things: 1. Crown are usually masters at ballads 2. The "leaked video" is just what it is - a very rough version of what we'll see in a couple weeks at the preview and an extremely rough version of what will be on the field by the first regional... these corps improve extremely rapidly! Anyone trying to judge quality etc from that video is really reaching IMO

Others may disagree, but the voice over/narration for ‘13’s ballad was an integral component, in expressing the emotional intensity of the movement. That it was taken directly from source material only underscores Crown’s commitment to honoring the composer. I’ll concede that now in very late middle age, I find myself moved by music and strong emotions much more easily than I did as as younger man. But regardless of whatever number the folks in green shirts hung on E=MC2 that year, that ballad will move me until the day I crawl—or get shoved—into that bass drum to eternity.🧳

Eager to hear your take as well. Enjoy as I am sure you will.

I am ok with that to an extent —- while Crown spent the early 2010s really ramping up everyone’s expectations of how difficult a brass book can be, the last year or two has seen SCV, BD, & Bloo take that brass difficulty but integrate it into the music book much more organically. Beast’s music book in particular had many moments that read more as technical exercises than musical prowess. Obviously, I don’t want Crown to come out with an easy book, but if it means a more seamless music book, I’m totally down with them sacrificing a few double tonguing passages that otherwise seem out of place and stop the momentum.

If Crown is able to capture that same emotion... I submit to you previous ballads from their productions E=mc2, Out of this World, Inferno, Relentless, It Is, & Beast.

Making sure corps are connecting with the audience is vital; we certainly want them on their feet, shouting and clapping with overwhelming joy, and packing the stands at the oil can stadium.. And giving the fans a sense of ownership is intriguing. While I do find the notion intetesting, here are two points I would like to see you address. 1) While the parent of a child in corps ABC, or an alum of that corps, might hoop and hollar for many other corps, wouldn't they most likely still vote for their own corps irrespective of being more engaged with another corps? 2) Judges are partly held accountable against bias because we can see their names and what scores they give. The audience would have anonymity. Wouldn't that anonymity support voting out of personal bias instead of actual corps engagement?

You had to get Hook'em all worked up, didn't you? Just when we think we have this kid under control. 😉

For me, this year will be the same as every other year... if a given corps' uniform/costume works for them, helps them sell/enhance their particular show theme.... then it was a good choice. If it doesn't help... oh well. LOL. Just looking at photos/drawings of the attire, I have no idea if any of it will work, or not. The proof is on the field.

64 VFW (Cleveland) was my first major contest with an inspection. Seventeen years old and shaving for the first time. My two sided single razor could be set from 1 to 9. Since I didn't know any better, I walked around for about an hour before we left the hotel with small pieces of TP on three different cuts. In Boston, getting a tenth off during inspection was the least of your problems!

Horn angles matter! https://www.facebook.com/cadets.org/ Corps Photographer - Josh Clements https://www.facebook.com/josh.clements.982

I thought it was very very well done - but I refuse to admit it made me weepy! My ONLY issue with Crown 2013 was the percussion aspect, I just wish they had a stronger drum caption for that show

I predict she thinks: 1. Bluecoats 2. someone else

ImPoSiBlE yOu SaY?!

You're not wrong BUT it's not like Crown wrote those lyrics. Using the original Glass narration over the Abyss music unified the entire show and was a critical part of the design. When I first heard the narration I too said "WHY?" but when I learned more about Einstein on the Beach, it (quite suddenly) made complete sense to me.

Funny, because everyone I've ever had this discussion with loves that ballad. So, fans or "fans"? Also, lets be honest here, the story told in that ballad was better than most stories told in 12 minutes on the field. Lol.

I’m just trying to find a way to calm my hype 😫

As always, folks will find something to complain about with Crown. They can never just sit back and enjoy. Even with 2013 people are still complaining about the narration in the ballad. Obviously didn't hurt them much with their perfect brass score. Lol.

actually "attire" can count on effect sheets. Does the costume fit the theme? Do they actually use parts of the costume in the performance? That could bleed over to other sheets as well. so attire can be a factor that helps.....or hurts. You may want to dig into what effect judges actually look at

I regret even doing a what I want list now... lol

I do not really agree that all corps are trying to produce the exact same sound. There is a ‘BD sound’, a ‘Crown sound’, ‘Coats sound’, etc... Aa for comparing orchestra sounds...a symphony orchestra is not competing against other groups. Each is a unique entity that is molded by the conductor. Also, they have s wider palette of instruments available to the conductor in creating their desired sound, so a variety of timbres is inevitable based on the director’s preference in sound.

To root out phasing issues I would assume. We should have done that in 2000 (well moreso in 1999).

It's June 7th... give them time to layer. There's more to a brass book then 32nd note runs.

Aw, that's not how having 13 corps in finals works 😞

Yeah...I meant that to be tongue in cheek...but I did note that he had Cavaliers in his "What I think will happen list"...again, tongue in cheek. 🙂

I actually have problems with each of those previous ballads, for various reasons. To me, they were good, but not great. 2013 was good, but for me, the narration ruined it. It took me several years before I could even watch the whole way through on the blu-ray. 2017 was fantastic in many ways, but the awesome hornline was covered up by singing, especially in some of the climactic moments. I am hopeful that they do it the way I want it in 2019! The source material is certainly promising, as usual.

As a current band director in Texas, I need to be better and play more music by female composers. Copying your rep and adding it to my library asap!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

https://www.facebook.com/cadets.org/ Corps Photographer - Josh Clements https://www.facebook.com/josh.clements.982

In the end, 6 was enough. But there were a couple drops.

then fault the corps and offer to assist in designing new sheets. bringing in a name with no experience in the activity to throw out a number invites chaos as mentioned previously. Now just tapes for feedback, advice etc....sure. but not in any way tied to scoring.

Two snaps and a twist for Academy!

Drum porn

Sky Ryders were similar in 87 with their West Side Story show. 05 Cadets visuals would not worked nearly as well with the traditional unis.

Well, my feeble old mind is more confused than ever on all of this, so I'll just let things fall where they do and just be thankful I have music to listen before some bureaucrat comes along and fines me for whistling Zippety Doo Dah without a license.

I didn't say anything about better, did I? I said it's always evolving, and if you choose not to like it thats your choice, but don't get on a message board to ***** about it thinking it's going to get anything done. None of these corps directors take this place seriously, and by all means they shouldn't due to things like this. Arguing because DCI isn't still stuck in the 70s and 80s, arguing because they don't use G Bugles anymore, or whatever else someone wants to randomly pull out of their *** on any given day. It's old, it's tired, just like the style everyone wants to go back to on here. Move with the times, or get left behind. It's that simple.

Reply to LeftCoastCupcake Posted 6-4-19 Meals on tour - Part 3 - Recipe & Converter Links So here is a list of links to recipes and recipe converters 01 Church potluck recipes https://cookeatshare.com/popular/church-potluck-recipes Use CookEatShare to: Find the world's highest rated recipes, Share recipes with your friends and family, Connect with the worlds best chefs and subscribe to their recipes 02 THE CHURCH POTLUCK - REAL COMFORT FOOD FROM THE UPPER MIDWEST! COLLECTED OVER 50 YEARS BY OUR MOM AND US! https://churchpotluck.blogspot.com/ 03 Deep South Dish: Recipes for Potlucks, Church Socials https://www.deepsouthdish.com/2008/01/potlucks-church-socials-picnics-reunion.html 04 62 Heavenly Church Potluck Recipes https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/heavenly-church-potluck-recipes/ 05 42 Poor Man Meals - Recipe Lion https://www.recipelion.com/Budget-Friendly-Recipes/25-Poor-Man-Cheap-Meals-and-Frugal-Recipes 06 Cheap Party Food Ideas; Ideas for Feeding a Crowd https://funcheaporfree.com/tv-segment-feeding-crowd-on-cheap-party/ 07 25 Recipes for Large Groups on a Budget - DIY & Crafts https://www.diycraftsy.com/25-recipes-large-groups-budget/ 08 Meals to Feed to a Large Crowd by Heavenly Homemakers https://heavenlyhomemakers.com/meals-to-feed-to-a-large-crowd 09 11 CHEAP MEALS FOR FEEDING LARGE GROUPS ON A BUDGET https://thediylighthouse.com/the-captains-log-diy/11-cheap-meals-feeding-large-groups-budget/ 10 32 Family-Style Dinners That Will Please Any Crowd https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/g605/family-style-recipes/ 11 Feed-a-crowd recipes - 45 Recipes - Stews and bakes to feed a hungry horde. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/feed-crowd 12 21 Insanely Delicious and Cheap Party Food Ideas - Well Kept Wallet https://wellkeptwallet.com/cheap-party-food-ideas/ 13 Feed a Crowd on a Budget! {Easy Recipes + Cheap Ideas} https://thefrugalgirls.com/2012/10/feed-a-crowd-on-a-budget.html 14 26 Favorite Cheap-and-Easy Meals - The Simple Dollar https://www.thesimpledollar.com/20-favorite-dirt-cheap-meals/ 15 Meals to Feed to a Large Crowd by Heavenly Homemakers https://heavenlyhomemakers.com/meals-to-feed-to-a-large-crowd 16 Cheap Meals for 50 People - Sapling https://www.sapling.com 17 50 Dinner Recipes That Will Feed a Crowd - Taste of Home https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/dinner-recipes-will-feed-crowd/ 18 How and What to Feed a Crowd - Mel's Kitchen Cafe https://www.melskitchencafe.com/how-and-what-to-feed-a-crowd/ 19 Dinner Plans With Sausage - 3 Meals and a Lunch from 1 Easy Sausage Recipe https://www.thespruceeats.com/dinner-plans-sausage-4686588 Recipe Conversion Links: 01 Recipe Conversion Calculator for Scaling Ingredients Up or Down https://www.free-online-calculator-use.com/recipe-conversion-calculator.html Recipe Conversion Calculator. This online recipe scaler will adjust a recipe's ingredients to accommodate a greater or lesser number of servings, or to scale from one baking pan size and shape to another. You can either paste-in the recipe's ingredients all at once, or you can enter each ingredient line-by-line. 02 Recipe Converter Calculator - My Kitchen Calculator https://mykitchencalculator.com/recipeconverter.html RECIPE CONVERTER The recipe converter (also known as a recipe calculator, recipe multiplier, recipe divider, recipe scaler, or serving sizer) is a kitchen tool that can be used to help you multiply, divide, portion, or scale your recipes to a desired yield or serving size. Harness the power of recipe conversion! and Download the mobile app! (Available for Android devices.) For a LIMITED TIME, we're reducing the cost of the app to just 0.99 USD. Get the app today before this offer expires! 03 Converting Recipe Quantities and Scaling Recipes - The Spruce Eats https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-scale-a-recipe-995827 Scaling a recipe means that you are adjusting the ingredient quantities for a different amount of servings. While doubling or halving a recipe is relatively easy, you will need to do some math when you want to convert a six-serving recipe for two people or 14 people. 04 Liquid Measurement Conversion Chart for Cooking - (Print for Binder Reference) https://www.thespruceeats.com/liquid-measurement-conversion-chart-for-cooking-3057604 05 Easily Convert Culinary Measurements With This Handy Reference Table - (Print for Binder Reference) https://www.thespruceeats.com/cooking-conversion-chart-995828 06 Scale a Recipe to the Amount of Servings You Need - (Print for Binder Reference) https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-scale-a-recipe-995827 Next Up will be Meals on tour - Part 4 - Food Truck, Videos, Pictures: & Tour Supply Sources

Now if it could stop Marion that would be lovely, it’s been relentless compared to last year. Can’t wait to see what they’re up to this season. 🙂