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helmsm

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Posts posted by helmsm

    Recruitment Problems, Financial Stress, and Poor Leadership, Oh My!

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted · Edited by helmsm

    I'm the director of the Spirit of Sunnyvale SoundSport team (Sunnyvale, CA). We're always fighting for membership, but we do local parades and our standstill SoundSport shows (we compete in the Virtual SoundSport World Championship) regardless of how many people we have, usually around 10-20 members. We get who we can and have fun.

    I know it's hard, the recruiting, financials, etc. but if you keep the expectations in check, anything is possible.

    I would recommend that these groups come back as SoundSport teams.

    • Like 1

    Legendary shows....

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted · Edited by helmsm

    Here's my list of the truly great and legendary shows from the DCI era:

    1972 Kingsmen

    1974 Santa Clara Vanguard

    1975 Madison Scouts

    1976 Blue Devils

    1980 Spirit of Atlanta

    1982 Blue Devils

    1983 Garfield Cadets

    1986 Blue Devils

    1987 Santa Clara Vanguard

    1987 Garfield Cadets

    1988 Madison Scouts

    1989 Santa Clara Vanguard

    1991 Star of Indiana

    1993 Star of Indiana

    1994 Blue Devils

    1996 Phantom Regiment

    2002 Cavaliers

    and

    2008 Phantom Regiment!

    Fan, family, or former?

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted · Edited by helmsm

    Former member of the Spirit of Sunnyvale Marching Youth Band from 1986 to 1992. We competed in judged exhibition against drum corps and competed directly against other youth bands at DCI-West shows and in our own west coast youth band circuit, when there was an active west coast youth band circuit.

    Auditioned for 1992 SCV and made the corps, but left to go back to Spirit of Sunnyvale to finish off their 1992 season. Just a personal decision that I had to make, as Spirit of Sunnyvale was more my fit. Do I look back on that decision in regret? Not really, as I got to live out my dream of playing in the SCV hornline, even if it was for a brief amount of time, playing Tradition and Sabbath Prayer from the 1992 show and Send in the Clowns too. That was priceless.

    Now, I'm just a fan.

    My two year-old son has a great love for drum corps (he calls it "woo-woo and drums") already and loves listening in my car and watching videos as much as possible. I've taken him to a few outdoor SCV rehearsals, and will be taking him to his first show at the Gilroy, CA show. He enjoys playing on my trumpet and he uses my one-valve bugle also. So, I might just fall into the family category one day, anything is possible!

    Who was your favorite PBS broadcasting team?

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    I really liked the 87 team. Cesario explaining the Blue Devils' opening drill using a telestrator..."Xs and Os moving into wedge form and wedge form, etc." and reliable Rondo saying something like "Move over John Madden..."

    Hated Curt Gowdy though. After 89 SCV's show he said something like "It looked like they had trouble with the wind" to which good old reliable Rondo QUICKLY said "No they didn't!"

    I think I need to go back and rewatch those years...gotta get quotes right :lookaround:

    In response to Cadets opening up for ideas

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted · Edited by helmsm

    Here's what I proposed to George...

    2007 Show Theme

    Rediscovering Our Roots

    Music

    Preamble For A Solemn Occasion, Copland

    Symphonic Ode, Copland

    The music I've selected is both exciting, accessible and not used very often by drum corps or marching bands, so it will also feel fresh and new. It is also very fan-friendly and will appeal to both old-school drum corps fans as well as newer fans, and I'm sure will definitely be a crowd favorite each and every time it's played.

    Preamble For A Solemn Occasion was written for the founding of the United Nations. Very fanfare-like in quality with soaring French Horns and extremely brass-centric.

    http://www.amazon.com/Copland-Collection-O...TF8&s=music

    Symphonic Ode features complex rhythms, great ballad section, fanfare qualities, and an ending that will make all drum corps fans stand and cheer loudly!

    http://www.amazon.com/Copland-Early-Orches...TF8&s=music

    Blank CD

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted · Edited by helmsm

    I have a 40 GB iPod, so I have all the top 12 finals mp3s for 1972 through 2005 on it :P

    But, for one CD's worth of drum corps, here's my picks...

    1983 Garfield Cadets

    1985 Santa Clara Vanguard

    1986 Blue Devils

    1987 Garfield Cadets

    1987 Santa Clara Vanguard

    1988 Garfield Cadets

    And here's one more...

    1990 Star of Indiana

    1991 Star of Indiana

    1992 Cadets of Bergen County

    1993 Cadets of Bergen County

    1993 Star of Indiana

    1999 Santa Clara Vanguard

    And one more (All SCV)...

    1974 SCV

    1985 SCV

    1987 SCV

    1998 SCV

    1999 SCV

    2004 SCV

    And one more on top of that (All BD)...

    1976 BD

    1984 BD

    1986 BD

    1988 BD

    1992 BD

    1994 BD

    All lastly, one more (All Cadets)

    1983 Garfield Cadets

    1985 Garfiled Cadets

    1987 Garfield Cadets

    1988 Garfield Cadets

    1992 Cadets of Bergen County

    1993 Cadets of Bergen County

    The problem is, there's just TOO MUCH great drum corps shows out there for ONE CD!

    2006 top 12 standings

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    Speaking of the up and up. The Bluecoats are teh only corps to get better every year since 1999. No other corps in dci, including div. II/III I believe can say that.

    1999 - 13

    2000 - 12

    2001 - 08

    2002 - 07

    2003 - 07

    2004 - 06

    2005 - 05

    Star of Indiana was the same way back in the day.

    1985 - 10

    1986 - 8

    1987 - 7 (tie)

    1988 - 7

    1989 - 6

    1990 - 3

    1991 - 1

    I'm not saying it's a fair comparison, but, the records speak for themselves.

    LEAST cheesy show ever?

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted · Edited by helmsm

    LEAST cheesy show ever? I'd go with 86 Blue Devils. Classy to the end.

    Here's my short list:

    86 Blue Devils

    88 Garfield Cadets

    89 Phantom Regiment

    90 Star of Indiana

    91 Star of Indiana

    93 Star of Indiana

    93 Blue Devils

    94 Blue Devils

    99 Santa Clara Vanguard

    All solid shows.

    There are a few shows I love that have just ONE cheese moment:

    85 Garfield Cadets (the soprano solo in the middle of Overtude to Candide)

    85 Santa Clara Vanguard (changing pants)

    87 Santa Clara Vanguard (magic tricks...but listen to the crowd, they eat it all up!)

    87 Garfield Cadets (the solo male guard dancer)

    92, 93 Cadets of Bergen County (hand bells)

    98 Santa Clara Vanguard (dancing tenors)

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