FTNK

#2 looks like Drum Craps to me Not that drumlines don't take a crap sometimes

I hope they have tons of narration and weirdness.

The thing is, while some people may have such black-and-white opinions, I am looking at things in a more nuanced way. I absolutely loved and still love 2005 because of its artistic use of story, surrealism, subtle music, and performance level. 2006 was a good idea but not well executed, but it still had that sense of being bold and reinventing the drum corps idiom. 2007 and 2008, from a purely design standpoint, felt to me like a retreat from what I had liked so much about 2005 and 2006. Instead of being a fearless wholesale redefinition of drum corps, full of risk-taking, artistry and subtly, they were basically very straightforward traditional drum corps with one new element layered on top, the narration. 2007 is pretty ###### as a drum corps show but it just doesn't grab me on an artistic and intellectual level like 2005. So, I don't put 2005-2008 into one box and say "non-traditional drum corps." I see 2009 as a further retreat from the creative paradigm that made me like The Cadets so much in 2005. I guess what I want to see is a program that provides entertainment and excellence while bringing something fresh and creative to the activity. The Cadets could have done that in 2009 (and 2008 for that matter) but chose not to. Do I look forward to The Cadets' show? Yes. Do I support the corps? Yes. Do I hope that time commitments allow me to see the corps perform in person multiple times this summer? Yes. Do I want them to take a 10th DCI World Championship this season? Yes.

Meh, I reserve the right to criticize my alma mater's creative decisions. Doesn't mean I don't love the Maroon and Gold.

Yea, but look beyond the dirt; what if they scheduled drumline "battles" between closely ranked corps as part of encores at regionals or whatever? Nothing at stake but bragging rights, but it would be more exposure for the drumlines, more entertainment for the fans, maybe appeal to some of the audience that enjoyed "Drumline." I mean, pretty much ANYTHING would be better than Dan Potter talking on the PA system while 2 high school band kids try to hit a gong, right?

OK, listened to it, sounds ok but I can't say I'm thrilled about the artistic direction of the show.

They have posted a clip from their last camp: I am in a school computer lab finishing up finals so I don't know what it is like. Discuss; it's all you can do in the off-season.

Yea, little things like being the first to get to your sectional area, helping to carry music stands to your rehearsal room at winter camps, not talking out of turn or goofing around too much in rehearsal...these things can help you show that you're there to work and will make a solid contribution to the corps. In terms of playing, one thing that could help after you get a good solid grasp of the basics would be to find out the pitch tendencies of the baritone in general (you can google it) so you know what notes need the most work and how to fix them. Then you can work with a tuner and figure out your individual pitch tendencies on each note, so you know how to adjust. Being open to marching tuba is probably a good idea since that is the least competitive section of a corps audition-wise in my experience.

I have to agree with Bruckner8 here, the 4th valve just isn't worth it. And though there are definitely other factors besides the 4th valve at play in this decision, I'd take the 3 valve Yamaha over the 4 valve Dynasty any day (having played both). Aren't the newer King tubas (that PR started with in 2006, I remember seeing them in Massachusetts and thinking "####, they have huge bells) 3 valves? Also, the leadpipe curves inward to go under the wrist (like the old K 90 did) rather than going around.

The difference in sound for '04 that you noticed could be because of the repertoire--just throwing it out there as a possibility.

When I auditioned for The Cadets (coming off a championship year, mind you) there were not 300 to 450 people auditioning. There may have been a lot of drummers, but we definitely did not have a full hornline at most camps even, let alone 2 or 3. We struggled to fill our trumpet, baritone and tuba lines. I think the quality of the 2007 corps came not from the raw talent, but the experience--the 2006 corps had a ton of rookies, and to quote Jon Bilby himself, after the awards ceremony in 2006 (imagine this in a British accent): "70 rookies coming back as vets? That's scary." Hence, the 2007 Cadets, who had it figured out after struggling with one of the hardest shows ever and came back with crazy intensity, work ethic, and fire. So I think experience was more important than talent (obviously the two are related).

I just remembered the Castro thing in 2006--I think it wasn't that he was dead, but that he was in very poor health and his brother had taken over the country (doesn't his brother run the country now?) Anyway, The Cadets had a lot of kids from Miami that yea, big Cuban-American contingent. It was a very celebratory atmosphere on the field with those guys at our rehearsal day in Allentown.

Spirit would definitely place higher because of the influx of talent and experience, but Cadets also have show design and great staff on their side. Also, believe it or not, but The Cadets get less talent than Blue Devils and Cavaliers and probably even corps like Bluecoats. The staff and work ethic stretch the talent they have, though; they do more with less (not that there aren't some incredibly talented members in The Cadets but I believe that the overall talent level is lower than some others in the activity). I'd say Spirit with Cadets members would finish 8th.

I have also applied to perform with The Cadets

The terrorist attacks in London, July of 2005. I'm sure some people might have found out through cell phones or whatever, but a volunteer got us a newspaper or two eventually. That newspaper must have been read by everyone on my bus. Reagan's funeral in 2004. He died the day before my high school graduation, and I went from graduation to spring training the next morning, so I missed the whole elaborate state funeral. The attempted terrorist attacks in England in 2006 that caused all liquid containers over 3 oz. to be banned from flights. That was the day of or day before Finals, and I remember my visual tech telling us about it on the field. I didn't believe it at first, because my tech was a huge joker and liked to trick us into believing things, but George Hopkins talked about it at the end of the block in a meeting, telling everyone to remember to take the liquids out of their suitcases, etc. There was a lot of discussion about the attacks and the new flying regulations between members that day. One funny thing I remember was that a guy in my section had a 6 inch switchblade in his backpack all summer, because his stepfather had given it to him and he had forgotten it in his bag before flying from Miami to Pittsburgh to get to move-ins. We were all talking about how he could get it home and joking that if that had gotten through security with a 6 inch switchblade, bottles of shampoo were the least of the TSA's worries. I heard about Saddam Hussein being captured and the epic Pacers-Pistons basketball brawl from staff during winter camps before the 2005 season.

Cadets finals show in 2005 was a pretty special thing.

PR's show was an 80s show (in your face, over the top, simple, literal unsubtle story line) with 2000s execution.

I feel like they placed exactly where they should have in 2008.

Well...that was bitter.

In my experience, they smoke a lot.

Hmm? What drum corps hornline uses vibrato as an entire section?

I'm gonna have to predict that there is a 0% chance of a World Class drum corps ditching their entire battery any time soon.

The reports of people running around in an erratic manner wearing straitjackets kindof undermines that argument. Maybe not, but based on the (admittedly slim) evidence I could see how someone could take it that way. In some ways having a show by having about mental illness that involves people running around in straitjackets and padded cells "acting crazy" is a bit like having a show about African-American culture with the guard pretending to pick cotton and eat watermelon. Just saying: crude, outdated, and potentially very offensive stereotypes.

I'm guessing the guy is supposed to be Charlie Chaplan?

It would seem, from the movement names, that they are eschewing Bernstein's complex, nuanced and underappreciated symphonic works in favor of rehashing "drum corps classic" Bernstein pieces in new arrangements. :big hug: