MelloSteph

My completely uneducated guess... the cowl-neck tops the guard wears in the 2nd tune are really the dress skirts attached at the shoulders. I haven't seen them live though. I was kinda bummed that they waited until Stanford to put unis on the guard.

OK - so when PR was here in AZ I hauled myself out of bed bright and early to drive out to watch their visual block in the morning while the heat was bearable. (Why is it that drum corps shows out here are on some of the hottest days of the summer?!?!) Anyhow... I got there while they were cleaning drill. Everything looked like a normal cleaning rehearsal BUT, they didn't have their horns in their hands... because their hands were above their heads. A little more relaxed than a football ref would do the touchdown signal. They continued cleaning the rest of the block like this until they broke for their horn warm up. Any ideas about the real reason they do this? This was my first time seeing them rehearse. The members just went there every time they started a rep - it looked so natural with them that it seemed like something they do on a regular basis. I can only assume it's a spatial awareness thing, but I'm curious as to the real answer... Anyone out there know it?

You could probably find a trumpet teacher that might be willing to help her. What part of Phoenix are you in? I coach at a high school (well... the high school) in Anthem and there are two middle school directors up there that do private lessons that would be happy to help her out. PM me and I'll see what kind of names I can throw your way... Did her band director give you any names? I would have her start there... Stephanie

I can't WAIT for someone to put Serenada Schitzophrana on the field... I just hope a corps gets to it soon...

Some smaller local businesses might want to help you out... a lot of times though, national and local chains have giving guidelines that they have to follow and a certain budget they're allowed to work with. Wal Mart, for example, has a form to fill out, and at least in AZ will not give to 501©3 charitable organizations that are not religious or do not receive government funding. You may want to talk to your corps director about how they handle tuition sponsorships - some (I have heard... and if anyone knows what corps, let me know!) will credit it as a donation that gets your sponsor a tax deduction, while others will credit it toward tuition, which a sponsor can't get a tax deduction for. That should help you narrow down who else you can approach.

Wow I'm boring compared to all of you - I listened to Barber's Adagio most of the time... the CD (gasp) that has several different versions of it. Helped me focus...

Oh I'm not denying that at all! It's going to be great exposure! I'm just questioning whether I can personally stomach parking someplace with 50K other people. I moved away from CA and the I-5 for a reason. I'm just gonna be patient and see what they come up with on Dec. 12...

UGH.... Now I'm questioning whether it will be worth it. I guess it depends on who the corps are. Parking was bad enough with the people IN the stands for DCI. Who am I kidding, I'll probably still just suck it up and deal...

I love the way they packaged what this study churned out... The stuff in Critical Links (I don't know if that's available online) is also pretty profound. My boss (I work for a local-level arts council) also brought us an article last year stating that (believe it or not) other countries who we look to as far as math/science scores go, are looking at US models of education to figure out how to better their workers through a more rounded education. What those other countries are finding is that although they have the book smarts, they're lacking the creativity necessary to innovate. I wouldn't trade the education I got through my participation in music for the world...

So many times I've had to fight singing this around HS kids...

And that would make me even happier! :)

Didn't Academy do the July 4th Celebration at the Rose Bowl last year? I wonder if it's going to be in conjunction with some larger things the city has planned... Either way, I'm blocking that weekend off for SoCal shows... Hopefully the PC home show and RCC will fall into the same weekend. That would make me VERY happy!

I think it was 01 (possibly 02) that Pacific Crest played with the Dallas Brass....

The Mission Viejo Show has also been cancelled... the OC Dept. of Ed has cancelled/postponed all outdoor activities. This will be a huge financial blow for these programs... My heart goes out to all those involved. I know if I were still living where I lived a year ago, I'd probably be scared out of my mind. I know for a fact you can see the flames coming down the canyon from both my old apartment and the house I grew up in. We've gotten pictures from my family friends/ old neighbors in Trabuco Canyon. It brings back memories of the Ortega fire in 1995... when the orange glow came over the ridge... scary when you're just a freshman in HS. My prayers are with the evacuees and the fire fighters who are working so hard to save homes and lives. God bless you all!

I wonder if some of it has to do with the appearance fees a corps gets paid to perform at competitions? I know a lot of corps rely on this for a good portion of the funds for the summer. Maybe it has to do with how corps financials are set up and how much they rely on that money.