asifindnoarta

Here's the deal. Every professional sport at one point in history was a niche activity and didn't gain widespread popularity until after many years. Baseball was played by soldiers in the civil war 50 years before the National or American leauges ever existed. Drum corps is very young and needs time to grow. to answer your question what the op suggests is entirely possible, however, in order for drum corps to gain widespread support the quality of the product needs to increase drastically. BUT in order for the quality of the typicl show to go up enough to gain such support, I think the limitations imposed on drum corps due to its competitive nature are preventing this. In order for drum corps to become popular enough to gain widespread support for a copetitive activity it first has to loose the competitive nature. so its a paradox. drum corps is art, not sport drum corps is not a competition, its an outlet for creative and artistic expression

Ok so I'd like to take this oppurtunity to actually use DCP for a productive and beneficial cause and I need your help! I need your opinions your reactions your ideas your creative thinking and I need your passion for drum corps. Don't let me down because I know you people aren't checkin' out this site thirty times during your workday for nothing. So what do I need from you guys? Well its pretty simple and pretty interesting and you're gonna like it. What if instead of posting ideas about drum corps, theoretical in nature, on a rather meaningless website you got to put those ideas into practice? Let me cut to the chase. I want to run a drum corps organization based out of my college campus. I want to find a lot of people who go to my school to come join my club about drum corps. Now... here's what I want all these people to do. First and foremost I want my group to recognize that until this point all of the knowledge of drum corps is pretty much handed down from season to season orally and there is no authoritative text or any written volumes for that matter about pretty much anything having to do with drum corps. I want the people in my club to write about drum corps. I want us to write about the activity, evaluate it artistically and philisophically, I want us to write about stylistic and artistic trends, I want us to write about theory, I want us to write about marching technique, I want us to write about everything. I want to get volumes of written information down that could possibly be used to benefit drum corps. Its pretty simple, information is utilized better if its written down, we know this because civilizations are more advanced if they have a written language so lets apply that theory to drum corps. I want to write drum corps down. What else do I want to do? I want to practice drum corps. I want to compose short drum corps etudes that my club could perform. Even if I only got 20-30 members we could produce some pretty cool short drum corps pieces that we could use as a counter balance to our theoretical study. So members get to think, learn, write, and do drum corps. This benefits the university because we would hold public performances that would enrich the cultural texture of the school as well as augmenting the arts and performing arts community. It would benefit prospective drum corps kids who need the practice. It would benefit drum corps in that we would comprise a lot of written material that might be of some use at some time. It would be easy to get membership - UMASS amherst is a big drum corps school with a BIG marching band. I could easily get 30 kids (not even 10% of the 350 piece marching band) It would be fun to write and perform short pieces. ok people... let me have it... what do you think of this? would you join? does this sound like fun? what kind of "etudes" would you write? what kind of written material would you want to create? what other things would you do with the group?

that's a good idea, I hadn't thought of that

Imagine that someone wants to start a student organization at your college concerning drum corps. What would you want this club to be like. Do you think a club would be a waste of time or do you think it would be cool, fun , interesting? What kinds of things would you want to do at meetings? What would the goal be? How could you make it benefit the student body? How could you make it benefit drum corps? extensive and detailed descriptions and ideas engouraged

I think this activity is doomed because the vast majority of its supporters and guardians refuse to engage in suspending arbitrary opinions for the sake of progressive and intellectual discussion. By responding to my proposed ideas with a dismissive "lol" message you are refusing to participate in the sharing of ideas and opinions theoretical in nature that may make drum corps better. Do you want drum corps to be better? I want drum corps to be much, much better. Drum corps gets better when people share ideas about it. You want to share "lol" messages. I want to do something good for drum corps. You want to dismiss opinions blindly and without a reasonable response. This activity is not doomed because of thinking like mine in spite of anti-intellectualism like yours. I will save drum corps from non-thinkers like you.

Sure. Too bad the Cavies never do both at the same time.

This is not what I am talking to. Please please please understand that SCV has NEVER marched at one tempo and played at a different UNRELATED tempo. You are wrong, no one has been there or done anything close to what I am suggesting. Read my topic post again. thank you

Thank you for, first of all understanding my concepts (particularly #2 where a lot of posters still think I'm talking about playing and moving at related tempos, please for those of you who think this has been done before go back and read the topic again so you understand what I'm talking about) and also for thinking about them on a sophisticated level. to address your issues 1) Visual tempo should be conducted. Its easier to put your feet in time with a specific tempo while letting the music fall out of time rather than playing to the hands while trying to match your feet with the rest of the ensemble. you can't see everyones feet but you can hear their timing so I would suggest intense visual rehearsals where the foot timing is devistatingly ingrained. Then musicians will just have to "feel it" when letting the music slide off the pulse. This can be done. With enough practice the hornline and drumline will eventually just feel it and possess the ability to do it every night. I'd reccomend starting small with maybe just a couple of phrases. Its easier to march faster than you're playing ratehr than the other way around. 2) Line back up at halts for now. Eventually more sophiticated methods of realignment could be utilized. 3) DM for reference for feet. You're just gonna have to "feel" the pulse of the music. 4) Guard moves and spins at the visual tempo. The color guard provides no musical contribution to the performance and their visual contribution should line up with the visual contribution of the rest of the corps. to prove this can be done... try getting together with a group of your wicked cool friends. Put a met on at say 200 and have everyone clap the pulse. Then have everyone sing happy birthday at a slower tempo. After a couple of reps you WILL be able to sing in time while clapping in a different time. Improvised drill 1. follow the leader. Have one person go wherever they want and have everyone follow. Set a start and end point and make sure they are the same and the time interval in between could consist of follow the leader snake drill. Maybe you could have several of these lines at once occupying pre-designated areas of the field. 2. displaced step off's. Have several lines in positions in the field with a predetermined path and number of counts. Have one member of each line count off a sep-off whenever he/she wants. You could redetermine the paths of the lines so that two different lines are meant to pass through each other. Since the stepoff's are improvised, the count at which the lines pass through will be different each night. If you determine that the lines will make a direction change at the moment they pass through you could have random direction changes 3. scatter drill, individuals do whatever, already done only it would be different each night unlike most scatters. if you did any number of combinations of these you could come up with some pretty groovy sections of the show that would be different every night.

That is a very good question and admitedly a difficult one to answer. Suppose someone asked a proponent of asymetrical drill what the point would be to dropping symetrical drill. Why write asymetrical drill? What's the point? The audiendce won't get it the and judges won't know what it is. Well because asymetrical drill looks cool. Its interesting. It creates more depth to drum corps. Art evolves, becomes more complex, more simple, more different. What's the point of cubism when realism is just fine? Its kind of like this. I just want to do it because I think it would be "cool" "interesting" "provokative." You can't deny that imporvised drill would be more impressive that prewritten drill. Imagine witnessing a drum corps visual program on par with any other champion visual design and then learning that it was entirely improvised. The aesthetic quality of the piece of art would increase. My answer to your question. The end goal is a heightened aesthetic value associated with drum corps shows that employ these proposed techniques.

...and no, Moondance was in 2001. Nice try though.

Yet again someone completely misses the point. No my idea has never been done before. The example you are describing involves the hornline marching and playing to one tempo and the drumline marching and playing to a different tempo. THIS IS NOT WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. The Cadets did NOT do this in 2006. I am proposing.... now pay attention please for the love of god... every member in the ENTIRE CORPS marches at the same pulse while simultaneously playing music at a completely unrelated tempo. Please try to think of more examples of so I can explain to you why they're not examples of what i'm talking about. I promise you won't find an example of my idea anywhere in drum corps history, ever. Go ahead, try. It won't be there.

Wow, even though I included a warning to people not to try and tell me that my poly tempo idea has been done before, they still did it. You are wrong. My idea proposed involves, as I stated earlier, marching at one tempo, that is, the feet of every member are moving at the SAME TIME. This is not the case in Garfield 87 because if you'll notice, at the company front everyone's feet are moving independently. Powerful and amazing, yes, but not at all what i'm talking about. Go back and read the part where I explain it again. Thanks

I know what the next big changes in drum corps will be. These are real innovations and not just gimmicks like amps and narration. These are radical ideas that involve no changes to formal elements i.e. nothing is added to the elements of drum corps... I'm speaking strictly in terms of moving and playing with horns and drums and nothing else. Now, I predict that the vast majority of those who would like to comment on this thread will tell me that my predictions are wrong and that the radical changes I forsee are not only worthless, they will never happen and probably are impossible. I disagree, I think that these ideas which I am about to describe are not only possible and worthwhile, they will occur in the evolution of drum corps. 1) Improvised drill. Marching ensembles will become so sophisticated that they will develop the ability to improvise drill moves as a group. Eventually, marching ensembles will be able to improvise drill while improvising music. and 2) Playing music at one tempo while marching at a completely different and unrelated tempo. now many posters will see this and tell me "that the cadets already did this in 2001, they had one drum major in 3 and one drum major in 2." well this is not what I'm talking about so think a little harder because what I'm talking about hasn't happened yet. I'll clarify in advance for people who don't understand. You play trumpet, your marching at 186 but you're playing at 154. Your feet are in time with the rest of the hornline and drum line. Your music is in time with the ensemble music, but they are each at entirely different and unrelated tempos. Ok so those are the next radical changes in drum corps. Do you agree that this will happen? Do you agree that these are "real" changes and not just gimmicks? I bet you'll tell me that my suggestions will never happen. let me know but I'm calling it now...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH ..............what he said

I know what the Cadets mean by "choice." Hopkins is very fond of having meetings with the members of the corps to talk about how drum corps relates to "real life" and how the drum corps experience can be used to enhance one's own life outside of drum corps. One of Hopkins' favorite topics (at least as far as my experience witht he corps goes) is the concept of choice in one's life. Hokpins believes that our lives are up to us as individuals and we need only to make the choice to be happy, successful, a good person. To Hopkins, virtue is entirely in the hands of the individual as long as that person simply makes the choice to accomplish one's desires and goals. Hopkins often reminds corps members that they make the choice to have a good day and that their feelings, moods, effictiveness, work ethic are their own responsibility and completely within their control.

When I marched Cadets in 2005 finals were in Gillete Stadium in Foxboro MA as we all know. I live in Norfolk MA which is a town adjacent to Foxboro. Map quest says my house is 8.73 miles away. After singing "holy name" one last time in the lot after the big show it only took me 10 minutes to get back to my house. Can anyone beat that or am I the luckiest finals-to-home-again traveler in the history of DCI?

jersey surf... forgot about them too

UMASS AMHERST!!!!!!!!!! Good Marching band... really huge school though, but that means a really huge band with a really huge sound. Michael Klesh is the music guy and tom hannum is the drum guy and they are both big drum corps figures. Its a heck of a school for drum corps too. When I marched Cadets in 2005 there were 7 UMASS kids in the corps... more Cadets from UMASS than any other school that year. Also, UMASS kids represent a ton of different corps. 2005 corps with UMASS kids in 'em Cadets Blue Devils Cavaliers Boston Crossmen Crown ECJ Spartans there are probably more these are just the ones I knew about

Cadets are gonna pass BD and stay in first all the way home silver for BD Cavs drop out of top 2 for the first time since '99 Phantom - crowd fav

I see harry with a soprano personally

I think the Cadets should do a Twin Peaks show. has anyone else thought this? any peaks fans out there?

If Harry has such a tough time dealing with his stupid muggle family during the summer months why doesn't he hop on his broom and fly over to the states for some drum corps? I'm sure Hogwarts would let him miss a few days of magic school to attend a camp or two. The only question is, where do you think he'd want to march? Maybe he'll stick with his school colors and join up with Hopkins and the gang. I bet he'd march Magic.

I agree. I think having in-house photog's would improve the quality of still pictures. I've thought for a long time that drum corps people should be taking the drum corps pics. People who know drum corps as well as they know cameras could simply make us look better. I don't want pics of me standing still, I want pics of me running around with good technique. I don't think the jolesch guys know what we want to see.

All ideas put forth on this forum are met with abject criticism and blind rejection, probably including this one. Has anyone else ever thought this?

not even, it wouldn't be eastern or atonal. Both of those conventions rely on intervals between pitches that line up with our western conventions. Eastern music doesn't have all twelve tones but it has related intervals. Atonality is the use of the twelve tone scale only without a tonic center. I'm talking about tuning horns so that you're actually playing pitches not at the conventional ratios of the twelve tone scale. So you'd have quater tones and pitches inbetween notes. It would sound "out of tune" since many pitches would be lie in between convential noted but when played in such a way you can pop out some killer overtones that, in this context, would sound as loud as a natural pitch.