louderisbetter

Howdy, I live on the wrong side of the valley to trek over to Mesa at the last minute, thanks to our lovely rush hour and my general distaste for traffic. I'd like to make a day of it and watch a rehearsal or two, if I can. Can anybody help me out with rehearsal locations or times? (PLEASE HELP, I GREW UP IN THE EAST AND I'M IN WITHDRAWAL. PLEEEASE!?!) Thanks!

I think the OP is well within his rights. In common terms, he is saying: "Hey, I'm leavin' some money for you to keep on doin' the things I like. If you quit doin' what I like, you ain't gonna get no money. Capiche?" Isn't the the point of a will or a trust... that your money goes to supporting the things you support? If someone decides they will pay you to eat pizza for dinner, then you can either take the money and eat pizza, or pass and eat salad. It's a choice for both, so I don't see why anyone else really matters. Find folks who will defend your decisions in the future and go for it.

I haven't read all of the replies, but has anyone yet mentioned that drum corps differs from the listed sports in one important regard? In all of those sports, you have to be strong, quick, agile, and able to think on your feet. You have to respond to the competition in the moment in order to get your points. In drum corps, you have to be strong, quick, agile, and able to think on your feet. However, you can't respond to the competition in the moment, at least not until we implement the full-corps wireless neural network circa 2019, allowing the corps members to improvise a rewrite (in real time!) in response to the shows that are occurring at all 11 different locations on finals night. Then, the best corps of the night will win, depending upon both their collective design skills and ability to execute the new material flawlessly. Think of it as 150 people collectively taking over the role of quarterback and receiver, except that in football you only play ONE other team. And if THAT'S not impressive, think of how much crap the judges will take after a long night (15 minutes of judging 12 shows simultaneously!) So you might say that whole "design" and "learning time" thing, coupled with the number of experienced members each respective corps attracts, have a pretty big effect on placements over the course of a season. And maybe, when there is a doubt in a judges mind, there's a little to be said for competitive inertia.

SCV. I don't think "Throwback" means "do everything exactly as the fans of X years ago would appreciate." Nor do I think it means "take old music and revamp it so that the audience of today will throw babies." It walks a fine line, and ultimately finds its own character. BD, SCV, HNC... I think all of these shows do it, to a greater or lesser degree. But I think SCV has captured the true spirit of the throwback, given us a unique show that is neither here nor there... yet both.

Loved it. Communicated such a wide range of emotions, and balanced between teasing and giving it up. I also appreciated the fact that despite the semi-pervasive mindset of "been there, done that, time to innovate!", they wrote a show that was almost entirely within the box, and won by having a great book and great execution.

I don't know that there is an accuracy to scores. Scores by the judges are opinions... the opinions of experienced, respected ladies and gentlemen, but opinions nonetheless. In terms of whether I think they generally do a better job of judging than I would, I would say they're much more accurate. My opinion is way less informed than your worst guard, percussion, or visual design judge, and I know that I agree with most--but by no means all--brass and ensemble music judges. Even if I were as qualified, I doubt there is any drug on (or off) the market that would enable me to accurately judge all of the captions at once, even if I could find a way to simultaneously run with the battery and watch from the box. So, I usually settle for deciding what I liked and didn't like, based on what I saw and what I know. When the judges give their numbers, I either like it or deal with it.

The concept of a field show isn't accessible to most people, in the same way that opera isn't: they have to think too much to understand it, and unless they're familiar with the conventions and details, it's just too much. This is the appeal of movies and musicals: action that's easy to follow, because it's in the native language and everything is shoved into your face. In order to broaden our appeal, we need to "train up" new audiences, and that means we need to get off our artsy field-show high horse and play a few Sousa-style concerts at city park. Few people today get acquainted with the affective side of music... because most of what they have a chance to experience is either the ignored background music of a movie or Pop Song v.579.5.12 (remixed to appeal to today's brand of lovesick or angry listener, with references to the latest hot fashion or racy-but-acceptable terminology). They generally don't know how to channel the mood of the composer without lyrics, and most don't even realize that they're missing something. They might care if they had a reason to... but they don't know. It goes without saying that your average potential audience member doesn't want to shell out $15 bucks to watch something that is, for all of their experience, dancing band geeks. If they had a chance to experience live music, at no cost and without feeling like they forgot their dark sunglasses and a beret, they might discover that drum corps is actually kinda cool. They might check it out again... maybe even pay for it. Heck, maybe they'd even start to explore other music than what they discovered last night on MySpace. I hate that we have to dumb things down for people as much as the next guy, but if we refused to dumb things down for Kindergarten, the world wouldn't go very far. People need to be educated to appreciate complex ideas; music and art are no different. Don't make it sink-or-swim, because if you don't reach out to people, they'll let you sink like a rock.

Heck yeah! Someone needs to start a club for people who marched a show under interesting circumstances. My contribution? I marched a show with a rubber sandal taped to my foot. Good times!

Playing lacquered vs. silver plated brass instruments is not simply a matter of appearance: the two have distinct tonal qualities, as well. There are certainly corps which could benefit from exploring these tonal possibilities, but not all would be interested in doing so (since the current equipment matches their sound concept well enough).

Hehehe, thanks for the opinions. Dig the FAQ. Someone needs to do a Stephen King-inspired show--plenty of material for inspiration.

Hear, hear!

Twelve-step program: Step 1: Admit that you have a problem. Step 2: Get in the car. Step 3: Drive four hours to the nearest show. Pay $15 for a ticket. Sit for four hours and watch. Step 4: Continue to acknowledge that you have a problem. Step 5: Stay for encore. Step 6: Return to car. Step 7: Drive four hours home. Step 8: Muse on the nature of your problem. Step 9: Watch on-demand videos. Step 10: Have an epiphany that said "problem" is not a problem after all. Step 11: Buy finals tickets. Step 12: Return to life as it should be.

... you should hear dancers complain about being asked to play percussion instruments! I was at a rehearsal the other day, and the choreographer borrowed a tambourine from the pit and handed it to the featured danseur, and one of the ladies remarked, "This activity is getting way too WGI for me!"

Oh, LOVE being in the audience in these small stadiums... so much communication with individual members. Oh, HATE that humidity. That's why I love Arizona.

Yes... and still, pushing the activity isn't necessarily necessary. Mahler and Bruckner wrote a handful of symphonies that are remarkably similar in dozens of ways, but each conveys something different; do you mean to tell me that classical music stalled for twenty years, and that anyone who has heard Mahler's 5th can skip the rest of the romantic period? You could write a dozen drum corps shows that have remarkably similar characteristics, as indeed most individual corps have if you listen to the same corps year after year. But you haven't heard all of the Blue Devils from listening to any one show, regardless of the year you choose... and even if you've got the same arrangers and choreographers using the same styles, you still come up with a unique and enjoyable program. Any show you write is going to consist of 95 parts conventions, with perhaps 5 parts innovation. This push for constant innovation is depriving us of thousands of potentially AWESOME performances, because anything "similar" or "conventional" is being discarded as being nonviable, with the exception of a few marionettes we parade around as "tradition" (West Side Story, anyone? Wait, didn't I hear about Bernstein writing some other musical? I even heard there were OTHER composers that wrote musicals!). Innovation is great, and it will happen, but when it is consistently forced it is pointless--it isn't being invented because we truly need to adapt and grow, it's being invented because it's easier than becoming the master of an existing trade, easier than having to use true creativity and talent to build a program based on a distinct and detailed set of conventions. In the process, since we roll forward so quickly, we are alienating the older fan base, and setting ourselves up on a course to keep our newly attracted fans for just a few short years, after which time THEY will have lost their connection ("Man, I remember the good old days when just the pit was mic'd. Now, the cellos are covering up the euphoniums!").

This is not just internal to music education or the education system, though they have both failed to consistently offer and market music as a valuable tool (take, for instance, in my district, where they are labeled as "exploratives", and where students are forced to choose between music, phys ed, visual art, and technology... in middle school! Don't you think that's a little early for kids to be forced to decide whether they want to be a rock star, a pro athlete, a new Dali, or Steve Jobs? THEY'RE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, THEY TAKE WHAT SEEMS LIKE MORE FUN!) The loss of interest is cultural, and exemplified in the way that music is depicted in popular media, as well as the pegholes that we have slid ourselves into (anyone wanna say "pep band"?) By failing to market a unique and accessible product, we have become a minor niche in the world of music (and I don't mean 'accessible' in the sense of playing pop music... I mean in the sense that anyone can have an opportunity to experience it with reasonable frequency). Band has become a stand-in at football games, since the district couldn't afford to hire a real rock band. Orchestra is recognized for helping to set the ambiance of a movie, but since the expense of composing and recording with an orchestra is higher than that of seeking licensing for existing recordings (and most audience members respond better to popular music), this is hardly a growing field. Unfortunately for our choral friends, they have it even worse off, since few people today would ever hear a choir at anything other than a religious service. Those of us who listen to anything found in the "classical" section tend to have broad horizons, and often listen to mainstream music as well. However, while all zigs are zoogs, not all zoogs are zigs, and I suspect those 10-15% of sold recordings (roughly the percentage that classical enjoys) are repeat purchasers. We have larger issues to deal with than simply lobbying the school boards. Nationwide, we need to advocate, make ourselves visible, and demonstrate our worth. We are losing the game, as it is, so we need to change our strategy and change the nature of the game.

The percussionists were too intimidating and bad-### for a family activity. The use of any tool to aggressively strike an object, particularly with the implied non-personification of the parties (hiding the face with a hat, and disguising another individual as a percussion instrument), constitutes as subliminal endorsement of domestic violence, and should be banned from society.

The tone of your post seems to indicate that if you aren't reinventing the wheel, you aren't contributing to the activity. Since everyone seems to be marching brass and percussion, there's a whole creek of dead fish going with the flow here. In many cases, I think corps have found a formula that works. Some ridicule the Troopers for the constant western themes, but if you are a fan of western history, it might be a more engaging program than a philosophical examination of the emotional content of a triangle. Personally, I'd like to hear more authentic percussion instruments, and less beating of the dead horse called innovation. That is all.

I agree with the comment that the Midwest (and possibly California) are the only places that could sustain a regional tour. However... There are a ridiculous number of people who live in cities that host corps that have never even heard of the local team, even less DCI. How about a local tour, instead? Go play at every population center within a two hour drive that's big enough to have a dot on a map. Do parades and free concerts, and (with the right permits) sell hot dogs from the food truck. Grouse less about the guy who called you a "marching band" and publicly celebrate the fact that kids from right here in town do more than play Wii and skateboard, and I suspect we'd find both more "local" members AND more fans.

It's my opinion that the Golden Age of drum corps has nothing to do with you and I, the number of corps, or the number of screaming fans at finals in the year XXXX... I think it has to do with where we are with the rest of the world. Is drum corps just a niche thing? Just a field show that is really only marketable to current fans, their guests, and a few curious people with a few bucks and a couple of hours? Perhaps a parade or two, to make a good use of a showless day and fill up the tanks? ... or will we ever start to reach out to the rest of the world? Play more free concerts in city parks? Consider parades and civic obligations as our most highly attended public relations opportunities? Perhaps, dare I ask it, schedule more performances within a two hour drive of "home base" than there are away? I was a relatively recent marcher, so in a lot of aspects, I like what we're doing on the field right now. However, I don't like what we're doing when we're not under the lights. I think the Golden Age of American music (drum corps or otherwise) was at the turn of the century, when just about every school, community, police department, and orphanage had a band that could be found playing around town periodically. There were chances for people to HEAR live music, and I think that even today there would be no few people who would find that preferable to the iPod, if only they had a chance to experience it. Unfortunately, I think that the majority of people today will never hear a large performing ensemble live. The majority of those who do won't make it past a couple of middle school band concerts, unless we become more proactive about bringing it to them. ... and I think a corps that is willing to give a little bit up--a few shows, a few rehearsal blocks, even if that costs a couple of points in August--will ultimately have the greatest impact on drum corps and the future of instrumental music.

My biggest complaint is the cold, mechanical, inhumane way they've been beating their way up the ranks this year. Shave some ice off your cold, cruel hearts! ... but keep kickin' ###, ladies and gentlemen.

Oh yes! Anything flavored, cold, and not from the tap of the food truck was the highlight of my day. Heck, even if it wasn't cold... during one week of glorious philanthropy, my seat partner and I squirreled away at least two dozen bottles of Powerade under the seat, and got into involved discussions about the best color, the qualities of shaken vs. unshaken, the ideal temperature (which varied: after rehearsal? or at 1am on the powerfully air conditioned bus?), and of course, whether Powerade or Gatorade was best. Outside of tour, I thought about drum corps. During tour, I thought about food. That was just the nature of things.

That's why I'm proud to be part of this activity. While I won't say that it has wholly disappeared, there are few places where polished pragmatism and a sense of pride and honor are still so highly valued and respected as by the members and fans of the drum corps community. As a music teacher, there is nothing more I could hope to instill in my students, and I am revitalized in my determination each time I hear a story of this sort. Thank you, Colt Cadets, and thanks to all of the other members of the Drum Corps community who spend the time and energy it takes to make the world a better place.

Saw the show last night. While I was not around (as a drum corps enthusiast) to see the Cadets in '87, this is the first of the 275 subsequent marching performances of Appalachian Spring that I have found to be somewhat uniquely wrought. They didn't open up until the last two minutes, but the rest of the show was beautiful and intriguing enough to keep me absorbed. Kudos!

Pizza? BLASHPHEMY! How "modern" do you want this activity to be???