Room_101

I am intrigued by the fact that only one of you has Phantom in the top 8 to make the MFB show. I'm not disagreeing! I just think it's interesting. For what it's worth, here is my top 8, in order: Cadets Cavaliers Crown BD SCV Blue Stars (6th!) Bluecoats BAC

That's what I originally thought, now I'm not so sure...

Actually, that's not what I'm saying at all. I'll say it a different way, in the hopes that it will be more clear. I prefer "whatever it takes to be the best I can be" over "whatever it takes to win." My priority is personal achievement and greatness. The other is "beating others."

Sarcasm noted! I think this is the key. Once upon a time, Carolina Crown and the Bluecoats were both "feeder corps." Not any longer! This "corps loyalty" is only created when the corps gain the respect that this loyalty merits.

I've just never been a fan of this "whatever it takes to win" mentality. Sure, everyone likes to win. In this activity, though, it's not your decision! You can do whatever is necessary to be good enough to win, yes. But you cannot ever assure your own victory. Your life is in the judge's hands. If members choose to do that, then more power to them. It's just not my moral standard.

I still say 2008. All of the top four corps could have won. Phantom could have (did) win with the "emotion" game. Blue Devils could have won with the "cleanliness" game. The Cavaliers could have won with the "innovation" game. Carolina Crown could have won with the "good old fashioned drum corps" game. The way I see it, the top 4 could have gone in any direction, and I think 2008 is the only year where I can say that.

I think there is a lot to be said about corps loyalty, yes. However, I chose to leave my first corps because of major personality conflicts between other members, and in fact with the corps itself. My personality did not fit with their overall mentality, so I went to one that did fit. I don't think my choices were "me" oriented at all. It created better experiences for not only myself, but for both corps that I was involved with. I see no harm in that. And, to be honest, I have no problem with anyone switching corps. To each his own! I've known people that left a corps for a corps that scored LOWER the year before! It's all about which one fits you best, I think.

Maybe it's just me, but, although I'm a huge fan of these unis up close, I HATE them from up in the stands. No definition.

Yep. Thread closed. To much...junk. If you know what I mean.

Cavies, hands down. Something about them just seem so powerful. And I love the hats. SCV in second. (maybe it IS something to do with the hats...) I'll also go out on a limb here and mention two uniforms that I LOVE. They aren't my favorite, but I don't think they ever get enough credit. Crown's Purple Top/Black Pants Regiment's Khaki Again, these are NOT my favorites, I just thought I'd add them in. They don't get no love!

For what it's worth, I think Phantom has a history of this. 2008 -- I would hope they would win, doing a show for the third time... 2009 -- "The Red Violin" has been performed by many other marching units, including a smaller high school in Indiana (Gibson Southern) that was taught by Dwight Emmert, Phantom's Visual Caption Head. There are plenty more examples, but I don't want to anger anyone!

This is ESPECIALLY true with Phantom! With all due respect to them, they do this kind of thing all the time. I've known several people that made it all the way to April or May camp only to find out that they didn't actually make it. At that point, it was tough to find spots in other corps (and let's not even discuss the money they wasted going to all of those Phantom camps). I'm not trying to bash Phantom. Obviously this process works for them! I just want you to be prepared.

It certainly looks a hell of a lot better than the 2008 DCI World Champions, in any event

Cavaliers 2001 and 2007 come to mind for me. From what I've heard, 2001 had some incredibly quick parts for lengthy periods of time (and also with huge step sizes!). I believe the overwhelming majority of the show was over 200 bpm. That being said, they did have a "slow ballad" that year, which I'm sure gave them a bit of a rest--but not for very long! A friend of mine that marched 2007 said that it was the hardest show he'd ever had to march, from 2004 to 2009. I guess it started off right at 200, then to 208, with the second movement at something like 192. Third movement was back to 200, fourth movement was 186, and then the fifth movement was 200, with the finale at 208. What apparently made this show even more difficult was the lack of a "slow movement." Apparently any slow tempi were marched double-time, hence the high tempo all the way throughout. No thanks. I'll sit down all summer, thank you very much.

This is THE single smartest thing anyone has ever said on this website. I'm so glad that someone else in this world sees this (terrible) fact! And for what it's worth, I think 2-minutes is even pushing it Alas...then you ruin my newfound respect for you with this

Then to your signature, I reply, "chaos001, ARE YOU LISTENING???"

You just said it yourself. "I may now have a greater appreciation..." This is really all I'm saying. Sure, you can enjoy the piece without knowing anything about it, but a DEEPER enjoyment comes when you put it in the social/historical/musicological context. I'm sure there was someone there that Finals night that heard the Shostakovich and thought, "Wow...this is the most incredible piece of music I've ever heard." A quick story: One particular moment in Shostakovich's life (I believe between the composition of the 4th and 5th symphonies, but I might be mistaken), a Russian officer knocked on Shostakovich's door and told him to report to some government building on Monday morning--it was a Saturday. He, like all of Russia at that time, knew what this appointment meant. He spent the rest of that weekend contacting family members, finishing his will, etc., because he knew that he would never live to see the sun go down Monday evening. He walks into the government office on Monday, checks in, and is told, "You're free to go." As luck would have it, the person who was to kill Shostakovich had committed suicide just hours previous. NOW. Don't you think that audience member who was so touched by the Shostakovich that evening now finds the music even MORE incredible because of the kind of environment in which it was written? I certainly do.

To the original poster, two things: First, I don't see the reasoning in splitting hairs between "Fire of..." and "Flames of...". The title is translated from the Russian original, and as such, there are a few different interpretations. Perhaps "Flames of..." is more correct, but it's a fallacy to call "Fire of..." INcorrect. And how dare one say that the history behind the composition of the piece is "useless trivia"! This social/historical context is what creates the emotion in the piece! Sure, it was exciting when Regiment played it. And really loud. Whoopie. The TRUE emotion comes from this "useless trivia" that so many people throw away. Music like this is about looking past the loud noises, and seeing the underlying inspiration! Being swept away by its beauty and volume is, in my opinion, a result of being a superficial listener (what the majority of the drum corps community is, I think). Looking between the lines, knowing this "useless trivia"--THAT is when you are truly listening. Just my thoughts. In no way am I trying to cut anyone down, I just get on a soapbox sometimes. Thanks for listening

My vote goes to 2008. I think we could have had four different champions. We had Phantom Regiment, who played the "emotion" game. The Blue Devils played the "execution" game. The Cavaliers played the "innovation" game. And Carolina Crown played the "good old drum corps" game. Maybe not everyone would agree if any other group won, but I think most everyone here would have understood it and accepted it had someone other than Regiment won. We all know how close that score was. Had ONLY ONE judge been different, we could have had a very different outcome. Imagine if two judges had been different...or three...or more...? That Saturday night, the judges happened to be more inclined to reward the "emotion" game that Regiment brought. The other two nights they happened to reward the "execution" game. The weekend before in Allentown, they rewarded the "innovation" game. In all of them, the "good old drum corps" game was NOT far behind. In my mind (and please don't take this the wrong way!), Regiment didn't win in 2008. They tied. Whether it was a 2-way tie, 3-way tie, or 4-way tie is up to you. Just my thoughts!

Yeah, we are. I actually need to go to bed, so let's not worry about it And for what it's worth, I like The Cavaliers and Crown's warm-ups this year. The Cavaliers lay out the show's thematic material beautifully, and I applaud Crown for doing such a nice job with the Copland.

Sorry, I have to disagree. Why should drum corps breathing be different? It shouldn't be! Sure, you might be more out of breath out on the field, but the breathing should be the EXACT same. Why would you breathe or play your instrument any differently then you would play it in a collegiate wind ensemble or professional orchestra? That seems completely backwards to me!

Yes, I have. Have YOU ever gotten paid to play in professional symphony orchestras for a living?

Yes, but no. If you are using your air correctly, your endurance will take you farther--but only so far! And why did you even bring that up anyway? PS - This is just my opinion, but the whole "Breathe-Dah" thing is just ridiculous. When it all comes down to it, EVERY corps does the "Breathe-Dah" method. Just because they don't call it that doesn't mean anything. I'm not trying to argue or anything, I've just never understood everyone's infatuation with "Breathe-Dah."

Is this ridiculous to anyone else? It's a WARM-UP, not a blast fest! So what you're really saying is you want people to blast your face off before the show even starts? I know what some of you will say: "They warmed up in the parking lot for an hour, they're already ready to play!" The warm-up should be about getting used to the playing environment. It CAN involve the upper end of the dynamic spectrum, but it shouldn't ONLY be that. Maybe I looked into your statement too much? Sorry if I did!

Though I may be wrong, The Cavaliers are one of the ONLY corps this summer that has not lost time due to an illness spreading throughout the corps. Obviously they've been doing something right, and they're just trying to keep it up. And if it is a competitive move, so what? They lost ALL of yesterday with those ridiculous storms. I don't blame them for not wanting to lose two days in a row right before Quarterfinals. For those of you making making fun of The Cavaliers for this being a "competitive move," why don't I see you making fun of Crown, Regiment, The Cadets, etc, etc, for not allowing their students to do I&E as their own "competitive move"? Grow up! Best of luck (and good health) to The Cavaliers (and all corps!) this week!