HopOnOverInnovation

BD - So lemme get this straight; we're going to the movies on June 3, Disney Land on June 5, a beach day on June 7, another beach day on June 8... Are you sure we should rehearse that much? Le'Cadets - Alright, I'm going to try and get woodwinds passed again this year. If the proposal passes, we'll do plan A. If it's voted down, we'll think of another lame placeholder show to do while we pass the years waiting for that glorious day. Cavaliers - Does it really matter what our show is? The fanboys'll clap no matter what. - Oh yeah, right. Glassmen - I wonder where all our balloons ended up... Oh right, the 2011 show! Let's see here... I got nothin'. Let's go with a show about paperclips. - That's boring. - Yep. Crossmen - Okay, we've finally come full circle. Now let's get the **** out of this godforsaken circle! Boston - Let's do a show that showcases our rich Florida heritage! BK - Maybe if we do a show about sleep, no one will sleep during our shows! Brilliant! Phantom Regiment - I'm angry. Grrrr...

Indeed, I'll admit, Guidry can write for a hornline. He knows how to use cool effects like having trumpets, baris, and contras perform a forte-piano while the mellos sing out a random melody. He knows how to end every major horn statement with a single full-length quarter note. He knows how to have the entire hornline crescendo a single chord for 30 seconds straight while the front ensemble takes over all musical interest. He knows how to write entire shows without utilizing slurs. He also knows how to write brass solo moments that a 5th grader could play, (then passes the nearly the same exact solo to two other capable musicians). I'm sorry. Maybe Guidry's music does work for BOA band, but I haven't exactly seen any other drum corps clamoring for Mr. Guidry to arrange their music. You'd think that if his product was really all it's cracked up to be, a more successful corps would have noticed by now and asked him to consider teaming up with them. Guidry has had success with other programs, and I can appreciate that. I wish him many more successes with high school programs. All I'm saying is that his arrangements have not shown themselves to be idiomatic of the Drum Corps genre. Nonetheless, I wish the Crossmen success this year with a new arranger. I'm excited to see how things turn out in the coming weeks. --A friend

Bringing back a previously successful, highly skilled arranger does not necessarily imply bringing back previously played tunes. In fact, exactly half the shows arranged by Guidry drew from previously used source material. Either way, that's beside the point, as we all know that the arranger does not necessarily have a say in source material selection. Personally, I disagree strongly with your opinions in every possible way. But we're all entitled to our opinions, so I will respect yours equally. What the Crossmen need is someone who knows how to write effectively for a drum corps hornline. Writing that is idiomatic of the individual brass instruments and of the drum corps genre in general will be an instant improvement over all recent arrangements. --A friend

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Ah, my apologies for distracting from the point of this thread, which is of course to announce the new Crossmen visual staff. An exciting announcement, to be sure. I merely saw a logical fallacy and felt morally obligated to point it out. I have complete faith in this team - with or without Crossmen alumni. I just can't stand to see generalizations made about a group of people as dedicated as the alumni. I'm sure there is a perfectly logical explanation for why there are no Crossmen on this year's vis. staff. It must be known, however, that resistance to "new ways of doing things" is not a trait inherent in all Crossmen alumni. To assume so would be a crime. Thank you for your understanding, -- a friend

It sounds to me like you are making a rash generalization, suggesting that all Crossmen alumni are incapable of adapting to new ways of doing things. I think you would find that many recent age-outs would eagerly buy into whatever the new guys may have to offer. In fact, by this same logic, you would have to argue that any veteran Crossmen members will be a liability to the 2010 program. Clearly, returning members will cling to the "old way of doing things" and will resist the new visual staff. Therefore, in order for the corps to be successful, it must be made up entirely of rookies for the 2010 season. I think you will find that your argument is rather unsound.

Darn it, in before the edit. I hate you guys. And yes, for the record, I'm probably one of those angry vets who should stop marching altogether.

I absolute would like to reiterate everything said in this great post. As a long time member of the Crossmen, I do not wish to march anywhere else. I want the best for my corps. My first season with the corps, I marched expecting a guaranteed spot in finals. I mean, why not? The corps hadn't been out of finals since '88. This is '05 I'm talking about, of course. And during my rookie year, I fell in love with the traditions of the corps. When we got knocked out of finals, I knew that i had to come back and see things through. I made it my mission to see that this great organization would make it back into finals. Since then, the corps and I have been through a lot. I no longer base my goals solely on making finals; I am older and much wiser now. All I want is to put on a great performance. One that will be remembered fondly, and one that I will enjoy performing as much as it is enjoyed by the audience. And once I have done that, I want to sign the age out flag. That's all i want. No more, no less. I can confidently say that I as a performer, have not enjoyed playing my show's music since (early season) 2006. Not a single note written by Guidry for the hornline has been anywhere near as enjoyable to play as the work of Drew Shanefeld and/or Andy Yozviak (before the brass book was ruined by the caption head). I'm sorry to say it, my friends, but you have to hear this. Returning each year is a challenge enough because of the corps' new location, but up until now, I have managed to do it. Why do I continue to return each year? Out of love for my corps. Do I plan on returning again for the 2010 season? I'm not sure yet, but then again I never am at this point in the year. I won't let an irrational hatred of Guidry's music get in the way of my marching, but I am a little disappointed, to be honest. A good brass book would probably make my decision easier. And seeing as the brass book has not been written yet, I'm not really sure what the purpose of this post is anymore. So I'm going to just trail off into nothingness now... Nice weather we're having.

They may have been able to pay for Guidry's plane ticket to spring training, so at the very least, he could explain the show to the members. I'm still fairly convinced that the '09 show was about a caped biker gang that got really angry because a bunch of strangely dressed street entertainers stole their euphonium. Then I think the gang leader got the main street entertainer pregnant and spent the rest of the show trying to prevent his gang from giving her a forced abortion. And of course, in the end, the gang leader gives her a massive hickey, and pretends to carry her away to kill her, when in reality, she has the baby off-field and they get ready for the 2010 show... ----Metamorphosis X-2: The Forbidden Baby---- Awesome!

I am also curious about how he could know there was no petition...

My fellow drum corpsians, Please be cautious that you do not fall prey to the evils of mass panic. For it is merely October, and the long term effects of an announcement such as this are currently beyond the understanding of the mortal mind. Also keep in mind that it is entirely possible that the Drum Corps Messiah could descend upon the earth at any minute. And when this does happen, the time of judgement will begin. Surely when this happens, Aaron Guidry will be replaced. There are powers in the universe far greater than any word of Mark Chamber's. It would also be wise to consider the possibility that Aaron Guidry could slip on a patch of ice, bump his head, and wake up the next morning with good musical taste. Although, for this to be the case, someone would need to find a way to ice the sidewalks of Las Vegas... My point, dear friends, is that we must not give up hope so early. The unexpected has a tendency to occur when we least expect it. And with these words, I take my leave. Farewell for now.

Greetings my fellow drum corps people, As some of you may know, the time has come for us to make a vital decision in drum corps history. Since drum corps' creation, we have abbreviated the years in the same way. For example, if one is asked in which years one marched, one might respond, "I marched '84 (eighty-four) to '86 (eighty-six) Suncoast Sound". Unfortunately, if we are to continue this method of year abbreviation, we will sound extremely awkward for the next decade. Take this statement as an example: "I marched '10 (ten) Bluecoats". What did you say?? You marched ten Bluecoats? At the same time!?! Or perhaps let's try, "Man, Phantom Regiment marched really well in '11 (eleven)!". Whoa! In which year did Phantom march an entire show in 11/8 meter... or wait... did you mean that all the sets in their show were sets of 11? Hmmm... My friends here at DCP, I propose to you a solution. Let us join together to fight the awkwardness of this whole decade. We must precede the usual abbreviation with another "0" ("oh"). Of course, the abbreviation can still be written as it always has ('10, '11, '12, etc.), but we will simply insert the "0" in our speech. Consequently, '17 will read "oh-seventeen". I thank you all for seriously considering this situation, and I assure you that we will be able to go back to the old ways starting in the year 2020. Please post your thoughts on the matter. Good day.

This. In all seriousness, before you pass any judgment on the arranging skills of Andy Yozviak, please do acquire a copy of the '06 preseason CD. You'll find that it's an entirely different horn book. And as far as Aaron Guidry's writing goes, it is not an exaggeration to say that the parts he composes for the Crossmen hornline are far from idiomatic for brass instruments. I will admit, Guidry is a fine musician and an excellent percussionist, but it often shows that he is no brass musician. Say what you will, but the Crossmen hornline has definitely been on the rise for the past two years. Next year, it's likely they'll only be even better. Maybe it's about time the Crossmen have a horn book capable of showcasing such disciplined, skilled performers...

Hey now, all I did was sincerely congratulate the two Drum Majors on being appointed/reappointed to their positions (congrats again). And then I simply laughed at what was clearly meant to be a joke. Personally, I agree that this thread is crap... I also believe that this is the internet. In addition to this, I am a strong believer in choosing the best Drum Majors for the job. In its most basic sense, anyone with the required skillset can be a good drum major. Rookie, vet, who cares! Conduct the corps, oversee the day to day runnings of the corps, good job! The leadership aspect can be developed over the course of the drum major's first season. And seeing as how Meg is a long time drum corps vet, the rookie has a good role model to learn from for his first year. Let's not forget that anyone, rookie or vet, can go over the top or do an underwhelming job. No one can know how successful any one individual will be at his drum majorial duties until they have been given a chance to do the job. The preseason screening process is designed to pick the best candidate based on evidence of the necessary foundations. With each and every new drum major there is a degree of unknown in regards to how the individual will react to their newly gifted responsibilities. That being said, my sincerest congratulations (now for the third time) to the 2009 Crossmen Drum Majors. May you both enjoy your season, and best of wishes to the rookie in his quest to becoming a successful drum major. I look forward to seeing some amazing conducting this year. Okay, internet, you may now resume your usual activities.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! What? Oh, don't mind me.