comeonfhqwhgads

It might not be a bad idea to have a health and sports medicine display.

All wonderful suggestions! I think the Percussive Arts Society exhibit/experience right down the hall from DCI might have some of them covered already... http://rhythmdiscoverycenter.org/uncategorized/drum-corps-international-hits-up-rhythm-discovery-center/ An opportunity to pick up equipment and spin or play is definitely way up on the list. What would you say to an integrated performance space for I&E, minicorps, or the new SoundSport and Drumline events?

There have been multiple efforts over the years to curate and display all of the incredible history of marching music, but most have run dry. What do you think are the most important points of the activity to showacase? For example- should a museum focus on the past, present, or future? What kinds of community activities would you like to see? Would a travelling exhibit or a permanent collection be more appealing?

My 3-year quest for better rehearsal shoes ended in a pair of Adidas Kanadia TR 3s and a pair of La Sportiva Crosslites. Trail running shoes tend to feature better ankle support and bigger landing areas on the forefoot, which is fantastic for dew-soaked grass and 200BPM transitions. The knobby tread is also the closest anyone can get to a soccer or lacrosse cleat (which is what you really want for snappy direction changes) without enraging athletic directors the world over. ("you band kids are ruining my field!")

The point of a redesigned, major-brand shoe is that a nationally-touring high-visibility group should be able to land a corporate sponsor who pays for their gear. Corps members already rehearse in matching shorts anyway! I did a project a few years back on this topic; I'll have to dig up my images. Here's the laundry list of things to improve: waterproof uppers ankle and lateral-movement support rolled heel split sole (for flexibility) same feel for performance and rehearsals clean-cut looks, potentially tailored to match individual uniforms reinforced contact points where heels and toes rub during mark-time larger "platform" at the front of the foot for toe-lead, halts, and jazz runs potential corps logos washable liners / uppers and much, much more. I'd prefer not to go too far into detail, as I may end up taking the drawings to market eventually.

Let's clear up some points here: Finding ways to improve the quality of life for the performers is never a bad idea, and never something that indicates you "need a new hobby." I know Mr. Boo isn't the sort to make mean-spirited remarks, but it merits saying that the community at large shouldn't be hostile to ideas like this. There are most definitely improvements to be made to current marching footwear. Even if you've never felt uncomfortable after wearing thin-soled show shoes in the lot, or rolled an ankle because the running shoes your staff advised you buy didn't offer lateral support, others have and will continue to do so.

While I certainly agree with the sentiment, I think the BoD acted with as much immediacy as possible considering a recent new appointment, holidays, and waiting to see how the fundraising campaign played out. More importantly, I suspect that anyone who attended G camps was well aware of the possibility. While it may not have been the best timing to announce that the organization was 300k in debt right before auditions, at least prospective members knew about it going in. Those who showed up anyway are to be commended.

'98 is catchy, but I really like giggling at the jazz segment in '02.

A million times, 1999 Santa Clara Vanguard. Honorable mentions to: '93 Phantom '96 Cadets '07 Phantom '95 Scouts '08 Cadets and of course, the year the Bridgemen fell over. Development is important.

Staff or Talent ? This is an invalid question. Both are merely factors that contribute to the total equation. Madbass gave a good example, but here's some more points to think about. Higher-placing corps generally have larger talent draws, both for staff and members. When you get an incoming member class of a fairly predictable talent level, or you know from years of experience that your staff can bring any group up to a certain level, you can design to those criteria. Contrarily, If you have to compromise every season between marching a full hornline and marching a capable hornline, you don't know how well your group can handle certain challenges, and so you can't write or design to suit as well. Due to the nature of the drum corps beast, the later in the season you change something the less time you have to clean it. This means that staffs have to make judgement calls early on about whether the ballad is working or if that staging is broken. Having the stability of a predictable staff and member talent level means those calls are going to be right more often, and less likely to need making in the first place.

metropolis or brave new world?

No offense intended- the Bluecoats did a fantastic job with Metropolis and the obviously want to build on their strengths. I did however honestly think this was a joke before checking the corps' website. That said, I'd like to go ahead and announce the Bluecots 2012 production:

wait what So this isn't a joke post? I mean, anyone can photoshop a show flyer and make a bad pun about the coats doing another "dark" science fiction classic.

Old shoes- pair of Columbia walking/hiking shoes used as rain shoes. They're the ones in that lolcorps shot with the pile of turf. pair of Fila Sport Ulterra shoes that lasted about five years longer than they should have for $30 and are still going after three seasons of drum corps. No idea how or why they haven't disintegrated. Currently the back-up pair. Current shoes- Adidas Kanadia TR 3 in blue/green with matching watch on the right foot. The giant knobblies on the tread are excellent for the grass, dirt, mud, and turf surfaces that make up the vast majority of my marching. Brooks, Asics, and Nike Frees are all fantastic shoes that can't bite into dew-soaked grass to save their lives (or yours). Dream shoes- La Sportiva Crosslites. Race-grade trail runners with steel rock-stop plates, waterproof upper that still breathes, gnarly traction, ultra lightweight. They are of course stupidly expensive and I have no personal experience with them, so this might be a pipedream. My advice: Go for "trail running" shoes rather than just "running" shoes. Running = asphalt and dirt trails. Trail Running = gravel, mud, rocks, and all the terrible potholed, half-flooded, rock-strewn, weed-ridden fields the world over. Additionally, higher end NB or Asics "running" shoes are often designed for straight-line performance and have little ankle support for sudden changes of direction.

Certainly heel marktime won't unbalance you any more than actual marching will, and since they're going to have to play on the move sooner or later they should be practicing it now. Besides, if you have any weight on your heels in today's drill you're dead in the water. and now a lengthy bit on visual technique. apologies if some of this is just common knowledge, but JimF's question is making me second-guess how much people really do know about the state of the thing now. consider this a primer for someone who perhaps has some show band experience but no idea what to expect of a corps package. The difference, as best I can tell, between the pure-form straight-leg Cadets style and the more often used BD/Crown/everyone "straight-leg" is the positioning of the heel throughout the stride. Cadets-style strives to keep the heel as low as humanly possible throughout the entire stride, lengthening the leg as much as you can. If you freeze a Cadet right as their front foot lands in the middle of a set, when their legs are as far apart as they're going to get, their back heel should be very close to the ground. If you freeze a Boston Crusader or a Blue Star in the same circumstances, their back heel will be off the ground. This slight difference allows the ankles to act as shock absorbers and helps eliminate the bouncy Cadet syndrome; the heel naturally wants to come off the ground to prepare for the next step, but keeping it low lengthens and straightens legs. One of the main reasons you see more bounce when corps backward march is that the ankle "shocks" can't do as much going backwards. The Cadets compensate for thirs with prodigious body carriage. Almost all forward marching technique emphasizes lifting the toes as high off the ground as humanly possible on count 1. this means that the heel is as low as possible, which in turn means the leg is as straight and long as possible, and also means that you can more easily take a large, fast step. Speaking of backwards march- the majority of the world class groups use the standard straight-leg back march as well, lifting off of the heels and onto the "platform" (for those who aren't familiar with the lingo, this is the ball of your foot, or more specifically the triangle of ground contact created between the bone behind your big toe, the outside bone of your pinky toe, and the meaty patch between them that comes to a point between the base of your 2nd and 3rd toes.) Usually you get up on the platforms slowly, going from flat-footed to releve over 2-3 counts rather than "popping" up on your platforms before your step back or on the first step, to help reduce bounce and to avoid sudden distracting movement. Backwards marching is hard to master and everyone ALWAYS underestimates the size of the steps they are taking, no exceptions. Any vis tech worth his salt will tell you that getting to extended step sizes when going backwards relies on a solid push from the front foot rather than "reaching" with your back foot. I might be mistaken, but I've heard it said that the green machine's technique is focused on the idea of maintaining a 90 degree angle between your feet. This probably came about as an easy way for members to check themselves, since this means that one foot has to roll up as the other comes down. They also use a squatty variation for large step sizes that makes it look like they're moving a lot faster than they are, particularly in Mr. Gaines's pinwheel-heavy segments. The older BK technique was very ballet-based, and ballet terminology has definitely made its way into modern corps. Sometimes there's more french in basics than english. I'd say that 80-90 percent of corps members now know a sort of variation of ballet positions that has developed into a corps vernacular- 1st position is the standard attention position, heels-together-toes-apart, usually slightly narrower than the ballet standard it is borrowed from. Industry standard definitions for how far apart your toes are- "one fist-width between the big-toe knuckles" "toes pointing out at 45 degrees" "imagine an average slice of pizza between your toes" etc. The Cadets use the George. M. Parks Bando-standard of heels and toes together whenever they halt or stand; other groups call this "first parallel" and prefer the toes-apart stance for the stability it provides, particularly when you come screaming into a halt at 200bpm. 2nd position: legs slightly wider than shoulder width, feet still "turned out" as in first position. from there you can go on to 3rd, 4th, and 5th. these are a bit more complicated, but 4th is Regiment's "Kick Halt" position, so that should give you some idea. (maybe they call it 3rd?) The right foot goes out in front of the left for 3rd, followed by in to the arch of the left for 4th, then behind for 5th with the right arch against the left heel. Other ballet terminology is smattered about (pardon my spelling errors)- demi- and gran-plies, ron de jons, posses, elevers, arabesques, tondues, piques, and on and on and on. Basically these dance terms become a shorthand for the vis staff to easily and quickly define body movement and give members a standard to refer to. "Okay, in this sixteen counts we want a lunge with your left foot to the 45 on 4-5-6, demi-plie 7-8, pop up into releve on 9 with the right foot in an arabesque behind you, close down on 10. try it out... ..and RESET, taking that sixteen counts." In terms of basic visual technique, the current trend I've seen is for the majority of the weight to be on or forward of the balls of the feet; this presents an aggressive front and helps keep the chest strong, making a solid base for horn carriage and breathing. It also means that a line of marchers can step off in any direction they please without giving away where they're headed by leaning or shifting weight for a stepoff, making the drill snappier and more uniform. Elbows are wherever the vis staff feels like putting them, but the most often used reference is the clock face- 4 and 8 or 5 and 7. Occasionally someone will throw an angle out ("elbows at 120!") or try some other definition to get it to stick ("tops of elbows at the bottom of the valve cluster" "one fist between parallel to the ground and the tops of the elbows"). Extremely erect posture is always stressed, with phrases like "engage the core" and "lift up from the top" being commonly used. Ideally the chest is open and lifted, shoulders down, and neck fully extended upwards, with the distance between the top of your hips and the bottom of your ribcage maximized. Jazz running isn't nearly as boiled down as forward or backward marching; each group seems to have their own variation on theory and execution. many are rooted in a basic ballet technique, but some groups (Cadets) try to make it resemble their regular technique as much as possible. Phantom seems to swing wildly back and forth between a brutally straight-legged and flowing half-crouched ballet run. BD is actually jazz running all of their sets and we just never noticed. The majority of jazz-run techniques will have marchers turning out their feet, rather than maintaining parallel "tracks", and using a strong push to ensure they get far enough and that the back leg extends straight out. If you're at a particularly extended step size you may be completely off the ground during the crossing count. Proper jazzrun usually involves a lot of ankle strength both to push off and catch without jarring bounces- my favorite vis tech description is "pretend you're flicking a giant lighter with your foot." Hand positions and movements, etc. are all carefully defined and coordinated, though often on an instrument-by-instrument basis; "we will always wear our shakos at this angle." "We always have sticks at this height when we put them away." "we will always enter and exit our warm-up area in this order." "Our right thumb will always go between the first and second valve casing one inch down from the leadpipe." Depending on how BITD we're talking here, sliding may or may not have been a large focus, so here's a rundown- essentially in curvilinear drill your legs are going to be moving all kinds of directions that aren't perpendicular to the front sideline, but your upper body should always be facing that way. A lot of high schoolers struggle with getting their shoulders around square to the front, but most corps do this without blinking. Corps often have very specific definitions about where horns should be pointed; some always aim directly at the judges, others at the middle of the audience, some are always parallel to the sideline, others are always pointed at the DM; there are also often definitions about whether to forward or backward march when moving parallel to the sidelines. A common one is that if you are moving away from the 50 you should backward march and if moving towards it, forward march. If your group always points to the center of the stadium, or points inwards once outside the 30s/40s/, you may have to slide past perpendicular. If you're looking straight down on a horn player on the 10 yard line, their hips might be facing 120 degrees away from their shoulders. Basically, visual style in corps has a lot of specific knowledge and an enormous amount of minutia that is carefully defined and constrained. I can't personally speak to how much people know from their band programs or "BITD" corps experience, but i feel like the heavy use of ballet terms is fairly new and that the physical expectations are probably higher. The highly regimented military-style micromanagement is something that I think is probably a proud tradition and that those who got penalties for inspection tics can relate to still :p

There's actually a few missing from these shots aside from the one's you've mentioned- two uni changes from the 9(4?) shot there with the aussies. After '96 the Glassmen left the cream jackets and black trim and moved to the now-familiar scheme of white for the top 6 inches and black from there on down. Somewhere between 98 and 01 they switched to a less-conspicuous shield on the front- not sure if just the shield changed or if these were new jackets entirely. (shoulder loops might be a telling factor if anyone has a close-up) In '04 they focused in on the contemporary slimline uniforms and stuck with them until 08, with various changes in gloves and accessories- beads in 07, "power rangers" gold trim in '08. by the end of '08 the trim had gummed up the unis so badly they needed to be retired, even if the 5 seasons of wear on them hadn't done them in. The '09 unis were debuted in Washington D.C. on the steps of the Department of Education (http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=2ed88add-0da3-4a94-ac6b-8af38e41da61) I believe the '10 unis were identical in every aspect. I think the most abrupt change has to be the notorious 93 uniforms to the 94 cream and black.

IUP

Look, the standard range is S-XL. larger types already have an X in their direction- how about souvie booths do everyone under 5'8" (i.e. OVER HALF of the female population and OVER HALF of the under-twenty american population) and carry XS for a change, or use higher-quality tee blanks that don't come in only "athletic" sizes. I'd pay 20$ for an American Apparel DCI tee over 10$ for a Hanes Beefy. "Athletic" tees are typically a full size larger than marked, and with that high-school-bando market demo you're aiming for an athletic S isn't nearly S enough. No offense to the 4 and 5X DCi fans out there, but if corps are going to expand size ranges it makes much more sense to expand DOWN, not up.

Not just for callbacks! Contact the brass staff and let them know what your situation is.

So um Glassmen did that whole "gold" series of shows for a while, and that went pretty well some of their best received, designed, and scoring programs and oh hey would you look at that the 50th anniversary is the gold anniversary? huh This might just be me but maybe, just maybe a "Gold" redux might have been in order? Either the design staff is asleep at the wheel or they are very, very confident in this mortal beloved thing.

camp randall sucked to perform in. Completely eats the sound when less than full.

That's pretty much the truth. When was the last time you heard of corps members complaining to their brass staff that they didn't like the atonal opener? or telling the arranger that maybe the voicing should be changed? or yelling at the vis tech that the drum solo visual was poorly written to be viewed from audience distance? As far am I'm aware corps members keep their mouths shut and trust the design team to give them good directions to follow.

WHY DON'T MORE CORPS HAVE THIS LEVEL OF MEDIA PRODUCTION

tbh I have no idea what that even means. "Director of Program(s)" ? plural? as in what, Bingo and the corps proper? Are Matrix and Glassmen finally making their relationship official? "Staff development" ? Sounds like they're trying to draw in new staff by highlighting Sal's involvement.

The music is inaccessible because: music that involves anything beyond a single mostly naked female singer and several dozen electronic pitch correctors is no longer popular music.