StuStu

What years were you at Carmel? I was class of '85, went on to march 27th Lancers and Garfield.

Pacific Crest was the highlight of the day for me. I was not expecting to be nailed to the wall by them A real revelation, and I hope a sign of more to come in the future.

I didn't have the time to slog through the whole thread here, but I am interested to see just what audio signals are bouncing around LOS. I have a scanner I use to listen to IndyCar drivers at the track. I may bring that along tomorrow and check out what kind of signals I can pick up

They're pretty bad-###

When did DCI first award gold/silver/bronze?

Last year some Cadet alums started a tradition of lending our old corps jackets to a current member to wear on tour. I've learned that Kelly gave hers to a mellophone for this summer, and a friend will see to it that her jacket continues to be worn in the future. A nice way to remember a sister we lost too soon, and a reminder that its not about placements. Ultimately drum corps is about people.

A fair point. But given that thess shows are judged a couple dozen times over the course of the summer, judges would soon know where and when to look.

The rules for Indiana indoor percussion (and perhaps WGI, havent read those rules) requires that any sound with "rhythmic intent" be generated or triggered by a performer. I think that's a good balance. Anything verbal has to be played syllable by syllable

Suggested Rule of Thumb: If there's likely to be someone in the audience who remembers the event first hand, don't do it.

I can tell you first hand that the alumni are engaged like never before. Not just giving money and volunteering, but soliciting input and ideas for the organization's future. Last February YEA held an alumni summit, inviting alumni of all eras to spend the weekend discussing the corps situation, and what steps need to be taken. Out if this came teams of alumni assigned to specific areas, and asked to come up with concrete projects. (I'm personally involved with long range planning.) The alumni are gelling unlike any other time I've seen sin e aging out in '88. Through this I've been able to spend some time with Vicki, Scott and Doug, and I have every confidence in their capabilities and commitment.

Cadets 13th in brass. Ouch.

That was one of those runs where BD makes it look easy. Really impressive.

Yeah, I feel similarly. I'll give them all the credit and respect in the world for their execution. But for me, it has the feel of a production number from a 1970's variety show.

Just when I think DCP might finally be a decent place someone comes along and reminds me it is, in fact, a sewer.

Methinks BD was just shown up by The Columbians. Really enjoyed that, feel so badly for those kids they had to go out on a standstill

Mark Spitz won 7 gold medals in the 1972 Munich Olympics with times that wouldn't even qualify for the national team in 2019. Yet he remains one of the all-time great Olympians. The accomplishments of today don't diminish the achievements of the past. Time makes one long continuum that ties us all together.

I had occasion to chat with a couple of judges a few weeks ago as I shuttled them to and from a show. Both made the observation that many designers are doing things simply to show they can do them rather than making an artistic statement. The result is actually counterproductive, as the density of "effects" means nothing really stands out. In this regard, less is more. A great example of how to do it right comes from SCV's ballad in '18. The hit towards the end of "My Body is a Cage" is the single most powerful and emotional moment I've experienced in 35 years of being in and around drum corps. All they did was put their horns up. But that simple move had a devastating impact, swinging the hammer before nailing you to the wall.

I do remember this. I spent HOURS working ok the mello runs a 4 after 62. Those eventually were cut for the 2d mellos. We did the pinwheels while the 1st mellos played the runs. Again proving one of the fundamental premises in this thread - the harder the music, the easuer the visual, and verse visa. As true in 2019 as it was in 1987. ####, this is a fun thread.

I don't recall that change specifically but I do remember changes in the music to provide different tone colors through different voicings, as well as making changes for clarity. (a/k/a "Mr. Hoseman"). One other point that comes to mind - this show does not have a bunch of 16th note chromatic runs because Aaron Copland didn't write the piece that way. This piece does feature a ton of interval jumps, which require a great deal of accuracy to play cleanly. As a friend once remarked you can hear the space between the notes. Not as easy as it might first appear.

A friend referred to it as "bugle salad". A grab bag of horns of varying age, make and condition. For a good part of the year a few of our contras were on valve-rotor horns, but I think they all had 2 valves by the end of the season.

I don't think anyone believes its truly ad libbed.

We also kept track of our resting and active heartrate, as well as recovery time. And remmeber being told "go run a lap as fast as you can then set up part four." It wasn't the 4 to 5 jazz running with body movement you see today, but we were playing the whole time.

And here's a slightly more smart ### version...

One of the main goals in '87 was to be as faithful to the original work as possible. The initial "draft" of the show was actually closer to the orchestral work, which wasn't working as well because there weren't any drum-corps-esque impact points punctuating the end of each section. Some creative liberties were taken in the rewrites with the hits at the end of parts 1 and 3. One other thing that I think is exceptional about this show is the melodic percussion writing. It was very cool over the winter to learn new parts in sectionals, then combine with the percussion for the first time, and hear how the battery fit with the horns. Truly genius writing. And the company front was another amazing thing to be part of. Early on the front disappeared in one count, which was later changed to a push that was crumbling from the ends. My one claim to fame is I ended that move on the 50 - for 8 counts I was the center of the drum corps universe. Marc Sylvester wasn't exactly thrilled. In rehearsal he once said "Dress down to StuStu - and Gawd help us awl." Here's a video of an early season run. To my knowledge it is the only recording to have surfaced of the early-season show. And that's another big difference between today and yesteryear - with all the smart phones and go pros, kids today have dozens of videos documenting each step of the way.

As we talk about evolution, keep in mind that Jeff Saktig and Jon Vanderkolff both marched in the '87 Cadets, and Leon May followed in '88. The spirit of innovation that drove the '87 Cadets continues to shape DCI today.