Crown_2010

Thank goodness! I was getting worried!

The two professors giving me trouble are in their 50's . . . so, old enough to not be familiar with what corps is now as compared to what it was. My band director, who is only in his 30's is cool with it, and my trumpet prof. (in his 40's) is cool with it too - he said that my tone has gotten better, and he sees no problem with a student pursuing different musical outlets. He even said that the best way to learn is to go out and get experience, and his one regret is that he never marched corps. All that, coming from a man with a DMA in trumpet performance. So . . . I take the inspiration from my two closer professors. The other two are my choir director and my advisor (who is in charge of elementary music education / student teaching). Even though they may never get it, I think it's just best to let them talk and then enjoy what I have.

Yeah, you're going to want to get permission regardless of how much you use. The only case where reproduction is legal is when you have photocopied music: you can make photocopies of a piece for rehearsal purposes as long as you purchase enough pieces of the original music to cover the copies. Also, you can use copies for concert purposes in an emergency as long as you replace the copies with originals. Aaaaand, on the note of photocopying, if you need to study a piece you can legally copy 10% of the piece (this really only applies to teachers making copies for something like theory). So, that's just kind of a side note. Bottom line, though, contact Saucedo and get permission - it'll make life a lot easier; especially if you're going to have your show video taped or recorded at any time.

Yeah . . . we got to bering mattresses for camp, but the rest of it we're doin' it the old fashioned way. Oh well, there's enough crap to carry around without worrying about a mattress, lol! On a side note, I agree, this has been a great forum for entertainment. I can't wait until everyone sees the show!!

I understand what you mean. I was just thoroughly annoyed when we were trying to get some scheduling kinks worked out and the session all-of-a-sudden turned into a lecture. I know where you are coming from, and maybe I'm just stubborn, but as a future music educator I've learned new playing skills, teaching techniques, rehearsal ideas, and leadership / motivational skills from corps. So . . . "just a hobby" doesn't sit with me. Personally, I'm absolutely fine with people calling it an "activity." In my opinion, a "hobby" is basket weaving. Drum corps is a life experience - wether or not college credit is earned, I consider it part of my global and intellectual education.

Has anyone ever come back from a camp so unbelievably psyched to only have a teacher / professor come and tell them that drum corps is a waste of time? I had a professor actually tell me that drum corps is not part of my education and that it's "just a hobby and nothing more." I mean . . . it's not a career, but how could someone call it "just a hobby."? But, yeah, when I told this person that I thought it was a valid part of my education (as a person and as a musician), they simply said "no, I'm sorry, but it's not." And, that was the end of that discussion. I even had another professor, completely unprovoked, call me to their office to "question my priorities" because I march corps . . . and this was after missing 2 rehearsals for camp THE ENTIRE YEAR. Does anyone have any thoughts or ways to talk to people who just don't understand the caliber of what DCI has to offer to students?

Wow . . . there are so many aspects to drum corps for a new person to take in. Well, because I'm a Crown geek I would show them shows like 04 / 05 / or 07 for something tonal, familiar, and really fun. If they liked Classical, I'd show them Vanguard 04 (one of my all-time favorites!), or Phantom 04 / 05. Also, if they wanted to see more complex ideas, I'd show them Phantom 03 (another one of my all-time favorites), or The Cavaliers 02 (phenomenal visual program). Now . . . if I could only convince my college professors that drum corps is not a force of evil, I'll consider myself successful!

I personally really like the idea of having a theme. To me, it gives all of the music a little bit more continuity. I know I have some trouble grasping the "older" generation of drum corps shows. The music is all excellent, but the shows don't make much sense. But, they are entertaining. So, in the nutshell, as long as it's entertaining then whether or not there is a set theme or not doesn't particularly matter. Like, Phantom Regiment's "Harmonic Journey" and Carolina Crown's "in.trance.it." will always be two of my favorite shows even though their themes are hard to grasp. And, on the flip side, Vanguard's "Scheherazade," Crown's "Triple Crown," and The Bluecoat's "Criminal" will always be three of my favorite shows with themes. The most important thing, in my opinion, is that the music has some kind of continuity, rather than just being randomly thrown out there.

Crown is marching 80 in the brass ensemble this season. It's gonna be epic!