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ranintothedoor

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Posts posted by ranintothedoor

  1. I think this is an awesome observation. Being overbalanced in the sopranos in drum corps seems to be a little weird, but I think there are some reasons it's evolved the way it has.

    - In terms of mellos, the sound is much more intense and focused than the sound of the F horn so it cuts through very well. I think the 3/2 ratio works pretty well.

    - For tubas, synth parts have been used in many corps to augment that sound (for better or worse).

    - I'd agree that the baritones are a underrepresented here, but the bell front baritones also project well whereas the concert euphoniums (bell up) and trombones (in the back playing through other players) don't play directly into the audience's faces.

    Because the brass that corps use are so homogeneous, I'd think the balance would better be compared to singers in a choir or a strings section. How do the ratios stack up there?

    • Like 1
  2. I can speak for one group that would probably overwhelmingly vote for football games WITHOUT marching bands...we're called BAND DIRECTORS.

    I think what he's saying is, as band directors, we tend to lose some of the music education focus of our jobs when we have to deal with the difficult and sometimes thankless administrative task of running a marching band. True, it's a great opportunity for advocacy when you have a a large, semi-captive audience... but it sickens the heart sometimes to think that no matter how hard your kids work or how awesome your show is, there's always going to be NIU players, fellow students, football fans and school administrators who don't appreciate or even despise what you do because it's not masculine enough for their tastes.

    We got into music ed to make a difference in our kids' lives and share our love for the power of music... marching band can be a powerful tool for life lessons and self-discipline, but teaching the more artistic side of music is much easier in a concert band setting. :smile:

    • Like 3
  3. Was that bird chirping around 8:22?

    Was that outside my window?

    I'm at work and so the show won't play again, and I'd love to know that if that was the corps, I have to know HOW they did that! :)

    Of course, if the bird sound was coming from outside, I'm going to be very embarrassed...

    Edit: Okay, it really was the corps!!! How'd they do that?!?!?!?

  4. I'm with Boo on the value of second chances and redemption.

    I do see a long road ahead for Mr. Nagy. I mean, I'm sure tons of people are in the same boat as Stu. Inviting band directors and then having them give feedback and posting that info with contact information would really help. I'm skeptical that this will ever happen with this group...

    Something that has bugged me, for those who read the first thread before the close: Was "tpt82" (or something) really Mr. Nagy? Because if it was, I feel that if you have a good head on your shoulders, you would speak for yourself in this situation instead of hiding behind anonymity.

    • Like 1
  5. So, to get this back on track...has there been any new developments with Accent getting back on the ground with rescheduled camp dates?

    Despite much of what's been said in this thread, I think most would be enthusiastic about a program that would provide marching training to those who would benefit greatly from it, giving them exposure to drum corps people and perhaps instilling some interest to find out more about drum corps. All this while being affordable and realistically conceived.

    Any word on the new sponsorship, which was said to be the reason the camps went on hiatus?

    Agreed that the concept is awesome, but do you think this particular organization/individual would be able to get this going now that their reputation has been so tarnished?

    I mean at this point, as a band director, I would not be willing to let my kids go to Accent's camps until I went and saw one for myself. I'm still willing to see if this works out, but......

  6. On first scan, I dismissed this as similar to the basketball bracket thing that President Obama is doing:

    http://www.barackobama.com/obama-bracket-challenge?source=ObamaBracketChallenge-20120311-HP

    But I didn't realize that they were doing CADETS SHOWS!!?!?!!?!

    Genious idea! :) Wish the marketing was just a shade clearer.

    Every corps should do this (regular season/conference tourneys), then send shows with best "records" to DCI(re: NCAA) Tournament! Every year would change because shows would be paired differently and have an addition of 20-something new shows every year! :)

  7. Are you sure you never attended camps and just don't remember it? Lots has happened in the world since 2007. You might have been abducted by aliens since then and had selective parts of your memory erased...at least that's the excuse I always give when I don't remember something.

    Ooooh, yeeeeah! It's coming back...

    All those little dudes could talk about was '95 Cavies and how much they looooved their uniforms...

  8. I don't remember this. How far in the planning process did they get and what was the publicity like?

    Well, Ms. Ortiz contacted me once by email. I said "Sure! Sign me up!" And that was it. Her email doesn't exist anymore, last I checked (2 years ago). All I have is the one email, which I've since lost.

    As far as publicity, nothing. I don't know what happened behind the scenes. All I know is I'm still on the website.

    I guess it's kinda funny now...?

  9. Once again, let me interject something based on actual experience. I was talking to my kid last night (who is STILL listed on the website as a clinician even after repeated emails asking that his name be removed) who was telling me about the trip he has just missed to New Orleans for the SEC playoffs as pep band member because he was told repeatedly by Accent Marching that there would certainly be a clinic this weekend. I can give people the benefit of the doubt for getting in over their heads, maybe, but what we're talking about here is repeated deception and lies by an organization while continuing to use my son's name (and affiliated drum corps) in their advertising. A leopard does not change his spots.

    Really sorry your son is having to deal with all this. I had a similar experience a several years ago with "Mountaineers D&BC" in Roanoke, VA. Fortunately I didn't lose any money/time on it, but my name was on the website for a long time and I couldn't get them to take it off...

    Good luck to your son!

  10. I'd be interested to hear from any kids who may have signed up/showed up to any of these events. If they came thinking, "cool, this is affiliated with a bunch of corps people, it must be good," then they were let down... it couldn't be good for the image of DC as a whole.

    I was willing to give Mr. Nagy another shot (get on danielray all you like, but sometimes people do change and learn from their mistakes). However, it just seems after the unprofessional facebook interactions and the now dead website, I was probably wrong to do so.

    • Like 2
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