HardCorp
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Posts posted by HardCorp
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They show little interest in producing proper sound, much more emphasis on play acting.
Best of luck to them and that approach.
Then why don't you go on out and show them how to play in tune!!! -
I believe Hopkins would be flattered o be characterized as the single handed reason that drum corps has evolved, but it is incorrect. Check out how many times electronics were strongly supported by the Blue Devils. Check out how many times Hopkins proposals were shot down. Far from the Voice of God. More like the Voice of Progress - often ignored, eventually accepted.
How many corps folded when they couldnt pay the bill for those brand new Bb horns?
Well, none. I can think of numerous small corps that have popped up since the advent of B flat usage that claim it was much easier to get of the ground when borrowing horns from various schools and member owned instruments.
How many corps folded when Div 3 was dissolved and they couldnt meet the touring and competition requirements to run with the big corps?
It has been all of 1 season since Div 2 & Dv 3 were folded into 1 class. The tour last season was the same as it was when there were 2 classes.
Sorry to let facts creep up into this volatile argument.
I feel left out:-) So, why are you such a bad guy Tom? Obviously someone so evil would not care to take the time to speak to us underlings.As far as George Hopkins, I do not know him as a person. He's probably a great guy and if I ever run into him, I'd be hoppy to buy him a beer. I just don't like how one person can simply say "lets do this" in regards to sweeping changes to the drum corps activity, and how everyone considers his word to be as powerful as the voice of God. He has implemented 3 valve horns, Bb horns, electronic amplification, vocal narration, and now synthesizers. He was the person who had proposed the ideas behind increasing corps size limits from 128 to 150, and I'm scared that adding woodwinds could come soon. I am a bit of a traditionalist. I believe that maintaining traditions and foundations keeps things focused towards the reasons why they exist. George Hopkins has been the antagonist of the demise of many of the things that make drum and bugle corps...drum and bugle corps.
I also don't care for the "Hopkins innovations" because every single innovation they introduce means a greater financial burden on competing corps. How many corps folded when they couldnt pay the bill for those brand new Bb horns? How many corps folded when Div 3 was dissolved and they couldnt meet the touring and competition requirements to run with the big corps? I honor Mr. Hopkins service as the 26 year director of the Cadets. I have enjoyed many of the Cadet's shows. I also have seen the performance enhancements created by all of these innovations. I just know that some of the most beautiful, most exhilarating drum corps performances of all time were performed with 2 valved G bugles, without electronic amplification or other similar equipment, and I know that instructors would still be able to teach innovative and exciting programs if they still had to deal with traditional equipment.
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Tom IS dangerous - he speaks the truth.
It's Brace sir. Tom Brace. And if you don't know me by now, it's obvious someday you will become a threat victim. Prepare now before it is too late. I suggest sheets of 8 mil plastic sheathing and plenty of duct tape. Also, stock up on potable water and toilet paper.What's wrong with the Academy?
Two things....first...they are located in Tempe Arizona...they should move.
Finally, I live in Tempe Arizona so they have become my hometown corps....the single greatest reason the Academy should move.
As to your comments regarding Mr. Hopkins....he pales in comparison with the threat I pose to the very existence of DCI. Your failure to recognize this will be to your undoing.
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plus "kids are lazy".
Look, it doesn't matter if a group is regional, local or even on someone's street where they live. If it is not organized and can offer an unique and high quality experience, it will not attract the desired membership. Kids have multiple options on how to spend their leisure time & money. Part-time and full-time jobs are much more a teenagers life than it was in the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's and 1990's. You may be well intentioned, but certainly can't compete with organized (well funded and equipped) sports, high quality interactive video games & online entertainment, the opportunity to earn spending money (if not contribute families' income) and the competitive scholastic marching arts endeavors.
Corps will NEVER leave World Class for Open Class. To lose the $75 or so in appearance fees would be fiscal suicide.
Personally, I believe Tom Brace to be the single greatest threat to DCI (except for Arizona Academy)
That is the harsh reality I had to face. I didn't have all the answers, I just really wanted to do something that I thought would benefit the world around me in a way I didn't think I could do otherwise. I recognize that what I did was something I did "as a kid." I'd never speak to compare my "drum corps" to any legitimate drum corps program who had the backing of a board of directors, parents, sponsors, and an accessible member pool. Perhaps someday I'll try again, but for now I have found a home with the Citrus Heights Community Marching Band. Although its not a drum corps, I have been given an opportunity with this young group to develop some experience which I feel pays tribute to the efforts I put into my own program.How this applies to the Open Class circuit is that the prohibitive costs of drum and bugle corps, even at the small-sized level, have spawned broader ideas such as community marching bands, concert bands, and other types of groups that are easier for members to perform without the burdens of traveling and intense rehearsal.
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Nice.
Ummm, may I politely disagree?Check out www.legendspaa.org
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ah yes, the answer that was on the tip of everyone's tongue
Americanos 2005 brass book was pretty difficult. Its a shame it was never heard. -
I would be happy if VK's hornline could play in tune. Ouch
i want them back in anaheim... -
Look inward dude. What kind of experience were you providing? Quality education? Equipment? Organization? I am thinking if you weren't charging membership fees kids go a sense they were getting what they paid for. Why don't more kids march? Duh. M-O-N-E-Y. Cheap airfare has lead to national membership of the top 12.
Tell the kids in California, Oregon, Florida, and Masachusetts that they are lazy. They will march right over you and laugh as you continue to whine.
I appreciate your kind words. I didnt even charge my kids anything, and they still wouldnt show up. I had just started putting kids on the field when it fell apart. Giving up 3 years and all the $ i would have spent on college is enough of a sacrifice to prove to me that kids are lazy. Kids parents are lazy. It could be a regional thing, but it could be bigger than that. I think its a generational thing. Why do you think the big corps have to recruit all over the US? If they just took kids from their own area, every top 12 corps would be gone in a year..... -
Well the "one " show considered is the World Championship prelims. Only a few years ago there were over 40. There have always been a handful of corps that do not attend. Either way you slice it, the amount of Open Class corps is shrinking every year.
Not growing at all.
What other factors would you consider? The average height of members in a corps? Sorry, it's a fact. Less corps every year means shrinking.
Not growing at all.
Are you considering those corps that don't do much touring to begin with?? BDC, for example? BDB only goes out every other year. You can't just look at numbers at one show and state open class isn't growing without looking at at other factors. -
Some good points/ some bad ones
Good
- It is financially illogical to start or take over an Open Class corps
- Open Class corps do not sell tickets.
Bad
- Blanket statment like "kids are lazy". No, they are more discerning as to how they spend their money for group related activities. Open Class corps cannot just announce they exist and plan on attending chamopinships
Nothing is "growing" right now. No one has the balls to commit their credit and their resources to a huge program, relying on finding funding and people to perform and participate as staff. If someone decided to start a drum corps, or "buy out" a currently failing drum corps, they would have to have an unending blank check, that would never pay itself back. Also, they would need to expect that the program would SUCK competitively for a few years if it got off the ground at all. This is not 1986. This is not the world and the time where a person with deep pockets can just start his own personal powerhouse drum corps.Having ran my own, I can tell you that the biggest issue is finding people to perform. I spent 3 years committing my entire life to developing a program and the biggest corps I ever performed, in a parade mind you, was 14 people. Kids these days are just lazy, and they don't feel like committing to anything that isn't guaranteed to win. Unless new circuits are created who FOCUS on letting small corps compete closer to home, all small drum corps will die off. DCI has no interest in the Open Class because they don't sell tickets to shows. DCI packs the house for the top 12 corps and that's it. All this talk of creating new circuits is great, but it needs to be a national program where every region has its own tour and championships, where corps can travel to maybe 6 or 7 shows through the summer, and compete in a sectional championship.
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There are 19 corps competing in Michigan City Open Class Quarter Finals.
An all time low.
Open Class is not growing folks.
*Correction, Allegiance Elite DOES exist.* - As an all-age corps. Allegiance's Website -
four for nothing....
unless it's color guard rehearsal and then it's "five, six, five six seven eight"
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word
I stand by what I said and would argue BD's 86 arrangement of Channel 1 was about as far from chop and bop as you can get without totally recreating the original piece. -
This thread is right on the money. Quantifiable evidence of the road drum corps programming is going down. While there will be those in favor of /against each method of design, the date is accurate.
I agree with that...Maybe if the judges were to reward long phrases…and dinged extraneous runs and arrangements that only made sense visual context…it’d turn those GE music, visual and overall scores on their head but soon enough, corps would catch on and..but on the other hand, the OP has shown us that the Blue Devils have been using the same formula for over 20 year...so how can that be?
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What a wonderful grasp of geography you have.
WEST COAST!!!!!!! -
Tell you what, when the Bluecoats present the piece with ride cymbal rhythms and a continuous groove, I will admit I am incorrect in my assumption.
Until then I stand by my assertion.
If you think Haitian Fight Song is "pseudo" Jazz, then you know nothing about Jazz. -
Well then as an educator you should know the original post wasn't accurate in their desciption. It's not too much melody - it's the abundance of simple melodic lines with little to no rhythmic challenges. You know, as opposed to the Blue Knights who offer the complete opposite
Combine the two and you have a succesful modern day porgram.
Too much melody? Hmmm....I not defending this past years Colts...or any others, even though I was around for a couple recent years...
I get worried about the educational validity of the activity when I see a comment about too much melody.
Rhythm- Melody- Harmony- Texture- These are the 4 elements of music. I worry that organized sound effects has replaced actual literature.
I am old...
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Ummm, design choices that are better suited to get them into the 1989 finals than 2009?
Poor staffing at key positions?
Just a couple that immediately come to mind..
I don't think the Colts will ever be "this year's Blue Stars". And its really not the kids' fault. There are some super talented kids there, but there are flaws within that organization that will not allow them to make that push. And its too bad too, because that Corps should have been "this year's Blue Stars" a long time ago. -
Well deserved too! Let's hope all those drummers are in the corps in the Summer.
The Oregon Crusaders is very proud of its winter drumline for taking the gold in tonight's WGI competition. Congratulations to all the staff and members, and especially to Jeff Bush and Mike Stevens for their great work!
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not with that staff....
When the season starts, we'll all see whose got the potential. But I will throw in Capital Regiment since we are pretty strong...hornline and drum line are looking really good -
Younger corps and new staff equates to better placement? I question the logic there.
As you and others place the blame soley on the design team from last season I would ask, why did not the management step in when things went awry? Is that not the sign of sound direction? The inadequacies in the visual area have been constant since 2006. New staff has come & gone but improvement has been limited.
I find it odd that all of this is overlooked, espcially by you Mr Brace who have always been a stand up guy and not resorted to homer-ism.
I am sure they provide a great experience for Arizona youth. For that they should be lauded. However, the title of "Next Big Thing" doesn't fit anymore.
I guess everyone has a different opinion as to what a down year means....maybe you are referring to placement last year. I guess if the sole criteria was placement...then your opinion holds water.This year's corps appears to be a bit younger in the horns and especially the drums. Most of the guard from last year is returning from what I've seen so far.
The show this year is called "Ascent" and I've heard portions of the show already. It's a Michael Klesch work and it sounds pretty good already.
As with last year's show, the visual production will make or break this corps. I see some improvement overall from last year and think they will make semis, however, how far up into Friday's schedule I won't hesitate to guess.
I think there was a recent announcement about the City of Tempe adopting the Academy as the official drum corps of Tempe. So they got that going for them for what it's worth.
The most important part of this corps is what they do for the kids in this state. So many HS band programs have had to cease operations because of budget cuts. The drum corps is really providing a ton of opportunities for local kids.
Next camp is the first weekof May and I plan to attend quite a bit of it.
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ah yes "Welcome to Midnight with Q featuring the soft jazz of Charles Mingus. Giggity"
Mingus + Drum Corps =
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OK - so everyone's temporary enthusiasm over pseudo jazz aside - how does a John Lennon ballad, 4 obscure jazz pieces and the Travelers Insrance guy connect?
Did someone say HAITIAN FIGHT SONG in really big letters yet???They did? Oh good! Best pre-season announcement I've heard yet!!!
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Phantom - Nick Scotella
BD - Jay Murphy
Cavs - Michael Gaines
Crown - Leon May
Cadets - Jeff Sacktig
Bluecoats - Jeff Fackler
SCV - Pete Weber
Blue Stars - Kevin Ford
Blue Knights - Marc Sylvester
Crusaders - Brian Murphy
Glassmen - Gilles Oulette
Scouts - Ken Karlin
Jaime Holly - devs
Impulse and Velvet Knights
in DCI Open Class Corps Discussions
Posted
Well for one, go to www.dci.org
Click on the "SCORES" tab
Look up the recap for Open Class Quarterfinals, read.
For another, listen to recordings. The ear does not lie.
If in fact there has been a concentrated effort in creating good quality sound, then it has failed miserably.
If that is the case, ouch.