Kevin Powell

my beef is not with any present marching members... the kids...they are rocking with talent. My beef is with th DCI establishment who took away some very fundamental items within the activity.

We are stuck with it because we seen corps "succeed" with electronics. I put it in quotes because the amped music just sounds bad (personal opinion) The bugles were more symbolic item that changed the activity from drum corps to high quality dancing brass bands. Yes the sound is smaller and strained and adding another 22 people helped a little. But that bugle mystique is gone. They are no longer drum and bugle corps. So the powers that be should be given the freedom to JUST... put high technique shows that are only built to compete. The bugle was just the line in the sand... the trumpets are not the big deal. It was the bugle that truly seperated corps from band. Some people find that entertaining. I personally like soul and heart for my entertainment dollars. I am proud that I can say that I was a lead Soprano player. (not just a trumpet player)

It would take 3 or 4 of the of the top eight corps to play without electronics and amps to even think about making a change. We've lost the horns forever. The horn deal... The corporate deals of lease, purchase, and sale of the marching instruments - while needed because corps are broke - is what killed the G-Bugles The electronics and amps - same deal. It is all about more money avenues and they can happen to sell a few to some marching bands across the country.

2000 - The switch to Bb. I knew when they did this that the rest of this would be soon to follow and I was correct. I took 10 years off after the Bb mandate because there where no longer bugles in drum and BUGLE corps. I came back to amps and electronics. I am now ready for piccolos and clarinets because the Drum and Bugle Corps sound is now gone. After 2 seasons back - that sound I remembered is gone and I am not a fan. The Bb mandate killed the idea of Bugles ever coming back. I am thinking serious about taking another 10 years off just to see if DCI stays or goes away. This is not another one of those "Open Letters", just a fact that I like many others am not proud of the "new drum corps". I am okay with the messing around with movement and all the visuals... but DCI has f'd up sound of the music. I do wish just ONE corps had the balls to MAKE me a fan again. It's not looking good.

So... with all the complaining, what are some solutions?

I too would like to see these gone but I believe that it is up to the corps to remove the elements they do not need. This year we had a couple of shows that had "historically art" themes. I happen to study art history so it got me to thinking.... knowing the history of the art movements of the 20th century and paralleling some of what CAN happen with drum corps. I WAS a person that believed that we should keep the activity somewhat PURE... introducing elements like Bb horns, electronics and so on altered the path AND I am not a big fan of todays corps. This being said, I now believe we should remove ALL BOUNDARIES AND SEE WHERE IT GOES. WHY... Due to the history of art. At the turn of the last century, photography turned the art box of ideals upside down... and scattered it all out on the table. I think we should do the same with Drum Corps. Open up the gamut and see what happens. If history proves itself, corps will follow the same paths that happened within art. Some will become very progressive, electronic and modern. Others will LEARN to deconstruct and create modern yet traditional corps. Post-Modern Drum Corps. The only thing getting in the way of these transformations is the rules. Corps need to find their own roots and their own paths. They need to stop following one another and do their own things. Some will become corps we tradition oriented people are not fans of... others will embrace tradition as their new "theme". This is only way to get back to the ROOTS of the OP. It will be a bumpy road of discovery. It will take HUGE BALLS for corps creatives to reflect backwards and deconstruct traditionalism. The ONE corps that takes this leap of faith will come out on top - on top in the FANs heart and if done well by the contest rules... On top in DCI. (and it will have nothing to do with electronics, themes, Bb, multi-key and so on - It will have everything to do with balls out musicians and marching)

fly fisherman fight over the same junk... bamboo rods have slower action and are handmade. graphite has to fast of an action. Glass rods live half way between. Synthetic flies are cheating only use natural materials. The bikinis can stay... we'll get use to those. EXCEPT THEIR COMPLAINT IS... to many people on the river compared to not enough in the stands.

Competition is the only reason it has changed and grown into something different than what you like. It can step back... but the BOA and USbands high school programs will out perform the corps. Some instances - it is already occuring. High school bands no longer do traditional half time shows either. If you like the traditional halftime... loud and ballsy... pick a few college bands and follow them. That is as close as you will get to "The Way it Was..." that you are talking about.

While I understand this... And it is good that judges judge this to help teach... I have to ask WHY? Why cant the corps OWN the teaching part and the JUDGES OWN the testing part. A large part of good education is learning through experience. Just telling them the answers is actually not helping any one learn. Can I please have the answers to that AP English exam We all just took together. I'm going to take the same exact test tomorrow to see if I get a better grade..... F NO... find the answers on your own and learn something.

Yep... just because the have added more controversy, money, pain in the the ### and nasty ### harsh freakin noise than they have added positive content to any show that uses them. but that is just an opinion of about 60% of the people, old and new. no big deal. Sorry for the turrets like outburst. The amp feedback makes me do it. They have this affect because I only hear complaining about them and have yet to truly hear or see a positive case for them. This rant did not belong in this thread.

now this sounds like a great reason to get rid of speakers.

they convinced me that I was wrong and would have to reinvent the wheel if the judges were not on the field for a just a couple of shows. I really didnt want to argue it anymore. I do have a 20 year old lip scar from a field judge (and i can blame that judge) so I could argue that point. Playing lead sop with a busted lip never heals during tour... just sayin...

I'm good. I was just thinking out loud. Doing that does sometimes get me in trouble but other times it will bring out valid things that could help. A one show different scoring system altogether is a bad idea, I agree. Judges on the field help educate and I think that is great. I did bring up some sort idea to put a checks and balances on the judges to make sure they are balanced and all judging along the same lines. I honestly do not know what they do now or if nothing how to put that system in place. It is just good practice within any sort of judging or quality control setting. It would also take away some finger pointing toward the judging community. I'm also not a fan of how judges insert recommended changes to show and shows evolve over the summer. There is to much evolution within some shows which proves that either they came out with the wrong product up front or they are not quite sure how to correct little stuff. Conflicting ideas may cause the biggest issue. This is just the practical managing designer in me trying to support my teams. There is probably not a resolve for this issue and it is just the way DCI works.

cool. agreed.

No... I knew that answer before I wrote what I wrote. I might be able to name one or two... Nope, keep doing what you've been doing to the best of your abilities. Shoot for the best possible show. I think shooting for judges marks is what is killing some corps. Rather than solidifying what they are doing they end up changing the game plan mid season. This is shooting themselves in the foot. This has been happening for decades now so that will not change. The "evolving" show kills some really great shows that just need to be cleaned. You are correct on this - I did not think the "corps" part through. It would be nice to see a "New" set of experienced eyes during the season (just as a safety net for the judges) - It would prove that the judges are consistent and give them more credit. A checks and balances system for them. I am not sure how it would work and I am not sure what they do now. BD only has an organizational advantage. They have been building that advantage since day 1. I wish people would realize that. As for blaming the judges. You are correct, they will get blamed for the hangnail on that third sop player. It is not the judges fault but people will make it theirs... Judging will always be questioned because parts are so subjective, to complex to explain, to many pieces to put together and so on. I was just thinking out loud to add to the conversation.

wow... the belt buckle nip slip.

or ten...

These are just halftime shows that never perform as a halftime show. I hear what you are saying and some what agree. For the sake of Education and Assessment, I do not agree with your testing analogy. The judging criteria would not change that much, just the basic placement of the judges. As for it being a different set of rules, the rules would be the the same. Personally, I would not want my students prepping for a 50+ multiple choice questions and some essays - I want them to know the material and be prepared to really be tested. Any kind of test - and by any means. Teachers that tell you the format of the test are doing a disservice. This is where standardized assessment test have jacked up the education system - people only learn what they have to. Want to really kick the ant hill and score these corps properly - Put a well seasoned but virgin set of eyes and ears on the corps for the big shows. This would help validate the judging community as well. Test the judges as teachers as well. There are parts of the judging system that are flawed. This might not be one of them. It is useful for the learning process but the judges are not entertaining to watch and or march around. I simply stated a possible solution. No need to get worked up.

So... what are those field judges teaching the kids on finals night? Absolutely nothing that they did not hear all season. The judges on the field may hinder that finals performance but I guess they can correct those issue with editing just like a cracked note in a BD soprano solo. Within education, there is a point within every class that you have to take a test. I am basically saying these big shows are the final test. The constituents are not interested: Yep, they are not interested in many things, compromise being a major one. Thatis pretty normal within much of society today.

Thank you for explaining the educational side of this - that is a great walk through of the process. I actually see this as a great place to compromise. Big Regionals and Finals Week are not the time for the education judges to be on the field, the corps field work should be ready at that point. Simply remove them during these shows. The rest of tour, I would say the corps are still a work in progress and the field judges are extremely useful. I know this can open up another can of discussion that the judging would be different and the sheets would have to be altered for those big events. That is okay, I am sure it could be balanced out.

this could be the next z-pull... It could also be a train wreck or a slow motion bus crash. This would be a great test for a B-Corps (hint BD, SCV, Cadets). Having those resources as not only feeder organizations but also test organizations. On another note... Your explanation of brass "sound". Is this the reason that the g-bugles were perceived as being louder and the overtone series comes out clearer? This is something I always wanted to dig into but never really did. You might not be on the right side of the game to explain it. There are lots of factors including the conical bore of the bugles vs the cylindrical bore of trumpets (marching Bb Cornets could change that). I would love a mathematical reason why I liked the sound of Bugles over today.

Like Boo, I marched three years in corps and four in a corps style High School Marching. I did my share of teaching marching band but never taught the corps side. Experience matters in the sense of what you took out of that time on the field. Some people do not walk away with the same experience - So time cannot be used as a judge. For example, I learned more about music during high school and I learned how to lose gracefully in corps (my high school band never lost a competition). My band experience brought a great deal of parade knowledge to corps - having marched six "major" parades during those four years in band. From my band experience I had greater knowledge of how to listen than many of the people in corps - music was at the forefront of the high school. Corps taught me to expand the dynamic range of the horn and how to really march. Experience in both also brought some friends that will last a lifetime. We all shared common goals, highs and heartbreaks. I have great respect for the leaders of both those organizations and would not trade either experience for the world. Practical world lessons come from outside of the corps community which maybe need to be listed to as experience. How "business" is run, different learning and project ideologies - waterfall vs agile, the view of your product to the consumer, target audience and focus groups, how evolving design through a life of a product can actually damage the original design intent. These are all practical daily experiences from my day job that can be described as experience. Corps is not all drums, brass, guard and a bunch of folks running around. It is a well designed product that needs to be treated as such.

Sorry buddy... that was sarcasm. There are some great show bands but it does not fit the corps world. Find one that is clean and I might change my mind.

..how did they get every accessory possible from the uniform company?

it would be easier to march a John Cage score as sets than play it. As randon as it all sounds... he was extremely particular about his madness. No other artist has influenced my philosophy on hearing and SEEing the way he has. One simple quote says it all: "There is music all around us only if you have the ears to hear it." I use this daily with my visual art as well. It gives even the simple little things meaning and beauty. Does it belong in drum corps? nope... we are not ready.