drepsed

Welcome back Brigs!

1997? Tough? Can't possibly know what you mean... Bucs have made it through rougher transitions than this, that's for sure! Jimmy has a great leadership team, and I'm sure the gears are already beginning to turn...you don't just forget how to do things because one or two take their talents elsewhere.

Just a few thoughts to consider... 1) There is an excitement and a thrill in being part of the building a solid championship-caliber corps. The thrill I got in 1996 when Bucs (who at that time were pretty close in size to the current A corps) broke back into the top 10 is, honestly, a life changing moment. We worked HARD getting members and refining that show (and the organization as a whole), and the emotional reward we as members experienced in 1996 was, IMO, on par with winning any show out there. 2) From a brass perspective, there is the ability, in small corps, to have a personal, direct influence on each performer in the corps. In large corps, the still-developing ("weaker") members can get lost and, because of the numbers, can STAY lost all year as long as they know their drill. In a small corps, with 2 or 3 at most on a part, each member is FORCED into equal contribution at all times. There is no "you 12 play this run and you 3 just move your fingers" hosing possibilities. The staff is required to help elevate each performing member's skills on an individual basis and each member is required to contribute everything they have. That dichotomy encourages (almost forces) the personalized attention to each musician. 3) In the professional sense, it is the difference between a 3 on one or 4 on one "master class" as opposed to a 15 or 20 on one standard class...there are reasons why schools tout their "small class sizes" and "personalized attention"! If you look at what we do as educational as opposed to competitional, for the dues-paying member, they can derive more value, more "bang for ther buck" from a smaller class size. Further, it allows the stronger members to take a newer member personally under their wing and help them to grow even more. 4) From a young member perspective, many parents are more comfortable taking their teens to a small, close corps where they can know every member there and stop by to watch whenever they like. An extra 20 or 30 minutes distance may not seem like much to us "senior members" but they can mean a great deal to parents. The more opportunities we provide for younger members to participate, the greater chance there is of those members either sticking with performing or, at the very least, creating some life long fans of the activity. 5) Just by the numbers: 3 corps = 30 minutes of entertainment...1 corps = 10 minutes. Some people only find themselves entertained by the "big" corps, and that's OK, but many people find the smaller corps to be just as entertaining. For those people, the more shows the better! To expand the concept further, 12 smaller corps can field two 6-corps shows in different geographical areas where combining them on a 3-1 basis into 4 corps can only provide one show in one area. For the non die hard fans (aka, the casual or "new" fans we are trying to cultivate), the closer the show is to them, the more likely it is that they attend. 6) If we do go back to the old days, the multitudes of community corps did not start as 135 member giants. They were small and those with a solid foundation grew. Further, from a business sense, advertising dollars from the mega-companies may go to the large corps, but ad and sponsorship dollars from the local community businesses will more likely go to a corps in their community. More community involvement = more community support for the activity = continued and growing support (and fan base!) for the activity as a whole.

Time to raise the roof...FUSION style! Do you hear that rumble in the distance? Those tribal drums? AfriCORE is coming...are you ready? P.S. We have 1 Trumpet, Baritone and Tuba spot available as well as 3 guard spots. You KNOW you want to be a part of this...if you dare! Why just watch, when you can experience it from within? Fusion Core presents AfriCore: Untamed - Survival, Savannah & Stampede! (edited to add the link!)

Oh no, I'm going to be surrounded by Cabs! Looking forward to a GREAT season!

If life is measured by the number of lives one touches, George Parks has a prominent place among the angels. RIP, my brother.

I marched only DCA...had a chance for my age-out to try out for Phantom but, because of costs and a desire to help Bucs rebuild, I decided to stay in DCA. There is very little I regret in that decision. Of course, that WAS 1996...

MEGA-thanks to all the staff for their excellent work tonight!!

deleted due to author's stupidity!

Quick study of the recaps... Bucs did not win any subcaption by more than 2 points. Going straight across the recap (+ is points higher than 2nd; - is points below first): GE +1; tie; +2; +1; +1; -2; +2; -1 Vis +1; +1; +2; +1; -1; tie Mus +1; +2; -3; tie; +1; +1; +2; +2 This isn't a "judges gave a 99+"...this is just the way the numbers worked out.

Could someone post the link for the recap?

Wow. Just...wow. These corps are filled with KIDS...EACH working their *** off, not for money, but for the sheer thrill of performing for the crowd. EACH performer is striving to be the very best they can be and let the scores fall where they may. These kids COULD be the ones you read about in the paper robbing stores or shooting each other or any one of a NUMBER of things our youth today have a growing propensity to do. EACH of these kids are the "good kids"...the ones with a work ethic and personal pride and drive to become productive members of society. These are not professional athletes earning millions and could care less about the fans. These are, for lack of a better term, true role models for others of their age. Cheer your favorite corps, but support each and every performer and corps out there. Sorry if that was a soap box...and yes, these are just my thoughts!

I remember standing on the field for retreat in '96, just thrilled that we got back to finals, then hearing the Cabs announcement. Since I didn't see either show, I could not say for certain what happened on the field, but I know there were a LOT of gasps on the field proper from many different corps. I also know we were consoling many sad performers that night...took a bit of the wind out of our return to finals...at least for me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaphragmatic_breathing It most definately helps with playing your instrument...as you said yourself, lung expansion! If you are breathing incorrectly, as many instrumentalists do, simply relaxing or focussing on the music will not solve the problem. Some of these "tricks", or techniques, will indeed help (though resistence breathing would not be one of them). We do breathe correctly naturally, but if someone has been doing it incorrectly for years, simply relaxing will not break the habit. However, I would agree that a good teacher aids the process. AEA!

All very good suggestions, but the best one is practice, practice, practice! Correct breathing should be automatic. If you are thinking about breathing, or relaxing, in your show, you are not performing your show, but just "blowing notes". When I taught newbies how to properly breathe (some "newbies" have MANY years of experience, but still shrugged their shoulders when they breathed), I had them do their breathing exercizes lying flat on their back. This will develop diaphramatic breathing. Then, still on your back, play your show (with your instrument if you can, with your mouthpiece if you cannot). NOTE where it seems natural to breathe (it is OK to drop a note or 3 to breathe in the long passages...just don't play a note "halfway"). MARK these in your music, as if they were notes! Make sure you compare notes with the rest of your section so y'all are breathing different spots. If you are not used to breathing correctly, these sessions on the floor will HURT the muscles of your stomach...that is natural as they strengthen. You should breathe this way every moment of your life, so strengthen those muscles! Finally, when you are standing, practice the show with the breaths in the same place all the time. Practice it until it becomes automatic. Remember, your show is about communication to the audience. Breathing and fingers just get in the way if you think about them. Make them automatic so your entire focus is on communication with your compatriots!