76strad
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Posts posted by 76strad
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So my trumpet section at my HS has been getting overly stressed, and it's now getting negative and people are yelling at each other and what have ye. It's getting to swamp me and the other two section leaders to where we've had atleast one of us snap once a week. Not that we're wimps or anything, but just take my word for it that it's very physical and all that. I'm not gonna go into debate here, but Andy Tye (our drill writer) has said some our stuff is the best he's ever had put down on the field etc.
So back to my original question. What were any techniques or things you did that relaxed nerves or especially got people focused for competitions? Anything goes. The three of us were picked as sec ldrs cause we were the best leaders, but things are getting away from us kinda fast, so anything you did back in the day or 3 months ago would be appreciated.
Sorry if this is vague, got home from practice.
Thanks
(no attacks please)(we want to handle this soley in our section, no outside help)
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Are there such things as "fan phases?" The question kinda came to me yesterday (Fri) when my friends and I had a usual Marching band/incorporated Drum Corps talk, and somehow we got on the subject of how Pioneer "sucks" and for once I didn't bash them, I somewhat denounced the "sucking" statement. Furthermore, when Madison & Cavies were called a "Sausage Fest" and I got really p'od.
So I looked at people I know who have been DCI fans for around 6 months to a year and they are hard corps (that was a pun) in saying that "Bluecoats" or "Crown" had the best show and should have won, or it's their fav corps is amazing and all other corps utterly suck no matter what. I thought a little bit after that observation, and realized, "hey I went through the same "phase"" Just my own personal opinion. I used to be really hard core Crown is the best in everything, no one desearves to beat them. Now I'm pretty much a hard core Cavaliers fan, yet I can appreciate and understand other corps from a different view. After all looks who's marching professionally and who isn't.
Anyways, take what you wish from this, off to the Docs. See ya later DCP.
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(my knee still hurts from 93, when we had to march the closer up hill, both ways, in the snow, and we had to chase the brontosaurus off the field before finals could start).
Back in the day when you had to walk 10 miles in the show barefoot just to get to school?
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I love how they did this year, I hope they can keep the sucess up for years to come
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I may hate yall alot, buuut I have to admit being THAT CLEAN is very admirable. good job..........
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Troopers, '08. I saw on DCP around the beginning of July that they had a lead trumpet hole (I think TerriTrooper or someone similarly named posted it), then met up with them in Kansas and hopped on the bus. I had pretty much no idea what to expect since it was my first and only drum corps experience since I went to basic training (National Guard Band) for my age out year.
I always wanted to march BD, but I really enjoyed my time with the Troopers, and I'm extremely thankful they gave me the opportunity to perform with them.
cool beans, my director marched for them for like 8 years back in the 80s
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Yep, I had a sleeping bag and flat pillow for my corps bed. Wasn't even aware that inflatable beds were used so often (I joined the corps mid season to filla lead trumpet hole).
who'd you march for?
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lol Alright cool. When I marched I wasn't aware that staying in a hotel was even an option for a DCI corps, the comfortable beds and AC would seem like a huge distraction for me (I could barely get off the gym floor without wanting a few more minutes of rest, and my air mattress popped so I was literally sleeping on the gym floor :P ).
bad on your back I presume
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If Cavies win....I will run naked through the streets of Athens, TN
maybe the people of Athens will root for BD now....
Yeah, Murfreesboro may not respond well if you did that down here
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Original prediction;
Quarterfinals - Cavaliers overtake Bluecoats. DONE!
Semifinals - Cavaliers take 2nd LESS than a Point behind Devils. DONE!
Finals - Cavaliers win by .55.
2 out of 3 accomplished!
Tomorrow night the Green Machine will BLOW THAT PLACE DOWN!
Doubt if you will, we Believers know better!
I have a 20 dollar bet with a friend that cavies will beat Devs
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So I had just remembered that I was gonna ask this like 2 wks ago when I saw a corps practicing, but I saw regiment emblems and what say ye between the shoulder blades, kinda center of the back.
Leads me to this, is there just something when you march that makes ya wanna tattoo a corps ensignia on your back or what?
and secondly, How bad would it hurt to get The Cavalier Standing Man on your back or The Boston Crusaders Griffin? just curious.
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Please clarify when this "back in the day" event occurred. I would guess the time period was mid to late 60's , possibly very early 70's. Those members grandkids are probably marching now and are a lot nicer :-).
Mid 80s-early 90s
oh and my bad on the mix up of retreat and tunnel.
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Thanks for the replys, I didn't know that they had changed directors in the past few years.
haha I do remember my band director telling stories of "back in the day" when the Troopers (he was in that) and BAC would stand next to each other in the tunnel. Of course he said Boston was "Mean in the tunnel"
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How come Boston scores so low? I mean I understand maybe a talent body may not be there in some years (take Phantom for example)(And I refer to the talent body to make top 3, cause they are good dont get me wrong), but I always adore their show designs and I was just wondering what their staff is like in your views, since most of you are more educated on Boston than I am.
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Since we've heard so much about why (in great detail) the Blue Devils "deserve" to lose, and/or why some other corps will righteously take the title away from them (remember 08! and so on), I'll just go ahead and bluntly say why I think that NONE of these groups deserves the title over BD this year.
Cadets are too CHEESY. Have been for years, save perhaps for last year (overbearing pit notwithstanding). But basically they used to be much more deep and thus deserving imho.
Bluecoats, well, now that I think of it I'll have to give them a pass. They're cool. If they win, I'm okay with it (I don't think they will).
Cavies are bland and repetitive, you could impose one years' music on another years' drill and it would be pretty much the same thing. In other words, consistently BORING imho.
Crown is a COPY-CAT with nothing new to offer, that's what happens when you hire staff from the past. In their case, staff from the past, hired from the past. So they're a shadow of a shadow. Something like Garfield, something like Star, nothing new or different imho.
So that's why I think Blue Devils (or, as it occurs to me just when I wrote this, Bluecoats lol) DESERVE the title as an original, innovative, and amazing corps.
on BC yeah I agree
on CC yes I concur
on BDs #### no
on Cavies, michael gaines is a BEAST of a drill writer and not really, you can't really overlap music, they've gotten alot louder so I think they desearve to win, them and BC atleast.
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3) Why do the Cavaliers seem to have a monopoly on arresting rifle/flag tosses? It adds such a cool effect to shows, and no one else seems to do it. Regarding Cavies show, a lot of people talk about show concept/themes nowadays. I work in a concept heavy business (advertising). Now, that being said, what the heck was the concept for their show? Was it anger? Was it a Full Metal Jacket homage? It seemed hackneyed conceptually. Especially with the "Mad World" pop song being thrown in there....Maybe it was madness, but just because a song has the word "mad" in it, doesn't mean it's going to flow together. I give this show concept a "WTF?" Especially with the masks at the end in the guard. What the heck was that anyway?
I went with where a soilder was remembering what he had gone through and all, then in the whole expanding/contracting circles and the guard with masks on, the soilder went crazy. Then at the end I went with that he is now back to normal and what not etc.
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Truth, I get one class (I think it's a semester) at the college I plan on going to, and it mainly is to teach you basic formations and how to use pyware. Although, call me a bit geeky, but I have a dry erase board with a football field on it, and I have some hand drawn formations I came up with. Most of em suck, but a few are actually kinda cool.
some are kinda like variations on other drill moves that other drill designers come up with, but hey, ya gotta learn somewhere and somehow. My band Director wrote for the Troopers in the early 90's if I remember right.
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Well, you may get 1 class on drill in college. It may be marching band techniques or something like that, and 10-15 weeks is not really enough time to be an expert on marching... It will depend on the college you go to of course.
Truth, I get one class (I think it's a semester) at the college I plan on going to, and it mainly is to teach you basic formations and how to use pyware. Although, call me a bit geeky, but I have a dry erase board with a football field on it, and I have some hand drawn formations I came up with. Most of em suck, but a few are actually kinda cool.
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Your welcome! Now go do it.....we need knew judges out there.....here....take this weapon, you will need it.
THIS
IS
MY
RIFLE
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First it helps to have a marching background.....preferrably in corps. Depending on what you judge, a bachelor's degree or preferrably a masters degree in music would be highly suggested and required.
Start by making practice tapes. You can do this in the crowd or on the sideline on the field, depending on the venue. Get yourself a little recorder and some tapes or a digital recorder.
Depending on what you are judging, make sure that you have obtained a copy of the sheets used for that particular show and that you understand, completely, inside and out, the criteria and lexicon used for the caption in which you are judging.
You might want to start by judging marching bands in the fall (from the sideline or crowd), get some experience judging indoor stuff and during the DCI season. During the DCI season, start with open class and earlier in the season with World Class. Keep making tape after tape and continue to comb over the criteria. You can even do this with videos of marching bands, indoor guards and percussion, as well as DCI. You will be working on creating a judging philosophy based off of the criteria.
Again, practice tapes are a must. Pick a caption that you want to judge and go at it. I would start with marching season, send tapes in and have them reviewed and critiqued. Take that critique and then make practice tapes during indoor season. Send those tapes in and have them reviewed and critiqued. Take that critique and then do the drum corps season. It may take some time. I would suggest that you send the tapes directly to DCI. You may want to send them to Gary Markham, but I would call to find out exactly who is to get your tapes, because there are different head judges for each caption. Eventually, depending on your success rate, you will be put on the field or in the box to do practice tapes. Don't quote me on this, but I have asked these questions with local DCI judges that I am in contact with on a regular basis.
You may also keep an eye open for any judging seminars that are offered. You may also want to speak directly to a judge, if you have the contact to do so.
Keep at it, adjust and learn. By all means leave your bias at the door.(wish judges today could do that). Keep in mind that you are there to provide growth, not give criticism, nor tell the designers how to design. Be entertained and reward and provide suggestions for growth based off of the criteria on the back of the sheets.
If anyone out there can answer this better.....please do, as I do not want to completely mislead this young man.
Good luck!
Thankyou, that was a ton of info that is much appreciated. Sounds like I could start making a few tapes on any free saturday night; once i'm in college and get a little more educated on Drill and Music of course.
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The best avenue to prepare oneself to become a future DCI judge when you are young is to secure your high school diploma and to then to join the Ringling Bros. Circus for 36 months.
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Just curious, but how does one go about becoming a DCI judge? (Im only in HS so I know I can't, but I am curious as to how people that can and are able to go about it)
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Well my mom is all for it, my dad is completely against it.
I told him I plan to march and he was like "how are you gonna pay for it?" Of course both of my parents are paying for my car insurance, gas, and a reasonable amount of my college and pvt lessons when they come around. So long as I keep my grades up, cause then they can afford to (by doing so I get a $4000 yearly scholorship from the state
) My mom has a position at her work where I will work for 10 hour days for the whole summer etc. and she says save up for it and march it. My dad says "there is nothing wrong with marching MCDC" which there isn't but when I have my band director (who HAS done it) telling me he has no doubt I can make a top 3 corps straight out of high school I rather lean toward going for the big time. Plus my dad is against me practicing 3 hrs a day "when I could work and make money for college" pisses me off honestly. My dad supports me in what I do, but I'll walk in one day with my drill chart a week before anyone else has one heh heh heh, and say hey! im dancing with some guard girls this year, I get blown off and yelled at because he "doesn't know what that means." Odd thing is though, when i'm upstairs practicing the Marcello Trumpet Concerto, he walks up and is always telling me my pitch. He never took one minute of any music class but he has pitch perfect ears, as in he is right in sync/just as accurate with my 150 dollar tuner. But yeah both my parents support me, yet my dad gets really irritated because all I talk about for half the year is Drum Corps then Marching Band, as DCI season starts in may and marching band ends in Nov. so you know, it's whatever. 
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I was wondering what the majority on here feel about seeing guys wearing dresses in color guards? Does this bother anyone?
Why do the designers insist on doing this?
if we're talking things other than togas and kilts then yes it bothers me, but then again....... I will keep my trap shut cause the whole DCP will drop the A-bomb on my head if I continue.
What did the "Demons" throw on the field last night?
in DCI World Class Corps Discussions
Posted
I was at the show in m'boro last night (where I live). I have not been keeping up at all over the summer so I was pretty excited to go and catch up on the slack. So when the Cadets came out "Team Demon" started throwing cones and what have ye. Then I saw someone chuck a trumpet like 20 yards. Who ever chucked that... was that a real horn?
(I love Cavaliers, but the Cadets show was my favorite) by the way, I never saw if they switched it out for a playable horn, so I was wondering if it was the actual playing horn someone decided to chuck. Ima quit typing.