Spiritdad

Both shows are pretty ridiculous. BTW, the re:rite of spring on the recording is not the entire show. They make you wait for the closer. Should be a great summer of drum corps.

I have been watching this discussion and others like it for quite some time now. Honestly, I feel that some of the people on this forum really need a reality check of their own. It's disgusting the way some of them speak about corps and performers, all of whom are out there busting their butts in the blazing heat to perfect their respective shows. It may be your right to dislike a show...but you are simply not a fan if you can't recognize the hard work of young performers then come here to complain about them and the shows they perform. Drum Corps shows, just like high school marching band shows are not judged by the audiences. They are judged on their technical merits in areas such as playing, spinning and marching. Hopefully the shows that are played the best, have the best guard work and marched the best will ultimately be the winners. The corps who wish to win will continue to design shows for the judging community. If DCI allowed "audience participation" style judging the activity would surely fail. Please have a look at the careers of the artificially created American Idol performers vs. those who got to the charts the old fashioned way. Generally speaking aside from their time on the show and the time on the Idol tour...they don't enjoy the same kind of real success as other artists. Do you really want the average audience member "judging" shows? Think about in real depth for a little while. We are lucky that DCI offers marching shows from so many different styles and viewpoints. I'm the parent of a current marching member (and proud!)and even in the heat of this summers competition I can completely appreciate Crown's hornline, SCV's percussion, Phantom Regiments guard, BD's visual/marching excellence. In fact at the San Antonio regional I found things I enjoyed during EVERY SINGLE SHOW. I clapped for every show, because I appreciate all of the work that goes into each and every show. Drum Corps is "re-invented" every summer. I'm glad it continues to push boundaries so we all get to see new and different approaches. Maybe it's time that some of you quit with all the negativity and get back out to more shows to support this activity. Or not. I guess it's up to you. You are probably not getting enough "entertainment" in your life if you spend all of your time in this forum complaining.

Boston Crusaders is having a dress rehearsal performance at their spring training site The New Hampton School, in New Hampshire this evening at 7:00 pm their time. If all goes well, the school will post a livestream video of the performance on their website. Please visit the Boston Crusaders facebook page for more information as the day progresses. I am of course looking forward to this show!

I just believe drum corps is the only place you consistently see timpani playing being pushed to a whole new level. The techniques that timpanists learn today in a classical setting are mostly the same techniques timpanists were learning 100 years ago. Since the invention of the pedal mechanism I feel the art has stagnated a bit. There are lots of challenges, yes, but these challenges lie in a certain box I feel composers are comfortable in. Excellent point you have made!

I'll have to disagree with the first part of your statement. I actually make a good portion of my living playing timpani. My son was a drum corps timpanist and so are many of his friends. We have a pretty good collection of recent timpani show music, warm-up material and I&E solos. I can promise that the majority of the orchestral repertoire is no where near as technically challenging as current drum corps timpani literature. It is true that generally speaking, drum corps timpanists are asked/told to play with great force while playing with the ensemble...but that does not mean they lack "touch" or sound quality at lower dynamic levels. I'll submit two examples: My son has been lucky enough to have been a lesson student of both Matt Jordan and Tyler Sammons. Both are phenomenal players, wonderful teachers and great guys. I can promise that sound quality was the first thing they addressed. Not too long ago, some people on this same forum were blasting Spirit '09 for using an electric bass. I think that some people even said they could have or should have used timpani instead. Now, not very much later some people here are suggesting it is somehow Ok to get rid of timpani and replace them with electric bass or synth. I do agree that not all shows require timpani. I am also intimately familiar with the cost and difficulty involved in using those instruments. However, if there are timpani sounds required in a show those sounds should be produced by a timpanist playing a timpani, not by a synthesizer. There are several great kids playing timpani this summer who would probably agree with me. Try to remember that when you are saying it's ok to not use timpani...what you are really saying is that it's ok for those kids to no longer have a place on the field.

You do have some valid points. Timpani are a PITA to lug around...since most current high school and indoor percussion programs are not actively using timpani they are not really being taught well. Because kids don't get quality timpani instruction at lower levels that talent isn't being passed along into the drum corps idiom. How many high school age timpani players can play all 12 major scales on timpani? And for all you nay-sayers out there, yes that and much more is possible! Please don't forget the very real contributions of recent players like: Aaron Spevak, Tyler Sammons, Erik Kosman, Matt Jordan, Montana Marlbro, Amanda Montemayor...all of those kids played an vital role in the shows they played in. There are many more very fine players...and some who will not ever get a chance to play timpani in a drum corps if that position continues to be eliminated.

Drum Corps timpani does seem to be a dying art form. My son played timpani for the previous two seasons, but this year is not playing timpani. Here are some of the corps that currently do not have timpani positions: Crossmen, Carolina Crown, BlueCoats. It is true that timpani are expensive, difficult to transport and maintain while on tour...but, honestly the drum corps activity is the only place that is actually pushing the level of technical timpani playing upwards in a way that classical timpani performance is not. I hate to see it slowly be squeezed out. BTW, My son does own and play on a set of Yamaha 7200 timpani. For those saying it's OK to just get rid of them..remember that most college music programs do require an entrance audition that includes snare, mallets AND timpani...and sometimes drumset.

Please vote to support these corps, even if they are NOT your favorite. Remember that every one of these corps provides a valuable learning experience for kids! It only takes 20 seconds to vote. Oh, and please vote for Spirit as well!

I believe Spirit still has horn spots open.