Cadets98

Yes.

Double post.

They had a Donnie Van Doren style brass team there then. That system is like running the wish bone offense. People can get impatient cuz it's not a flashy pedagogy even though it very much works. No, space chords or the like. So, a change was made after an off year in 2011. I'm really not sure of the specifics. It's sad cuz that brass staff was stellar.

Lots of visual over music as negatives on here. I could not agree more! Please tilt it back towards music.

Fair criticism of my drum corps career. However, all of my changes have been for moving forward or taking a break from drum corps. I've never been fired. I can tell you that I'm very happy where I am now and plan to stay there as long as they'll have me. I still would rather have the life that I have now which is not making much money to a life that may be more secure but not as satisfying. I still believe if you love it, practice it so you are great at it, and then do it no matter what it is. I think about Jeff Prosperie as an example. He plays snare drum for a living!! Would he be happier if he sold insurance? I can't speak for him but I couldn't imagine. Nothing wrong with selling insurance but if someone with great musical talent is not using it to be more secure financially then I think they are making a mistake. We would all be missing out if Properie would have taken the road more travelled. And that's just one example. 1000's of examples of people who have followed their dream and 1000's more of people who wished they had. Don't let fear hold you back is my advice. Sure some band programs are dying. And also some band programs still spend a whole lot of money if not more than ever. As you know, many people's careers involve just writing for drum corps, marching band and winter programs. And they do just fine. Get to stay at home with the kids. Anyway, I could go on forever but I think my point is made.

I know. We lost a good judge in McGrath. Really good. I know it's good for Cavies, but as a staff member, I'm gonna miss mcGrath as a judge. Quality judges do not grow on trees.

Actually, Mike Jackson's role as caption head in 2012 was a lot different to his as caption supervisor in 2013. He spent a lot less time with us in 2013 as in about a week of tour. Roger ran the show last year with just a little oversight here and there from Mike. Bluecoats will be fine. And awesome pickup for BK.

Dude. It's really not that bleak. If you are great at what you do, you will get paid to do it. I was the first person in my graduating class to get a directing job even before I graduated and I turned it down to go do Blast. Now one does have to be good, but to me if you have a passion and you are good at it and you choose something else out of fear or looking for security, then you've missed out. C'mon man. The Road Less Traveled. Honestly don't listen to me. Just watch this. Absolutely beautiful. And this video inspires me to keep coming back to teaching drum corps because I love it so very very much. And they do pay me a reasonable fee to do it that puts food on my table. Imagine that.

I really hope you are wrong.

Agreed!

If I had recordings of what the brass first sounded like on the bleachers you would not think it was so easy. Crazy listening environment. Each kids bells pretty much right into the ears of the kid in front of them. So, each kid has to go on physical sensation alone since they really couldn't hear themselves well definitely not hear to their left and right. Kids were overplaying. Timing issues galore. One bleacher had no idea what the other was doing. Again, they couldn't possibly hear across. Tubas way in front so no using them for pitch. They weren't just sitting there. Lots of choreography, playing with one hand, leaning on the 45. And the melody in the trumpets, full of 6ths and 7ths in a legato style. Oh, and did you notice they were behind the 2nd hash. Al Lo, tried to go there as you did early season and we had to educate him as well. For the rest of the show, we were running. I say more visual demand than the teams in our area. We let Jon do his thing regarding the visual content. Regarding the music staff not allowing visual to do their thing, no such thing at all. We worked together with those guys and again let them do what they see as best. Believe me when I say that the music staff wants to see the corps succeed visually, obviously. With "caption bleed" high visual scores help brass and percussion scores and vice versa. There is no holding back of visual scores or teaching by the music guys. You are right that by and large Bluecoats play better than they move historically but trust that the full staff would love to see that trend change. I really think you are grasping for straws. Decent hypothesis. Just not correct.

Even if you don't make it, you'll learn a lot. We also help kids who just miss the cut get into other brasslines. There really is nothing to lose when auditioning for the Bluecoats. Best of luck!

The sound is god awful in there. I can barely give accurate feedback to my students. It really is a travesty. I know it sounds like I'm exaggerating but when you work so hard all summer to get something at a high level and your season culminates in the worst acoustics of the year it's nothing short of a travesty. I know we are stuck there for a while unfortunately. Maybe a miracle can occur. But please never again after we get out from underneath the contract. Derek Gipson

Unfortunately it's Indy again. It's a shame that members of drum corps music staffs like myself train our kids to sound great all year only to culminate the season in the worst acoustical environment of the summer. I feel like I can barely give accurate feedback to my students on how they performed. I hope DCI never makes this mistake again.

In response to people who don't want to do research for a show, BD encouraged me to research DaDaism last year. And drum corps since I was a kid has encouraged me to learn more about music and art. For instance, I learned about Shostakovich's music after falling in love with mid 80's SCV. Curious to know why an anti-intellectual stance is considered a positive trait when it comes to being a critic of drum corps. Research and expanding knowledge whatever the reason is always good. In fact, I don't know much about Einstein on the Beach and now, I'll go research it. Thanks Carolina Crown.

My favorite Bluecoats brass lot recording. Sorry, I don't know how to make the screen come up on the page.

Thanks man. To be fair, I am not an alum but I did perform with Blast. I actually got to live in Star hall before it was no more. Some of my best friends in the activity are Star alums. I have yet to meet Josh though. Very little known fact, Carolina Crown brass played A minor in 99. That's where I was first exposed to it. Ray LInkous rewrote it for Bb's for Blast as a warm up too. He put it in concert C minor, which was a little too low, IMO. We did not play it very much.

Cadets 89. Surprised no one has said this. Pre-show was so very much part of the show. Doesn't start till after the announcement.

This is called "A Minor". It was written by Josh Talbott. Josh was a mellophone member. I'm not sure when he aged out. He was the pink elephant in the 87 circus show. He also wrote a piece for four mellophones and four baritones called Split Complentaries. It received a perfect 100 at I&E in either 92 or 93. I'm not sure which. This piece was also in Blast as the violet piece with the worm motion. And I didn't even march there. Just a drum corps geek and a Star fan.

Wait, we are seriously going to have acoustic purists out there criticizing this?!?!?!? Unbelievable. Probably the best use of sound effects ever. It totally made the effect of the moment. Listen to the crowd react to the coins. Its an iconic sound, without it, not effective, just a big ole box with a question mark. Come on! I don't like it when people over-use electronics either but this is NOT an example of that at all. Great use of pre-recorded sounds.

Jeff aged-out of Regiment in 88 as the I&E Snare drum champion He taught me in the Expressions Drum and Bugle Corps as percussion caption head in 89 He then was on staff with PR from 90-95. Marty Hurley wrote the book until 92, then Prosperie took over in 93-95. I'm positive about all of this except for the till 95 part but I know he wrote in 93 and assuming he wrote in 94 and 95 as well as there were no staff changes there in percussion until 96.

Great to see so much love for Bluecoats. Here's a great lot recording!