agrusch1

This is the mindset in which I determine a show's artistic intent and effectiveness. Writing it down actually makes it seem more complicated than it is : ) From my perspective I can observe (secondhand of course) that drum corps as most everybody alive today has experienced, serves an entertainment purpose versus the "functional" military unit of its origins. Music selection is first the crux of what show design is 60 or so years ago. The show is themeless, but the music follows the conventional fast slow fast formula, the visual emphasis on the precision of the performers more so than the design. Instruments are staged visually as it makes sense musically, generally most shows from the mid 70s - mid 80s. Corps have been developing a reputation with the repertoire they select, plus it's loud and awesome! Then as shows become programatic , the visual design plays more of a role in conveying the theme. The past 25 years have seen some shows convey story lines, SCV Phantom of the Opera an obvious and perennial favorite. Eventually visual packages are able to become a dominant element of show design, Cavaliers 01 and 02 the best yet in my opinion. Now, corps do either of these: portray a concept (one central link or idea) visually (Cavies 02), and/or musically (Star 93, Crown 08, Madison 95); convey a narrative (telling of a story or progression of thought) visually (Cavies 06), and/or musically (SCV 89, Phantom 08, many more). Of course, the more a corps utilizes all 4 of these "realms," the more effective the show will be, for a recent example, Phantom 08 conveyed the narrative of Spartacus through appropriate music selection and visual design very cohesively. I also favor this show because they select music from non-obvious sources that portray the concept of ancient Rome. Mix this with their memorable visual presentation and reenactments, and you have a GE powerhouse. All that remains is the level at which it is performed by the members. I guess I didn't risk much in selecting a show without electronics, but it is undeniably one of the best shows in recent DCI History. The misuse of the new instrumentation capabilities is only part of the problem with this season. I expect all shows to produce tension and release, the anticipation of the expected (corps reputations, classic music and maneuvers), surprise from the unexpected (quotes from popular music in a classical show, exit the stadium as a part of the performance, stabbing the drum major with a spear!), excellent pacing and restraint (varying tempos, show climaxes logically, leaving the best moment for the last minute of the show), a cohesion between the musical and visual design, and most importantly from a design perspective, extremely evident programmatic intent. And again, rip my face off from time to time. Be a drum corps for crying out loud.

I just posted this in the DCA discussion: I see amplification as a non-issue. It's how corps designers have utilized the decreasing restrictions on what can or cannot produce sound. I don't care if there are singers, rock bands, or amplified MIDI sousaphone patches...all I really care about is if it is logically and tastefully incorporated into the show, and with the "elements" I just mentioned, I wouldn't really bank on meeting that objective. I consider drum corps to be a perfectly valid art form. When drum corps was simpler, designers were true artists with the palette they were given. And just like all mediums in art, people will continue to innovate and stretch the existing boundaries, eventually defining a new standard of the art form itself, and that's a good thing. If this actually was the case with today's drum corps, I would be fine, but sadly it's not. The sheer nature of competition forces designers to raise the bar each year, doing something new and different to get the competitive edge. The unfortunate truth is that the designers raising the bar are not even relatively comparable to the innovators of the past. The shows corps continue to put on the field each year are only becoming increasingly more polished turds (in other words, bad art performed really well). Unfortunately, I dislike more of this year's DCI show designs than I approve because of this fact, and I'm not the typical cranky "purist," I'm only 22. So many of this years' shows reuse the same worn-out GE moments MULTIPLE times. Park-and-Barks are awesome, but not every three sets. Electronics might even have tasteful applications if designers followed this logic. Even shows that are designed to be crowd-pleasing are missing the mark (I think I stomached all the "rach on" signs I could handle from Crown in the first 2 minutes, and thats just one example). It's not just drum corps that are guilty, it's marching bands too. What is unique about both activities, more so than other art forms, is that they are both deeply rooted in tradition. Tradition and individual corps history has basically defined the activity as it is today. We still see it in our uniforms, company fronts, music selection, pageantry, etc. However, in an attempt to seem more "artistic" than the competition, both activities are becoming so self-indulgent and "changing for the sake of change" to the point where I'm almost embarrassed to defend the artistic validity of the activity. It's not a question of the rule changes, it's a question of quality. When I go to a concert at Lincoln Center, I expect to see and hear a spectacular performance of logically-programmed high-quality music. I go for a mixture of aesthetic appreciation and emotional release, but I also go to be entertained. I expect the same in drum corps. Say something worth saying, but rip my face off in the process.

I see amplification as a non-issue. It's how corps designers have utilized the decreasing restrictions on what can or cannot produce sound. I don't care if there are singers, rock bands, or amplified MIDI sousaphone patches...all I really care about is if it is logically and tastefully incorporated into the show, and with the "elements" I just mentioned, I wouldn't really bank on meeting that objective. I consider drum corps to be a perfectly valid art form. When drum corps was simpler, designers were true artists with the palette they were given. And just like all mediums in art, people will continue to innovate and stretch the existing boundaries, eventually defining a new standard of the art form itself, and that's a good thing. If this actually was the case with today's drum corps, I would be fine, but sadly it's not. The sheer nature of competition forces designers to raise the bar each year, doing something new and different to get the competitive edge. The unfortunate truth is that the designers raising the bar are not even relatively comparable to the innovators of the past. The shows corps continue to put on the field each year are only becoming increasingly more polished turds (in other words, bad art performed really well). Unfortunately, I dislike more of this year's DCI show designs than I approve because of this fact, and I'm not the typical cranky "purist," I'm only 22. So many of this years' shows reuse the same worn-out GE moments MULTIPLE times. Park-and-Barks are awesome, but not every three sets. Electronics might even have tasteful applications if designers followed this logic. Even shows that are designed to be crowd-pleasing are missing the mark (I think I stomached all the "rach on" signs I could handle from Crown in the first 2 minutes, and thats just one example). It's not just drum corps that are guilty, it's marching bands too. What is unique about both activities, more so than other art forms, is that they are both deeply rooted in tradition. Tradition and individual corps history has basically defined the activity as it is today. We still see it in our uniforms, company fronts, music selection, pageantry, etc. However, in an attempt to seem more "artistic" than the competition, both activities are becoming so self-indulgent and "changing for the sake of change" to the point where I'm almost embarrassed to defend the artistic validity of the activity. It's not a question of the rule changes, it's a question of quality. When I go to a concert at Lincoln Center, I expect to see and hear a spectacular performance of logically-programmed high-quality music. I go for a mixture of aesthetic appreciation and emotional release, but I also go to be entertained. I expect the same in drum corps. Say something worth saying, but rip my face off in the process.