WPendergrass

Call me crazy, but I think that WGI type programs are the "wave of the future". They more closely resemble performance art that people are used to seeing... like blast, dance competitions, stomp, variety shows. These programs are also farther from marching band, so a lot of the stigma is removed. The death (although it will probably just be a downturn, not death) of football, will put more people in seats of sports that involve less contact... high school basketball. Which is where these indoor groups will swoop in. Basketball already exists on a wide scale, WGI has been growing; it just seems like a perfect fit.

I also have no idea why someone negatived you for a comment/question like that? 95-99 was 14 person contra section.

They marched 14 contras that year. The confusion may arise in the fact that 4 contras are standing in the pit area playing the opening theme with the timps. They step out of the pit and onto the field right after the horns turn around.

I'm not Dapper, BUT... I work with Marching Bands in 13 states. The differences between states with long standing state marching competitions, and those without, is huge. If you have a state marching band competition, much like in high school sports, you are providing an opportunity to crown a "State Champion". This means that the entire activity becomes more competetative. When you can tie the words "State Champion" to anything, you instantly get more support and pressure from fans, family, students, administrators, schools, and the athletic departments. I wouldn't view it as a centralized opportunity to get Drum Corps kids, but I would view it like this... the more competative you make the activity, the more kids like that and seek it out. Those states with state marching put a lot more kids in drum corps, because it is another step in their competetative love of the marching arts.

2000.

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I will now welcome negative marks, by providing gross generalizations. The top graduates of "Music Business" schools are rarely good musicians, themselves. The type of thinking, mentality, organization, etc that it takes to successfully run a business or non-profit is different from what it takes to be a good musician (and in some cases a good instructor/teacher). Not necessarily better or worse, but truly different. We see orchestras and drum corps fail, countless times, over and over again. Why? Because instead of putting people with business savvy in charge, they put musicians in charge. Much like asking a businessman to run rehearsal or teach a sectional would fail, asking musicians to be in charge of large-ish organizations involving money, billing, sponsorships, etc does fail. I imagine that almost everyone involved in this situation has their heart in the right place, but that's not always enough. Sometimes you have to surround yourself with people truly better than you, at what it takes to be successful. Rarely, but sometimes, you find pepole that are great musicians and great businessmen. They come in and rule the roost in our business. Patrick Sheridan is a GREAT example of this type of guy.

In many cases these days, the value of the melt metal far outweighs the numismatic value of the round (it cannot be referred to as a coin because it is not and has never been legal US tender). Assuming they are accurately listed and are bullion based rounds: $1668.00 $32.24 The term "troy" can only legally apply to pure (greater than 98% pure) metals, in the USA. This means that the last coin can't be considered a troy ounce unless it is something other than bronze (because bronze is several materials in one). Assuming it is actually made out of copper (the closest colored item to bronze, that is made into rounds) it is worth about $0.27. Not being able to test these rounds, or see them in person, I have no way of knowing their actual material content. It is possible that they have used the term "troy" when the material is not, in fact, pure bullion. Control of these terms has tightened considerably over the years, because the value of precious metals has risen so much. Ha, so basically, I told you nothing. :)

If I look at pictures long enough, I can find a picture that paints every single top 12 DCI corps in a poor light, visually.

I didn't know you marched 1992 Phantom Regiment?

The corps I marched with aside... The Cadets- Not necessarily their shows, not necessarily George Hopkins. But their members, the organization's ability to maintain tradition and heritage without being stuff, the uniqueness of their traditiions, etc. The Cadets membership never ceases to amaze me. They handle so much adversity, work so hard, go over so many show changes, march with severe injuries, and push themselves in a manner unlike any corps I've ever seen. They do all of this without staff members really making them do it. That's just The Cadets way. Sure they yell and scream sometimes, but the majority of the time the amount of effort these kids put willingly into rehearsals and performances is breathtaking. All corps work hard, this isn't a degradation of anyone else. This is a compliment to The Cadets. I really feel like the members would march through a brick wall if the staff asked them to.

Yes, an "inspirational marching members, overcoming adversity" type thread... probably would have set up the responses better. Mr. Boo making great points, as usual. I feel like the current trend of the thread will turn into more of a "where's waldo" of finding said persons with disabilities in shows, than more a recollection of their incredible feats overcoming adversity many of us never encounter. ---edited--- made the mistake of typing my post while eating Italian food... ended up messing up quite a few things. Thanks, Boo for the PM! Crash and burn this evening. Probably shouldn't post for a day or two to get it out of my system.

Could have definitely been set up better, for sure. People sometimes get themselves in a craw when we talk about soloists... I can't imagine being someone with a mental or physical disability getting called out like this.

Even more awesome they pulled off "Moondance" within that show! Definitely an awesome year for Cadets. Dirty, but awesome.

As a marching member, I marched one year where we only had one "great" show all season long, and that was 2001 Phantom Regiment. That performance was almost like a sigh of relief after the season we had just had. I'm pretty sure the only reason I came back in 2002 was because I listened to the judges "mini-freak out" on the DVD all winter long. As far as watching a performance, 2000 Cavaliers. The edge of chaos, they pushed and hyped that finals performance so hard. Had they performed like they had all that year prior, they wouldn't have won.

The reason there are more baritones, euphoniums, contras in a DCI hornline, than in an orchestra has a lot to do with the acoustics of sound. Lower sounds are less directional. This means a low frequency noise is going everywhere, not just at the audience, whereas the higher a frequency is, the easier it is to "point it at something". In an orchestra hall, you are providing an enclosed space, so even with the sound not being as directional as the trumpet, it has far less places to go. A good example is when a hornline turns backfield when there are no back stands. The trumpet voice becomes almost instantly non-existent, but the tubas and low euphs can be heard very clearly.

I would positive this 100 times if I could.

The NIU thing is infuriating, but the way the clarinet player acts in defense of the bandsman is AWESOME. In real time, there is no thought process, that person's instinct was instantly to protect his/her brethren.

Difficulty comes in many forms, not just spinning. There is some implication that body/dance is easier, in fact, we are especially critical of some hornlines for body. The problem with that, is that dance/body can be just as hard as spinning. It wasn't until I learned more about body that I realized how hard it can be. I used to be extremely critical of guards that did a lot of body movement, until I started marching a WGI unit, myself. Dance/Body isn't something that can just be rote learned, it is an acquired talent. It takes time, dedication, technique, and thousands of hours of study... much like spinning a rifle or a sabre. Not only that, but movement is hard, artistic, and more in line with the current content in DCI. When I watch Drum Corps shows now, I see how the guards more closely resemble the theme and content of the show then they EVER have. Some of the 90's drum corps shows I love and have adored since childhood, when I watch now, I see some guard stuff that absolutely terrifies me. That's not taking away from what the activity was, that's complimenting what the activity has become.

A lot could be said about how different parenting was in general. The family structure then was full of accountability, responsibility, trust, and parents that were parents... not something else. Wow, I sound old. I guess I'm nostalgic for traditional family values, even if I've been alive in an era of their decay.

I saw Francis Howell North last weekend in Independence. The fan network recordings don't do them justice. They are improving by leaps and bounds. Probably the most mature scholastic group I've ever seen in my 12 (yes I'm a youngin) years in the activity. The KC Regional run that most people watch was a pretty weak run for them. Also hard to see on the videos some of the lower body stuff they are doing. First pose (since they have tweaked it) is extremely difficult and they stay in it for as long as the announcers take. In the Independence show, they held this pose for probably 2-3 minutes while the announcer went over some greetings from Francis Howell North Fans. My legs were burning just watching it. Some solid sabre stuff going on all over the show, as well.

Another phone experience... 2002, about 70 of us got food poisoning finals week. The budding internet rumors scared our parents so much they were calling the school we were at during office hours and demanding to speak to us, some even started ringing the pay phones in the hallways. When someone would pick up, they'd come into the gym and yell that persons name out to come take a phone call. It was an odd week.

I don't really agree with that. All of our conversations (not many) have been completely accomodating and cordial, but controversial topics such (such as scoring, judging, show management, corps specifics) he can get very heated and to the point. He doesn't appreciate the controversy, from what I can tell. Seems much more upset by some of the close-mindedness in the activity, than he is happy about it. I could be wrong, but that's what I've gathered in our 8 or 9 conversations in social settings or in passing.

I can't tell your sincerity level here? Cyclist/Cycle? Over literalization, ala Winterguard shows.

I started marching right around the time that cell phones started creeping into drum corps. There was definitely a difference in corps cohesion from year one to my age out year. Bus time after shows early in my marching years was centered around the members, fraternity, and bus interviews. By the time I aged out, it was more about updating media, communicating with loved ones, and trolling DCP (for the very few that had internet back then on their phones). Definitely sad. One corps in particular held out a really long time on the cell phone thing, but I'm pretty sure they broke down and allow them and have for several years now.