Quad Aces

I didn't take this as a negative thing. Your mileage may vary.

Ok, thanks for the response. What happened to Pioneer competitively that is (again, there is more to this activity than competition) after that?

I for one (and I'm sure there are plenty of others) value your detailed insight into the Cadets every year. I hope you reconsider and continue to post as in the past.

Being the Pioneer thread, I'm sure most people here realize, but I wonder how many people outside this thread know that Pioneer DOMINATED Div. 2 (today's Open Class) not all that long ago (and Div. 3 before they moved up). Think BDB and SCV Cadets of today. While this activity is not all about the competition, Pioneer seemed to struggle competitively ever since the move to Div. 1 (now World Class). Can anyone shed some light on why they struggled competitively with this transition to Div. 1/World Class? I understand there are inherent challenges that need to be overcome with with such a move - I guess I'm looking for something more detailed. I also understand the challenges with remaining true to your corps identity, but others have accomplished that and remained successful competitively (relatively speaking or not even). Again, does anyone have any more detail about Pioneer's transition to Div. 1/World Class other than the above?

Lol - after typing that, I actually thought this would be your response! Anyway, really looking forward to hearing BD's show this year (and everyone else's too)! Can't wait for the movie event to get here and kick off the season!!

Well, apparently you can't spell it without SCV either...rut roh :)

Could I get some candy too, please? Thanks!!

At the fast or slow recording speed?? I'm a brass guy, so kudos to you either way!! Lol

I second 1996 Blue Devils. Was at finals live, and went down low on the 50 about 15 rows up for the encore. That opening hit - holy schnikes...

Exactly! I had the same reaction when the composer of the fanfare that BD is using this year tweeted that they are using one of his pieces a month or so back. Clearly the drum corps "outsiders" don't understand the rules of the Cone of Slience game :)

A couple of thoughts after hearing the confirmation of Cadets' music selections for this year: 1.) I'm very interested in seeing this show - love Bernstein's Mass, and can't wait to hear their take on it. Looking forward to this one! 2.) Now that they presumably have secured the rights (which looks to have been a pretty difficult process, so kudos to the Cadets) - why wait to announce the theme? I'm sure by now they know what the theme is, and they aren't waiting on rights anymore to release, which is a common reason given here on DCP for a delay in releasing show info. 3.) Speaking of Cadets' pending theme, why not just a theme of "Benstein's Mass" instead of "The Effect of Religion on the Socio-Economic Status of Third World Countries in the Post World War II Era" or "The Fight for Religious Freedom in Early 20th Century Communist Society, and How this Struggle Shaped Today's Global Political Landscape" or etc. Not saying Cadets are guilty of this - more of a commentary on the activity as a whole. Can a simple (non) theme like "Bernstein's Mass" be effective and competitive in today's DCI?

The cinema event in June. First opportunity to see drum corps since August. The popcorn usually isn't too bad either... :)

Sounds like it could be a great piece - but why is there a GoFundMe if Valparaiso is commissioning the work? Not sure why they are asking others to contribute if it is their own idea in the first place. Maybe they should secure funding first before trying to get the work written (a.k.a. don't spend what you don't have).

This point has been raised a number of times before. Honest question here - what does this have to do with anything? Does discussing a show on DCP or Reddit affect the competitive success of a show one iota? Will a corps be devastated and their season ruined if people discuss their show negatively on DCP or Reddit? If corps even pay attention to these sites at all, I believe they have thicker skins than that. Conversely, if a show is talked about in a glowing way on the Internet, does that deem the season a success? Would a corps really not want to release show info because they don't want people discussing them negatively on the Internet or elsewhere, and if so, why?

So the rights to the music have been pretty difficult to get, with the holders not wanting mashups. The NY Phil has been assisting in the process. There will be a vocal ensemble throughout the show. I know Bernstein's Mass was (sort of) shot down earlier in this thread, but it seems to point in that direction. Any other ideas, based on the above (and any other details that I left out)?

Yes they did (pg. 1) Two lovers sat on a park bench...

Ah, thanks for the reply!

Sorry this is a little late (was busy watching Crown from Indy - WOW, but I digress...). No green plumes for age outs for SCV. Either they had zero age outs, or perhaps the green might take away from the visuals? Have they not done the green in the past and I just missed it? Anybody know what gives? Regardless - what an amazing show by them!!

And why was the DM conducting facing AWAY from the corps?? Great pic!!

Listened to the Family Day video twice on the way to work in my car (obviously didn't watch it while driving :) Question(s) - can someone point out to me where in the show Styx's/Dennis De Young's "Come Sail Away" is? Likewise, how about the Gordon Goodwin piece? The last few years, the Goodwin piece was pretty easy to notice (it has been the piece that sounded most like old-school BD), and I couldn't seem to make out that piece either. I was looking forward to hearing the ballad after the comments made here about how great it was. I realize that the first show of the season hasn't even happened yet and the ballad will gel more as the season progresses (and that I was listening to the music only), but my overall reaction to the ballad was mostly meh. Perhaps there was too much build-up here on DCP before I heard it. Anyway, looking forward to seeing how this show progresses throughout the season and how it stacks up to everyone else. So looking forward to the start of the season and the movie theater event tomorrow!

Congrats on the milestone post! I too stumbled upon this site (a few years ago), and as much as I enjoyed the season prior, I enjoy the season WAY more since. Thanks to all who participate here and to those who also keep the site running!

Best of luck with everything Flammaster. I always appreciate your perspective, both as an alum and having a son in the corps and thus being close to the source. Here's hoping for a quick return to action for you!

Just get blank pages when I click on both links.

Never having done any drum corps arranging work, what happens after a corps gets the performance and arranging rights? I would imagine that if a score is available, the arranger would obtain that score and use it to arrange the piece for the drum corps. Obviously not every piece is going to have a score written or available for it. If a drum corps staff hears something from say YouTube, gets the appropriate rights for it, and there is no score available, does the arranger transcribe the recording and then work on his/her own arrangements of that piece? If so, how long might it take to transcribe a whole piece that is written for several parts per instrument and multiple instruments? I've known people that transcribe like this, and it always amazes me - the little bit that I have dabbled in it always has taken me forever to do.

Right, I get that - still don't understand the connection, though.