rr4353

That's what happens when you design shows devoid of personality and depth. Starting with 14 they just have not entertained me. There was no real excitement that warranted sitting through a 12 minute show - and half of that was their (comparatively) lackluster brass. Now, they're getting new brass staff so hopefully that'll change. I'm not sure what it is - maybe JD's book? He just hasn't worked the same magic as when he was at Phantom. But there's something mysteriously sterile about Vanguard's shows in the last couple of years - they're not really taking risks or doing anything that any other corps wouldn't do. And that's half the fun! What is Vanguard's style in this new era?? Their shows just strike me as stock marching shows that you could assign to any corps and they'd be alright. Where's the flair? Where's the wow factor? Where's the Vanguard?? It's a problem that I also see plaguing Crossmen right now, ever since their brass staff went to Colts in 2014 - so it's not just Vanguard.

There is a PM option... for a reason... ... pretty please??

Supposedly SASI stands for "Solutions and Specialized Innovations" - here's their link http://www.studentsleading.org/

Ditto. Also, George Parks DM academy is not nearly as good as SASI - SASI is not as antiquated and has new, fresh, innovative ideas. George Parks DM academy is the old school 'go-to' for a lot of people who may be holding their programs back by not opening up to new ideas and ways of thinking. SASI is great for that. The best schools in Texas send their kids to SASI because it's run by a bunch of DCI alums who are now in place at dozens of the top band programs in the state. I'm pretty sure they've expanded out of state as well, but it's a powerhouse of a program, focusing on leadership and conducting and just good life skills training as well! Plus, lots of connections made for kids that want a future in DCI or the band/music world as well!

Depends on the corps, and depends on the capabilities of the person chosen as DM/Conductor. Sometimes the title of Drum Major vs the title of Conductor as far as how a corps refers to that position will give you an answer. For example, Phantom Regiment calls all three "conductors", whereas other corps call them "Drum Majors" only, whereas some other corps have one or two "Drum Majors" and one or two "Conductors" where their responsibilities differ; long story short, it all depends on the corps and their situation (especially when it comes to drill and how many sets of hands they need so the members can see while they have crazy drill in every direction) as well as what is expected of them traditionally.

I get the feeling that Tilt was wildly successful for two audiences: A) Those who are familiar with the activity and were blindsided with the sheer innovativeness of the show, and B) Those who are fans of that type of music outside of DCI who saw the show and got hooked on drum corps. But for those outside those audiences it was probably not as addictive to watch.

After what I've heard from corps so far this winter/early spring season I'm revising my predictions: 1) Cadets 2) Carolina Crown 3) Blue Devils 4) Bluecoats 5) Blue Knights 6) Phantom Regiment 7) Santa Clara Vanguard 8) Madison Scouts 9) Cavaliers 10) Boston Crusaders 11) Blue Stars 12) Crossmen 13) Troopers / Spirit of Atlanta (can't decide, but leaning slightly towards Troopers. Depends on their first few shows) 14) Troopers / Spirit of Atlanta (can't decide, but leaning slightly towards Spirit of Atlanta. Depends on their first few shows) 15) Colts 16) Academy 17) Oregon Crusaders 18) Mandarins

Unless you mean pre-recorded woodwind sounds, I'm not sure what you mean. And then, pre-recorded sounds could virtually be anything - that doesn't mean there are woodwinds in DCI.

Well, this proves your point. I had no idea Madison was having the same kinds of issues. Probably good that it's not publicized! It's good to hear that they're on solid footing, they were on fire last year and hopefully they'll only go upward from here.

You're right, there have been a lot of changes since 2014. A lot of internal politics were resolved after the last season. So there is now a clear and crystallized vision for what they want the corps to be and there is no one in their way to stop the corps from achieving that. They've battled obstacle after obstacle and the fact that they're so energized and galvanized around this season, to me, gives me more than hope.

Not saying they'll make finals, but you'll definitely see a new and improved direction for the corps. I would encourage you to go to a camp and see for yourself. Speak with people who have been around, if you aren't able to go yourself. Let them show you with their actions - it's an impressive turnaround since August.

You (and the public) are not privy to the inner workings of the corps and what has changed in recent times. That's a decision consciously made by the corps - some things are better left unsaid. So, the 2011-2013 team existed and did their jobs, and it went reasonably well. Things changed after 13. Things always change. For reasons that are not public information, the staff changed. I'd ask you to notice though, that the board didn't really change until 2016. Food for thought. It may help point to who the real culprit has been. Maybe something wasn't working and now that they've gotten fresh people (read: new leaders) working from the top down and from the bottom up and every which way in between, things will be different. Not saying by any means that it will be enough to get them 100% where they want to go in only one year, but at the very least, this ain't your grandpa's Spirit of Atlanta.

Sources who were at the January camp where they announced the rep to the corps. It's part of their opener, along with the Bates

Add to that: Brooklyn Babylon Georgia by Cee Lo Green

That's typically the norm. Very rarely do corps openly advertise open conducting spots unless they can't find someone internally (either in the corps itself, or through personal contacts of the corps staff). This is because they'd have to have a proper open audition.

They'll be the same edits from the CD collection - as taken directly from the DCI website: "This CD set contains performance edits • Blue Devils: (Disc 1, Track 1): Approximately 40 seconds of pre-recorded audio has been omitted. • Blue Knights: (Disc1, Track 6): Approximately 47 seconds of pre-recorded audio has been omitted. • Phantom Regiment (Disc 2, Track 1): Approximately 43 seconds of pre-recorded audio has been omitted. • Blue Devils B (Disc 4, Track 1): Approximately 20 seconds of pre-recorded audio has been omitted." Plus the Cavaliers edit mentioned above, apparently.

Any updates on the show, camps, progress, etc?

bump. Still the best answer

I can understand the point you're trying to make - but if you look at the conducting styles of the world class corps - you're not going to find more than 6 or 7 corps that employ a style that's any more than 1-and-3, like a human metronome. That means that 6 or 7 drum major teams have the conducting abilities and freedom to become performing members themselves, not just figureheads. However, you won't find a drum major (at least in the top 15 or so) that isn't a good leader. Yes, you can be an alright conductor (1-and-3) but you can't be an alright leader and have your corps achieve greatness. It just seems as if leadership capabilities are prioritized more. But maybe that's just me?

A dime a dozen? You'd be hard-pressed to find too many people who could handle the responsibilities of a modern DCI drum major who aren't already in the gig, imo It requires all the things you listed, yes - absolutely! But some of that you can teach. Leadership, you can't. There have been some truly bad conductors that have been on the 50 conducting some truly great drum corps because they had the leadership skills to help their corps achieve greatness.

It's good to be aware of that style - however, conducting auditions are to show off what you can do as a conductor to best help the ensemble play well. That's the goal of any conductor (and DM) - show off what you are capable of and then they'll teach you what their style is. There is something to be said for loyalty, however. Especially before you even start marching at all.

There are some corps that have open DM auditions because they figure that there will be enough people who are qualified to lead, and they also want to find the best conductors they can from that pool of good leaders. I know Phantom, Crown, BD, Crossmen, Spirit, Scouts, and many others go this route. It's seemed to work for them! There's no "right" way to do it, but different corps have their preferences. Some value conducting prowess as well as leadership, and some simply want their DMs to be human metronomes. Choose the corps that you think will fit you best! There are plenty of options.

Absolutely true. If all you want is the conducting, you're in the wrong position. Conductors and Drum Majors alike will have to do extensive leadership on tour, because leadership easily makes up 95% of the job on tour. It's the behind-the-scenes stuff that no one knows goes on - the drum majors are often the glue holding the corps together and without them being so committed to the leadership stuff, the corps wouldn't as be successful as it is.

1. Carolina Crown -------------------------- gap: .05 -------------------------- 2. Blue Devils 3. Bluecoats 4. Cadets -------------------------- gap: .7 -------------------------- 5. Blue Knights 6. Phantom Regiment 7. Santa Clara Vanguard 8. Madison Scouts -------------------------- gap: .2 -------------------------- 9. Cavaliers 10. Crossmen 11. Boston Crusaders 12. Spirit of Atlanta -------------------------- gap: .35 -------------------------- 13. Blue Stars 14. Colts 15. Troopers 16. Academy 17. Oregon Crusaders 18. Pacific Crest

Be ready for a historic year :) They have a fire like I haven't seen in a long time. Spirit is back.