MikeRapp
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Posts posted by MikeRapp
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So I've been giving the Cadets' show some offseason listens (I never watch shows after the season is over, just audio) and I have to say that Cadets' low brass was severely underrated this year. They got overshadowed a lot by terrible synth balance, but you can really hear that awesome low brass in Pines of Rome. Good stuff
Synth mix didn't help them, but IMO it was more the product of crash and burn drill concepts that served no purpose in GE, and screwed up sound balance and quality. JMHO.
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Time for me to leave this thread and wait a month or so for the dust to settle. Too much speculation.
For all the constant happy talk about how scores don't really matter, corps that underscore sure do seem to make quick personnel changes in the offseason...
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I would think that someone at Crown could be enticed away to be the overall show creator. Really, anywhere in DCI. Would be interesting to make a list of all the Crown alums that are working for other corps now. Quite a legacy they are building. Academy, Crossmen, sure there are many others.
As far as their main brass leadership, don't some of them work at Western Carolina? I would think they would not leave WCU to "throw out candy to band moms" at band events in the offseason. No offense intended.
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Ellis Hampton announced he would not be returning for 2017.
Sounds as if it was an amicable parting. 12 years is a long time to spend at one place nowadays.
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a little of both.
Has anyone announced who is leaving? Don't recall seeing anything...fwiw.
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Are these new hires replacing people at BAC, or are these new positions being added to the organization?
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While true.... not all DCI Drum Corps have the Corps Directors so heavily involved in the actual production that is put onto the field, and the changes that might be required from judge critiques after seeing & hearing the production on the field. To GH's credit, the years the Cadets have been successful competitively, he was involved to that success to some degree as he was hands on to the production. However, such heavy involvement in the on field production can be a double edged sword sometimes. I have no direct knowledge of what the set up the Boston Crusaders will have with their new staff they've hired will be, but most of Mgt at Boston do not making their full time careers in Drum Corps/ MB ( GH makes between $180,000- 200,000 year at YEA , Cadets ). They make their living as Attorneys, Investment Bankers, etc and in other non MB/ Drum Corps positions. While many of the the Boston current MGT marched BAC in their youth, my guess, they intend to create a creative environment for their new hires that will be a bit different what they might have had before, especially under the environment under GH, and his Cadets.
Interesting info.
My perception is, George is George, regardless of where he works or what he works on. If Cadets were the only drum corps that had its executive director hands on involved or not, would not matter one iota to George. It's how he is, it's how he wants it to be, and most importantly, that's how it will always be so long as the board allows it.
George is no dummy, obviously. He has had countless successes in most everything he has been involved in. Cadets may not exist today were he not leading the charge a decade ago.
As I have said, I have worked with and around these sorts of personalities a lot, being in the creative business here in Nashville. They tend to attract very highly motivated, creatively driven people who have great talent, but they also tend to systematically burn through those people in a predictable amount of time. You just burn the candle at both ends and get tired of the drama and inconsistencies.
These folks in my experience tend to chalk that up to the cost of success, and also it tends to cement their position in their organization, when you are constantly churning through people, you remain the only constant.
Regardless, though, if you choose to work at cadets, you choose to work for George, and whatever you experience is ultimately your decision. Same is true at crown, academy, bac and every other corps.
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Honestly, standing still at parade rest is the MOST respectful way to have retreat. I honestly think other corps goofing off and drawing attention to themselves is self-servicing and rude.
I detest seeing the kids shake their heads so they can see their shakos on the Jumbotron. If I was a corps director and saw that, you can bet those kids would not only be loading the bus, they'd be washing it.
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Well the bottom line is this: if George retains total control over Cadets, regardless of his personality or approach, you have to be able to accept the way he does things if you choose to work there. Same is true anywhere you work, but it is especially true in creatively driven organizations. Entrepreneurial personalities are common at the head of creatively driven organizations, and they usually require and use veto power often.Lesson he has learned? Let's see who replaces those who left. How do we know George Hopkins did not instigate the staff shake-up? The Cadets, by their standards, have underachieved the past two years. Maybe George Hopkins decided it was time for new (possibly old) blood. The lesson George learned might just be when things are not going as well as you like, make some changes.
Having worked for and with those sorts of organizations my entire career, I can tell you that at some point there is a divide between the leader and the most experienced creatives. All want control, and not all will get it. People tend to survive together if the organization remains stable and successful, but not when things are failing.
Whether people left because of George, or George pushed them out, ultimately doesn't matter. Gotta get on his ship or get off.
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I believe this is what the Crusaders/Inspire Arts & Music organization is attempting to do, at least with Colin & Gino.
Yep, really smart. But ultimately it may mean the successful organizations have to be located in major metro areas. Bluecoats could pull it off by pulling from Cleveland and Columbus, I suppose, but it would seem to be easier if your facilities are located within the metro.
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You are assuming they can design a great show. I predict it will take longer than one off season for this group to learn how to create together. I would put BAC in the 9-10 range at best. Improved, but not remarkably better.
I wonder, though, if the opposite may happen. Given new freedom, and a new team, new ideas will gel quickly. These are all very experienced educators and creators. They may well already know what show concepts they are pursuing together.
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My guess is that many BAC folks believe the rehearsal time at Lucas Oil was time well spent. Allentown and Quincy were great evenings for the corps, but word is that lower than expected scores in Erie and Buffalo along with site glitches were causes for concern headed into finals. The rehearsal time at Lucas Oil did make a difference. Was it worth 27k if they did pay 27k? If the funds were donated to the corps for that purpose, which is most likely what happened, that's fine. There are some people on the board who could probably make that happen by calling four or five friends to pay the cost. If it was allocated last year when they prepared their budget, I'm not sure that would be the intention of most donors. Personally I want money I give to a corps and BAC specifically to go to housing, food, fuel, uniforms, etc., or better yet a scholarship.
Regarding an instructor bring paid six figures, I like many have no idea what the going rate is, but I think if a salary was that high, we would see a lot more people who would want to be employed by a drum corps and probably more drum corps because it would be a rather lucrative profession. Also, we would see a lot more big names leave their day jobs. One well known drum corps name is a teacher and many of his FB posts regard his being an elementary school teacher. Why would he continue teaching if he could make six figures working from late June to mid August with a few weekends in the off season?
Perhaps this is the single most relevant, and most overlooked, advantage that Blue Devils has. Their staff can largely work for Blue Devils all year around.
They aren't just a world class corps, but a year around music education program that has a significant full time staff. People can focus their entire attention on their job, and know the organization will continue to operate all the other areas.
We may look down our nose at Winter Guard, but it provides another significant similar activity that staff can be used for and help run the organization financially.
This may well prove to be the only model that works as a long term, stable solution for world class corps.
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I mean, you theoretically need a premise to go with it...
I want to see them do with jazz what they did with Felliniesque. Go behind the scenes with a jazz band, that plays just about every style, and tell that.
Something like a cross between '97, '02, and '14, with Goodwin music. I think it could work. If anyone could make it work, it'd be the Devils.
I couldn't agree more. But the Blue Devils' design direction is now to choose a non-musical art topic, and express that topic musically. They wouldn't choose to do a blues show, but rather a show about a topic or individual (not a blues artist) of the so called blues era.
Someone is going to do a jazz blues show and it's going to score in the high 90s.
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So what happened to all the guys the new BAC staff replaced?
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That was definitely a quick Crexit...
You win the Interne...sorry, my bad Terri!
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I won't be predicting any numbers to placements...but these are my thoughts.
Though this year was more competitive than last year, I think next year it will be even more so....Bloo will have a title to defend, Blue Devils don't like being second best, Crown will surely want another chance to win, and with a much improved drum line and along with an outstanding color guard, and as always one of the best brass lines, it might be possible, ....SCV has now been in a rut in fourth and fifth place and will want to break that trend....Cavies have been slowly making their way back into the upper ranks...Cadets taking sixth this year, which hasn't happened since 1991, will want to move want to change that....Madison will want to be in finals since they just missed out this year, and finally the Academy will be working hard to continue their spot in finals.
The potential arrival of elite talent at BAC is less a short term factor than the potential loss of loss of talent at Cadets. Especially pit talent. Coupled with the certain rebooting of the educational talent at many positions, next year could be a historic low for cadets.
Corps lose elite marchers every year, but cadets are used to enrolling age outs, not losing them.
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The trombone player kicking the cone was up there with "The Wink" for best individual moment of the summer.
Was it spontaneous?
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They could do a show about College Girls Gone Wild, and there would be people who would still moan. LOL!
Perhaps not the best choice of words...
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First of all, congrats to the Bluecoats on the win. Any of the top three could have won and gotten little argument from me. The following observations are just that, observations.
I sat top row 141 nearest the 50 for prelims, then upstairs in 440 for semis, and finally row 8 of 140 near the 50 for finals. Lucas is an odd place, with only a small swath of the stadium offering what I would consider decent acoustics. Bluecoats did a few things that improved the volume and fidelity for a greater part of the crowd. Most groups used 2-5 speaker stations, usually in a "stereo" setup. As is typical in the activity, the focal point and source area of the sound revolves around the 50 yard line "front and center" area, and sound is/was directed toward the judges in a central area of the stands. As we all know, the "goo" factor is high at LOS. Sitting in the 400s, you hear the attacks and everything immediately dissolves into what I refer to as a "soup" that lingers and obliterates any clarity to the music.
Bloo carted 13 separate speaker stations onto the field, along with what had to be at least two dozen mic's. These were spread almost the entire width of the front sideline, as well as over the greater part of the field. This allowed them to bring a mixed/processed sound to a very wide focal area of the stadium, and also helped add a "3D" quality to the sound. Sadly, I didn't have a chance to hear Coats' horn line absent the speakers and processing, but as usual I'm sure they are/were a top drawer quality unit. From what I could hear, the percussion was probably the best line they've ever had. So from a music standpoint, they had it all "going on".
What really struck me, sitting in the low vantage at finals, was how much boost on the overall music sound (which was very good, don't get me wrong) they received from the speakers. I'd estimate conservatively that at least 50% above and beyond the acoustic contribution of the field brass and percussion. There were two points in their show where "the curtain" came down a bit, and the ensemble was playing without the backing of mic's or backing soloists. It was sort of jarring to hear the vast difference in volume, sound quality and simple impact. Well played for sure by the kids on the field, but wow. Such a difference.
Bloo was a clear winner of the "tech" category this season. I've seen this realm develop over the past few years, and Coats have been at the forefront of this movement. They're playing in a sandbox that nobody is in yet. At first, it was nice to have amplified pit instruments, subwoofers, then soloists, synthesizers and other acoustic instruments you'd never find on the field. Coats have jumped field electronics into the "sound design" era, in which you mic and process as much of the ensemble as possible. You design and deploy speakers to achieve effects and widen the focal point to include most, if not the entire crowd. This allows greater control over the ensemble sound, at the touch of a button or turn of a dial. It also opens up possibilities via ear monitors for the pit, processed/sampled/looped music, and much more. It's really a game changer, but I have to wonder if this is 1) where the activity should be headed, and 2) whether this "arms race" is going to prove to be so technical and expensive for many corps, that it ends up being a huge financial challenge.
I really struggle with those questions. The musician side of me digs the possibilities, the judge in me has to wonder if what I hear is really what I think I'm hearing, and the operations guy in me fears that the expense and technical know-how might be a bankrupting factor for some groups. I would hope (though I'm not holding my breath) that DCI will have the speaker/tech situation at the top of the agenda in their winter meetings. Hard decisions, both musical and financial, need to be made. I see too many corps struggling to keep their heads above water, dealing with rising travel costs and the ever-increasing cost of props, costuming, huge pit arrays and now this explosion of sound equipment. Are we returning to an era where only the best-off corps will be able to keep up with the competitive "needs" financially, while others struggle or die?
My feelings? No speakers on the field itself. Limits on the number that you can use. No in-ear monitors allowed. I'm all for creativity, but those without a budget (or at least the means to do anything they want) might drive those with limited resources off a cliff trying to keep up. Love to hear drums and bugles, but we're rapidly speeding toward a situation where what you hear scantly reflects what is on the field. I fear the death of things such as ensemble control, learning to listen and balance, dynamics and the natural resonance of brass and percussion instruments. It's much easier to turn a dial than to fix it "the old fashioned way", in many cases. The era of amplification, bass reinforcement, processed sound, sampling, and "designed sound" (requiring the employment of experts in the field) is in full force. Now it's up to DCI to rein things in a bit.
Fwiw, I would be for a no speakers rule, but I think every corps should have the open of using in ear amps, and in fact if I were at DCI I would get someone to donate all the equipment for title sponsorship of the tour. Easiest sales job on planet earth.
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The G7 was all about banding together for the common good. Unfortunately ego's prevented it from taking a single step forward.
As I understand it, the TOC shows are pretty much a direct result of the G7 proposals. yes?
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I appreciate your insights as well, MikeRapp.
I never mentioned uniforms styles at all in my commentary. Since it is raised now, my position is that what duds a Corps wears has little to no bearing on their placements. I see all manner of attire, and yet see no correlation between styles and placements. I do not assign Bluecoats attire to their win this season any more than Cadets traditional attire to their win 3 years ago either.
Well, I see your point, but it's not relevant to this discussion. All corps buy uniforms in great quantities. Whether they are traditional or modern doesn't matter to this discussion.
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No whats narcissistic is anyone thinking they have the right to tell any corps what they should or shouldnt do or tell them they are wrong for it. Did Cadets uniform change affect anyone but Cadets? No
They don't have the right unless the members remit their right to do otherwise.
Membership in DCI transfers rights already, others would/could be added to it.
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I think that DCI is doing that in quiet ways perhaps not obvious to the fan base.
For instance, I noticed that five different corps were using the same charter bus company from the middle of America. Cadets and Phantom Regiment were two. For the last few years, Cadets and Blue Coats used the same charter company. I presume the corps are jointly putting tours to bid or at least corps are communicating when they find a bargain deal from a reliable vendor. Perhaps vendors are also getting tour savvy.
YEA and G-7/8 were partly attempts to band together although both approaches had major philosophical and practical aspects which raised concern.
But the joint bidding for commonalities such as food, transportation, housing, and inventory would be helpful to all.
Right. With growth should come opportunities to marshall power that comes from a joint business decision that benefits everyone.
it would mean, inevitably, that some corps directors would have to work with organizations they didn't select. But no NFL team can choose to wear whatever uniforms they choose. The NFL cuts a deal that is good for everyone.
In college sports, conferences cut deals on behalf of all members. Some are Alabama, while others are Vanderbilt. But the benefit of being in a conference is the opportunities to make money as a group that you cannot make independently. Likewise, conferences band together under the banner of the NCAA to cut other deals that benefit all NCAA members. And, at the same time, each school retains some rights to negotiate deals with other partners for specific sports.
No doubt I am not the first person to come up with this, so forgive me for perhaps sounding like I just discovered water.
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of course.
I reference the mounting pressures on said management.
Like electronix, something become de rigeur whether they are legislated or not. The skyscrapers that drum majors stand upon to conduct is another example.
I brought this up earlier this season, so I definitely am concerned.
That said, I think the only reasonable solution is that DCI has to marshall their power as an organization on behalf of its members to help lower costs common to all corps. In my limited experience, there seems to be at least as much feeling of "indebtedness" to the long term sponsors' well being as there is for the corps, and that leads to solutions that don't really help either party. (Well, if we mandated that all corps use this uniform supplier, all these other uniform suppliers would be upset...and of course, no longer sponsor our events.)
And of course, the ultimate solution is to make the pie larger. Which can only be done by creating an environment where the activity can be more creative and more appealing to increasingly more fans.
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Cadets 2017
in DCI World Class Corps Discussions
Posted
I worked for a few years with now Penn State head football coach James Franklin, when he was at Vandy. Hopkins and Franklin I swear are separated at birth!