Jump to content

Tobias

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    4,384

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    20

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Tobias

    Cadets 2017

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    18 minutes ago, LabMaster said:

    How is it Michael Lentz is available to help?  Was he not recently judging and was the judge in the midst of the CG caption uproar (seems like it was an uproar) in SA?  Was he not supposed to judge Allentown?  If he is available to teach or consult a corps he recently judged, is it because he was removed from judging?  Is the 1 year rull not applicable if that were the case?  Anyone know the poop?

    Jeff Prosperie jumped in to consult the end of 2012 when his judging assignment was over for the season. It just gives another experienced set of eyes and commentary for small performance enhancements.

    Cadets 2017

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted · Edited by Tobias

    1 hour ago, onceuponatime said:

    It would be nice if it was that simple. I assume that all the board members are on the board for the right reasons, but they in most cases are too far away for the day to day operations to grasp the problem. As long as they make their periodic contributions and leave other matters pertaining to the corps to George, no one complains...and if they do they are more likely to resign from the Board, rather than take on the unpleasant responsibility of cleaning house. In the past month I have been contacted by two recent board members who told me they had recently resigned from the board because they had become increasingly uncomfortable with the way the corps was being run. I have also been contacted by two parents, one of whom has a son marching Cadets2. She feels that the three day mini-tour that Cadets2 were scheduled to take, but was subsequently cancelled, constituted a breach of contract. A second parent who is himself an alumnus and long-term supporter of the corps has withdrawn his support and permitted his son to switch corps after the 2016 season. I don't know how many of our best and most talented Cadets moved on to other corps at the end of the 2016 season. The numbers were considerable, and that is something that has never before happened to The Cadets, other than a Cadet or two moving on in hopes of getting a ring elsewhere.

    None of this is a reflection on our 2017 marching Cadets and Cadets2 who, though in most cases were somewhat younger and inexperienced, have turned themselves into Cadets in every sense of the word. None of this growing dissatisfaction with George's leadership  should be any of their concern. Their focus is is on the weeks ahead, and they have turned that into something that makes most of our alumni very, very proud. In most cases their parents who so generously give of their time and love, really have no conception of the struggle between George and many of our Alumni about the increasing number of red flags we see popping up all over the place. The marching Cadets are focused on the year at hand of course, and that is the way it should be. Many of them view alumni concerns from a competitive aspect, rather than a survival of the corps imperative.The alumni are concerned about the long term survival of The Cadets if George continues to believe that The Cadets are HIS drum corps to do with whatever he pleases, regardless of the growing negative effects his insular mentality is doing in destroying our great and universally respected drum corps. Our marching Cadets are concerned exclusively with the here and now, and we support them and have always supported them in their goals of the year. It is up to the alumni, however, to think about the generation after generation of brand new Cadets hoping for their chance to be a part of something so beloved and widely respected. It is our sacred obligation to ensure that our door is always open . for The Cadets yet to come, and our reputation as an experience apart will always be secure.  Dave Shaw 50-58 Let

    The Cadets have thousands of alumni, most of which have no idea of the dead-end road that George has us traveling. Many others have personal lives that do not permit them the the luxury of keeping in touch with their fellow alumni on a regular basis. Fortunately we also have a large number of alumni for whom the well-being of The Cadets is a primary concern, and their numbers seem to be increasing on a weekly basis as evidenced by the increasing numbers of posts, and letters and messages received by me, entered around these concerns that are appearing more and more frequently.

    We can never underestimate George and the impenetrable wall he has build around our corps. It is a bizarre, byzantine world of his own making fed by a mental process that is beyond the grasp of most people. For years now we have been asking why there have been no checks on his personalization of The Cadets under the umbrella of George's Youth Education in The Arts. George is a genius, but over the years his genius more often than not has increasingly been used destructively.


    Most disturbing at all is that he has developed a cult of personality that a good number of our Cadets have bought into. We probably would as well if all our needs were bring met during the course of a season, and a fascade of individual caring has been indoctrinated into a large number of Cadets. I used to think that George was a natural teacher with a special talent for communication with young people. I wish it was that simple and less byzantine. Observing George very closely over many of years I have come to realize that George's primary talent is mind control over the young people he indoctrinates to see The George that he presents to them at his daily "Hop Talks," and in the many personal conversations he has both with individual Cadets and the corps as a group.

     

    This conversation has been running for several years, without any progress whatsoever. A couple of weeks ago I posted a very innocuous post related to this issue. I immediately received two very irate replies from 2017 Cadets. Which started with the same sentence. "George is The Cadets." One was from a Cadet marching his very first year. He related how George ran with them, rehearsed with them, was out in the sun and rain with them, made sure they have good quality meals to eat. Therefore, in his mind, George was The Cadets, and he was very outspoken about "alumni who only cared about themselves." I wondered if that was the way I felt under my Corps Director at the time, Bill "The Chief" Kemmerer. I decided it probably was.  When you're young life is all about you. It takes a certain amount of maturity to reach the point when you start to think more about "the big picture," and the future yet to come for both yourself and for the corps we all love.

     

     

    It's time for him to retire. He has too much influence over staff, design and he's obviously past his prime in those areas. He also has a poisonous relationship with the judging community. So much talent staff out there and even his current staff would be better able to produce without his constant presence and forced input. Cadets need a new independent BOD preferably with talent in finance, a new Cadets director with control of selecting staff but allowing design team to design. DIRECTORS DONT DESIGN. 

    I guarantee, if above occurs, many star former staff and their loyal techs would consider coming back if that's a road we would want to consider. Most are alumni and true Cadets and want nothing more than to have the corps competitively successful again. Their flight to other groups en masse is almost a rebellious cry for change within the organization. Only one man now can dictate the future of the Cadets. 

    • Like 4

    Cadets 2017

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    9 minutes ago, BlueStainGlass said:

    While i hate the preaching in the show (not the vocalists) i do like the music and the surge that's happened this week.  I see them catching Boston before finals. 

    I hope you're correct. The closer has taken the show up a notch in effect and if judges would stop penalizing the percussion and brass because people are singing, we could see a solid score/rank improvement.

    • Like 2

    Cadets 2017

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted · Edited by Tobias

    9 minutes ago, Jim Schehr said:

    IMO the chops are without doubt there, this group can play but unfortunately the staging looks to be a bit of what do we do with the battery. Most of the book is played on the move and far back field in one corner or another of side one and two. The side two percussion feature is so poorly stagged (too far to the right) it's not recognized or rewarded as it could be. The balance between the front ensemble and battery is very heavy up front. There are times I can't here how things line up front to back because I can't hear the battery. An overuse of amplification. It was an interesting idea (20 keyboards) that gets lost in a sea of graduation gowns. Tossing away of the graduation gowns would allow for more recognition and enjoyment of both the quality of coherence and intelligibility with respect to the split writting being demonstrated. If nothing changes, nothings going to change, so forget bout it too late, not even a prayer will save this percussion section from a likely 7th-9th placement. What a shame too.

    I'm hoping Tom jumps in there and makes the adjustments needed. Some may be easy. Cadets should not be struggling in Percussion. My understanding from my sources inside is the judges just don't know how to judge the choir since it's a big portion of the show and it's adversely affecting both brass and percussion scores. Not sure why it's taking the entire season to adjust to who to listen to when. They've eliminated a lot of the simultaneous choir, brass, Percussion moments to make it easier. When Bloo did all the micing in Kenetic noise, judges seemed to learn who was playing when and adjusted. Not sure why a "live choir" which should be garnishing the corps points for their amazing talent/performance in effect is seen as a hindrance.

    • Like 3

    Cadets 2017

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    15 minutes ago, Icer said:

     

    I'm not familiar with the intricacies of the judging, but as a spectator, The a Cadets show does not draw attention to the pit, the guard, or even (except when they are playing alone) the percussion. The focus seems clearly on the brass and choir. Contrast that to Cavs and Crusaders, where the guard is much more central to the experience. I'm not saying this is a good or bad thing (guard on BD is not as noticeable either) - just an observation. 

    That may be your individual interest. The guard is certainly well staged. The intricacies of judging can baffle even the most experienced drum corps spectators. I'm baffled the Cadets are scoring as low as they are this season. Im baffled Crown is over Bloo. Im baffled Cavies are scoring where they are so I agree with your statement.

    • Like 3

    Cadets 2017

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    4 hours ago, brichtimp said:

    I wonder if it's the battery or the pit that is having a bigger impact on the low percussion scoring. In terms of battery staging, it was a similar issue in 2014, and that section ended up 4th (if I recall). I think the battery chops and writing are awesome this year, btw.

    My sources say it's the pit that's dragging down the scores. I don't think the staging helps either.

    Cadets 2017

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    15 minutes ago, George Dixon said:

    I don't get that from what he is posting. Cadets are a good corps, but they are dirty right now. Fortunately the kids are feeling positive so I'd expect them to dramatically clean with the time remaining. 

    Well 85 to 89 since Friday is certainly improvement but definitely playing catch up. Time is running out.

    Cadets 2017

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    1 hour ago, candymancan said:

    Yes, that guard judge apparently has it in for the CBCCG and I'm not sure why.  This is the best guard they have had in a while.  It's puzzling to me...

    Apparently he got yelled at a lot when he marched Cadets guard in the 90s.

    Bluecoats 2017 thread - Go Blooooooo!

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted · Edited by Tobias

    1 hour ago, Terri Schehr said:

    I'm terribly confused by the second half.  They're really marching well, though. 

    That's my point. If other corps had a program so unclear, they'd get destroyed in GE. Judging is horribly inconsistent. I'm a Cadet homer but very agitated that Bloo is getting the shaft as I think they are. 

    • Like 8

    Cadets 2017

    in DCI World Class Corps Discussions

    Posted

    8 minutes ago, George Dixon said:

    Time to bust an 89/90 type score Cadets!

    even more important have the best run yet tonight! That aspect is under your control!

    Yep. No more electronic issues or bad runs. Time to turn heads (as they did last show). Momentum.... 90 tonight. The panel looks ok except for that awful guard judge who buries CBCCG every show he judges.

    • Like 2
×
×
  • Create New...