YoungMusician

I’m not seeing this corps peak anytime soon. I’ve heard a few people being worried about it, but the corps still has so much to work on, as well as a new ending to put on. This is the Bluecoat’s year. Meanwhile, I hope this is the year they grab the Ott! They play beautifully. LETS GO BLOO!!!

I think it is. Bloo has consistently jumped in points. There’s no way they could give Bluecoats another jump when they performed the show in two chunks.

Bloo takes guard tonight!

I think Bloo has shown that they can add to a show in incredible ways. It’ll be close, Crown is coming in hot. But Bloo, to me, has the show, and they don’t seem to have a weak spot caption wise. They are very complete this year.

Bluecoats are going to be amazing this year. Very excited to see them on Thursday!

* = I’ve seen live or a video(s) 1. Bluecoats* 2. Blue Devils* 3. Crown* 4. Vanguard* 5. Boston* 6. The Cavaliers* 7. Cadets 8. Blue Stars* 9. Crossmen* 10. Blue Knights 11. Mandarins 12. Phantom Regiment*

1. Blue Devils 2012 - Cabaret Voltaire 2. Bluecoats 2016 - Downside Up 3. Phantom Regiment 2008 - Spartacus 4. Blue Devils 2014 - Felliniesque 5. Cavaliers 2002 - Frameworks 6. Phantom Regiment 2010 - Into The Light 7. Carolina Crown 2013 - e=mc2 8. Blue Devils 2003 - The Phenomen of Cool 9. Cavaliers 2006 - Machine 10. Cadets 2005 - The Zone 11. Cadets 2011 - Between Angels and Demons 12. Phantom Regiment 2006 - Faust

All corps have their own identities that is portrayed in public and within themselves. While most corps have a personality just by being who they are, such as the Cavaliers, the overall sense of that identity changes from year to year within the corps. What was the personality of your corps when you marched?

Bump!

Most of the people I marched with in the past couple of years were not wealthy and often struggled very hard to pay the monthly payments. In fact — most people I marched with work one or two jobs leading up to the summer in order to pay for it. Our fees added up to $4,500 to $5,000 with camps, tour fees, and tour supplies (good shoes, backpack, air mattress, etc) There are certainly some wealthy kids who have parents that just pay for their fees. But in my experience, most of us work our butts off to be able to pay for the summer. It’s an activity full of (mostly) kids who work VERY hard year around.

I meant it as a 1st or 2nd place. Similar to the 6/7/8 meaning 6th, 7th, or 8th respectively.

Updated March predictions based mostly on feeling as well as what I’ve about camps this month. 1/2. Bluecoats 1/2. Blue Devils 3. Carolina Crown The Blue Devils, in my opinion, had an off year last year. They weren’t as clean nor did their sound inspire me as much as it usually does. It’s because of this that I’m expecting a very strong BD this year. I’ve heard Bluecoats is having a very good preseason, specifically about the talent level. I have a very good feeling about them. As far as Crown, I’ve been told mixed things. It’ll depend on their design. Third is just a gut feeling. ————————————————— 4/5. Santa Clara Vanguard 5/4. Boston Crusaders Vanguard could certainly be top three again, but history tells me that when a corps wins a championship after a long period of not winning, they slip in placement. Boston is on the rise, but breaking into the top three is harder than climbing to where they are now. I think it’ll be one or two more years until they do. —————————————————- 6/7/8. The Cavaliers 6/7/8. The Cadets 6/7/8. Blue Stars I heard good things about Blue Stars this year. I don’t see these three corps falling out of or rising above 6/7/8. The Cavaliers could, but their show designs and brass line will need to improve. Kevin LeBouf could make a big difference. —————————————————- 9/10. Blue Knights 9/10. Crossmen Total guesswork. ————————————————— 11/12. Phantom Regiment 11/12. Madison Scouts (maybe Mandarins) Also total guesswork. I hope to one day see Phantom Regiment thrive again.

There are some corps that tune to A 442 as opposed to 440 because of the front ensemble. I know at least that the Bluecoats do this.

The biggest things, by far, will be already being a practiced player, being in good shape, being able to adapt quickly, and being able to get along with everyone else in the corps. Dance lessons is good and that will get you a leg up, but what you probably really need is lessons on your instrument on a weekly basis. I can not emphasize how important that is. Lastly, be able to play and march at the same time. If you can do that pretty well, you’re going to be way ahead of a lot of people.

Maybe you’re right, in some form. However, I think they might do well to return to what they did best before, and to me, they did drama the best. I also think that romantic or 20th century era music would still do great. It’s not what they kept on doing after 2012, it’s how they did it.