shostahoosier

I would love this....especially if the corp was judged ONLY on GE in the last 2 minutes. Then they could focus on entertaining the crowd and letting loose, rather than being impeccable for the judges. People leave the stands now when the last note is played because there isnt a retreat. I mean...people have always left...but why wait around now when there's nothing exciting about a drum major accepting a trophy and you can get the scores on your smart phone while heading home? 2 minutes added to each corps is like what, 14 minutes? I'm sure a corps can spare that.

I dont see Phantom Regiment putting its entire female guard into "sorority sex pants" lol

I still have no idea what the 2 Glassmen shows about "1" were about. A lot of SCV shows over the years havent made sense to me because, well they ARE "vanguard". I actually get "Not the Nutcracker" and liked it a lot. What I've never understood are 1994 (Russian Sailors Dance/The Red Poppy) and 1996 (La Mer....though I love hearing Michael Cesario stay "their story of the sea" on the PBS broadcast). I kinda got the communist thing with 1994. And maybe 1996 was SCV's way of washing away all the bad props they had been using the past few years. I also dont understand Cadets 1997 and 1998. What exactly was "Year of the Dragon" (1997) about? Where they just doing a show based on British brass bands and wanted to play the part? And Stonehenge (1998)...what exactly was going on in that show? I watched and had no clue which for me was a first because the Cadets had done some pretty great programming for most of the 90s (up until 1997 imo - and I'm even including 1991!).

This is the truth...the 4 midwestern corps that have won championships used to not be very fond of eachother on or off the field...though the Scouts were always pretty friendly regardless. These rivalries have died down considerably since Phantom Regiment and the Madison Scouts competitively dropped the ball in the late 90s. The Cavaliers havent really taken either corps too seriously since then. It will be great to have both corps back at the top, along with the Blue Stars and Bluecoats. It looks like the Scouts are fixing their deficiencies, I hope Regiment can do the same. The Mid-West is the best west you know

I'm just curious. What results can drum corps show? I'm not asking to be argumenative - I've just always wondered if there was data out there showing the affects of drum corps.

Here's secret: Whenever you hold auditions, you're always "eliminating options" I personally think the all-female Phantom Regiment guards were more memorable than the coed ones. Everyone will point to Spartacus, but there are so many Phantom Regiment shows that got it done, and got it done WELL with all women. While we're on the topic...what are some Regiment shows that you think would have been better with a coed guard? I'm not being facetious, I'm really interested in people's opinion. Personally, I think the tango show they did in 2004 would have benefitted from having males.

Is this coed thing a big issue in WGI?

I think your response was a little over the top. Who bashed the kid? Everyone's been pretty helpful so far. Good luck on your paper though. This is exactly why I chose to never write papers about drum corps, though I did use "finis coronat opus" once

You mean can someone do your paper for you? Some guy a few years ago (was it Peter Bond) wrote a paper about this I think that had some data, but I'm not sure how detailed his research was. You're going to find way more opinion than fact here on DCP.

I like this year's Logo for their show. If it looks cartoonish who CARES? It's just drum corps! I prefer it to those overly serious, bando pictures you see sometimes. I'm guessing there wont be any hints of Kool and the Gang though

^ Truth! There have been years where Indiana's top marching bands didnt show up for BOA because they didnt really care...they had won the Indiana state championship

They're moving their winter camps to the Indianapolis area? Seems to have worked for at least 2 other corps.

Yikes! Tell me you're kidding right... Attitudes like this are one of the reasons why my interest in DCP, and DCI in general have been waning. Now I just mostly talk to the people who marched when I did. Dont worry, I wont let the door hit me...

Myron has proven himself as a great visual designer in the past, so I cant place all of the blame on their visual failings last year on him. As for the memo...you're right....I need to keep up lol

I think Jeff Fiedler knows a thing or two about running a competitive, world class corps. I think he'll make SCV competitive again without making the corps "Cavaliers-west". Remember when the Cavaliers brass staff of the late 90s was filled by former Cadets? They didnt start to sound more like them...but they did begin to take on a more agressive approach to running a hornline.

I think they've fixed their visual problem with Myron Rosander hire. It will probably take time. That or the Program Coordinator backing off and letting the design create.

That's interesting. I wonder what the details were.

Your statement is both flawed and terribly oversimplified. Tuition increases arent done so that economically disadvantaged kids can have their bills subsidized by rich students. Scholarships usually come from endowments, not tuition payments.

If I had Oprah's money, I would probably sponsor four or five corps (one in each region) and use their competitive success to steamroll my agenda through the activity (entertainment and accessibility).

I agree with you that kids should work, find sponsors, etc. But keep in mind that corps cost so much more these days then they did even 10 years ago. Yeah you can talk about inflation and what not, but corps fees (and traveling to camp since there are fewer local options) are absolutely brutal now.

Ok, in that case I think you're totally right. DCI should make a serious attempt to widen its audience. I think helping with socio-economic diversity would help with some of the other concerns brought up in this thread. As for subsidizing, thats more "unfair" than regulating membership for the point of diversity. Kids should definitely work to contribute if they want to be a part of drum corps, I just wish the costs associated with joining a corps werent so relatively prohibitive these days.

One of the strongest units in WGI, Pride of Cincinnati, takes a year off from time to time, and it hasnt seem to hurt them. I'm glad Crown is willing to step back.

Northern Aurora's last show used music from Indiana Jones. This was in 1996, which I thought was after the Williams Moratorium.

what do you have against classic rock shows?

I think a better question would be..."What's more important to you? 6 corps or the whole activity?" I bet that question would be more telling...