jwillis35

Hey, that's cool. I know what you're talking about. I have those shows. 30 seconds in, and I am done, baked, completely checked-out. :-)

"I" for INT! Yes!!! Ok, in all seriousness, that is one nice show. I really like the Glassmen this year. Way to go!

Great drill writing in this show. And I love "JOY"

What great percussion writing, and that section is so cool!

This is a wonderful show. And they are much cleaner now. Keep it going Gmen.

I love the synth and how they use it. Very well done! I guess we are all different on this!

This is the one thing they really have going for them. Design. Their show is well coordinated.

Nice show. Some solid drill writing. Fun stuff, but...they are dirty tonight and the brass is having a bad night. They may have some captions down a bit after this show. Still, great job, Troopers!

I would agree with this overall. I like Spirit and Crossmen much more. Better show! Colts and Academy have better visual program and are probably a bit cleaner. I still think Spirit beat Academy in brass. I could be wrong. Academy had some major issues down the stretch.

Yeah, some endurance issues at the end. Lack of control in the brass, some balance and phasing issues, but I dig the show. Good job Academy!

Brass really needs to support on the soft musical lines. Some wobbling of sound and lack of control issues. A thinning of the sound in those moments. Ballad is very nice. I really like that music.

It was good, no doubt. I think Spirit had some hits just as good, and Crossmen were on tonight.

I think so. I know that AT&T contract is up in January or something like that. I know that Verizon would love to have the iPhone, but Verizon uses a CDMA technology, and most other phone companies use GSM. The iPhone was programmed for a GSM network, so they would have to make a different model. On the other hand, 4G is coming, and that may make things a bit more universal. My bet is that AT&T will do whatever they can to keep the iPhone. In the long run, I will say that AT&T is doing some infrastructure work that will change their quality and put that back in the mix.

Yes, nice job BONES! Big improvements. Good show, really good show! This and Spirit will be on my iPod. I agree about the drill. Sometimes stagnant at times. Still, if they clean this they are dangerous.

So somehow touching a keyboard is not musical to you, or just not man enough? Which is it? Last time I checked, pianists touch keyboards, and they are considered musicians, and good ones. But, of course, you are probably better than that. NO, electronics do not suck, just people who don't understand music and think they do.

Yes, nice use of synth effect at intro. Really sets the mood.

I think so, but really not sure.

I hear this is what pianists do as well. They touch a keyboard and make music. It is possible. They are using some excellent techniques and good orchestration, and I love it. It is MUSIC. Has been for years.

I love this show!! Fabulous music, great horn line, percussion is strong, and I really love the sound of the new PIT instruments. I know I am in the minority, but I have been waiting for synths, effects, soundclips, bass, and all. And I think they use it well. Very modern, fun, effective, fan entertaining, and it is realistic considering they are projecting a rock concert. Audience loved them, and me too. That is modern drum corps, and I love it!!!!!!!

Just by looking at the order, I think the Blue Stars may be hurt, as was Boston, by appearing just before intermission. Boston has a good shot of over taking Phantom once again, but Phantom has improved (at least I am reading they have), so we'll see. I think the 6, 7, 8, 9 combination will be: 6. Bluecoats 88.4 7. Phantom 87.3 8. Boston 87.0 9. Blue Stars 86.8 I like Troopers for the 12th spot. Way to go Fred Morris! What a job he has done with the Troopers over the past 3 seasons. And at the top I think the Blue Devils are still the corps to beat. I am rooting for HNC cause I love that show, but my head says BD. And I like BD's show a lot. Great stuff! The chairs are used brilliantly, the arrangements are some of the best in a while out of Concord, and the precision is classic BD! I think the Cavaliers will be in 2nd. This is a show that has grown on me. I am really starting to love this production. They are such smart programmers. The theme may be mountain climbing, hiking, etc., but they treat it non-literally using impressions and concepts that work. And I am digging the music more and more. I actually went to a brass band site to hear the tune "Extreme Make Over" (the main theme in their show) performed by the Black Dyke Mills Brass Band of England. WOW! Now that is a great brass group. People ought to check that out. HNC will be 3rd again, but may close the gap some. They have a great show too and it's something different from Cavies and BD. In fact, I love the contrast between the top 3, even top 5. All different, all good. Cadets this year really have no theme. I know, people will point to Conflict and Resolution, a concept within West Side Story, as being their theme, but in essence it's just a title describing the elements found in the music. The show is really a style show. A style of music by a specific composer, and they just put great drill to it and sell the music. So in this case it's all about music + motion = cool show. Nothing more to get really. I see SCV in 4th, but they will likely be right on the heels of the Cadets, and perhaps even Cavaliers. This is a show that is growing by the second, and the overall music/visual combination is first rate. As good as anything on the field this year. Maybe not quite the demand of others, but demand is only one aspect of MANY aspects. Maybe it's not as innovative and envelope-pushing, as some would want, but that is also not really judged. Execution, content, flow, demand, logical resolution, musicality, and selling the effect are things that get judged and things that sell. This one sells...to the fans and judges! Carolina Crown should be 5th, but also close to SCV, Cadets, and maybe Cavaliers. I still see a bit of spread between 2nd place and BD, but I do believe that will be closed come Finals. May all the corps nail their shows tonight. Have fun! I think

Here is a little snippet of some stuff I put together for my Instrumental Music Methods course at Mount Union College. When we discuss artform and why music is important, I am always trying to get the students to put it into words and thoughts. This is a short part of the overall document, but for the sake of this post here it is: Music is a language, much like English or German or Spanish, but it has more in common with the language of Math, because it is universal. All the people of the world understand music and utilize this art form to some degree. Much like math, music requires counting. It requires that we count out loud (at times) and visually. It requires the ability to desipher visual calculationns, notated musically as rhythms and pitches, and it demands that we develop mental and physical skills that allow us to express those visual interpretations through an instrument, marching, or the use of flags and batons and dance. This coordinationn of skills is the embodiment of why music and math and physical health go hand in hand, and it illustrates clearly why the art form is so difficult. Imagine telling young children that such an endeavor is only for fun or that there is NO art to it. Imagine telling older students that there is nothing to be gained from the serious study of music. Those who have taken music seriously, whether they majored or not, know well of its powerful effect on learning, and they know of its effect on happiness and health. These are often the same people who make sure their children are involved with music, and not JUST for fun. Clearly you can see that their children must take it seriously, because like any academic subject it is important. But as an art form it becomes critical to thinking, thought process, and performance. Music is a universal language that combines math, history, culture, art, and physical ability. No many art forms, or forms of study, combine all that.

I think you are misunderstanding what I am saying. There are several questions the OP asks. What's up with Crown? Why are they not rising? Has their show maxed out? What is holding them back (paraphrased)? They are not rising (in placement anyway) because they are getting beat. They may not be rising in terms of score because of spreads with corps above them. I don't know if they have maxed out, but I agree with you that this is doubtful because they have a really difficult product. Can they perform at a higher level? Absolutely! Without question. But performing the show better doesn't guarantee better placement, nor does it guarantee better score (because of spreads). It only guarantees better performance. This is all that truly matters anyway. So I agree with everything you said. You are right on. I just want to be clear that I am not trying to bash Crown, but make the point that this competition thing gets in the way of placement and score. But it will never get in the way of the actual performance.

Of Course It Is!!!!

They are not rising because other corps are beating them. They could be getting better, but that's a different issue. In fact, I am sure they are getting better. And they are a great corps. But they are getting beat. It's simple, it's competition. I said this earlier: In the NFL, a team might score 45 one week, then only 24 the next. Better opponent, more competition, lower score. But it may very well be that those teams played better, and I bet they did, but they played against top competition and scored less. DCI is not all that different. Crown is simply getting beat. Other shows are being judged to be better and better performed. You don't have to like that, or agree with it, but it is competition. It's reality. To ignore it is to play little games with your mind about how DCI is wrong and how your corps is great, and how they should be winning or at least score should be going up. And Crown is a great corps, with a great show. But under DCI's judging, they are getting beat. End of Story!!!

Nah, your corps didn't get shafted, they got beat! It's called competition. Someone beat them and a spread was assigned to show the difference between them and the corps below them and in front of them. Scores going up all the time is not part of competition. Getting beat is part of competition. This is kind of a crude way of putting it, but consider this: In the NFL, the Giants play the Browns. Beat them 42 - 7. Next week they play Carolina and win, but only 24 - 17. Did they get worse? No. They played a better team. The score reflected that and the spread reflected that. FORGOT ABOUT SCORE! It means nothing. Placement and Spread are all that matter!