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Weaklefthand4ever
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Posts posted by Weaklefthand4ever
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9 hours ago, keystone3ply said:
Or maybe a 26' U-Haul & one Yugo hatchback? 😂
He has a RUNNING YUGO?!?!? What wizardry is this?!?
On an on topic note, my fear is not so much the number and size of props as it is the safety of those props as we go more and more vertical. We're 1 major injury (or worse) from corps being FORCED to consider minimizing props (at least from a size/height perspective.)
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7 minutes ago, MarimbaManiac said:
The issues in the org flourished and grew in the dark, so better that they have proactive oversight at this juncture.
I think for the future of the activity, ALL corps should have proactive 3rd party oversight. Corps training and policing themselves was never and will never, be a good plan IMO. Proactive proves out to be FAR batter than reactive in almost all circumstances.
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5 hours ago, troopers1 said:
True Story:
Blue Knights were holding a drill camp at the University of Wyoming, and George was writing their drill for the first time. There were several of us drum corps guys from Troopers, Phantom, SCV and Railmen at UW, so we all went over there to check it out.
A really energetic BK staffer came over to talk to us, and toward the end of the conversation (trading of stories, actually), there was this exchange:My Good Friend Pete: Hey, is THE George Zingali here?
Energetic BK Staffer: Yes, THE George Zingali is here. (big smile)
Because... the BK guy was George Zingali.....
Good times.
Some of the coolest moments for me were always when I would meet people on tour or at shows that I had heard about, and found them to just be regular cats. Some of best people have an ability to control ego no matter how great at something they really are.
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On 9/5/2023 at 9:16 PM, Grandpa Joe said:
I also think it's limiting themselves to becoming a one trick pony by sticking to classical or opera or dark. Look at Phantom.
This I can agree with and it's been discussed in every PR thread for several years.
The best news for Crown is that they're now pretty #### consistent across all captions. That's how BD and Bloo have done it. Once you have that nut cracked, it's far easier to expand your shows because of the influx of talent, new and returning, that you would expect to get year over year.
I'm not a die hard Crown fan. But they're just so freakin' good at bringing consistent quality to the field. I appreciate the staff, members and volunteers that bring us these shows every year.
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On 9/3/2023 at 7:42 PM, JimF-LowBari said:
Be nice if there was a link to see what the training for members and staff looks like. Every bleeping thing takes you to instagram account and “click (which doesn’t work in a graphic) our website for info”.
Link here basically numbers and “hey we did something”.
I hear you Jim. I would like to see it as well. From an instructional design standpoint, my guess would be that's it's on a secure LMS. That way any tracking data of participants is private and easily reportable. If the actual content was built by an outside company, access to it would typically also be restricted to avoid content poaching. That's how I would, and still do it in corporate setting.
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5 hours ago, scheherazadesghost said:
Understood about bias. This community generally lacks such nuance.
I suppose the only clarity I can lend here is that bc we lack such nuance broadly, it will continue to be likely that we'll encounter sweeping generalizations. People don't know what to do with info when they have it. Sometimes it feels like shouting it at DCP is the only option available. Heaven knows I've been there, and my report is validated.
I think there are some very accurate things of note in this statement.
We each have to be realistic enough about ourselves to understand that we all have bias based on our own experiences. That bias informs our responses and indeed, how openly we read and interpret comments. This is human nature. But if you cannot step back from your own bias for a moment before responding, then aren't doing the work to be truly thoughtful. Thinking it through does not mean that you have to change your mind, only your willingness to be openly informed.
I rarely speak on topics related to member safety when it comes to these discussions. The reason being that I have not shared those experiences and until I learn HOW to be more supportive and respond in a manner that serves all readers, I will sit back, ask questions and learn (and trust me when I say that I DO ask questions.)
I think many could agree that while not surprising, it is at least concerning that the state of the activity is such that people run into enough brick walls and blind corners bringing up points of concern that they feel that DCP is their best possible outlet for sharing their negative experiences. That clearly means that the system remains fractured.
EDIT: Back on topic. Looking forward to any SCV announcements and any Bloo announcements. I'm sure bunches of folks will share anything from SoA.
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I think there are interesting and valid points on both sides. You absolutely don't want a "build it bigger or don't get GE" mentality. That's a valid concern. You also have to be careful of how you set caps. I can see doing that and then a corps cutting back on costs by not building what they will use to make it as safe as possible. Welds cost money, labor, materials and time cost money. You have to have a balance that I am not quite confident that all member corps are yet capable of from a responsibility standpoint.
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6 hours ago, frank4now said:
Seems like a real interesting person. Had such an impact on Drum Corp. I love the description of the creation and rehearsal of the cross to cross. I can picture all the members dialed in staying as long as needed to get it done. They must have had alot of confidence in him that it would be great.
Matt Harloff talks a bit about George in his DCCS interviews as well. Getting all of those MM's to WANT to stay to finish George's vision is the truest testament I can think of to the man. I think it was a genuine confidence in his vision and love for the man himself and how he representented the best of the activity that drove him and those who marched and instructed under his guidance to be great. I never got a chance to march under him, but anyone who marched in the 80s felt his impact.
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On 9/2/2023 at 9:44 PM, TOC said:
They may have rented it for two months. That one with the power pack and such must cost close to five figures.
I would say that if you aren't correct, you SHOULD be correct. I can't imagine putting 9 to 10k into a single season prop that really can't be somehow reused or re-imagined.
Think of it like bands in the 80s and you're a record producer. Flock of Seaguls comes in and wants you to take on the cost of producing an album. They've got one decent song in them. It just makes no sense to spend the money.
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So I was going back and listening again to what HUAWEI did with Schuberts unfinished 8th. There are some elements in it that scream PR. And I'm not an absolutely huge Schubert fan. Plus, since it's AI....AND even if they call it Schubert, it's WELL over 100 years old and public domain.
EDIT: Had to add this
There's another piece from Aiva called A Common Humanity.
Kind of film score-ish but the first time I heard it, I thought "Wow PR or Cavies would absolutely WRECK this as a ballad."
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3 hours ago, Slingerland said:
Honestly, he might be a good fit there. Assuming he picked up a few tips about how to write for a legacy corps, it would be an upgrade. The only thing I remember about Madison this past year was a hamster ball, but Cavaliers battery staging was a factor in their success in that caption.
Oh absolutely! Age Out did their typical good job breaking down Cavies book for this year and they definitely played the game very well. The book was supportive when non-exposed and buck NASTY when up front.
I find it interesting that I think we saw the opposite with Bloo's book. Constant changes of timbre, hand speed, drum geography. They created some unique sound scapes. But most of was lost and just didn't seem to really get up front where the judges are. It also must have been an absolute beast to clean and I don't know that ever quite got there all the way.
Never really gave much thought to writing being different for a legacy corps, but now that you say it, I can see the differences.
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7 hours ago, college-phan said:
It really is a good show. There are some moments that they were old and some when they were new. It's a good blend and much like great musicians, staff had to learn to blend as well. If they can maintain staff and vets, I really do think they could go as high as 5th this coming season. I know I'm going to probably catch some flack for this (and it's admittedly dumb) but......You remember when you marched and you just feel in your gut where you were placing that night when you came off the field? Yeah that one. Especially Prelims. My gut tells me 5th or 6th. I have nothing to back that up but just that feeling. I dunno.
I found it interesting that we talked about minor changes from very early on such as colored fabric on the props and then @RebelGTP confirmed that it was at least being considered. I've never really taken much stock in corps reading DCP, but maybe they do.
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59 minutes ago, fighterkit said:
I never knew his kids marched Colts. That makes a lot of sense.
Is that how he got introduced to the activity?
(Sorry mods. I know this is off topic)Yep. He was an great cat from what the MM's from Star used to say in the lot and at the buses.
I'm sure you've already read it, but the brief history of Star is pretty well given step by step in the Bill Cook Recollections article.
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5 minutes ago, Slingerland said:
As noted, Bill hired a drum corps guy to run the drum corps operation. He didn't hire someone who worked for his medical supplies business. He also never hired someone whose primary experience was in running drum corps to head up a division of that same medical supplies company.
Hire people who know WTF they're actually managing is generally regarded as sound business advice.And as was noted by many, he ran the business end that supported the corps. His experience was is how to successfully run the business. He did what smart people do. He looked at the landscape, studied other corps successes and failures and put the right people in place to manage the pieces that he didn't have experience in.
It would be like me hiring corporate trainers whose background is in professional jello wrestling. Yeah I might get lucky 10% of the time, but it's a pretty bad over/under.
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54 minutes ago, Sutasaurus said:
Pardon the expression but Yowza!
They're doing a MUCH better job this year at really pushing a great recruiting vibe. Short, exciting and accessible.
Something I have always wondered. Back when I marched everything was word of mouth and connections when it came to recruiting (at least down south.) You had a band director who marched with another band director in the area in corps x. It was very 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon-esque.
Now you have generations of instructors, writers, etc who learned under great names. But why do corps not leverage that in recruiting? Like if I was a horn cat and you've got JD Shaw writing your brass book, that 'ish IS going into a brass recruiting video. Oh Rennick is writing your drum book (not saying he is)? Percussion recruiting video time.
Why not leverage the individual captions and speak directly to your target audience? I would be stoked if I was a brass guy and Shaw was writing the book. That's where I'm auditioning.
Look....some folks chase rings. And that's fine. But only 160 of 'em are gonna go to corps x. Recruit the folks who want the best possible musical experience and are excited by the musical learning first and foremost.
Just my opinion
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25 minutes ago, KVG_DC said:
Strengthen up that left hand and maybe they'll talk.
What's so funny is that I have what back then, was a weird, hybrid, east coast west coast blend. My private teacher back then was an SCV alum and our battery instructors were all SOA guys. The whole weak left hand thing came from a statement at an SOA camp where the comment was made that my left hand was too vertical to the head to not be weak on the downstroke. But it served the purpose. I could arm it, wrist it, legato it, open it up...whatever. Now everyone is a blended style so it's not as "weird."
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27 minutes ago, college-phan said:
Dear PR,
Would you take a 51 year old DCI vet that you cut at camp in '89?
No? Well da** it....
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26 minutes ago, Triple Forte said:
My wish is they are more like 2022 than they were in 2023 musically speaking 😁. Also, they need a new soundboard operator. The bass was absolutely absurd. 🥲
I feel like it will be far better on 2024 as far as the sound engineering. Phantom just doesn't have the years under their belt like Bloo does. We also have to think about what a hard environment LOS is (speaking of only finals week here.) "The goo" was abnormally thick there compared to what I heard in other venues (and it wasn't just PR.)
Give it time....they'll get there. I feel like PR, for many years, saw the changes of the activity happening and chose to take a "wait and see" approach. From the outside looking in, they were tentative and slow to pivot. Now that the changes have begun, it's going to be a balancing act between being progressive while still taking small steps and not over compensating and going "Full Bluecoats" (I'm coining that phrase.)
Also this is only MY opinion. I have no association to PR with the exception of being a fan and making a few small donations over the years. I have no inside sources to confirm or negate my opinion. I'll defer to the alums, staff and volunteers for inside info.
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16 hours ago, Sutasaurus said:
I don’t see JD arranging Zamfir’s greatest hits or Andre Rieu’s chart busters.
Oh come on Suta!! Zamfir and his magical pan flute?!?! The sheer awesomeness of a show called simply "Pan" would be epic! Throw in some Yani Live at the Acropolis and it's magic!!
I am 101% kidding btw....
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2 hours ago, OldSnareDrummer said:
Ain't that the truth. If the Ayatollah was half as accommodating, I'd be a much happier camper.
"WTF are you watching? THAT? Again? What about the lawn??"
"Relax, honey bunch, I'll get to it right after Finals night. (or a week after that or so)"
Ha! The litmus test begins. Mine is more like
"I hear you're watching show "x" again. Are you expecting something to change from yesterday when you watched it?"
"No baby....not me. You. You named them by name. You knew the music. You even know where they're from and how they finished. Two weeks ago, you didn't know anything about them. The show didn't change....but you did. That's what sharing music is about."
Sometimes we have to teach people to appreciate things by our own appreciation of those things.
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7 hours ago, PRomoter said:
I had to tell y’all about my wife the other morning. We were getting ready for work and she said, “I finally understand you and DCI; it’s your ‘football.’ Lots of guys love football and live and die by how well their team performs. They know all the stats, the inside information and secretly want to be considered a ‘special’ fan. They never miss a game and are sure the refs are against them when they lose. And, no matter how frustrated their spouse is over the maniacal, endless discussion of every aspect of their team, like a cocaine habit, they just can’t help it; they are addicted. DCI is your football. I get it now!”
I think she’s onto something.
Absolutely true. I think you also have former mm's whose passion is driven by the experiences and memories of their own performances. It gets in your blood somehow. Drum corps is special. The music, to me, is not about notes. It's about the emotion that those notes invoke. Drill is not about movement alone. It's about filling space where nothing was previously. It's all in some ways, a test of the senses that we have through evolution but then goes beyond that.
I think you also have fans who feel that same tug and pull. I think of passionate fans without the marching experience and always think of them as mm's who just never got a chance to march. All the characteristics of an MM exist, but the stars simply didn't align. The way the activity makes them feel is just as passionate and committed to excellence.
Just a thought
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2 hours ago, Orwellian Wiress said:
Okay but what if they try and fail to produce a note? 🤔
Then we call them "middle school band."
I'm kiddinnnnnnggggggg!
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36 minutes ago, gak27 said:
I believe they were basing their calculation on the hornline:
"Playing any form of notes on their brass wind instrument... "
Makes sense. I only wonder because it's always been a thing where the section with the most musical responsibility is the section with little to no movement. So yes, a Mello section may park and bark because they're showcasing, but if the rest of the hornline is moving, this isn't really "new."
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The Staff Merry-go-round
in DCI World Class Corps Discussions
Posted
Just remember Hook'em. If you're gonna be the Grand Poobah, you gotta wear the hat....and it's a busby.