john powers

'01 = Div 3 9th place '02 = Div 3 champion '03 = Div 2 6th place '04 = Div 1 4th place '05 = World Champion

DCI lines have a better quality product. They get the whole summer to rehearse and have to perform outside. The level of clarity and physical demand is very high.

When I see a line with drums tilting down or "boning" up, the first thing that comes to mind is bad posture.

haha figures

In high school and college lines, the end guys are sometimes weaker than the center guys. In the top Div 1 lines however, everyone is for the most part on the same high level of skill and playing ability. The end guys actually have greater responsibilities when it comes to drill. When you watch a top DCI line warm-up, do you just focus on the center area of the snare and tenor line or do you view every player as equal and pan back and forth throughout the warm-up?

ok....i can hear attacks and releases and articulation. How do u tell excellent sound quality to pretty good sound quality. I have trouble telling if it sounds weak or not. Got any advice to improve my listening skills and give me a starting point?

When you watch a color guard you can tell if someone misses a toss or if a saber is not thrown high enough. It is very visual. Same with drumline....you can see the stick heights and wether or not everyone is playing uniform. And you can tell if something dirts out by listening to the sound get much thicker. My question is...what are things to listen for when guaging a hornline. Are they aspects like tone, breath, and fullness? I'd imagine so but I'm not a horn player so I can't really pick up on that stuff too easily. How can you tell if Hornline A is better than Hornline B? thanks jp

Cadets are starting out like they've done the past couple of years 10-6-5

This is somewhat related, but... would you say that at the big regional shows, the size of the audience watching the top 6 corps drumline warmup is about the same size? I'd imagine each group has their following of fans and alumni. I saw that Phantom and SCV had a big crowd at the San Antonio show last year, do groups like BD, Cavies, and Cadets get the same size crowds?