ShutUpAndPlayYerGuitar

Hey - I've marched both euph and contra for many years (DCI and DCA). It's a moot point --- but it ultimately helps to have a horn. There's no better way to understand the weight distribution and getting comfortable enough to maneuver with the same level of proficiency as the other instruments. There's no exercise that really mirrors getting it from ground to "chop" -- or snapping from "chop" to playing position -- other than actually DOING it. That said: it doesn't hurt to be in generally decent physical shape. I'm no licensed trainer or anything (usual disclaimer applies: talk to a certified fitness instructor or a doctor before starting a new regimen), but below are some exercises or general workouts that have helped me. In general: you want to give as much attention to your core and back muscles as you do your arms. - Yoga Find a class and start doing it now ... it's great for strength/breathing/endurance/flexibility/learning to achieve specific body shapes -- all of that is completely relevant to drum corps There are classes everywhere (community centers, fitness centers, colleges, etc) If anyone makes fun of you for doing yoga, they are wrong and stupid - Core-specific workouts Planks Crunches Leg-lifts - Body weight training Regular pushups, tucked-elbow pushups, pull-ups or chin-ups ... that sort of thing Some of my friends have recommended stuff on the body weight sub-Reddit - Light-weights + heavy rep training For example - Front dumbell raises with 5-15 lbs weights Low cable row machine to work on upper-rear muscles - Running You're going to be doing a bunch of it in the summer anyway Get good shoes, don't cheap out on them Again: this is all stuff I've done over the years. Find what works for YOU and commit to a regular-enough schedule (aim for 3x a week). One final note: every tuba manufacturer is different. Some have better weight distribution and ergonomic design considerations than others. I've marched several seasons on Yamaha ... by far my favorite, from a weight distribution standpoint. It's the easiest to maneuver and toss around. Jupiter is the opposite, in my opinion. They sound good, but are stupid heavy. Dumb design for the drum corps. Played a little bit on an Adams horn last summer ... it wasn't too bad, but still not as effortless to move around as Yamaha.

I expect a calm, rational discussion on the alumni facebook page.

- I want at least a dozen "Open Letter to DCI" posts throughout the summer ... the whinier, the better. - I want the Cadets show title/theme to change at the start of every month

Interesting Deadspin article about the ill-fated FloSlam (terrible name, btw). Makes me wonder what type of contract DCI was with FloSports. If a tiny pro wrestling promotion was able to get out of it unscathed ... is DCI? Also - if DCI is able to get out: who do I talk to for a free "FloMarching" T-shirt? I need more hipster ironic drum corps swag.

Thank God for piracy.

I'm usually not the petition-signing type, but I've seen/personally dealt with enough BS to know that the activity is one "60 Minutes" exposé away from getting fundamentally damaged. I was in an organization that did a lot of things right, but still had too many "open secrets." It's encouraging to see some of the bigger organizations take charge, but based on some of the Reddit bombshells I've seen, more needs to be done.

It looks stunning. Would suck to deal with on a full tour, however ... the amount of folding time after every show/rehearsal seems like a logistical pain for a touring group with limited members/staff/volunteers. I've always liked the "border" tarp used by Cadets in 1999.

They just released Michael Gaines' updated bio:

I'm all for making fun of DCP and certain DCP posters, but everything about this is weird/terrible. This is akin to a Comcast intern roasting you while you're on hold to report an outage.

I had no idea who he was, but then I saw this post and memories of the one time I marched in the Beanpot Invitational came flooding back. Great announcer with a fun personality. RIP.

Received one and completed it. Pretty exhausting, but it at least shows that they're listening to fans. Basically gave my opinion on my first Lucas Oil Stadium experience. I simultaneously laughed/groaned when it asked if the acoustics affected narration.

You raise a good question. For reference, here's DCI's definition of classes: DCA doesn't have one. It's really all numbers (30-65 or 65+). That said: I fail to see the real "reward" for being small. The only one I can think of is an extra performance if you make the top 3-4. Beyond that, a lot of it is performing for smaller crowds and dealing with recruiting headaches (I guarantee that no corps in the history of drum corps has ever set out to "be small" for competitive purposes ... not that I'm accusing you of saying that, but that's a perception I've heard from people before). As for benefits of having more than one class? I'd say it naturally encourages smarter show design and administration from the smaller groups. If everyone is in the same bucket, small groups would need to work twice as hard to recruit/train new people and possibly stretch their resources ... all for the sake of keeping up with the large groups that actually have the infrastructure to operate as such. It makes sense for any large enough circuit. If it's good enough for WGI's Independent, all-age color guard division to have 3 classes, it's good enough for DCA to have 2. EDIT: I posted this before I saw your response to Jeff an hour ago. I understand more where you're coming from.

Surprised no one has said Mandarins yet. They have an established program coordinator and a solid instructional staff. The corps is coming off of it's highest placement in WC. I would imagine them becoming even more of a destination corps and attracting more recruits.

Wait, seriously? That's a gigantic credit to the instructional staff. Hopefully retention is better in 2018.

Wasn't singling you out, but fair enough. Still don't understand how firing the "current administrative staff in its entirety" is a healthy maneuver. Unless there's a serious breach of the corps' mission, all we're doing is playing fantasy drum corps.

Another year ... another thread full of people complaining about Pioneer ... another year of Pioneer doing their thing and thriving when other groups are folding or pleading for money ...

The competitive aspects go beyond the dots and sounds. Drum corps is an activity where non-profits compete against each other. Getting money and organizing staff/volunteers is as much of a competition as cleaning drill and nailing releases.

I love it when one-year vets of an organization start calling for heads. It's like Philly sports talk radio with you guys. Also, Madison is not on the same level as BAC financially. I've seen groups overspend on staff and regret it later (or not even survive to regret it).

A few thoughts: - Gate security was very light. I know people -- who had neither tickets nor wristbands/passes -- simply walk through without any credentials (carrying full backpacks, no less). - I don't think anyone in my section sat in their assigned seat. It was so far out of a decent listening range that people sort of dejectedly plopped themselves wherever. - Lucas Oil Stadium sucks and I'm never going back there again, unless if 1) I get a cheap/free ticket between the 30s 2) I get a cheap/free ticket to a suite level 3) one of my former students is competing for a ring, or 4) the ownership/stadium authority allows the #### roof to open up.

I'm talking about A&E at the most basic level. Think about every recent live music show you've gone to that has sold more than 100 tickets (be it popular or orchestral) ... now think about the role electronics has played at those shows, whether it's amplification or instrumentation. For the drum corps world to say, "No! We're special" and completely cut out electronics: that would be a disservice, especially to the front ensemble performers. As I mentioned in the previous post: it's still a work in progress. There are plenty of bad examples, but I'm not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

1) You can use whatever argument you want, I don't get offended about much anymore. Still ... I think it's silly to compare the hell of alcoholism/addiction with whether or not rich kid summer band should use electronics/a certain key of horns. 2) Lots of current fans (who are fine with the direction of the activity) can't stand George Hopkins, myself included. 3) The objective reasons for why the activity is what it currently is has been listed over and over on DCP by people more qualified than myself.

I'm still tired from the 10+ hour drive to Indy and back. Here's my random thoughts after glancing at this thread. - I marched a G euph for two years before aging out on a Bb, so consider me qualified on the subject of G vs. Bb: it doesn't matter. G horns sound great when talented people perform good arrangements under good instruction, same as Bb. The G-fetishists can pine for the old days, but unless there's a post-season sales component (how many high school bands play in G?), that's a ship that has long sailed and will never come back. - I hated amps and vocals in 2004. I thought it ruined "the purely acoustic nature" of drum corps. To be fair, mid-2000s drum corps sort of suffered because many design/staff people had little idea what they were doing ... but they learned. It's continuously improving as the technology improves. - Drum corps is just like any other live music medium: the electronic component is a fundamental part now, and cannot be ignored. There were (and still are) growing pains, but DCI would have ultimately done a disservice to it's members if the voting directors decided to keep it "pure." - Comparing current drum corps fans to alcoholics or any other type of addict is a lazy and misguided analogy. - To answer the OP's question: yeah, plenty more could have been done, but lots of factors brought us to where we are today. I'm sure there would be plenty of cool shows today based on college wind ensemble pieces, featuring mallet players being yelled at to "project" more and hornlines marching on 20+-year-old Dynasty horns ... but there's no real sense in looking back now.

You are one of a few reasons I keep coming back here. Thank you.

There used to be a showing at Showplace ICON in St. Louis Park, MN (nice theater w/ an upstairs lobby bar) ... but the event isn't there anymore. Will probably do Edina or Eden Prairie. I'm also going to finals, so I might just skip the whole thing.

I hate explaining drum corps to people (especially when I know they won't care). I just say, "It's like marching band, but more competitive/intense ... Hey, look at that [potentially distracting object that I hope changes the conversation]."