ShutUpAndPlayYerGuitar

The U of M athletic department is a sorry mess right now, but Minnesota is turning into a growing hub for the activity in all forms -- scholastic marching band, college marching band, indoor drumline/guard, and especially drum corps. Saying it doesn't "deserve" a major show is pretty short-sighted.

Congrats!

During his WB days, he wanted to release stuff about every 3 months. Of course, WB and similar companies don't like that ... so Prince archived a bunch of stuff over the years. I'm cautiously optimistic that many of the vault tracks will get piecemeal release in some way (though it wouldn't surprise me if Prince's family is just as protective as the Zappa Trust is of Frank's recordings).

Chatted about it once with one of the primary viz staff guys who implemented it at the time. A main selling point of this style is that it prevents a lot of shock to your hips, especially in faster tempos. One of my groups used a bastardized version of toe-lead a while ago (during a fast section of the show). It was initially awkward for the performers, but it looked fine and we kept the style in that part of the show as-is all season. Straight-leg technique is so standard now, mainly because it's easy to conceptualize and teach. It's a good "look" to have, but as the visual demand/tempos keep getting dialed up, there needs to be more experimentation with how the performers move.

Quarterfinals - go the the DCI Live cinemacast. Semis/Finals - go up to northern WI to hang out in my relatives' cabin ... where there is no internet/cell reception for 15ish miles. Ignore all traces of drum corps and focus on the summer-fun-activities that I sacrifice every year because of my involvement with marching band/drum corps: 4-wheeling, river tubing, playing with left-over fireworks from July 4 (hoping to avoid the same fate as Jason Pierre-Paul), and living on a diet of nothing but Old Milwaukee and grilled pork loin. Return home Sunday, remember than Finals happened, and thumb through recaps and people's angry/elated reactions. I've done this for a couple of years, and will keep doing it until they move finals out of Indy.

Oh no... Blue Devils, Bluecoats, Blue Stars, Cavaliers, SCV haven't posted show announcements... they must be folding :-( edit - serious: out of all the stuff corps admins need to worry about, off-season show announcements are low priority. Saying "Corps X doesn't have their act together because they haven't announced their show" is like saying "Movie theater X doesn't have their act together because they don't have a poster up for next summer's big release."

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Corps should never release initial uniform illustrations ... ever. The sketches never match the actual uniform. Uniforms are meant to be seen from a minimum of 50 feet (or <20 feet if you're in Mankato) anyway. It ultimately doesn't matter what they look like up close.

[tries to find something positive to say about the design] uh ... It's certainly not the most offensive thing I've seen on Tumblr.

- Play what you sound good on/what you want to play. I made the mistake of trying out for a top corps on baritone for mostly logistical reasons, when I really just wanted to play contra (which I was new at, but sounded better on). - Most/every corps allows you to bring a concert horn for auditions. They'll swap out contras between members/auditions during ensemble time. For actual auditions, you can play whatever. They want you to be comfortable. - For the record: Crown and Bluecoats both march Yamaha (relatively well-designed horns that factor in ergonomics, so they're not super heavy). If you know of a band program that uses this model (and not those crappy convertibles like a lot of programs use), don't be afraid to reach out if you want to at least take a look at those. That being said: Not a big deal if you can't find one, but it's worth looking into if you're curious. - Already mentioned, but it bears repeating: it helps a ton if you're in relatively decent physical shape. You don't have to be in MMA fighting shape, just fit enough to do cardio for long enough stretches of time, as well as having decent flexibility for movement. I always recommend people auditioning to try yoga and/or dance classes and/or pilates. So much of that stuff directly applies to drum corps. If you can move comfortably, you'll have a huge advantage. (If people laugh at you for doing yoga/dance/pilates, they're dumb. Also: chicks dig guys who do this stuff.) The visual staff people in several of the top corps have just as much say in who makes it/who doesn't as the brass staff. In many cases, if it's between a person who is physically fit but an average musician vs. a great musician who can't deal with the physical demands, the staff will almost always go with the former. - If you don't make the cut, go to another corps (DCI/DCA/Soundsport) and get experience. A bunch of World Class corps will have openings well into the spring, even the summer. You'll be a better performer and will know exactly what to expect if you choose to re-audition again, or you'll return to your first corps as a vet with a large circle of friends you can count on. TL;DR - Play the instrument you want to play. Start getting fit if you're not already.

Do either one of or a combination of these things ... 1) Volunteer for a corps (or get a paid admin gig with a corps, if you're lucky). 2) March a DCA corps for a full season. EDIT - I'll elaborate ... - The best visual/movement instruction I ever received came from a 40-year-old dance instructor with zero marching experience - The worst visual/movement instruction I ever received came from a dude who marched 6 years of a top-6 DCI corps - The best musical instruction I ever received -- marching band, wind ensemble, DCI, DCA, guitar lessons, period -- came from marching DCA That's just my experience, so take that as you will. Even if DCA is not an option, just find a corps nearby (preferably one that you like) and volunteer. See how they operate. Make friends in the staff/admin.

Same for me. Before 2008, I had a dumb anti-Crown bias (partially driven by gimmicky-but-effective shows like "Bell-issimo" and "Bohemia"). I never gave their performances a fair chance and would make every excuse to thumb my nose at what they were doing. But then "Finis" came and changed all that. I would kind of like to see them re-explore one of their earlier concepts from pre-2008 (hell, maybe try their luck at doing another greek god show again. I think they would get better than 16th)

I was skeptical of SW's return, but they've seemed to have rebounded safe and reasonably strong. A lot if it came from alumni support, but it also looked like they brought in the sustained help of some key players from the corps' past (including a longtime director). That is huge, especially when you want to galvanize alumni support.

< .0000000000001% chance of finding a DM spot at this time of year with no prior experience with a corps. You might have a tiny bit of luck getting a field conductor spot. It wouldn't hurt to go to each corps' web site, look up the right membership-related contact info and submit an email. There was a year that we brought in an extra conductor around April/May (this was 10 years ago, FYI). If there is an opening, it's likely with a large non-finalist World Class group that needs an extra set of hands. Honestly though ... you should open your search up to other positions (front ensemble, brass, guard), not just limit it to field conductor. I don't know about your background, but you're more likely to find an open brass spot in the spring (as late as April/May) than you are a conductor spot. One of my favorite people I marched with was a cymbal player who filled a baritone hole. She knew nothing about the instrument, but ended up learning it > maintained a positive attitude > marched several years on baritone and had a blast. Good luck, but again: keep your options open.

Welcome to DCP (and drum corps, for that matter)! I've been involved with two corps -- within DCI and DCA, respectively -- for about 13 years. No matter what advice you end up getting in this thread, one major caveat to keep in mind is this: every corps is different. Some groups are intense and teach everything in a step-by-step manner. Other groups are more laid-back and sometimes teach things super fast before moving on to the next task. A lot of groups fall in the middle. Culturally speaking: some organizations strive to be as welcoming and friendly to new people as possible, whereas others can come off as rather cold to new members. I know a bunch of people who had bad experiences with one group, but moved on to another group and had a blast. That being said, I don't know anyone currently involved with Alliance or if it's the same staff running it from years past, but everything that I've seen from them has been positive. They've always been a competitive group with some really cool shows under their belt. Anyway, here's a few random bullet points of things to expect (at least from my experience): - Even if you're shy, try to hang out with a vet or staff member at some point early in the season. Try to tag-along for a lunch or two. Ask them about expectations and experiences from previous years. You'll pick up way more useful info within your own corps. - You'll get pushed outside your comfort zone, no matter what. Every rookie in every group goes through this at some point. The best way to mitigate that is to A) stay in reasonably good shape* ... and B) practice at home as if you're at rehearsal** *You'll be asked to move around and breathe in a controlled manner for up to 12 minutes. Even doing something as basic as taking a 20-minute walk every day will help. **Always practice your horn while standing (with good posture, relaxed shoulders, horn at 10 degree height, etc). USE A METRONOME (cannot stress that enough). If you want an honest assessment of yourself, record snippets of your practice on a smart phone > listen to it > repeat. - Stuff that seems really hard in May/June can become second nature by August. The first full run of the year can seem like an absolute train-wreck, but if you work hard on your show and committing everything to memory, you'll start having fun with it in the late season. - If you maintain a good attitude throughout the season, people will like you. If you're good, people will like you even more. TL;DR - Bust your ### in the winter/spring so that you can have fun in August/September. Maintain a positive attitude, be open to critique, and have fun.

With respect to the original poster: you could've simply asked "why don't they play this piece of music." It's definitely not some PC/SJW/anti-american scheme. A lot of it has to do with the fact that retreat isn't much of a thing anymore. I marched in the mid-00s, when corps had to play "America/O'Canada" at the end of every retreat (back when every single DCI show had a retreat ... which I do not miss at all). I distinctly remember certain corps not putting in the work ... even a certain top 5 group. They changed up retreat in 2005/2006, when they essentially got rid of it at most shows and replaced it with a 2-corps encore (I think we were still playing "AmerOCan" ... can't remember). Today, encores at most DCI shows are just one corps playing their own stuff. They could bring it back for finals, but I personally don't miss the mass corps performance of that or anything.

When ever I read DCPers or /r/drumcorps kids questioning "demand," I'm reminded of this ... http://www.theonion.com/article/defense-needs-to-be-more-physical-reports-man-slum-34922 EDIT: moving on from the subject of "demand," I think it's fair to question the effectiveness of a lot of the current trends. Crown hit the sweet spot in 2013 ... balancing staging, high velocity drill, and individual performer movement. 2014, however, was a relative mess. This year was much better, but the individual movement still could've been dialed back without taking anything away from the show. To answer the OP: after Madison's "throwback" show last year, I think there's still a place for kaleidoscopic moves/exposed forms/high velocity/etc. That being said, musical staging and guard staging should always come first.

Minneapolis/St. Paul

Would love to see finals in my back yard, but even without the Indy extension, there would be a couple of drawbacks: - This is a huge stadium shoehorned into a small parcel of land in the middle of downtown Mpls. The only way it would work would be to shut down a huge section of downtown surrounding the stadium. Parking and warm up spots would be dicey (not Orlando dicey, but still ...) -- and that's only for the corps ... - Majority of fans would need to park far away or take the light rail (which isn't that bad, but still not ideal for everyone). - It's still a domed stadium, albeit a huge improvement over the cramped teflon roof domes -- and I would even say Lucas Oil. I originally thought the giant pivoting doors and ETFE roof would partially mitigate the echo, but that probably won't happen. That being said, I'm 99 percent sure there will at least be a regional here. The state/local governments have a lot of money in this and want to get as many events in there as possible. In the initial press release detailing the stadium design, the sports facilities commision even specifically called out "marching band competitions" as a type of event they wanted to host.

Haven't played any Perantucci, so I'm not much help there. I also have very limited experience with an LM-12. A friend of mine got one a few years ago. The cup was insanely shallow. The inner rim also hung over the cup a little bit, if I remember correctly. A very odd mouthpiece, but my buddy enjoyed using it for college pep band/marching band. I'm sure if you're a decent enough player, it'll work in any scenario, but there might be some tightwad tech who thinks it's a "circus mouthpiece" or whatever. I've pretty much exclusively used an LM-7 for several years (for drum corps and occasional indoor church/brass band gigs) and love it. Accommodates everything in my range, with a great "feel" on the low-end notes (though I think the lower range support is mostly from the general Loud design of concentrating more weight near the rim). There are some performers and sellers who say stainless steel is inferior, but I've noticed very little difference from "softer" metal mouthpieces. TL;DR - I like Loud.

Nah ... Treasona sounds more appropriate.

"This affront to the recap-obsessed fans will not stand, DCI! There are DOZENS of us!"

Based on the limited info that we have so far* ... I'm fine with this, at least as an experimental measure. I've met and know some incredible DCI judges, and have zero doubt toward their critiques and scores. I also know 1-2 who are patently -- though not officially, unfortunately -- unqualified. Many would be surprised how easy it is for a BS artist (with an ego+lots of time on his hands) to get this gig. You can say that's a different issue altogether, but that's the reality we're given. I'm all for shaking things up and seeing what sticks. *DCI really buried the lede on this. I'll say that.

I really hope it's a show based on the game Simon.

... not the cool ones.

The Stanford band is what happens when "Lord of the Flies" meets dorky trust fund kids. I think their comedy can be pretty funny, and I'm all about giving aspects of the college game over to the students. When schools/athletic departments take absolute control of everything, it gets pretty lame. I begrudgingly admire the spirit of the Stanford band. With that being said, the Stanford band sucks ... and every time they take the field, I secretly pray for the opposing team to run them over again.