I&E

[SpookyKid]

I support anyone's decision to participate in I&E, but I do disagree with the above. I don't believe that I&E members are reducing their own performance level, but they are cutting into the rehearsal for everyone else at easily the most critical time of the season (the day before Quarters). If things are close, every moment counts including the few hours with a divided corps for I&E.

The Blue Devils and the Cavaliers allow their members to do I&E and they seem to be doing fine.

[DaveH]

George Hopkins is telling a convenient half-truth here.

The original reason for not letting their drummers compete way back in the mid-80's (and this told to me by drum staff members of the era) was that they weren't good enough individually, and would have embarrassed the corps.

Of course, that all changed soon after and the talent level went up a LOT, but for some reason Mr. Hopkins continues to tout that "team game" junk.

And I do believe it's junk, because in THIS day and age any corps not letting their kids participate are CHEATING them, since so many winners go on to further music careers with gigs, endorsements, and all kinds of opportunities that they get ONLY because of their I&E "fame".

Here's a simple solution. DCI should FORCE all corps to take the day off that day to attend and cheer on the activity if they don't want to participate. EVERY CORPS. THE WHOLE DAY. That way it all works out fair and square don't it?

And I wonder if Mr. Hopkins would STILL not let his kids participate if that were true.

[DaveH]

And another thing. Garfield's pit competed AND WON in 1984.

The reason was, THEY were very good and the staff knew they had a great shot at winning.

Hey Mr. Hopkins, where was the "team game" philosophy then?

[JimF-LowBari]

Wouldn't anything like I&E be considered "educational" for the participants?

Not being (totally) sarcastic but "for the kids" and "for the experience" seems to get dropped at stange times, IMO.

[shaners]

The argument that I&E takes up rehearsal time or saps the performer's level is bunk. Members that go to I&E are rehearsing outside corps time, deciding to use that 15 minutes to work on I&E rather than take a quick nap. At the same time, these performers also understand that they have to work that much harder so that they can keep their corps performance level on par with the other members.

Let's be honest, the kids who are competiting at I&E are probably the best of the best in their respective sections. They will perform at the level that needs to be performed. More corps should feel comfortable enough to allow their members to perform at I&E. The biggest regret I had was that the Regiment staff did not let us go to I&E in 1990 (of course not telling us this in April). So that meant people like myself, Amanda Drinkwater, J.D. Shaw, Lee Hansen, and J.J. Pipitone didn't get the opportunity we should have.

No, you are wrong in many respects. first, many kids do not just take a quick 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there. I remember multiple ensembles taking hours at a time preparing for it. and i know that happens in many places.

Next, your assumption that people who compete in I/E's are 'the best of the best' is also wrong, very wrong. Ive seen some tremendously poor I / E performances and have been a part of one particularly poor performance. Which infact, we rehearsed alot for! the group just was not very talented.... And last time i checked, kids do not join drum corps to perform at I/E's, regardless if they have the opportunity to or not.

Ya it is a missed opportunity for talent to be observed, but in reality, this is why corps pull back. the day before quarter finals is easily an important time for any corp. with the competition as close as it is, if i were a director of a corp and knew that my corp could place anywhere from 3 - 7, or 11-16, by just a few tenths of a points, i would be putting EVERY effort into securing the corps success, which is after all, the whole object of the season (respectively) from beginning show design in the previous season all the way to the same time the next year! performing at I/E's probably is not in the equation when designing a show at any level.

the argument that corps like cavies and bd do i/e's and are doing fine... well thats a whole other argument which brings in tons of outside factors like talent level, staff, quality of show, amount of free time,.... endless variables.

i was at vanguards rehearsal on tuesday night, and yes, there were some obvious problems (still) in the show which the staff planned to address on wednesday, the last possible day. to ignore these problems by giving the corp an almost entire free day would to be doing a disservice to the entire drum corp and all related people.

[LAMystreaux]

Those corps who do not allow members to compete in I & E don't keep it a secret. If a kid wants to do I & E enough they won't join that corps.

[Tone Quality Matters]

It has bugged me that participation at I&E has been going down. As a musician and a music educator, I think corps that are not allowing their kids to compete are doing them a disservice.

I think it is the case that members from most corps are allowed to compete in I & E, but because drum corps is a "team" sport, they choose to stay with the "team", and prepare for the most important 2-3 shows of the summer.

[Hulka]

I think it's sad that some corps don't allow kids to compete in I&E. That day is all about letting loose and having fun whether you are competing or not. It's a chance to cheer on your fellow corps mates, show your individual personality if you're playing, and mingle with other corps during a relaxed day. To me it was a way to get a behind-the-scenes look at who makes up a particular corps and prove that every corps has some crazy talent.

The argument about wasting time the last 2-3 days of the season is silly. If you're not clean as a full corps by I&E day, one more full day of rehearsal is not going to make a difference. I always looked at DCI I&E as one of my favorite days of the summer when I wasn't competing, got 2nd or when I got 13th. It was always a fun day.

[sburstall]

I think it is the case that members from most corps are allowed to compete in I & E, but because drum corps is a "team" sport, they choose to stay with the "team", and prepare for the most important 2-3 shows of the summer.

Stepping into the professional realm, there are individual events in the the All-Star games in which the participating member of each team have a chance to participate in. Does this reduce the meaning of "team sport"? No, it allows the members to shine in what they are good in. If Hopkins believed in this "team concept" then such performers as soloists should also be non-existant in the corps since this is a spotlight on said performer. Hopkins has always been one full of contridictions.

I also keep hearing about getting the most experience out of drum corps. Does the most consist of just practicing 8-10 hours then perform for 12 minutes in front of crowd? I&E is very much a part of the drum corps experience. DCM had it right with the day off so the members of the corps could have a day off and participate with each other in different events. I guess that's why the I&E at DCA is such a big hit because it levels the playing field and allows each of the members and fans of the corps to mingle with each other.

Edited August 9, 2007 by sburstall

[Tekneek]

So, talent is at an all-time high (based on claims I have read) and retreats were canned to get more sleep, but corps members of today aren't allowed to do I&E because of rehearsal and sleep demands? Something doesn't add up.

This seems like another example of DCI trying to walk down a road to obscurity.

Edited August 9, 2007 by Tekneek