Cut and Paste

[tubacurt]

but I don't know why we would look to HS marching bands to push the envelope.

you ever see Regan?

[toddschultz]

I think it is a two-way street, and both utitlize ideas from each other. We would be kidding ourselves if we said ideas have never come from band, and we would be kidding ourselves if we said ideas have never come from drum corps.

I'm not about to open a can of worms that one steals more than the other, or that one is turning into the other, but no one can convince me that band and corps do not help each other in many, many ways.

[mbui]

To Officer Jenny's point, I just don't see Wayne Downey saying "Hmm, I wonder what L.D. Bell is doing this year?"

But then again, you can never rule that out.

Funny you mention Wayne Downey because he's active in the marching band activity as the music program consultant for The Woodlands HS, TX, 2006 Bands of America Grand National Semifinals Champion. I'm sure staff members from corps/bands are always interested in what other groups are performing for their show.

[atlvalet]

you ever see Regan?

Nope. Maybe I should...but honestly unless the demand is sky high (especially drums, no offense to any other section), I usually end up bored.

The only bands I really pay attention to are Michigan State and North Texas, both for their drumlines.

[fourouttheforty]

Nope. Maybe I should...but honestly unless the demand is sky high (especially drums, no offense to any other section), I usually end up bored.

The only bands I really pay attention to are Michigan State and North Texas, both for their drumlines.

Reagan is the most impressive high school band I've ever seen on the field.

[goofyfut]

Is it hard to imagine designers on the payroll of more than one organization. They gotta eat too.

Having not seen the bands mentioned, how many marching members do they field?

Edited September 5, 2007 by goofyfut

[Einstein On The Beach]

A lot, if not all, the people "designing" for those top marching bands are the same people that design for drum corps anyway. If not, then they're generally pretty good. Most of the people in here aren't giving the *good* BOA bands the credit they deserve, there is some really really great stuff going on in those organizations. If it hurts you that much that bands might have creative people on their staffs too, well, get over it. Some corps in this activity are so stunted in their creative growth they'd probably benefit from it.

[atlvalet]

^^Hey Einstein, is that campaign button older than you are?

[atlvalet]

Some corps in this activity are so stunted in their creative growth they'd probably benefit from it.

Hmm, like those not using narration? ^0^

[9699regimentsop]

In 2003 there were two BOA shows that were very similar. Ronald Reagan did a show called "Beyond Parameters" which weaved together musical themes from Lincolnshire Posy, Appalachian Spring, Malaguena, etc. L.D. Bell did a show called "Convergence" which weaved together themes from Samuel Barber. Following this, a number of bands have taken the same approach. Ronald Reagan took this concept to the extreme in 2005 with their show "You Never Know." Because of how successful this type of show was, I was expecting it to catch on in the drum corps world, but it never did. I am wondering if any of you have any thoughts as to why this didn't happen.

Also, I was thinking about what the inspiration may have been for those bands to create shows of that nature. Often, Blue Devils arrangements have been described as "cut and paste." I I find that the Blue Devils musical arrangements of 2001, 2002, and 2003 have many similarities to those of Ronald Reagan and L.D. Bell. There are two moments that stick out to me: 1. In 2001 with their arrangement of the Gerswhin piano prelude and 2. In 2002 with their arrangement of Channel One Suite.

Do you think that the designers of these two bands got their inspiration from this approach to arranging and decided to create a whole show around it? Do any of you have any other takes on this?

Discuss.

I believe that a large part of the similarity in the 2003 compositions for Ronald Reagan and L.D. Bell is that they may have used the same arranger: Aaron Guidry. Earlier this summer, someone posted a link to his website (www.yataforluda.com) here on DCP because he had a page on the site explaining how he interwove a number of themes and ideas into Crossmen's 2007 show. Mr. Guidry also wrote Broken Arrow's music book last year along with L.D. Bell (that's the top two at BOA Finals last year, folks) and a number of others.

Based on the shows discussed here (Reagan, L.D. Bell, and now Broken Arrow and Crossmen),Mr. Guidry's arrangements have a way of allowing an entire show to flow seamlessly from beginning to end, with transparent transitions. That's something that seems to be in stark contrast to any Blue Devils show since about '95, whose "choppiness" of composition has been much discussed here as well.

Now, as to the inspiration for shows designed so seamlessly: the inspiration isn't necessarily from corps to bands or from bands to corps, but rather from a desire to utilize music in a way that envelopes an entire program concept, similar to how the music of an opera comes together to envelope the story line of the opera. These shows are trying to go beyond the idea of: Play song 1, stop, Play song 2 a ballad, stop, Play song 3, stop due to end of show, slap a name on the show. The corps and bands trying to design shows around a seamless program concept aren't trying to be more like bands and corps, they are trying to design shows that just. make. sense. to the general observer while generating lots of effect. Perhaps more recent great examples of this are Cadets 2005 and Regiment 2006.

To answer an earlier question, L.D. Bell and Reagan (and the rest of the consistent BOA National Finalists) typically appear to have in the neighborhood of 220-270 students on the field in their shows. Some of the top BOA bands have much more enjoyable programs than corps outside the top 6/7 (for my tastes) even though the level of physical demand is drastically less. When it comes to the top BOA bands in the country, they are in no ways representative of what many around here consider to be a typical high school marching band. These groups are good and do not deserve being slammed on this board simply because they are high school bands and not drum corps.

Jeff Williams

'96-'99 Regiment