So cal Corps

[crashhelmi36]

You are so correct about the EGOS nothing good will happen until the Adults realize that this is for the kids not therself yes we may be feeding up north to the big boys but if all pulled together and just put A program together that will keep these kids from 3-5 years I am being honest when I look at these corps at shows all the kids are great but there is A difference when IMPULSE comes onto the field. VK no uniforms, GOLD, MYSTAKAL,and others I might not be correct but I think most of the staff has come from IMPULSE for these corps, If So. Cal wants to make it to INDIANA for the next 11 years the adults are going to have to grow up and if DCI does what they did for housing out here there might not be enough housing for all of our little 50 member corps. I do believe if we pooled together we could come up with A Div. 1 corps (DOES ANYONE KNOW OF ACADEMY WHO ALMOST MADE FINALS this year) no little corps taking away from each other

So you all think about it NO MORE INSTRUCTORS SAYING IF YOU MARCH IN IMPULSES GUARD YOU CAN'T BE IN THE HIGH SCHOOL GUARD I TEACH.

I AM SO SORRY IF I HURT ANYONES FEELINGS BUT THINK OF THE KIDS YOU ARE ALL ADULTS MOST OF YOU HAVE MARCHED AND I DO FEEL THAT IMPULSE WILL BE THE CORPS THAT SURVIVES.

BENO

Mystikal (I'm glad at least Sam could spell it right...) has no staff crossover from Impulse. Zero. Just wanted to clear that up.

DISCLAIMER: These are MY opinions, not those of the SoCal corps I marched with.

Back on topic, having marched (and attempted to recruit for) a SoCal corps for two years, and being on the East Coast now, I can give my assessment why they have trouble getting membership. Yes, there is a huge population base, but it is a very non-corps oriented fan base. In my opinion, drum corps is a selective activity to begin with, but in Southern California it's worse. Most high school bands around here are not very good, and those who are are way too time-consuming to make a kid want to do a summer activity that's even more time-consuming. They're sick of it.

Plus, there are way too many schools around Southern California that are cutting their music programs - meaning that the only "musicians" you'll see in some schools are the rock band-style guitars, basses, vocalists, and drummers. Not exactly drum corps instrumentation (except for the drummers to some extent, but even then). For the most part, instrumental music is dying in SoCal.

About the corps pooling together, from what I've heard, there have been talks (including one that seems to have wheels but I'm not at liberty to discuss), but nothing substantial. Too many differences in the philosophies of the different corps.

And I don't want to turn this into a personal battle, but I have to disagree with your "there is A difference when IMPULSE comes onto the field" comment. No disrespect, but I can't say that's true. Maybe that's just from my own personal experience, but I think that is largely overestimating Impulse's "mystique," if you will.

Edited October 8, 2007 by crashhelmi36

[eastcoastjazz]

and

Absurdity is making absolute statements with no facts to back them up.

Class A, A & A/60, Div 2/3 history is filled with corps who did not build it right.

quote name='GuyW' date='Oct 3 2007, 03:59 PM' post='2040137']

Inanity is describing a discussion as "whining". <**>

And, whatever else it might be - "whining" is not proof of insanity.

I also find it hard to believe that the majority of the Open class corps are not "building it right"....

[84BDsop]

Mystikal (I'm glad at least Sam could spell it right...)

I can properly spell "Bluecoats" as well! (one word, y'all!)

[mr fabulous]

Mystikal (I'm glad at least Sam could spell it right...) has no staff crossover from Impulse. Zero. Just wanted to clear that up.

Sam, even though there is no staff cross over, Mystikal was actually part of the Impulse organization before it broke off.

Edited October 8, 2007 by mr fabulous

[crashhelmi36]

Sam, even though there is no staff cross over, Mystikal was actually part of the Impulse organization before it broke off.

True, but that's not what he said. And it was really just Rob that came over - he brought nothing: no staff, kids, or even any philosophy.

[neholgate]

Newest addition to SoCal line up is the Kingsmen Star Corps out of Anaheim.

When are they going to start having auditions/open house? I don't see anything on their calender yet.

Nancy

[neholgate]

Mystikal (I'm glad at least Sam could spell it right...) has no staff crossover from Impulse. Zero. Just wanted to clear that up.

DISCLAIMER: These are MY opinions, not those of the SoCal corps I marched with.

Back on topic, having marched (and attempted to recruit for) a SoCal corps for two years, and being on the East Coast now, I can give my assessment why they have trouble getting membership. Yes, there is a huge population base, but it is a very non-corps oriented fan base. In my opinion, drum corps is a selective activity to begin with, but in Southern California it's worse. Most high school bands around here are not very good, and those who are are way too time-consuming to make a kid want to do a summer activity that's even more time-consuming. They're sick of it.

Plus, there are way too many schools around Southern California that are cutting their music programs - meaning that the only "musicians" you'll see in some schools are the rock band-style guitars, basses, vocalists, and drummers. Not exactly drum corps instrumentation (except for the drummers to some extent, but even then). For the most part, instrumental music is dying in SoCal.

About the corps pooling together, from what I've heard, there have been talks (including one that seems to have wheels but I'm not at liberty to discuss), but nothing substantial. Too many differences in the philosophies of the different corps.

And I don't want to turn this into a personal battle, but I have to disagree with your "there is A difference when IMPULSE comes onto the field" comment. No disrespect, but I can't say that's true. Maybe that's just from my own personal experience, but I think that is largely overestimating Impulse's "mystique," if you will.

Although there has been a decrease in programs in the arts in general, they are not absent. At my sons school they start a band program beginning in the 4th grade. He's currently learning trumpet.

Nancy

In Southern CA

[84BDsop]

Although there has been a decrease in programs in the arts in general, they are not absent. At my sons school they start a band program beginning in the 4th grade. He's currently learning trumpet.

Nancy

In Southern CA

Yeah...but they took a HUGE hit after prop 13 back in the 70s...the first school programs affected were arts....band particularly.

[Ryan H. Turner]

Wow...such banter back and forth. Let me set a couple of things straight...

Sam, being from the East Coast, I would assume you must have a great set of binoculars to see our music programs where "instrumental music is dying". That's hardly the case.

Secondly, it is BECAUSE of the ultra competitive top level marching bands out here in southern California that the drum corps activity (with the exception to some extent of Pacific Crest) is not flourishing (depending on your definition of flourish of course). When I personally say flourish, I mean there are 10 World Class level drum corps. There is absolutely no reason, mathematically speaking, utilizing the performance, creative, instruction, and administrative talent that is here in southern California. But...the sad truth. There's no REASON for it too. I've tried to make this point, and all you have to do is look at the once unbelievable youth band activity that once dominated southern California to know that I'm right...but high school marching bands (and winter guard and winter drum line) are the new "it" thing. Period. And just like video killed the radio star (sing it with me folks), the same happened to youth band. The comparison between youth band and drum corps is that while different in quality of course, it's the same thing--extracurricular to the high school/college experience.

Someone above--can't remember who--said something about "build it and they will come". I can't disagree with you more. That's a simplistic and very naive way of thinking using the drum corps model. This day and age, rather we like it or not, the drum corps HAS to be prepared to DO BUSINESS, and think long-term LIKE A BUSINESS. This is not a question of a bunch of instructor/designers that get together and say "Hey man let's put something together." It's FAR more involved, FAR more difficult, taking the resources, commitment and absolute devotion of a lot more than just one or two or a few people.

Pat Seidling told me there are 6 "pillars" to success for creating and keeping a drum corps "healthy". Once those pillars are in place, and it takes a LOT to get those in place and equally strong, drum corps will flourish.

At least according to The Turner Principle of Flourishing.

[crashhelmi36]

Wow...such banter back and forth. Let me set a couple of things straight...

Sam, being from the East Coast, I would assume you must have a great set of binoculars to see our music programs where "instrumental music is dying". That's hardly the case.

Ryan, I lived in Southern California for seven years, six of them in at least one music program, including three years with a high school band program on the brink of being cut, one year teaching its marching band, and two years with a Southern California Open Class corps. I just moved out late August. Obviously, the only pair of binoculars I would need are some near-sighted reading glasses.

Secondly, it is BECAUSE of the ultra competitive top level marching bands out here in southern California that the drum corps activity (with the exception to some extent of Pacific Crest) is not flourishing (depending on your definition of flourish of course). When I personally say flourish, I mean there are 10 World Class level drum corps. There is absolutely no reason, mathematically speaking, utilizing the performance, creative, instruction, and administrative talent that is here in southern California. But...the sad truth. There's no REASON for it too. I've tried to make this point, and all you have to do is look at the once unbelievable youth band activity that once dominated southern California to know that I'm right...but high school marching bands (and winter guard and winter drum line) are the new "it" thing. Period. And just like video killed the radio star (sing it with me folks), the same happened to youth band. The comparison between youth band and drum corps is that while different in quality of course, it's the same thing--extracurricular to the high school/college experience.

I completely agree with this. There are remarkable bands in SoCal like Etiwanda, Upland, Thousand Oaks, etc. that are plenty good enough to compete with any lower division corps out there, and a lot of World Class corps as well. I had a corps mate who marched in one of these programs that always used to complain about how much better his band was then our corps. While I don't necessarily agree with what he was saying (nor think it was in the least bit called for), he has somewhat of a point; the better high school bandos don't want to march corps -- don't NEED to march corps -- because of the quality (and above all the commitment) that their high school bands required. The kids that march corps -- not just in Southern California -- are the ones that want more than what their high school band could offer, me for example. Unfortunately, there are just so few of those kids in Southern California that they can't fill up the large number of Open Class corps (the "Vanguard/BD or bust" philosophy also comes into play).