kirby Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 Thanks for bringing a theater event to the Quad Cities (Davenport, IA!!) We had a great crowd with lots of applause, nice picture, and lots of volume!!! Loved the '08 previews... Crown, you're amazing. I'm amped for this summer!!! are you.... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hup234 Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 In my opinion, this is not a very good analysis of how young people are or why they are uninterested in the past. I think current marching members of drum corps are very aware of the senior corps, alumni corps, and certainly the USMC D&BC (one of my favorites and always will be). But being aware of something and wanting something to do with it are two different things. Knowing history and living it are two different things. I studied history in college. I took music classes and studied composers and music, and their compositional styles. Great for perspective, but none of that means that my own writing style will be like theirs, or that the music I like presently will only be affected by my knowledge of their output. It certainly helped to pave the way, just as older drum corps did for today's corps, but TODAY stands on its own, with undeniable influences for sure, but also with new, innovative, and progressive ideas that must and will be explored. When Beethoven wrote his first symphony, he was not looking to copy Mozart, nor Bach. And each symphony he wrote was a new extension of his talents and his thoughts. Staying the same was not an option, moving forward was critical...and achieved. Today's marchers have not dismissed their past. They recognize it, but they have moved on. Do we want the opposite? Do we wish for them to ignore current cultural offerings, styles, desires, and opportunities--as well as current methods and knowledge--just so they can travel to the past in order to please older folks who no longer comprise the largest part of this market? So they can perform a show in a manner and style that perhaps they would not enjoy? Today's participants do not ignore the history. They know it's there, and they do not dismiss it for they are able to recognize it as a precursor to what they have now. But NOW is what matters, and they are the ones marching, paying to march, and putting in the hard work. I think they have a choice and it seems to me they are using that choice. If they choose not to join alumni corps and senior corps, a lot of that may have to do with the fact that today's young people (and myself included) prefer to move on with things. There is a time and place for everything. The "been there, done that" clause that, to some extent, subliminally effects their thinking is an excellent motivator for trying new things, for moving forward in life, for exploring and seeking that which they do not know and have not done. Everything you said notwithstanding: it is the absolute height of disrespect to leave any performance. Even in the case of an emergency, you are expected to say something, to make a brief explanation to those around you if you must leave early. If someone had walked out during Ruth's or Gehrig's farewell appearance, they probably would have been accosted and challenged. But then again, those in attendance really were fans of their activity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euponitone Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 Everything you said notwithstanding: it is the absolute height of disrespect to leave any performance. Even in the case of an emergency, you are expected to say something, to make a brief explanation to those around you if you must leave early. If someone had walked out during Ruth's or Gehrig's farewell appearance, they probably would have been accosted and challenged. But then again, those in attendance really were fans of their activity. Err...all that not withstanding- a movie is NOT a performance. Now, if those people got up and walked out during the show...that would be a major faux pas at any dci event (not that it doesnt happen all the time). In a movie theater....honestly, who cares. (everyone, including me - stayed for the end in my theater btw...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustABandMom Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 The marching tympani are a great story by themselves. What you saw were the same tympani they marched from 72, 73 and 74. They were sold by the corps to another SoCal corps in San Diego, the Golden Statesmen. They were later purchsed by a local youth band program in the San Bernardino area. The director of that group, since folded, still had them in storage. They were carefully restored and repainted to the same pattern they wore in their Kingsmen junior corps days. Pretty cool story. There was a nice closeup of the tympani, and it looks like they did a beautiful job. There was an audible reaction in our theater to the tymp close-up. Don't be surprised that a lot of young people walked out before the KAC performance at the Countdown. Walking back through the tunnel to the field at the Rose Bowl before the KAC was like being a salmon swimming upstream. Too bad those people missed a great performance. I don't think that reaction is defined by the type of group that is performing - I think it's any post-event show. Same thing happened at finals 2006 for the Cavies encore performance. I'm thinking they're the same ones that leave Dodger Stadium in the 7th inning to beat the traffic. You mean the ones that got there in the 3rd inning? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustABandMom Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 There were 287 members altogether.It turned out to be the same number that 27th marched in 1994 although it was not planned that way. The drill was written for 300. We had a few members who dropped out here and there and a rifle spot that was occupied by two different people and both of them were injured outside of the drum corps and had to drop out. If I remember correctly of the 13 open spots two were rifles (23 vs 25), two were contras (23 vs 25), two were baritones (48 vs 50), one snare (15 vs 16) two tenors (10 vs 12), two bass drum (10 vs 12) and two flags (Coast Guard and one other). <<snip>> The members came from 11 states and Canada. The furthest member from Anaheim lived in Connecticut. Approxmately 80% of the members marched in the Kingsmen at one point in their drum corps careers. There were also about a dozen who were a part of the 1975 corps which folded a month before tour. The oldest member was 81. The youngest member was the daughter of one of the Kingsmen Alumni who was 17 and played cymbals. <<snip>> What a cool story!! Sounds like it was a pretty herculean effort on the part of a lot of people to bring back a piece of history to the drum corps community and also bring an opportunity for alums to resurrect their old skills, have some fun, and be part of a community effort all at the same time. I'm impressed by the effort that went into this. Bravo! Thanks for the information and I'm glad we got at least a glimpse of the show. I'll check out your website for more info about this. You guys deserve kudos for all that was involved in putting this together. And no one from our theater left during the performance. Those that didn't know it was scheduled sat back down when they found out. Seemed that everyone enjoyed the glimpse back in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BST07 Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 UPenn...I'm a sophomore. Oh...did you at one point go there? I could have sworn I read that somewhere... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hrothgar15 Posted April 26, 2008 Author Share Posted April 26, 2008 Oh...did you at one point go there? I could have sworn I read that somewhere... Yes, I was a student there from 2002 to 2006. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BST07 Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 okay, just making sure I wasn't out of my mind = ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 Actually, I wound up in NJ for the countdown this year, instead of the theater 15 minutes from my house Heh.... that North Brunswick theater is about 10 minutes from where I grew up. Fran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted April 26, 2008 Share Posted April 26, 2008 As I already stated most of the crowd was deathly silent..... The crowd at our theater was pretty quiet, too.... and I don't quite "get" that. Whether it's in a theater or in person, whether the performances are live or from years past, it's a drum corps show, for crissakes..... if you see something you like, cheer for it!!!! The other night there were a few times when my wife and I applauded something, and it sounded as if were the only ones doing so. Maybe we just like stuff that other people don't.....LOL Fran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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