Medeabrass Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Was the previous staff given 3 years? Dude, I'm not talking about the previous staff or whether or not that was fair. That wasn't Donnie's choice that was management's. And to be quite honest, there are many more factors that go into whether or not a caption head returns other than where they placed the previous year...but for the sake of clarity, if the only reason he was not brought back was placement then, NO I don't think it was fair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bedford Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Sorry to disappoint you, but Donnie Vandoren assembled this staff as well as the ones at Blue Stars and Carolina Crown. I would say he has a good track record of putting together winning teams. Brad Green inherited a Blue Stars' hornline that was already 2 years into the "Vandoren System" when he got there so the kids didn't have to deal with any culture changes. On the other hand, SCV has been handed a completely new way to approach their playing. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that there may have been some resistance to change in year one. I think it would be a little bit short sighted for us to make a value judgement before he's had 2-3 years to see improvement. He did a fantastic job at Crown assisting Matt Harloff so I don't see any reason why we won't be seeing great things from him at SCV. The talent is there, but culture changes are sometimes more difficult with talented, proud, and established hornlines. It's easier to move up several placements and scores if you have a long way to go like Stars and Madison. Those same strides are harder to make the further up the "totem pole" you are. Lastly, brasslines are getting better and better across the board. If I'm not mistaken, SCV beat Crown in brass last year. I don't care how well SCV did this year, they still weren't going to beat Crown IMO. What exactly is the Vandoren System? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vkulsop Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 What exactly is the Vandoren System? I think that staff members are only as good as the talent they have to work with on the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAMystreaux Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Just because the results are not instant does not mean the staff in place did not do a great job. Give Bob and his team time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randomnoise Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Out of curiosity, though, does anyone know if the Vanguard Cadets made any upgrades in brass staff? Their brass was WAY better this year than in previous seasons. The Vanguard Cadets Brass staff was led by Steve Barnhill, who returned to teach after a few years off. Steve taught the A corps in the late 80s. Not sure about Cadets. He is a highly respected music educator in the San Jose area. He has judged drum corps for many years and is also a great bass trombonist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraNYC Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 I think that staff members are only as good as the talent they have to work with on the field. DVD's system has nothing to do with talent and everything to do with breathing and coming in at the same time and having everyone in the line on the same page. I could hear it in their sound at the beginning of the season - especially on the ends of phrases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medeabrass Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 What exactly is the Vandoren System? I'm not going to go into all of the details of it because it's been discussed on here a billion times. Let's just say that the lines he is involved with (as caption head or consultant) consistently have a certain sound, level of excellence and attention to detail. See if you notice similarities between Garfield 81-84, Troopers 85, Star of Indiana 86 and 88-93, Cadets 97-98 (could be wrong here maybe it's 98-99), Carolina Crown 03-present, and Blue Stars 06-present. Directly or indirectly, he has consistently been a part of the turnaround of many hornlines. Some have taken longer than others, but the results seem to be the same everywhere. These days he's usually a consultant who assembles the brass staffs and mentors the team in the techniques he has developed over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medeabrass Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 I think that staff members are only as good as the talent they have to work with on the field. not true...I know some here think I'm being snobby when I say this, but I was never overly impressed with the talent levels of the SOI lines I was in. I remember countless times where more talented people were cut from a part while less talented people were not simply because they knew how to apply the given technique on the move. I think the staff members are only as good as the attitudes and desires of the students....and they have a good bit of control over this variable as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriTroop Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 Maybe it was because other programs actually moved up. Why is it always just about downward motion of one corps but not upward motion of another? (or a few) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry S Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 Just because the results are not instant does not mean the staff in place did not do a great job. Give Bob and his team time. AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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