hboyce Posted April 16, 2003 Share Posted April 16, 2003 I've been around so many brass players who could play the snot out of their show, but put some Mozart in front of them and they fall flat on their face. They might get the right notes, but it's like listening to Ben Stein in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, though not so funny. They have also been practicing the music for half a year. Give them half a year for a Mozart piece and they will play the snot out of it both technically and musically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitn0926 Posted April 16, 2003 Share Posted April 16, 2003 (edited) Sorry MelloKid, I have to disagree with you there. You're assuming I'm just talking about sight-reading. That's only a part of what I'm talking about. I'm saying that a good musician should be able to look at a piece, whether it be sight-reading or not, and have a good concept of how they would want the piece to sound. That's not something that should take six months of practicing to figure out. Have you ever heard the saying that Mozart is too easy for kids but too hard for adults? The notes are the easy part. It's figuring out how those notes and phrases fit within the piece as a whole that causes the difficulty. Hey Mike, I guess I do tend to live in my own ideal world and forget about the real world. I was very lucky to have some of the best band directors in the state. But, I do know some of those band directors who do work on the same three concert pieces for the entire semester just so their band will do well at contest and that's a shame. That does more harm than good and, to me, is the opposite of music education. Well, I'm sure your kids appreciate everything you do for them by giving them a well-rounded musical experience. Edited April 16, 2003 by pitn0926 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hboyce Posted April 17, 2003 Share Posted April 17, 2003 Ok then who is to say that someone who marches corps couldn't do it. Just because the people you might know would have problems with it doesn't mean everyone, even people with minimal concert setting work, would not be able to play it perfectly both technically and musically. Many corps programs are taught very diffrerently and even some organization change their methods over time. Just because of your experience with corps and other people that have marched corps doesn't mean you should be judging every groups teaching method. Maybe you didn't learn musicallity in your program. I know I have and still have much more to learn. Yes I would say that you could possibly learn more in a concert setting or solo and ensembl setting, but it isn't the only place to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitn0926 Posted April 17, 2003 Share Posted April 17, 2003 OK, MelloKid, you've obviously missed the points of my posts. Since I'd rather not go back through and re-explain everything, you should go back and reread my posts more slowly. As I mentioned before, I had a great experience in corps with one of the best brass staffs in the business. I've seen a ton of brass sectionals of different corps and the basic structure of the rehearsals is the same. The difference is in the staff's knowledge and ability to teach it. You don't seem to understand that I'm not putting corps down at all. I love drum corps or else I wouldn't be on this site at all. And, if you learned some musicality while in corps, great for you. But there is so much more to be learned than can be taught in corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffernbus3 Posted April 17, 2003 Share Posted April 17, 2003 BIG UP! Dustin! Santa Clara had always had musicianship to a high degree as part of its program.....Gail Royer saw to that and the tradition has continued. There was always more than "just drum corps" going on up there, that's what made/makes Santa Clara's program so wonderful. Other corps, too, of course have similar programs.....but I watched how Santa Clara did from back in the Sparks days, and I was impressed by Mr. Royer's vision of what a music program was all about, SCV was/is the result of musicianship that took place in the school system that Mr. Royer taught in and not just what happened in corps rehearsals. As much as I knew him, I still say Mr. Royer as a form of respect. By the way, I agree with you, obviously. RON HOUSLEY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitn0926 Posted April 18, 2003 Share Posted April 18, 2003 Ron, I so wish I could've known GR. What an amazing legacy he left behind. Most of my drum corps experience has been post-GR, except my first show (or two) which was right at the tail end of his career, 1991. And what a summer that was. Those top four shows are some of my all-time favorites, especially Miss Saigon. Thanks for your comments, Ron. I'm glad somebody sees my point and that I'm not trying to bash drum corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffernbus3 Posted April 19, 2003 Share Posted April 19, 2003 I doubt that any one who contributes to this site ever really bashes drum corps. Folks are just really passionate about this kind of musical experience and the culture that supports it. Along with jazz and rock n roll, America took the brass and percussion ensemble exported from elsewhere in the world, added its own particular twist, heated it up and did it better than anybody else on the planet and now it's exporting it back to the rest of the world. Gotta love it.........some more Homegrown American Music, folks! Be proud! Old folks and the current crop.....it's all good and striving to get better....... Bash it, nah, we encourage it and demand it to be the best it can be. It's that drum corps jones, no matter how much you have consumed in your life.......ya still want more and stronger drum corps to feed the monkey with the heart and stones of King Kong's daddy! RON HOUSLEY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitn0926 Posted April 19, 2003 Share Posted April 19, 2003 Well said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffernbus3 Posted April 19, 2003 Share Posted April 19, 2003 Modestly, thanks! RON HOUSLEY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandmanra Posted April 20, 2003 Share Posted April 20, 2003 hey i think that be a great idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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