Drill! Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Hi Everyone! I am new here and this is my first post. I am a long time fan of Drum Corps. I know this is probably not the place to post this topic but I didn’t know where else to post it. So I apologize in advance. My son really wants to audition this year to be in one of the World Class Corps. We are still undecided which one. He is a great Trumpet player and currently marches with his High School Marching Band. Although the HS marching band is a good program, usually placing in the top 3 of their class, they do not use the Jazz Run. My son is concerned because he says one of the requirements for him to audition will be to able to Jazz Run. My questions to everyone are: Are there instructional videos on how to perform a jazz run? Anybody here knowledgeable with the subject and can give a detailed explanation on how to perform it. Anybody knows of anybody where I could ask for help with the subject. Any and all help is greatly appreciated. THANKS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllianaLancerContra Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Welcome aboard Wish I could help but not my era. If you/he needs help w/ high mark time let me know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitedawn Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 i've never seen a corps audition on jazz runs. they just want to see how you move at auditions. there is no way they can expect you to already know the technique when you walk in the door. fyi, though... it is easy. turn the foot out a little, then push. TOE-BALL-HEEL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlooooContra Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Don't worry whatsoever. They'll teach it at the camps, and at any good corps, he won't have to just magically know how. A little technique breakdown (if it helps): Knees will be bent more than usual, and do not straighten during the process. Feet are generally turned out at about a 45-degree angle. Body height does actually lower to make sure bouncing doesn't happen. Think of it as trying to not let your head touch an imaginary lowered ceiling, just skimming it the whole time. You should essentially be on the bells of your feet the whole time. If your heel touches the ground, you're probably going to be bouncing a lot. There are even some top 6 corps that look god awful while jazz running on occasion. Hopefully that's a start at least in terms of understanding the mechanics. I would do a little slo-mo on your DCI videos when you see a closeup to check who's doing it well and who's bouncing like an out-of-control idiot. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbc03 Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 If you can march in time that's really all you need to be able to do for a marching audition. There is plenty of time to beat the specific corps marching technique into you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwerty543 Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Listen, he'll learn the technique there... as many corps differ in their jazz run styles. I think the thing that goes the same for all techniques are: 1. In time 2. Don't flail your arms about 3. Keeping yourself from bouncing so that you can play. Everything he will need to know will be learned at camps... just tell him he has to pick things up QUICKLY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrnguy500 Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 They will probably teach the technique at the camp as most groups have different nuances to their marching style. If you are really desperate you can check the guard forum since they do it all the time. and remember to turn your feet out to a 45 deg angle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexL Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 (edited) There are different types of styles for all the marching techniques depending on what corps your son ends up at. Even in regular marching there may be differences that he may have to learn between his corps and his HS's marching style. May have to unlearn some habits. The corps staff will teach what needs to be done. Above and beyond that, if you know someone who marched 09 in the corps youre looking at, they may be able to help as well, preparing for camp-wise (though even then, thats not a guarantee that they wont get a new visual staff and change the technique..) Edited August 13, 2009 by alarson83 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldschooldbc Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 I don't recall any jazz running in any auditions I have seen. Quite frankly, asking someone to do a jazz run in an audition would be totally unfair. Very, very, very few organizations outside of DBC use jazz running. Maybe some college bands employ it. I don't recall ever seeing a high school band employ it. So you can't really expect rookies at a tryout to know this. Expect to be tested on his instrument, and on standard marching. That's it. That's what I was auditioned on (during the Pleistocene era), and that is what my son was tested on last year. A better suggestion: get a DVD of the corps he is trying out for. Pay close attention to their marching style. Look at their posture, footwork, and carriage, in detail. Then try emulating that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouooga Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 If jazz run is even in the audition, it will be with the style of that particular corps, just as the marching style will be. No two corps march exactly the same way, so more than likely his marching band's style will be incorrect for that corps anyways. Auditions are concerned more with how well you can learn rather than with how much you already know, especially in the visual aspect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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