GregW Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Ok, with all the positive hype going on around the whole Star team working on bringing Madison back to a top-tier corps, I haven't heard much about how they are going to split their time in order to oversee an even bigger project. Lest we forget, Star is planning on putting an alumni corps on the field at prelims this year, and they have said it would be no less than one that shows off all the things that made Star a special corps. Being part of the Kingsmen Alumni Corps for 2 years, I know the level of commitment and time required to make a project like that really work, and it was much more than a part-time commitment, for both the members and the staff. I'm sure that the participating members will be some of the best that ever marched with Star, and they certainly have a lot of talent to draw from, but I have to believe that the core staff that's overseeing this project would be many of the same people that are now involved with Madison. There will be camps and rehearsals all summer at the Star facilities that Madison is using before heading out on tour, but who will be staying behind to oversee the enormous project of the Star Alumni Corps? It will be difficult to be on the road working on getting Madison back to the desired level, and still be there to be the driving force behind the alumni project. I'm not sure if it makes a huge difference now days, and I'm sure they have spoken about it internally before they all agreed to this level of involvement again, but I know how much of a time and effort commitment it takes to do one corps at this level, let alone two. Maybe the techs handle all the day to day teaching and rehearsal scheduling now as opposed to how it was BITD, but I can't see either corps being as successful as I know they want them to be without everyone's full-time involvement from the top on down. Maybe some of the people involved in Madison or Star Alumni can chime in and share some additional information. I know a lot is going to be going on over the next 8 months, and believe me, it's a LOT smaller window of time than you think when you're in the middle of a project this encompassing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Euphscott Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I'm thinking the corps was educational in nature over the years, thus they probably developed some pretty decent musicians and teachers along the way that know the Star way, but are not necessarily involved in teaching drum corps. I have no doubts they have plenty of bodies to get the job done. If you are not plugged into the DCA world you need to familiarize yourself with Star United mini corps - they seem to be doing just fine without Jim Mason running the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxingfred Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 You have to realize Mason was a Scout first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slow Adam Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I haven't heard much about how they are going to split their time in order to oversee an even bigger project. Lest we forget, Star is planning on putting an alumni corps on the field at prelims this year No disrespect intended towards the alumni corps whatsoever, but I'd say teaching a DCI corps that tours the country for 2 months while trying to get back into a highly competitive Saturday night is a bigger project than one show on Thursday or Friday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowtown Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 It’s my understanding none of the old Star staff have anything to do with Star Alumni. That the alumni are doing this show for themselves (and the fans) and on their own. I don’t think they even have the rights to use the Star of Indiana name I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think this is an issue as presented by the OP The old Star staff will be with Madison and has no official commitment the Star Alumni Corps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesa Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 The Star Alumni Corps is in good hands and will perform just fine. There are previous Star of Indiana staff members helping with the project. Madison will do just fine this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregW Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 The Star Alumni Corps is in good hands and will perform just fine. There are previous Star of Indiana staff members helping with the project. Madison will do just fine this year. Sorry if anything in my post came across as a negative, it certainly wasn't intended. My comment was more based on my personal experience as to how much more time and effort goes into an alumni project than anyone ever dreamt possible. When we started the Kingsmen project, there were "serious" discussions about being able to just pass out the music, do a few camps, and it would be basically little more than a week of commitment leading up to the actual performance. We all know how ridiculous a statement that turned out to be, with MANY of us devoting the better part of 2 years putting together a 12 minute performance. Granted, the situation with Star Alumni is very different, with the corps still being active and much of the staff and alumni very involved with both Jr. and Sr. corps, so it's not like trying to get a bunch of 50 year olds in physical shape to do a show. What I really was trying to get across was a question about what happens when Madison is on the road this summer, and fighting to get back to previous performance and competition levels. I don't know if the senior staff plans on touring with the corps, of if that's left up to a group that's put together specifically for that purpose, with caption heads meeting the corps at various stages throughout the summer. It's been quite a few years since I actually rode the staff busses and back then everyone went on tour, but it's my understanding that that's not necessarily the case today. I also know how important it's going to be for Star Alumni to put out a product that is beyond expectations, and that just takes time and commitment from everyone involved. Regardless of the fact that it's a one or two time performance, the sheer task of putting the alumni corps show on the field will not be all that different from putting Madison on the field. Music still has to be written and taught, as does drill and guard work. Much of that can happen independently, but everyone has to be together in order for the drill to work and, and again, it just takes a lot more time than everyone realizes to go from an ok product to a great one. Being able to play a show is VERY different from being able to perform as an ensemble, and then as most of us know, there are many stages of performance, and those come from just being togehter and working together over an extended period. I have no doubt the talent is there, and I'm sure the commitment from everyone involved is there as well, my biggest concern is the delicate balance of time, and the fact that it's still really hard to be in two places at once, even for this dream team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mingusmonk Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Regardless of the fact that it's a one or two time performance, the sheer task of putting the alumni corps show on the field will not be all that different from putting Madison on the field. Music still has to be written and taught, as does drill and guard work. Much of that can happen independently, but everyone has to be together in order for the drill to work and, and again, it just takes a lot more time than everyone realizes to go from an ok product to a great one. Being able to play a show is VERY different from being able to perform as an ensemble, and then as most of us know, there are many stages of performance, and those come from just being togehter and working together over an extended period. A few quick notes. - Star Alumni has been working on this thing for a long time already - Star Alumni is not a Mason Entertainment Group operation - Star Alumni is being charged by folks that have been doing Star Alumni since they started a parade group years ago, and a spin-off that annually compete in DCA min-corps. They know their stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob984 Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Ok, with all the positive hype going on around the whole Star team working on bringing Madison back to a top-tier corps, I haven't heard much about how they are going to split their time in order to oversee an even bigger project. Lest we forget, Star is planning on putting an alumni corps on the field at prelims this year, and they have said it would be no less than one that shows off all the things that made Star a special corps. Being part of the Kingsmen Alumni Corps for 2 years, I know the level of commitment and time required to make a project like that really work, and it was much more than a part-time commitment, for both the members and the staff. I'm sure that the participating members will be some of the best that ever marched with Star, and they certainly have a lot of talent to draw from, but I have to believe that the core staff that's overseeing this project would be many of the same people that are now involved with Madison. There will be camps and rehearsals all summer at the Star facilities that Madison is using before heading out on tour, but who will be staying behind to oversee the enormous project of the Star Alumni Corps? It will be difficult to be on the road working on getting Madison back to the desired level, and still be there to be the driving force behind the alumni project. I'm not sure if it makes a huge difference now days, and I'm sure they have spoken about it internally before they all agreed to this level of involvement again, but I know how much of a time and effort commitment it takes to do one corps at this level, let alone two. Maybe the techs handle all the day to day teaching and rehearsal scheduling now as opposed to how it was BITD, but I can't see either corps being as successful as I know they want them to be without everyone's full-time involvement from the top on down. Maybe some of the people involved in Madison or Star Alumni can chime in and share some additional information. I know a lot is going to be going on over the next 8 months, and believe me, it's a LOT smaller window of time than you think when you're in the middle of a project this encompassing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob984 Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 The level of talent that was in Star/Indoor Theatre/BLAST, plus the number of teachers and staff people who graduated from those organizations, will insure a quality product even if the arrangers/designers never even showed up once, and I am sure that they will be there sometimes. Also, the staffers of Madison who used to be with Star are used to being very busy and in demand, and know how to manage their time so that all gets done, and also to delegate to others so that all gets done, even without their presence. All will work out. GB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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