The truth.

[BigW]

gotta tell ya...Surf isn't as deep at auditions as you think. a lot of true teaching goes on there, not just cleaning for a score.

I'm certain- but BP told me they weren't hurting for kids who wanted to be there, and I'd bet those kids had or have some decent experience out of their HS programs.

Nothing like some of those old GSC corps where you had a kid who never played a brass instrument until that winter, or knew how to march at all. When I would do field brass, there were many times I turned around early in the season and judged looking away because those kids were absolutely terrified and I felt awful about it. You had to tell them on the tape it was okay and you weren't gonna bite them or shoot them.

By mid season, they were calmed down, and by season's end it was really cool to see how they were able to perform with a TON more confidence and excitement about their shows- and I could see in their faces they were really proud of what they accomplished in not a lot of time- and they should've been.

I think those are the kids that worry Joe and I most- none of them go to a HS that has any kind of competent instrumental music program, if they even have one at all. They need the opportunity to try this activity, but how can they without the tools and experience to even get through any kind of auditions? At least Surf has kids who have played a brass instrument and can read music before they came to them and marched some somewhere when they have their final membership roster, I'd bet.

There are very few grassroots corps out there now. I think everyone safely assumes the School Music programs are doing that job now, and for the most part I think that's a very reasonable assumption, but not for the kids in the big metro areas.

I know from seeing it with my own eyes, and Joe knows it from trying to make it happen, and evidently they understand this in South Africa---- the corps that exists to get kids off the streets and give them something positive in their lives and get them steered and mentored in a positive life-changing direction still has a place and still is needed. Maybe they don't kick everyone's face in or do things that are cutting edge, but they're not there for that reason. I also know from 9 years at Milton Hershey School on staff there with their Band/Corps program (We had a band that used G Bugles for most of those years, neat concept that worked nicely for us) helping kids find their way and in many cases being the closest thing to a family some of these kids know is a great thing and more important than so many people realize, esp. some of the youngin's here who usually come from good familes, good schools, and nice neighborhoods to live in.

I need to win the Powerball and get some kind of trust set up for this kind of thing after I pay off my debts and quit my job. As good a pipe dream as anyone can have, huh!?

[TennTux]

Just heard Sun 72 earlier on Diceman Radio ... Procession was played Out of Concert ... haven't heard that show in a while ... lots of BS&T with a smattering of other things ...

:-)

OK... (before my time and not listed on corpsreps. Then again nothing IS for the 1972 season... hehe)

http://www.corpsreps.com/corpsreps.cfm?vie...orpstype=Senior

[JoeDz]

I need to win the Powerball and get some kind of trust set up for this kind of thing after I pay off my debts and quit my job. As good a pipe dream as anyone can have, huh!?

So I need to pray for you to hit the Powerball so that:

1. I can have a partner in the NEW GSC, and

2. WE'LL have a PA/NJ Circuit

"So let it be written.................so let, etc."

Joe

[Fran Haring]

So I need to pray for you to hit the Powerball so that:

1. I can have a partner in the NEW GSC, and

2. WE'LL have a PA/NJ Circuit

"So let it be written.................so let, etc."

Joe

That would be a great way to spend some lottery cash and give back, for sure.

To this day I miss H. Worth Ake. Not only was he a great writer and PA announcer, but he was one of those folks who really cared about, and supported, the smaller "neighborhood corps" that made up the Garden State Circuit.... and the other local circuits from back in the day.

If Mr. Ake were still with us, I wonder what his opinions of the modern-day drum corps activity would be.

[donincardona]

That would be a great way to spend some lottery cash and give back, for sure.

To this day I miss H. Worth Ake. Not only was he a great writer and PA announcer, but he was one of those folks who really cared about, and supported, the smaller "neighborhood corps" that made up the Garden State Circuit.... and the other local circuits from back in the day.

If Mr. Ake were still with us, I wonder what his opinions of the modern-day drum corps activity would be.

i think he would be greatly dissappionted. but no one knows another man's mind.

[tmignemi02]

Yes... actually, one of the first shows I worked was the "Dark Ages Invitational" at Stonehenge.

How dark could it have been? Your shirt most likely illuminated the place. Your shirt probably frightened the locals.

[JoeDz]

i think he would be greatly dissappionted. but no one knows another man's mind.

I'd like to think that he would APPROVE of how DCI's dedicated corps personnel feed, nurture, and teach responsibility and dedication to some very talented youth of this continent.

I also think he would lament the disappearance of corps whose goal is to teach a kid to take care of his/her equipment and uniform, to make a sound finally come out of the front of (edited for typo) that thing, and to work together with some neighborhood friends to also become responsible young adults, ready to assume leadership of a country that our most recent generations have greedily mismanaged.

I can't believe what a grumpy old man I've become. <sigh>

Joe

Edited July 25, 2010 by JoeDz

[stanforj]

I also think he would lament the disappearance of corps whose goal is to teach a kid to take care of his/her equipment and uniform, to make a sound finally come out of the front of (edited for typo) that thing, and to work together with some neighborhood friends to also become responsible young adults,

I can't believe what a grumpy old man I've become. <sigh>

Joe

I don't believe it is a grumpy old man...just getting older...I have to mention that my alma mater....alumni....you know....the corps I marched with...holds true to the principles you espouse.to......especially the equipment /uniform thing........as do most of our corps in Dca I hope?? Class 'A' being smaller size may have that more family style relationship..but the larger corps too are family......not saying that......I hope and pray that we still try to influence good values and morals on our members...which I think we do....music is the ultimate educator...without it we would be nothing.....carry on young people...enjoy and pass on your experience to others..amen

[BigW]

I also think he would lament the disappearance of corps whose goal is to teach a kid to take care of his/her equipment and uniform, to make a sound finally come out of the front of (edited for typo) that thing, and to work together with some neighborhood friends to also become responsible young adults,

I can't believe what a grumpy old man I've become. <sigh>

Joe

I don't believe it is a grumpy old man...just getting older...I have to mention that my alma mater....alumni....you know....the corps I marched with...holds true to the principles you espouse.to......especially the equipment /uniform thing........as do most of our corps in Dca I hope?? Class 'A' being smaller size may have that more family style relationship..but the larger corps too are family......not saying that......I hope and pray that we still try to influence good values and morals on our members...which I think we do....music is the ultimate educator...without it we would be nothing.....carry on young people...enjoy and pass on your experience to others..amen

I think where Joe and I are going is that there were some small corps in Metro/urban areas that could take an interested kid off the street and get them involved, regardless of previous experience. I don't think the Class A corps in DCA are from those areas, correct me if I'm wrong. From what I've seen of the Class A scene in DCA, I do appreciate the fact the ones I've seen are taking in some very young folks and teaching them the ropes. When you can hold onto people like that, and if they stay, you end up with some really experienced people!

I know no one was trying to 'straighten me up' at Westshore- I have great parents who brought me up on the straight and narrow, and I pretty much behaved myself ('pretty much' is the operative. I was a pretty well-behaved kid, I think, not TOO bad...). But there are a lot of great things to learn from the activity- teamwork, hard work, knowing that sometimes things don't work the way you hoped they did, Learning about the Arts and Music Performance, putting up with a lot of tough times in practice and being self-dsciplined about it, I can go on.

I think there are still kids in the inner cities that would love to do something like this and should, it's just that the opportunity isn't there like it used to be. That's where we're coming from. It was great to see Kips' Bay from the Bronx come out and do a really credible job performing in GSC, and making things happen, as well as the other corps in the Circuit from places like Newark and Mount Vernon, NY.

[Jeff Ream]

in your case W, they just wanted to shut you up