after seeing Star of Indiana Alum

[A Cavalier TDY]

Christ, Cadets '91 the freakin' woodblock was the melody and that show was plenty catchy.

Adams' 'Short Ride In A Fast Machine'. That was a GREAT show!

[A Cavalier TDY]

Here's the best way to put it: pick music that the audience may or may not be familiar with, but as a requisite, could be familiar with. For instance, few audience members may have been familiar with Dance of the Tumblers from SCV '87, but as a valid orchestral work arranged true enough to the original, they very well could have been. However, no one could have been familiar with, say, the Cavaliers 2006 opener or the Crossmen 2009 opener. Music that is claimed to work specifically for the drum corps medium often doesn't actually work at all.

As a former conductor, I always liked to say 'People don't necessarily know what the like. They like what they know'. I always found that fact to be VERY limiting!

[Bruckner8]

hmmm... Guess DCA doesn't count since we (Renegades) played it in '03 and '05

...and...

Not true. Renegades played that piece in their show back in 2005 (I'm pretty sure I have the year right).

The only niche smaller than DCI is DCA. And note that my target audience was DCI, thus posting in the DCI threads.

Keep up the good fight, though!

PS: corpsreps.com doesn't mention it for 2003, whilst 2005 is attributed to Franz Schubert's Ave Maria. Oops.

[skajerk]

...and...

The only niche smaller than DCI is DCA. And note that my target audience was DCI, thus posting in the DCI threads.

Keep up the good fight, though!

And I quote:

No one in drum corps land ever heard of Biebl before Phantom

Maybe next time you should be a little clearer.

PS: corpsreps.com doesn't mention it for 2003, whilst 2005 is attributed to Franz Schubert's Ave Maria. Oops.

If you paid attention to my sig, you'll notice that I marched 2003-04 Renegades. Biebl's Ave maria was played during the opener as a ballad in the middle of RCM. I have no idea why it isn't listed. Also, Corpsreps has the wrong composer listed for '05.

PS: Biebl's Ave Maria has become Renegades unofficial corps song.

Your serve.

Edited August 30, 2010 by skajerk

[Todd Tanji]

The 2005 Renegades' Ave Maria is still ringing in my ears, and I heard it from the

back sideline!

[glory]

...To the poster who mentioned that Star was booed when they played "Medea"...Star wasn't getting booed because of WHAT they played, Star was getting booed because: a)####, they were good; b)shame on them, a drum corps that is sponsored by a generous benefactor who happens to run successful businesses and can afford it...

Yes they were. They were booed for music that was too subtle, too soft and a bunch of other "toos" and "nots." The money and the expertise were getting boos too. But those were more justification for rude behavior. The music, the entire program in 1993, was villified for not being proper drum corps.

HH

Edited August 30, 2010 by glory

[atlvalet]

I feel your pain. I'm totally in the same boat. So, I guess I'll take this opportunity to illustrate the great divide between us dino's and the new kids on the block. I have seen several arguments about using great source material that stands on it's own and then building a program around it (OLD SCHOOL).

While sitting in initial brainstorm meetings for a winter drumline I was teaching this past season, something struck me right upside the head. The blatant difference between the old way and the new way was explained to me as such:

"See that's the problem with you Dan ..... you still want to pick all this awesome music, splice a show together and then worry about the concept after the fact. You have to pick something simple for a total concept first if you want to be successful in this day and age. Pick the number like "3" done by Vanguard. Steps .... a letter, colors, a season ... it doesn't matter. You have to pick this Visual concept and then find source material that we can work into the overall design".

My jaw hit the floor. I had never worked with someone that I was at total opposite ends of the spectrum from a design philosophy standpoint. I then went through my mental catalogue of just about every show in recent memory .. and they all fell under this design philosophy. Concept first ... visual second .... music third. I suddenly felt quite ill.

Us Dino's firmly believe that great source material can make a great show .. and the visual will just magically work its way into the program .. and in truth it really is magical when it's done right. Madison did a show based on this philosophy this year and the crowd ate them up. BD went with a "Concept" and rammed in a bunch of music that fit the "mood" of that concept to a T. Concept first, visual second, music third.

And there is the great divide. If this is truly what is expected of designers today, it's no wonder we don't see more SCV 87, Suncoast 85, Madison 88, Phantom 89, Star 90, Cavies 87 ... etc etc etc.

What WE EXPECT from a great drum corps show is no longer part of the recipe for success in modern drum corps, WGI, BOA, USSBA, you name it. The New School just doesn't understand our logic anymore. The divide is so wide, it makes it nearly impossible to enjoy modern shows for much more than a few corps .. just as my friend said in the quote above.

These shows don't connect with us anymore because the corps are trying to connect on a conceptual level rather than a visceral level. Music is not the key focus ... even though it's the most important thing to the masses. All we can do is hope that the tide swings the other way as drum corps takes it natural cycle ........... if they stop tinkering with things in the board room .... I think we'll get back to some great source material married to great visual rather than the inverse.

That is all.

I come from advertising, which is the idea biz. Everything starts with a concept. Without a concept, you have nothing. The problem is, in a musical setting, without great music, you have nothing. Having a great concept is fine, but music trumps everything. It should, IMHO, go something like this:

1) Music

2) Design/Concept

3) Visual

Edited August 30, 2010 by atlvalet

[SACMellos2010]

What atlvalet said!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mgarside83]

Here's the best way to put it: pick music that the audience may or may not be familiar with, but as a requisite, could be familiar with. For instance, few audience members may have been familiar with Dance of the Tumblers from SCV '87, but as a valid orchestral work arranged true enough to the original, they very well could have been. However, no one could have been familiar with, say, the Cavaliers 2006 opener or the Crossmen 2009 opener. Music that is claimed to work specifically for the drum corps medium often doesn't actually work at all.

Yeah, that Cavies 2006 show didn't work at all..............oh, wait a minute.

[Hrothgar15]

Yeah, that Cavies 2006 show didn't work at all..............oh, wait a minute.

It won. Doesn't mean it was entertaining.