Important Drum Corps Lost?

[nemesiscorps]

The xylophone glisses are the frosting on the cake.

Mr. Boo... not you too! Stirring the pot on this post that has gone waaaaaay off topic. For shame!

Okay... I chuckled at the xylo improve too.

[Michael Boo]

Mr. Boo... not you too! Stirring the pot on this post that has gone waaaaaay off topic. For shame!

Okay... I chuckled at the xylo improve too.

It may have been an improv, but whether it improved matters any is open to discussion. I think that part was the homage to the effect of throwing cans of Chef Boyardee at the keys and letting them roll across the instrument, which I think is a popular folk ritual in parts of the Balkans.

[tommytimp]

Doing a little "research" by checking the group's other videos, they're from Moscow. You know, that Russian city known internationally as being a breeding ground for rudimental percussion? I looks like 2 of the 3 bass drums were drum set basses. One of the snares was a concert snare. They obviously have limited resources. That they can put ANYTHING together should be commended.

IN FORMER SOVIET UNION, STREET BEATS YOU!!!

/kills Yakov Smirnoff, runs away laughing hysterically

[BRASSO]

Just curious... really.

. You are rare, most people (certainly young students) don't respond well to that kind of approach.

. I do get your point, but I think you go too far, and I think you know it. I think some whom have posted here didn't think about what they were saying prior to posting, and then went into defense mode, rather than simply saying something to the effect of... "Okay, maybe I was too brutally honest in my comments on the performance, and I should have spoken more to the OP's point (if you caught it) rather than the quality of the performance." (i.e. I don't like the cadence, or old school cadences for that matter, and the quality of the performance didn't help.)

From my perspective, looking at that video, we don't have enough information to warrant the kind of criticism that was recklessly offered. It wasn't a critique (look up the definition), IMO it was unwarranted, crude criticism of kids engaged in a positive activity. For all we know, tough teaching may have helped them achieve the level that we see in the video. Maybe they came from absolutely nothing, and the video is a benchmark achievement for them. It's probably fair to assume that they are a work in progress. Anyway, we don't know, and even if we did, that doesn't mean that we can say whatever we want to, and then justify it as a legitimate teaching tactic with students we have no connection with or knowledge of.

My expertise is in leadership (doctoral level) and achieving goals through influential personal relationships. I certainly understand achieving goals within the context of behavior and influence. Achieving my degrees basically taught me that I don't know everything, and I'd be a fool to think I did. What I've learned is that I should be intelligent enough to recognize that I need to keep learning. I'm trying with you two, but I have to tell you, I'd never want to put a kid through your experience if it was truly as you describe. To me, that would be "horrific."

You sound like someone who assumes something without having the facts. I said precisely what I wanted to say, and was deliberative in my thoughts prior to posting. I was not critical of you, although by including your educational credentials into the posting here it would appear that your intent was to elevate your comments to be of a higher plain due to that training and expertise. I never utilized, however, my many years of training and experience as a tenured and respected classroom teacher ( before leaving and then starting and later growing my own successful company ) as a soapbox for the higher plain level correctness of my comments. It is not material to the discussion and could be viewed as pompass by others in my opinion. You said that" your degrees " basically taught you that you don't know everything, and you'd be a fool to think you did . Most people learn this well before they attend College it seems to me. Incidentally, what have you learned tonite that" you did not know before " ? I learned that there are people with different points of view than mine and that their comments for the most part were thought provoking and have made me rethink some of my preconceived assumptions to determine if they still have merit after reading other's comments here on this topic.

Edited November 1, 2010 by BRASSO

[nemesiscorps]

You sound like someone who assumes something without having the facts. I said precisely what I wanted to say, and was deliberative in my thoughts prior to posting. I was not critical of you, although by including your educational credentials into the posting here it would appear that your intent was to elevate your comments to be of a higher plain due to that training and expertise. I never utilized, however, my many years of training and experience as a tenured and respected classroom teacher ( before leaving and then starting and later growing my own successful company ) as a soapbox for the higher plain level correctness of my comments. It is not material to the discussion and could be viewed as pompass by others in my opinion. You said that" your degrees " basically taught you that you don't know everything, and you'd be a fool to think you did . Most people learn this well before they attend College it seems to me. Incidentally, what have you learned tonite that" you did not know before " ? I learned that there are people with different points of view than mine and that their comments for the most part were thought provoking and have made me rethink some of my preconceived assumptions to determine if they still have merit after reading other's comments here on this topic.

Hmmm...

You're taking things quite negatively here, as well as out of context IMO. It is not my intention here to illicit such a response from you. I'm not trying to take jabs at you or anyone else here. Apparently I'm communicating poorly, for which I apologize. My first mistake is how I have been simultaneously responding to your comments and those previously made by garfield. As a result, I can see how you may be taking my general comments personally.

One of you (perhaps it was garfield) spoke about their credentials to speak to the quality of the performance in the manner that they did (35 years teaching percussion), and that my being a horn player (who's heart was "warmed" in hearing the cadence) somehow lessened my credibility in sharing an opinion. In speaking of my "credentials," I was directly responding to your stated views on instructors that were not "hard teachers," and how they influenced (or didn't influence) you as a performer, and how you found them to be phony and lacked merit. I was not speaking to the quality of the performers on the video, but speaking directly to the "hard" teaching style vs. what you opined as less or ineffective teaching techniques based on positive reenforcement (honesty and encouragement). I merely stated that you are a rare exception in your ability to respond affirmatively to your (what I described as disrespectful) "hard teaching" experiences.

It irks me too when people with advanced degrees make everything about their education, and I therefore stated that I learned mostly that I (nor anyone else) will never know everything, and I therefore don't pretend to. It seems that you missed that part. I stated that my awareness of influence via relationships did not support your experience of achievement through "hard teaching," and I therefore would not advocate having learners (young or old) subjected to what you described. Ironically, most people do believe that years of education will result in their becoming this "all knowing person," but reality shows them that they are simply actively engaged in a never ending process of expanding existing bodies of knowledge within certain areas. It's true, "the more you learn, the more you realize what you don't know." I am still trying to understand justification of some of the negative comments about the video performance as legitimate pedagogy that could benefit those performers, and I still don't agree that it would in this case.

Tonight I learned that I've unintentionally touched a nerve with you by sharing my comments and opinions. I find that very unfortunate, because we've agreed on many other topics in the past, and I'm still a big fan of yours, but it seems that this exchange has possibly put future communication between us in jeopardy. Sorry if I came off in a way that made you less receptive. I hope you can find my true intention within my comments. Peace.

[crazymello]

I dont understand the debate. I mean, he DID SAY that the cadence was lost. >_> I only saw the video as backup of that point, seeing as they clearly have not found it!

[lindap]

I was browsing youtube the other day and came across this...

Talk about bringing back memories of hearing this every parade and retreat and to this day when I am hiking or walking a LONG way this pops into my head and I find myself basically doing a parade walk. Has ANYONE kept any of these street beats for the record or history?

I'm the same age as Disneyland; the people I work with say I march when I walk. Go figure. Street beats are cool; keeps the parade a moving.

[Piper]

To this day I can mouth and play any streetbeat that I was ever given. It's just something that sticks in your mind. In some ways it can shape a corps identity. Whenever we were at a parade and heard "The Downfall of Paris" we knew the Hurricanes were coming.

[JimF-LowBari]

Doing a little "research" by checking the group's other videos, they're from Moscow. You know, that Russian city known internationally as being a breeding ground for rudimental percussion? I looks like 2 of the 3 bass drums were drum set basses. One of the snares was a concert snare. They obviously have limited resources. That they can put ANYTHING together should be commended.

This is the most interesting thing about the whole thread, IMO.....

[Michael Boo]

This is the most interesting thing about the whole thread, IMO.....

To me, the most interesting thing is that they somehow discovered Marty Hurley.