charlie1223 Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 I just got back from BOA Grand Nationals and watched all 12 finalist Bands. Now there is a lot of negativity towards "marching bands" and how drum corps should make a distinction from marching band... But what I saw from the 12 finalist bands at BOA was anything BUT what is stereotypically tossed around about “Marching Band” even here on DCP. These bands WERE Drum Corps quality bands. From programming, to movement, to speed, to drill design and music, to power of sound, to creativity… I had my jaw open during each of the shows wondering how the heck high school students could achieve a level of performance to rival even mid to lower tiered World Class drum corps. I wonder if people who are against the “BOA, Marching Band” thing have even taken the time to watch some of the best marching band has to offer. Because what I’m telling you that Marching Band is becoming more and more drum corps like and it’s not the other way around. It’s clear to me that anyone who appreciates drum corps should also appreciate the potential of marching band. I understand that the bands I saw only a small percentage of all high school bands. And maybe if we all expected more from marching band, and not constantly give into that stereotype, then maybe organizations all over the United States can push to reach their full potential like the 12 bands I saw did. If we say the term “marching band” with scorn then that’s the way it will be perceived forever and always. All of us who support marching music should never look down to marching band ever, and last night at BOA finals finally proved that to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hrothgar15 Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 Has BOA finally gotten away from the narration scene? I think the last time I was at a BOA show was the Georgia Dome in 2004 and all but one of the bands had narration throughout the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie1223 Posted November 14, 2010 Author Share Posted November 14, 2010 Has BOA finally gotten away from the narration scene? I think the last time I was at a BOA show was the Georgia Dome in 2004 and all but one of the bands had narration throughout the show. There were two Band that I distinctly remember having a lot of narration. One was Tarpon Springs with their show "Paranormal" But I thought it was used very effectively. It really enhanced the theme and complimented the musical phrases perfectly. Marian Catholic had a lot of talking that I thought didn't really fit in with the show, and was excessive but hey, I don't like all the jelly beans in the pot... Others used it sparringly and none at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemesiscorps Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 I just got back from BOA Grand Nationals and watched all 12 finalist Bands. Now there is a lot of negativity towards "marching bands" and how drum corps should make a distinction from marching band...But what I saw from the 12 finalist bands at BOA was anything BUT what is stereotypically tossed around about “Marching Band” even here on DCP. These bands WERE Drum Corps quality bands. From programming, to movement, to speed, to drill design and music, to power of sound, to creativity… I had my jaw open during each of the shows wondering how the heck high school students could achieve a level of performance to rival even mid to lower tiered World Class drum corps. I wonder if people who are against the “BOA, Marching Band” thing have even taken the time to watch some of the best marching band has to offer. Because what I’m telling you that Marching Band is becoming more and more drum corps like and it’s not the other way around. It’s clear to me that anyone who appreciates drum corps should also appreciate the potential of marching band. I understand that the bands I saw only a small percentage of all high school bands. And maybe if we all expected more from marching band, and not constantly give into that stereotype, then maybe organizations all over the United States can push to reach their full potential like the 12 bands I saw did. If we say the term “marching band” with scorn then that’s the way it will be perceived forever and always. All of us who support marching music should never look down to marching band ever, and last night at BOA finals finally proved that to me. I completely understand your point, and I agree with you. However, I'm not so sure that the "scorn" has anything to do with the quality of the bands... anyone who cares knows that they are great. The issue for some is why there has to be this melding of the two activities to the point of no distinguishing factors that separate the two. Why can't there be great bands and great drum corps, both offering unique qualities among clearly distinguishable differences in makeup within the musical ensembles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 There were two Band that I distinctly remember having a lot of narration. One was Tarpon Springs with their show "Paranormal" But I thought it was used very effectively. It really enhanced the theme and complimented the musical phrases perfectly. Marian Catholic had a lot of talking that I thought didn't really fit in with the show, and was excessive but hey, I don't like all the jelly beans in the pot...Others used it sparringly and none at all. I know some people don't like marching bands, but that's not me. I like them, but I want them to be distinct from marching band. It used to be that drum corps was on a whole other level compared to them, but that isn't the case anymore, especially when designers try to design for them in the same way, even going as far as doing very similar shows. The next steps were to add narration and synths, which makes corps more like bands when we should be trying to remain the ultimate in marching music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corps-mudgeon Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 I completely understand your point, and I agree with you. However, I'm not so sure that the "scorn" has anything to do with the quality of the bands... anyone who cares knows that they are great. The issue for some is why there has to be this melding of the two activities to the point of no distinguishing factors that separate the two. Why can't there be great bands and great drum corps, both offering unique qualities among clearly distinguishable differences in makeup within the musical ensembles? This. I enjoy marching band, I enjoy drum corps, I enjoy the difference, and I resent efforts to remove the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallace Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 (edited) It has to be mentioned that it is evident that marching band is having a greater influence on drum corps than the other way around lately. It seems to me that South Brunswick High School inspired the Cadets staff to go with Angels in the Architechture, and I'm sure there are a lot of us that could point out school shows that made it to the drum corps field. BTW, I thought BOA was a weak field this year. I thought Avon was very muddy from a musical standpoint. Edited November 14, 2010 by wallace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerguy315 Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 if you think bands all over the US have "potential" to be a BOA finalist... well, I want some of what you are smoking. I wonder what the average budget is of a BOA finalist band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 This.I enjoy marching band, I enjoy drum corps, I enjoy the difference, and I resent efforts to remove the difference. In the world of competitive marching music today I can only see three slight differences between the top 12 DCI units and the top 12 BOA units: 1) Some variation in Quality; 2) Where the youth come from to participate in each unit; and 3) Woodwinds. I can understand your resentment to remove numbers 2 and 3, but what about number 1? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triple Forte Posted November 14, 2010 Share Posted November 14, 2010 Why can't there be great bands and great drum corps, both offering unique qualities among clearly distinguishable differences in makeup within the musical ensembles? DITTO !!! I like vanilla and chocolate ice cream.....not chocolate with chocolate.... Moderation is the key to everything in life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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