Practicing saxophone during summer tour - possible?

[actucker]

Skip this notion of doing DCI Drum Corps. Stay with the Sax. The answer is found ( in my opinion ) in your comment that " the saxophone is my main instrument" in your college Music Ed. Major. You presumbably are paying a lot of money for college, and you have obviously have already invested a lot of your time and money in getting to this point in your music career and with proficiency with the saxophone. I see little value in diverting your time and attention now to the utilization focus on another musical instrument in the summer. They'll be little to no chance to enhance your skills on your " main instrument " by doing DCI Drum Corps in the summer. Your college instructor- advisor has sent you a clear and unmistakable message that he or she does not believe that suddenly now going in a different direction in the summer is helpful. I would heed their advice. Had your " main instrument " been a trumpet or a drum ( for example ), my advice ( and that of your current college music educator) would be quite different. So I'd say skip DCI Drum Corps. That said, if you have a burning desire to practice your sax AND do Drum Corps, then I would look into doing Drum Corps with a DCA Corps. Here, you should be able to find sufficient private time to devote to the practice of the saxophone, while simultaneously doing DCA Drum Corps. Whatever you decide, best of luck and success to you. I hope it works out well for you, whatever you decide.

This comment would be completely valid if he were a performance major looking to make a living on his "main instrument", but instead he will be spending his time teaching students who all play different instruments. A band director with strong technical proficiency in both the brass world as well as the reeds, who also has drum corps experience is a major asset to his students. The objective with his chosen degree program is to become a great music teacher, not a great saxophone player. Obviously, he should have the experience of becoming excellent and not just above average at one instrument, but he will have time to do that. I knew several people in college that took the exact route that he is considering and are among some of the best band directors/educators I know.

[DrillmanSop06]

Skip this notion of doing DCI Drum Corps. Stay with the Sax. The answer is found ( in my opinion ) in your comment that " the saxophone is my main instrument" in your college Music Ed. Major. You presumbably are paying a lot of money for college, and you have obviously have already invested a lot of your time and money in getting to this point in your music career and with proficiency with the saxophone. I see little value in diverting your time and attention now to the utilization focus on another musical instrument in the summer. They'll be little to no chance to enhance your skills on your " main instrument " by doing DCI Drum Corps in the summer. Your college instructor- advisor has sent you a clear and unmistakable message that he or she does not believe that suddenly now going in a different direction in the summer is helpful. I would heed their advice. Had your " main instrument " been a trumpet or a drum ( for example ), my advice ( and that of your current college music educator) would be quite different. So I'd say skip DCI Drum Corps. That said, if you have a burning desire to practice your sax AND do Drum Corps, then I would look into doing Drum Corps with a DCA Corps. Here, you should be able to find sufficient private time to devote to the practice of the saxophone, while simultaneously doing DCA Drum Corps. Whatever you decide, best of luck and success to you. I hope it works out well for you, whatever you decide.

Ignore this. As an educator, the skills you'll come away with will far surpass what you will gain practicing your sax for that span of time. Brasso, did you march drum corps? More importantly, are you an educator?

Edited March 6, 2011 by DrillmanSop06

[Michael Boo]

Ok, so ever since I found out what drum corps was, I've had a dream to march with a World Class corps, and in the best-case scenario, it would be a top-10 corps. I played mellophone for 2 years in HS marching band and took French horn lessons for 2 years, and am ready to try out for the 2012 season.

...

A. Would you be crushed if you couldn't make it into a top-10 corps? I've known of plenty of all-state performers who couldn't make the cut in World Class corps. By the time they lowered their expectations, it was too late to audition for any other corps that interested them.

B. If you want the experience, how about a corps like Pioneer? They've taken members who never played a brass instrument before and taught them. You've already had brass experience, so you've already taken a step in the right direction. They take very good care of their members and you would get the full World Class tour experience.

C. As for the comment (not copied above) that your instructor thinks you would backslide in your performance of the saxophone, that very well might be the case. But I would ask you to think about this: If you're a music education major, unless your goal is to be an applied saxophone instructor, wouldn't you get more of an educational experience that will pay dividends in the future if you march a corps than if you put that time into playing your saxophone? If you're hoping to be a band director, what will help you better deal with a marching band; corps experience or stellar saxophone technique?

[DrillmanSop06]

A. Would you be crushed if you couldn't make it into a top-10 corps? I've known of plenty of all-state performers who couldn't make the cut in World Class corps. By the time they lowered their expectations, it was too late to audition for any other corps that interested them.

B. If you want the experience, how about a corps like Pioneer? They've taken members who never played a brass instrument before and taught them. You've already had brass experience, so you've already taken a step in the right direction. They take very good care of their members and you would get the full World Class tour experience.

C. As for the comment (not copied above) that your instructor thinks you would backslide in your performance of the saxophone, that very well might be the case. But I would ask you to think about this: If you're a music education major, unless your goal is to be an applied saxophone instructor, wouldn't you get more of an educational experience that will pay dividends in the future if you march a corps than if you put that time into playing your saxophone? If you're hoping to be a band director, what will help you better deal with a marching band; corps experience or stellar saxophone technique?

:worthy: :worthy:

[BRASSO]

Brasso, did you march drum corps? More importantly, are you an educator?

what are you, a cop ?

Edited March 6, 2011 by BRASSO

[AZFan]

I suggest looking at Woodwind I&E from the last couple years and seeing which corps seem to have the most participants. This would give you a pretty good idea of which corps there is for sure enough time to practice the other instrument, I don't know anyone who would be willing to go into a performance without practicing the prior few weeks. I've heard stories of some corps, such as Vanguard and Academy, where they want to hear you on the brass, but to get an idea of your musical skills, will allow you to play a short piece on your primary instrument to demonstrate your talent for the woodwinds and your potential for brass.

[BRASSO]

It depends on your specific corps and their rules about free time/down time.

This also seems like an appropriate response to the OP's question. The question was pretty clear to me.( The OP is asking about " practicing the saxophone during summer tour ".) He didn't mention any DCA Corps or Open class Corps. He didn't mention a lower level World Class Corps. He mentioned specifically doing " top 10 Corps " while simultaneously " practicing his saxophone while on tour "... presumably with The Cadets, Blue Devils, Cavs, or some similar high level World Class Corps.

In my opinion.... No can do. Something will have to give, imo.

If others think he can march The "top 10 " Corps with the demands they have for a first timer to DCI and these top demanding Corps, while simultaneously providing themselves the typical daily hours of " practicing the saxophone during summer tour" ,then they are not helpful to this OP, imo. But that's my suggestion, but it seems to comport with his current music educator's advice as well. Others are certainly free to tell him he can march DCI for the first time with the " top Corps ".... and do his typical daily hours of practice on his saxophone while on summer tour with a Corps like ( say ) The Cadets or the Blue Devils. But in my humble opinion, educators or not... they are delusional that this OP could do what he intends to try and do, and what he is asking us. Maybe some posters here should reread his question a couple of more times. Methinks they don't understand his question properly perhaps. I said above his best best ( as an inexperienced DCI marcher ) might be to go to a DCA Corps first, and practice privately during the week in the summer his saxophone. I'll stick by that recommendation as it seems the best way forward to accomplish both in my opinion. The" Summer tour " with a DCA Corps is typically on weekends and as such would allow him much more private practice time on his saxophone during the week, while still cutting his new teeth on Drum Corps, and all that this entails for a newcomer. If that works, he could follow up the following year ( he's a frosh, so he got a couple of more years ) with a DCI Corps that travels more extensively in the summer. But what do I know, right ?

Edited March 7, 2011 by BRASSO

[CuriousMe]

CuriousMe,

I typically practice 2.5 hours a day, 6 days a week, but I think it could be a bit less over the summer.

And college starts the last week of August.

And CSGreen, I would love it if I could march Cadets, since they're closest to me. (I'm going to Penn State main campus.) I know that's a top corps, but all the others would require me to take an airplane there, and I don't know if I can pay for plane tickets.

I don't think that anything close to that schedule is realistic. While everyone works hard on tour, Cadets are specifically known for putting in a lot of hours rehearsing.

You will grow as a musician though. I confess to not knowing a lot about reed instruments...would it be enough for you to take a mouthpiece and some reeds to keep your embochure up?

[DrillmanSop06]

This also seems like an appropriate response to the OP's question. The question was pretty clear to me.( The OP is asking about " practicing the saxophone during summer tour ".) He didn't mention any DCA Corps or Open class Corps. He didn't mention a lower level World Class Corps. He mentioned specifically doing " top 10 Corps " while simultaneously " practicing his saxophone while on tour "... presumably with The Cadets, Blue Devils, Cavs, or some similar high level World Class Corps.

In my opinion.... No can do. Something will have to give, imo.

If others think he can march The "top 10 " Corps with the demands they have for a first timer to DCI and these top demanding Corps, while simultaneously providing themselves the typical daily hours of " practicing the saxophone during summer tour" ,then they are not helpful to this OP, imo. But that's my suggestion, but it seems to comport with his current music educator's advice as well. Others are certainly free to tell him he can march DCI for the first time with the " top Corps ".... and do his typical daily hours of practice on his saxophone while on summer tour with a Corps like ( say ) The Cadets or the Blue Devils. But in my humble opinion, educators or not... they are delusional that this OP could do what he intends to try and do, and what he is asking us. Maybe some posters here should reread his question a couple of more times. Methinks they don't understand his question properly perhaps. I said above his best best ( as an inexperienced DCI marcher ) might be to go to a DCA Corps first, and practice privately during the week in the summer his saxophone. I'll stick by that recommendation as it seems the best way forward to accomplish both in my opinion. The" Summer tour " with a DCA Corps is typically on weekends and as such would allow him much more private practice time on his saxophone during the week. But what do I know, right ?

Who said he could keep his regular practice schedule? There are more ways to answer a question than "yes" and "no," Brasso. Ed101.

[BRASSO]

Who said he could keep his regular practice schedule? There are more ways to answer a question than "yes" and "no," Brasso. Ed101.

That's the point.

I was hopeful that someone ( perhaps you ) would tell him this. Many brushed off his college music educators advice and told him to pretty much leave his saxophone behind and do the DCI summer DCI tour... " as this would prove more valuable in the long run in his classroom teaching " and so forth. But I don't think some of the posters responded to what he was asking. He clearly was conflicted about giving up his saxophone practice time. He clearly was asking if he'd have " practicing saxophone time during the summer tour " and with a " top 10 " Corps.

I said " no", and explained I believe in detail as to the reasons " why ", and then suggested the better option that might accomplish his simultaneous goals of practicing his saxophone in the summer, most likely in private too, keeping his music educator advisor happy... while still doing Drum Corps in the summer as well.

But hey, if some " educators " here want to tell him to drop the sax practice in the summer, PO his college music educator advisor, and go do full bore top DCI Corps touring next summer,( with a newcomer that never marched before ) then that's their advice.....no problem. But it's not mine.

Edited March 7, 2011 by BRASSO