MikeN Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 FWIW, I still think mini corps is the future of DCA. Seriously. It's a low-cost and fairly painless way to get new organizations into drum corps. Mike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mellodoug1 Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 "Rochester is a little over a week away and haven't heard much about the Mini Corps show...Mass Brass will be there with a totally new book arranged by Key Poulin, still playing plenty of Latin Jazz,(Spanish Fantasy, Mask of Zorro and La Fiesta) but with a different texture and sound. Another change will be a mini 3 piece pit to enhance Keys' music. The arrangements are very current which in turn made us old guys change our style of playing, not easy after playing one way for 40 some odd years! All I can say is thank God for Bud Lite! Looking forward to the big weekend and I hope we can pull it off, because our main goal is still entertainment." Unfortunately SineWave will not be there this year, due to attrition in the horn line, but plans are in the works to be back in 2012. Sine Wave..... NOT being there personally makes me sad. Those guys had a ton of stuff going for them the first year out in 2010. The show was well thought out and well written. The performance by the members was very good and IN TUNE. Hope to see them back at it soon ..... bring it back please !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 (edited) FWIW, I still think mini corps is the future of DCA. Seriously. It's a low-cost and fairly painless way to get new organizations into drum corps. Mike WE have some very good mini corps to look forward to on Friday night. I for one really look forward to the venue and the entertainment. Not sure why "MORE" organizations don't look at the mini corps as a serious event. I see a lot of start up corps and existing corps on the decline with great enthusiasm want to push for CLASS A or open class but turn up their nose when you say mini corps. Then when those corps hit the 35 rule brick wall they seem they would rather go inactive or fold instead of mounting up a fabulous mini corps and competing. That corps from Indiana has set the model for what serious mini corps competition SHOULD be about. They set a rehearsal schedule early in the year and work as hard if not harder than a lot of the Class A corps at refining their shows. While we are on the subject I think the people that are trying to start up a competitive indoor mini corps circuit have a great model that will be the wave of the future if people will just grasp it and support it. It makes so much sense. Start up cost are low, indoor venues for year round rehearsal schedules. Shows are contained to a stage or basketball court as opposed to trying to fill a football field of bodies. Smaller groups mean lower dues and travel costs. With the economy being what it is and many of the DCA corps struggling to maintain membership or folding I can only see this model as the wave of the future. Edited August 25, 2011 by camel lips 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Matczak Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 (edited) With the economy being what it is and many of the DCA corps struggling to maintain membership or folding I can only see this model as the wave of the future. Edited August 25, 2011 by Gary Matczak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strutta Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 It would be awesome to see a Future Corps or Magic Kingdom Korps make a resurgence...even if just for a night at the mini corps championships! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Matczak Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 (edited) It would be awesome to see a Future Corps or Magic Kingdom Korps make a resurgence...even if just for a night at the mini corps championships! I went to Disney's Epcot in the early 90's,.............I said to the girl I was dating at the time, "I hear a drum corps",................she said back to me, "you always hear a drum corps",.........to which I replied, "no really, I hear a drum corps right now",.........I followed the sound to where these guys were playing, and caught every one of their performances over the next two days, much to her dismay,............... That was the exact concept we brought to the "mixed ensemble" contest at the DCA I&E's in 1992,...........and mini corps was born,........... the first real mini corps contest was then held in 1993,................ Edited August 25, 2011 by Gary Matczak 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanguard Rich Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Sine Wave..... NOT being there personally makes me sad. Those guys had a ton of stuff going for them the first year out in 2010. The show was well thought out and well written. The performance by the members was very good and IN TUNE. Hope to see them back at it soon ..... bring it back please !! The 2010 SW show was a lot of fun to do, especially being on automatic pilot for most of it. We WILL be back in 2012, and better than ever; almost a 2 year plan for us to make it happen in 2012. A few of the present SW members will be in Rochester watching on Friday night, including this one. And thanks for the kind words - greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camel lips Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Exactly the "type" of corps I have in mind. While we have some very good mini corps we have others that are just throwing together a couple of songs, rehearsing them some and basically just presenting a decent hang. I would love to see more groups come out and take the serious approach that the Corps from Indiana takes,,put in a full rehearsal schedule develop a stage show and approach it as seriously as they do. I very much look forward to the mini corps this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captcastile Posted August 26, 2011 Author Share Posted August 26, 2011 Just gave me a pretty good yuk there Captain. When you talked about you older guys changing your style of playing I had to think about you and Moran finally figuring out which end to blow into. Had to be an epiphany!!! Exactly! Now we have to play with the mouthpiece all the way in...quite a different sound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmaustin Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Exactly the "type" of corps I have in mind. While we have some very good mini corps we have others that are just throwing together a couple of songs, rehearsing them some and basically just presenting a decent hang. I would love to see more groups come out and take the serious approach that the Corps from Indiana takes,,put in a full rehearsal schedule develop a stage show and approach it as seriously as they do. I very much look forward to the mini corps this year. Ed, For those of us at Mass Brass, the I&E Mini Corps show is our Super Bowl! We literally began work on our 2011 show just minutes after our 2010 DCA performance. I'm sure that many of our hard-core Mini Corps cousins have similar stories. The Friday night I&E competition is what we work towards all year long, and everything we do throughout the year is geared to those ten minutes of performance time on stage. While we love competing against the many fine Mini Corps in the event, it's our time performing in front of the always enthusiastic audience at the venue that's the juice that makes all those rehearsal hours worthwhile! It's very disappointing that a number of excellent Mini Corps have dropped out recently (Renegades, Sine Wave, and our good friends, the Golden Eagles, to name just a few). For those of us that are fully invested in this event, we hope that this trend reverses. Earlier this year, I thought we'd be beating corps away with a stick in order to fit everyone into the event schedule. Instead, it looks like we'll get an early chance at the beer cart as the show looks to finish earlier than usual. To those organizations considering making the jump into our little corner of the world, please soak in the atmosphere on Friday night, get back home, and make the necessary commitment during the off-season to performing with us in 2012 in Annapolis, MD. You will not regret it! P.S. Thanks in advance to the wonderful I&E audience - We sincerely appreciate your support, and we do it all for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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