Stu Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 What if we break down brass into sections because i know mello section are pretty small compared to trumpets and baris. Sounds reasonable; however....if the mello line is full a mello player is likely to accept a trumpet three spot. This is not the case in the battery, as pointed out in this thread; most youth who want to play snare (or tenor, or bass 1-2) will sit at home instead of taking any other battery, or pit, position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesandCassius Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 Drum major. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 8, 2012 Share Posted February 8, 2012 Drum major. Granted, there are only 1 - 3 Drum Majors for each corps. However, this begs the question on how many are actually trying out for those positions. The "Toughest" section would be the one which has the highest ratio of auditionees vs spots open. For example: 3 DM with 2 spots open and 14 are auditioning for those spots; 9 Snares with 2 spots open and 72 are auditioning for those spots. Ratio for DM 7/1; ratio for Snare 36/1. This would mean that a Snare position would be tougher to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 snareline. too many kids get cut from that and refuse to consider other sections That is truly sad. Accepting a position anywhere in the line would show the staff during the season that one is dependable and eager to learn. They could still work on their snare chops during the year. The all or nothing mentality has pushed many potential members out of drum corps completely, depriving them of what could have been (and probably would have been) the experience of their lives that would stay with them forever. Playing in any other section than the snare line IS NOT equatable with less pride. Tenor drummers, bass drummers and cymbal players hustle their butts off to make their section a positive contribution. Most those in the front ensemble have the demand of having to play multitudes of instruments equally well. I wish more kids realized what instructors really want to hear prior in an audition is, "While I'd really like to make "x" sections, I hope to end up where I can make the most contribution to the corps." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 That is truly sad. Accepting a position anywhere in the line would show the staff during the season that one is dependable and eager to learn. They could still work on their snare chops during the year. The all or nothing mentality has pushed many potential members out of drum corps completely, depriving them of what could have been (and probably would have been) the experience of their lives that would stay with them forever. Playing in any other section than the snare line IS NOT equatable with less pride. Tenor drummers, bass drummers and cymbal players hustle their butts off to make their section a positive contribution. Most those in the front ensemble have the demand of having to play multitudes of instruments equally well. I wish more kids realized what instructors really want to hear prior in an audition is, "While I'd really like to make "x" sections, I hope to end up where I can make the most contribution to the corps." When the DCP folks wonder about why drummers want to be Snare or nothing, all that needs to happen is to look at the recent Super Bowl thread. Was any focus whatsoever on the bass drummers in the National Anthem? Nope. Did any of the DCP folks even ask who was on that bass line? Nope. It was all about the Snares (both in the National Anthem and the on stage production with Madonna). This also applies to your Cavaliers: The famous three M's played what? Tenors? Nope; Bass? Nope; Cymbals; Nope; Snare!!!! So, please point the fingers at the culture that we created; we are the problem not the kids auditioning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotorCityMusician Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 When the DCP folks wonder about why drummers want to be Snare or nothing, all that needs to happen is to look at the recent Super Bowl thread. Was any focus whatsoever on the bass drummers in the National Anthem? Nope. Did any of the DCP folks even ask who was on that bass line? Nope. It was all about the Snares (both in the National Anthem and the on stage production with Madonna). This also applies to your Cavaliers: The famous three M's played what? Tenors? Nope; Bass? Nope; Cymbals; Nope; Snare!!!! So, please point the fingers at the culture that we created; we are the problem not the kids auditioning. you obviously have never heard of Carolina Crown Bass 5 Who doesnt want to be like that?! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecoats88 Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 That is truly sad. Accepting a position anywhere in the line would show the staff during the season that one is dependable and eager to learn. They could still work on their snare chops during the year. The all or nothing mentality has pushed many potential members out of drum corps completely, depriving them of what could have been (and probably would have been) the experience of their lives that would stay with them forever. Playing in any other section than the snare line IS NOT equatable with less pride. Tenor drummers, bass drummers and cymbal players hustle their butts off to make their section a positive contribution. Most those in the front ensemble have the demand of having to play multitudes of instruments equally well. I wish more kids realized what instructors really want to hear prior in an audition is, "While I'd really like to make "x" sections, I hope to end up where I can make the most contribution to the corps." also, if a kid isn't quite up to snuff to make snare in the corps they tried out for, so many of them are unwilling to go down to a lower placing corps or even a lower tier corps and march snare there for the experience and to improve their chances of making it into the line they originally tried out for in the first place. We used to give our cut players a list of next level corps where they could go for a year to improve in order to make the cut next year. And I marched with at least one snare that did a season with Limited Edition to get experience and then came back and made Bluecoats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 also, if a kid isn't quite up to snuff to make snare in the corps they tried out for, so many of them are unwilling to go down to a lower placing corps or even a lower tier corps and march snare there for the experience and to improve their chances of making it into the line they originally tried out for in the first place. One word on why this happens; COST. Today, many lower level corps dues are at or near the dues of an upper level corps; and the cost of travel to get to-from camps is the same, or even more if the lower level corps is farther away. Add to that there is no "cutting" by top corps today; the kids are given rating numbers and always invited back to camps (to me this is manipulating the kid to milk as much money as possible and an abomination); combine that with no reimbursement for the dues and travel spent by the kid when that kid continues to go back in hopes to get a better rating (many times all the way to April or May). So, when the "total" cost to march for both corps is around $4k - $5k (dues plus travel), and the top corps refuse to "cut" but always invite kids back next camp, it is a no-brainer as to why a kid who receives a lower rating from a top corps would chose to sit at home, take private lessons to get better chops, and thus save their money for another audition next year with a top tier corps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 When the DCP folks wonder about why drummers want to be Snare or nothing, all that needs to happen is to look at the recent Super Bowl thread. Was any focus whatsoever on the bass drummers in the National Anthem? Nope. Did any of the DCP folks even ask who was on that bass line? Nope. It was all about the Snares (both in the National Anthem and the on stage production with Madonna). This also applies to your Cavaliers: The famous three M's played what? Tenors? Nope; Bass? Nope; Cymbals; Nope; Snare!!!! So, please point the fingers at the culture that we created; we are the problem not the kids auditioning. Culture is a difficult thing to encourage to do other than what it's doing. I might be able influence a single kid who writes or reads me to open up their list of possible sections in which to march. I can't influence culture, which is way bigger than me. I'm less concerned about pointing fingers at problems and more interested in offering ideas where one might look for a solution. Who/what are the "famous three Ms"? Did I miss a cover of People Magazine? (Seriously, I don't know who or what the three Ms are or why they are famous.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actucker Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 That is truly sad. Accepting a position anywhere in the line would show the staff during the season that one is dependable and eager to learn. They could still work on their snare chops during the year. The all or nothing mentality has pushed many potential members out of drum corps completely, depriving them of what could have been (and probably would have been) the experience of their lives that would stay with them forever. Playing in any other section than the snare line IS NOT equatable with less pride. Tenor drummers, bass drummers and cymbal players hustle their butts off to make their section a positive contribution. Most those in the front ensemble have the demand of having to play multitudes of instruments equally well. I wish more kids realized what instructors really want to hear prior in an audition is, "While I'd really like to make "x" sections, I hope to end up where I can make the most contribution to the corps." I agree completely with the sentiment, but there's also the issue of fairness. These days, there are tons of people trying out for tons of positions. The only spots I ever hear about being completely open at an audition camp is rack, and occasionally timpani. Now, say I'm the staff member in charge of a front ensemble audition, and I've got a couple of kids trying out for timpani from day one. Do I really bump one of them because a kid got cut from the snare line and wants a spot somewhere in the corps? That can actually put more teeth into the idea that snare drum is the golden globe of marching percussion, because you find snare cuts all over the rest of the ensemble rather than taking kids who came out for a particular instrument. Why not just have one big snare audition, and place people as they get cut. Obviously not every corps is going to have that problem, but I can definitely see that being a problem in and around the top 12. Its a sad culture, and one that I try to deflate as often as I can as an educator. I was a tenor player most of my marching life, but to be honest with you, I end up paying more attention to a the marimbas than the snare or tenor line these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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