Frontiers: 2016

[BRASSO]

Here's my proposal; for one year, it is agreed that all DCI World-Class corps perform solely original music in competition.

Requiring groups or individuals to only play certain types of music in performance is fascist, imo .The beauty of Freedom is that we allow musicians to play and composers to compose whatever music they want and let the chips fall where they may with that. I don't ever want to live in a country where somebody else wants to tell me what music to play or what music I can listen to, or if I'm afiliated with a Drum Corps activity as a brass arranger/ show designer, what type of music must be selected for performance, and to the exclusion of others. This is a type of chilling fascist like" change " that I'd want no part of at all.... not even for a year. Addtionally, I doubt very much one could get universal ( or even majority ) agreement in DCI with show designers to select only form of music to the exclusion of all others. So from a practical matter, this is a non starter proposal it seems to me

Edited September 1, 2012 by BRASSO

[JamMan]

It's a very cool idea, but since the originals are never scored for brass, percussion and guard, most of the stuff is original anyway.

HOWEVER, it would be VERY eye-opening to see how each corps chooses to present itself. Would each corps try to embody their soul in the music, or go in a new direction?

[Pete Freedman]

Requiring groups or individuals to only play certain types of music in performance is fascist, imo .The beauty of Freedom is that we allow musicians to play and composers to compose whatever music they want and let the chips fall where they may with that. I don't ever want to live in a country where somebody else wants to tell me what music to play or what music I can listen to, or if I'm afiliated with a Drum Corps activity as a brass arranger/ show designer, what type of music must be selected for performance, and to the exclusion of others. This is a type of chilling fascist like" change " that I'd want no part of at all.... not even for a year. Addtionally, I doubt very much one could get universal ( or even majority ) agreement in DCI with show designers to select only form of music to the exclusion of all others. So from a practical matter, this is a non starter proposal it seems to me

This gives me an idea. Some corps should do a show using music selections that were banned in some country at some time. My first thought was the Russian band that has been in the news lately (I think the name would get hashed, but you know what I'm talking about). There have been other examples - last year there was a discussion on NPR about Iranian groups that can't go back to Iran.

In briefly researching banned music I just discovered that there has been a vast amount. Danny Boy was once banned by the BBC! (IRA associations)

If you can find a good selection that would be suitable for drum corps, I think you'd have a GE and audience hit.

[Pete Freedman]

Now that you mention it, was a section of Cindy McTee's "Circuits" in that show, or was that another Cavaliers show? I just listened to a recording of "Circuits" and can't pick it out of my memory of any of Cavaliers' shows, yet I remember reading something about that.

Doesn't show up in the Wikipedia list for them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cavaliers_Drum_and_Bugle_Corps

Are you talking about a subtle inclusion? It does sound like the kind of music they would do and the kind of show concept they would love. Maybe you can suggest it to them :-)

[Ghost]

Requiring groups or individuals to only play certain types of music in performance is fascist, imo .

Look at the problems Dmitri Shostakovic had throughout his career with the Soviet Union.

[BRASSO]

This gives me an idea. Some corps should do a show using music selections that were banned in some country at some time.

Like Rock n' Roll in the USA at one time ?

Rock n' roll music was banned in 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio.. Corpus Christi, Texas... Santa Cruz, Calif.. and several other communities in the USA where Cities and towns passed ordinances forbidding it. It didn't last long. Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, etc and their legion of fans couldn't be stopped, and these laws were quickly rescinded.

Edited September 4, 2012 by BRASSO

[luv4corps]

Like was already said... the New York Philharmonic or the Metropolitan Opera don't have to premier a new work every concert to be considered "art". Even if no original music were ever used in drum corps, you would still have original visual designs every year. Isn't that enough to deem it "art"? I think original music is always welcome in a show, especially as it adds to the general effect, but it should not be a mandate.