Parades

[Michael Boo]

...

Well, unless that corps goes at it like Stanford's band, the corps that lets loose will get far more crowd reaction and participation.

Dear Ms. Advice Columnist:

I’ve got an interesting family. My oldest brother is in jail for selling crack to elementary school children. My youngest brother is attending Stanford University, where he’s in their marching band. My oldest sister is currently on trial for soliciting an undercover police officer in the drive-up lane at Taco Bell and my youngest sister died last year in a meth lab explosion inside her outdoor playhouse. My twin brother is in a coma from falling out of a tree house when he was attempting to do a double gainer into a kiddie pool on a dare for a week’s supply of heroin. My mother is in prison for running a brothel that enslaved Russian immigrants and my father disappeared after street gangs learned he had been selling them fake LSD made up mostly of stevia sweetener. I have two aunts who run a strip club that caters to equestrian midgets and an uncle who scams foreign tourists at airport hotels into buying fake Rolex watches and imitation Gucci handbags made in China. One of my grandmothers bicycled naked through a picnic of Mormon missionaries and the other one owns a cable porn channel specializing in films featuring Australian outback wildlife. Her husband, my step-grandfather, traps and captures those animals, continuing the job started by my grandfather who was eaten by a pack of dingoes. My other grandfather was kicked out of the Westboro Baptist Church for being mentally unstable.

I’m dating a wonderful woman and I want to ask her to marry me. However, I think she deserves to know the truth about my family before agreeing to become a part of it. I’d like to hear your opinion on the following: Should I tell her about my brother who’s a member of the Stanford University marching band?

[MikeD]

And how do you know the corps are "spitting in the face of those who paid them?" It is entirely possible, even probable, that the parade organizers know what they are asking for, hence why they've asked a particular corps to be in a particular parade and are quite content and even pleased with a corps that breaks "tradition" and... ::EGADS!!::... engages the crowd.

Something a tad off to me anyway to see a corps marching lock step down the street in a perfect military block to an Earth, Wind, and Fire chart.

Yup...the band I teach has marched in the Princeton U P-rade a number of times. One time we were playing for the class of 1970-something-or-other and we were going through our series of tunes, a couple of Sousa marches and some pop tunes including "Tequila" and "Louie, Louie"...once the alums heard those two tunes they asked us to play ONLY them the rest of the P-rade (billed as the "biggest sloppy parade on the planet" :tongue:/> )!

Edited January 4, 2013 by MikeD

[MikeD]

I agree. Regiment does what they do with excellence and pride, and other corps do what they do in their own manner. It gives us variety.

The parade presentation I remember the most is from the DCI World Championships night parade in Madison during the mid 1980s. Velvet Knights' cook crew won the DCI Chili Cook-Off earlier in the day and the corps had them march in front of the corps with their spatulas, mixing spoons, bowls and pots and pans. Of all the parades I've seen, that's the one image I most remember.

Hmmmm...I am thinking maybe they should have marched behind the rest of the corps!

[3rd Glasgow BB]

Hmmmm...I am thinking maybe they should have marched behind the rest of the corps!

Telegram for Mongo!

[KAW]

Sometimes we take ourselves entirely too serious. It's also expecting everyone to view the world through the same filter.

[ashevillemurphy]

are they competing ... no

are they entertaining ... yes

are they required to participate ... no

is your argument pointless ... YES

[Tim K]

Beg to differ about parades.....I've seen some great corps in parades and I believe they are important for drum corps overall as a PR tool (PR as in public relations, not Phantom Regiment). Parades are also part of drum corps tradition.

Living in the Boston area, I am able to go to Bristol, RI and Wakefield, MA for July 4th parades. The drum corps who are featured are always top notch. Bristol usually has the corps who competed the previous night featured in their parade, Wakefield often has a similar line-up. Wakefield may have a connection since it's where Ed Devlin calls home. Last year Wakefield had Colts, Crossmen, Crown, Spartans, and Cadets, all of whom marched with great precision, stopped to wow the crowd and amazed everyone.

I know Phantom has a great parade reputation, so too does BAC. I've seen Spirit in parades and they likewise are impressive. My hometown has had one of my favorite "Little Engines that Could" corps--Les Stentors and they sometimes do small formations when there's a pause in the parade which everyone enjoys, especially many of the locals whose families are French Canadian. After the parade is over, they show kids their instruments, let them try a flag or spin a rifle which I'm sure sparks an interest in music with at least a few of the kids who participate.

Like some posters, I've also seen some of the Top 12 do lackluster parade performances. Overall, I bet it would be safe to say that the corps that respect the audience most in competition, often do the best in parades.

[Tim K]

Dear Ms. Advice Columnist:

I've got an interesting family. My oldest brother is in jail for selling crack to elementary school children. My youngest brother is attending Stanford University, where he's in their marching band. My oldest sister is currently on trial for soliciting an undercover police officer in the drive-up lane at Taco Bell and my youngest sister died last year in a meth lab explosion inside her outdoor playhouse. My twin brother is in a coma from falling out of a tree house when he was attempting to do a double gainer into a kiddie pool on a dare for a week's supply of heroin. My mother is in prison for running a brothel that enslaved Russian immigrants and my father disappeared after street gangs learned he had been selling them fake LSD made up mostly of stevia sweetener. I have two aunts who run a strip club that caters to equestrian midgets and an uncle who scams foreign tourists at airport hotels into buying fake Rolex watches and imitation Gucci handbags made in China. One of my grandmothers bicycled naked through a picnic of Mormon missionaries and the other one owns a cable porn channel specializing in films featuring Australian outback wildlife. Her husband, my step-grandfather, traps and captures those animals, continuing the job started by my grandfather who was eaten by a pack of dingoes. My other grandfather was kicked out of the Westboro Baptist Church for being mentally unstable.

I'm dating a wonderful woman and I want to ask her to marry me. However, I think she deserves to know the truth about my family before agreeing to become a part of it. I'd like to hear your opinion on the following: Should I tell her about my brother who's a member of the Stanford University marching band?

That depends, did she go to Harvard and does she accept that there are some on the East Coast who will never accept that Stanford is ranked higher than our Crimson friends who studied in Cambridge (a.k.a The People's Republic of Cambridge) in Ivy covered buildings and spent quiet summer afternoons along the Charles? Actually the drug dealers may be teh better choice to mention. Harvard grads love to be superior, and I say that in all humility.I did not go to Harvard!!!

Edited January 4, 2013 by Tim K

[Michael Boo]

That depends, did she go to Harvard and does she accept that there are some on the East Coast who will never accept that Stanford is ranked higher than our Crimson friends who studied in Cambridge (a.k.a The People's Republic of Cambridge) in Ivy covered buildings and spent quiet summer afternoons along the Charles? Actually the drug dealers may be teh better choice to mention. Harvard grads love to be superior, and I say that in all humility.I did not go to Harvard!!!

I don't judge...my alma mater on the gritty south side of Chicago was covered in graffiti instead of ivy.

[En929]

Beg to differ about parades.....I've seen some great corps in parades and I believe they are important for drum corps overall as a PR tool (PR as in public relations, not Phantom Regiment). Parades are also part of drum corps tradition.

Living in the Boston area, I am able to go to Bristol, RI and Wakefield, MA for July 4th parades. The drum corps who are featured are always top notch. Bristol usually has the corps who competed the previous night featured in their parade, Wakefield often has a similar line-up. Wakefield may have a connection since it's where Ed Devlin calls home. Last year Wakefield had Colts, Crossmen, Crown, Spartans, and Cadets, all of whom marched with great precision, stopped to wow the crowd and amazed everyone.

I know Phantom has a great parade reputation, so too does BAC. I've seen Spirit in parades and they likewise are impressive. My hometown has had one of my favorite "Little Engines that Could" corps--Les Stentors and they sometimes do small formations when there's a pause in the parade which everyone enjoys, especially many of the locals whose families are French Canadian. After the parade is over, they show kids their instruments, let them try a flag or spin a rifle which I'm sure sparks an interest in music with at least a few of the kids who participate.

Like some posters, I've also seen some of the Top 12 do lackluster parade performances. Overall, I bet it would be safe to say that the corps that respect the audience most in competition, often do the best in parades.

I’d like to add to this. Part of what got me interested in drum corps is what I saw them do in parades. I’ll never forget when I was in high school and we were in a parade and had such a mediocre band, but then we looked over and saw a mighty impressive drum corps come down the street with big sound, looking sharp, in step; with deep and dark sound, incredible drums and they meant business!! Me and my classmates saw that and were saying “omg, I want to be in that!! I wish we could play like them.” Coming from a mediocre band, we never really seen anything like that before and all the events of that day i.e. the parade and field show we saw later with a great band in it, is part of why I’m here now. Hence, we don’t want people seeing a drum corps and thinking “oh, it’s just another band.” We should be trying to inspire people and set an example. For there could be dozens of people watching that sees a drum corps vs. the bands and be so awestruck enough (like I was), they’d come in, be a part of, and support our activity (as I’ve done).