Jeff Ream Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 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? Yes, but only if you go on Jerry Springer when you tell her. or maybe Howard Stern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Again, I think you can have a balance between the two. Honestly, Stanford was my first thought when I saw Crown's approach. Granted, much more tame and hardly as offensive but the wondering and lack of some form of uniformity, just makes me question the purpose. the average joe at a parade could give two ##### about a corps marching perfectly with straight lines playing Sousa's whatever. But a corps going down the street encouraging the crowd to clap along and playing tunes they'd know will win out every time 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Corps members may not particularly like marching in parades, but they are a necessity and a great way for a corps to help the bank account. Why do you think so few (if any) competitive shows are scheduled ON July 4? Many corps will cram as many parades into their schedules around July 4 as they possibly can-even marching as many as 3 in a single day in some cases. Many times, corps that are forced to take a year off from competing because of their finances will still do parades if they have enough members to make a good showing. If you want to see a huge difference in "parade marching styles", go to the parade in Indy that is held on the Saturday of Finals with all the non-finalist corps. The one that got the biggest response at the parade I attended in 2011 was a corps where the members were interacting with the kids all along the route-snare drummers handing little kids their sticks and encouraging them to tap on their drums, and the like. Every parade crowd is different, and even different sections of the same parade are different. Heck, I was in a parade a few years back where the parade had come to a standstill for several minutes, and our horn instuctor called for a "California warm-up" to keep the horns loose-and the crowd around us went nuts! Every corps should have enough songs in their parade book so that the DM can gauge the crowd response and call for tunes that will keep that positive energy going. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I've marched many parades in marching band, not drum corps. Since when do groups get PAID for marching a parade? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craiga Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I've marched many parades in marching band, not drum corps. Since when do groups get PAID for marching a parade? This may be a Boston/New England area thing, but parades around here (especially Flag Day in June and the 4th of July itself) pay as much as $4000-$5000 for top drum corps. That is why BAC does anywhere from 3-5 parades on that day. It has been my experience that although doing these is a heck of a way to spend a 90 degree summer day, corps members are mature enough to get the fact that this income pays the bills. Also, Bunker Hill Day in Boston is a huge deal...one parade might feed the corps for a couple weeks. As for the stylistic differences between corps, Crown is free to do as they wish. I think you might find that much older, more established drum corps probably take a more traditional approach. There is a video on youtube of BAC in a parade in 1957 (color vid/no sound) and the corps carries themselves virtually the same then as they do today. Traditon is cool, imo. You can check out Boston on Inauguration Day and see if you like their approach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
En929 Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 (edited) I watch this clip over and over. Edited January 5, 2013 by En929 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I've marched many parades in marching band, not drum corps. Since when do groups get PAID for marching a parade? Since at least the 1970's. I can recall that in the 1970's when Boston area drum corps, CYO bands, and drill teams had feeder units, the "senior" groups often did larger parades on Memorial Day, July 4th, etc. and the feeder units did local parades. When you think about it, it only made sense to be paid for a parade. Marching units have to pay transportation and staff cost to get to parades. There was also competition to get into parades. The Bristol, RI July 4th parade was the parade equivalent of DCI. Marching in South Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade meant your unit was ready for the season and led to other parade offers. Parades allowed units to compete. My guess is hat in this financially strapped time, every little bit helps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njthundrrd Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I appreciate military bearing and badassery as much as the next guy. It's cool and impressive. It's just not how *this* drum corps approaches parade performances. It's different. It might even upset a few stick-in-the-mud traditionalists. I get it. But it's not disrespectful. And it's not lazy or indifferent. The audience at those parades LOVE Crown's performances - go crazy for them actually. And here's the weird thing: the performers LOVE marching those parades. They're engaging the audience over the entire route, not staring straight ahead and ignoring the crowd. They're smiling and laughing and stopping for pictures, talking to little kids, etc.. It's a two-way street. And despite being thrilled about going on a west coast swing, I'm positive the corps will also be wishing (at least a little bit) they were back in Bristol on July 4th instead of somewhere west of the Mississippi. Virtually everywhere else on the 4th of July in drum corps land, performers are dreading marching parades -- they can't wait 'til they're over. And the audiences are politely clapping for each corps. In Bristol it's a big party and EVERYONE is invited. And everyone is having fun! I think it's kind of cool. I also think the Marine Silent Drill team is kind of cool. As for being paid, I feel confident the parade committees bring Crown back year after year BECAUSE of the way they approach parades. I'll admiti it: I didn't get it either -- until I talked to the kids who marched those parades. Then I got it loud and clear. There's room for everybody in drum corps. Even Crown :-) I marched this parade nearly 30 years previous with the "maroon team" and we looked straight ahead, didn't break ranks, were dead serious, and had people watching to see if we did. This is my favorite photo from my time spent at Crown and you know what? It would have never happened without their approach to parades. Isn't this what it is all really about? 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njthundrrd Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I've marched many parades in marching band, not drum corps. Since when do groups get PAID for marching a parade? Parades all over the country pay for the best "Acts." If its Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Mardi Gras, you will find that they pay. Disney and the Bowl parades don't. Do all parades pay? No, but there are plenty that do. Even the DCA corps go to St. Patricks Day and Memorial Day parades to earn income for their non-profits. This has been happening for decades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DominiqueR Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I march in an open class corps and we do tons of parades and get paid for it. It's really a major fundraiser for us. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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