Dan-Z Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 (edited) Hello, everyone! Long-time lurker, first time poster here. As the title suggests, I'm looking for feedback when getting ready for corps. For some background, I'm a junior in high school, an avid drum corps fan, and have been playing trumpet with my high school's marching band and concert ensemble for the past three years. I'm pretty diligent with practicing on a regular basis, but I recognize I will have to work at a whole new level, and I want to prepare for such a challenge. I'm hoping to audition for Phantom Regiment, and was looking for feedback concerning my planned summer schedule from vets of any world-class corps. The following (edited) schedule will be for every day of summer: 7:00 am Wake up, get dressed into workout clothing 7:15 am Stretch; Run following the "Couch to 5k" app instructions 8:15 am Get home from run; eat breakfast 8:30 am Practice slurring and tonguing for a half hour 9:00 am Exercise using P90x/WiiFit 9:30 am Clean off, get in shower, change into day clothing, rest for a bit 10:00 pm Practice scales and range exercises for a half hour 11:00 am Watch DCI videos while holding up horn (eventually with weights) 11:30 pm Practice sight reading and etudes/solo for an hour 12:30 am Lunch 1:00 pm Work on pitch (getting a good ear) for a half hour 1:30 pm Go outside and march for an hour 2:30 pm Go to summer job and get $ for tour fees (thanks for the suggestion, bigfoot!) 7:00 pm Get home, Dinner 8:00 pm Breathing exercises (breathing gym) 9:00 pm Get showered, apply DCT, and do it all over again in the morning! Total: 2 hours musical playing 2.5 hours physical activity In closing, I have a few questions. -What do you do to get ready for your corps? -Is there anything I should do more/less of? -Is this schedule overkill? -I'm going on a 2 week trip in July this summer and it's not possible to bring my trumpet, what should I do? Any insight would be great! Dan-Z Edited March 24, 2013 by Dan-Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxBigfoot Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 While very ambitious I think you will burn yourself out very quickly. My suggestion is to practice your horn every day at least an hour, run 3-4 times a week and have a great attitude. It will get you pretty far towards your goal. With your insane schedule your parents might think you are losing your mind. Also with some of your newly found time with my suggestion get a summer job and earn some money for the fees Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan-Z Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 While very ambitious I think you will burn yourself out very quickly. Yeah, I thought it was too much... And my parents already think I'm out of my mind! Edited schedule is now reflected in the OP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerguy315 Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 honestly, a couple hours of music and a couple hours of cardio is probably sufficient. Throw in some pushups and crunches for good measures throughout the day. Plenty of people march drum corps and don't prepare for it like that. The time you spend doing something is less important than what you are doing while you are spending that time... if that makes sense. Plenty of people "practice" for a long time but if they aren't practicing correctly it doesn't do them a lot of good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan-Z Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 honestly, a couple hours of music and a couple hours of cardio is probably sufficient. Throw in some pushups and crunches for good measures throughout the day. Plenty of people march drum corps and don't prepare for it like that. The time you spend doing something is less important than what you are doing while you are spending that time... if that makes sense. Plenty of people "practice" for a long time but if they aren't practicing correctly it doesn't do them a lot of good. I think what you're saying is the similar to a quote my assistant band director told us at band camp last year. He said, "Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect." And I want to march PR more than anything. I understand that the schedule could be kind of... Long winded? But I want more from the summer practice than just to train for corps; I want to "become the master," so to speak, of the fundamentals of my instrument. I want to know that each note that comes out of my horn is the best it will be, in any circumstance. So, yes, the goal is perfect practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyboy Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 If I could do it all over again I would spend more time making money for corps. If you make to much you can always put some away for college. The physical conditioning will come, why not get a summer job that will take care of that? Lifeguard, trash man, landscaping etc. If you are gunning for Regiment you might want to try and talk to someone soon about your skill set or even take a few private lessons. I know everyone is different, but I practiced a decent amount before my audition and I was just doing the wrong things. As always, attitude is number one. You are on the right track. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan-Z Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 If I could do it all over again I would spend more time making money for corps. If you make to much you can always put some away for college. The physical conditioning will come, why not get a summer job that will take care of that? Lifeguard, trash man, landscaping etc. If you are gunning for Regiment you might want to try and talk to someone soon about your skill set or even take a few private lessons. I know everyone is different, but I practiced a decent amount before my audition and I was just doing the wrong things. As always, attitude is number one. You are on the right track. Good luck. Thank you for the insight! I was actually hoping to get a lifeguard job with my neighborhood pool, and since I started HS I've been taking private lessons with a guy who was lead for Crown, and aged out last year. He's an amazing jazz player and a superb all around musician, but I don't know if he would want me to put his name out on the web. A question, though, for whoever wants to answer, I'm going to be out on a trip during the summer for 2 weeks where I will be trumpet-less. How do I keep everything up to par so I'm not rusty when I get back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerguy315 Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 what kind of trip are you going on for 2 weeks? Can you take your mouthpiece? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan-Z Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 what kind of trip are you going on for 2 weeks? Can you take your mouthpiece? Ah, d'oh! Of course I can! My family is going on a trip to Hawai'i for my brother's Bar Mitzvah. It's actually closer to a week and a half, but it'll still be a while. Lots of tonguing and slurring then, huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
13strokeroll Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 My advice: run about 10-12 mi per week, 3 or 4 days at an 8 to 9 min pace; 100 pushups in 2 sets of 50 and 100 crunches in 2 sets of 50 on the in between days with a set of crisp 8-5s at 120, 160, and 180. This should give you about 30-40 minutes per day of aerobic and anaerobic exercise and should have you ready for camp. Tour will require more but they will build you up from there. If your scholastic practice has been productive, I wouldn't alter it too significantly. Your BD's advice about perfect practice is dead nuts right on. Lastly, don't discount the 10-18 corps as a second choice. They are top people, many who choose to remain rather than corps-hop because they've found something bigger and better than a top 8 performance. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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