Minicorps RIP?

[MrKlark]

Hi Ray - LOL!! Not to worry - def not enemies! Let me clarify a bit and maybe it would give an insight into why there MAY BE a falling off of Minis this year. Along with some of the other small groups that are/were made up of members from back in the day when nobody read music and all learned by 'rote', the four different iterations of SKY minicorps consisted of members who enjoyed playing that style and type of music, and believed that there might be a part of the audience who would enjoy that style. After the first outing in '02, it was clear that the bar had been raised much higher than could be attained with the level of talent we fielded. Everyone played to the highest level of their ability - and we had a blast - but that book and that style just wasn't competitive. Later iterations were at at point where the top of the line groups were clearly in a different league and had resources far beyond ours. I should also note that NONE of our players were/are professional musicians (one or two semi-professional maybe) - and that's not an excuse mind you, but a point none-the-less when one looks at the CV of Star or a few others at the top. To your point, it was ALWAYS our intention to be the very best we could be and to be competitive yet we also wanted to be ENTERTAINING - the kind of entertaining that makes a spectator walk away humming a tune or saying that he actually RECOGNIZED the music - we didn't want to just play to the sheets. We recognize that its a new and some would say improved genre, however my suggestion about a non-adjudicated option remains - maybe before or after the actual competition. --Rich

[LegalEagle50]

I can't say I have ever been to a mini-corps show where there wasn't entertaining or recognizable music. Obviously people have different tastes. Some of us don't want to hear the same choices over and over and appreciate the variety offered. That's not a knock, it is just different strokes for different folks.

Example: both Star & Ghost Riders played Appalachian Spring according to what I read (no, I wasn't there this year). Classic Cadets show. How is that not entertaining or recognizable?

[CANDRUMMER]

Maybe they should have "Open" and "A class" in mini corps as well!

[MrKlark]

Liz - no argument there - MOST do play really great and recognizable stuff, but (and this is a matter of taste) there have been some who like to present the 'edgy' and original compositions that have left people turning to each other saying "...huh??"

[BigW]

Watched minicorps, will try and review later. All the arrangements were very, very accessible, and to be truthful, Star and GR's Copland arrangements were some of the best if not THE best arranging of maybe THE most done to death piece of music in this activity I've heard- so fresh, thoughtful and original, I was down with them both- particularly GR.

Regardless of competing- really... if you're doing what you want to do with Sky, go and just do it. The Freelancers did just that and were inspring and FANTASTIC. Didn't matter if they had all the other accoutrements the other three did. I greatly valued hearing their inspired performance, and told them as much afterwards. It's one I will remember for a long time to come. I felt that way about all four entrants.

Hey- I showed up for I and E, did my level, honest best in a group with 10 world class people. No dishonor in being in the bottom third. Beating any of those low brass powerhouses at all was a feather in my cap. People liked it, appreciated my effort, which really touched me. Sometimes that's gotta be the goal.

[Contra Doug]

Rich, I don't know you and I am positive we have never met. I do feel you have hit the nail on the head. I play with the Selden Cadets Alumni. We have never ever thought of our activity as being competitive. We do it because we enjoy it. We play for the crowd. Their appreciation is enough. We only want to entertain. Sure we want to be as everyone else does, the best corps out there, but we don't need a trophy or score sheet to do it. The applause and comments after our performance is plenty.

[rayfallon]

Hi Ray - LOL!! Not to worry - def not enemies! Let me clarify a bit and maybe it would give an insight into why there MAY BE a falling off of Minis this year. Along with some of the other small groups that are/were made up of members from back in the day when nobody read music and all learned by 'rote', the four different iterations of SKY minicorps consisted of members who enjoyed playing that style and type of music, and believed that there might be a part of the audience who would enjoy that style. After the first outing in '02, it was clear that the bar had been raised much higher than could be attained with the level of talent we fielded. Everyone played to the highest level of their ability - and we had a blast - but that book and that style just wasn't competitive. Later iterations were at at point where the top of the line groups were clearly in a different league and had resources far beyond ours. I should also note that NONE of our players were/are professional musicians (one or two semi-professional maybe) - and that's not an excuse mind you, but a point none-the-less when one looks at the CV of Star or a few others at the top. To your point, it was ALWAYS our intention to be the very best we could be and to be competitive yet we also wanted to be ENTERTAINING - the kind of entertaining that makes a spectator walk away humming a tune or saying that he actually RECOGNIZED the music - we didn't want to just play to the sheets. We recognize that its a new and some would say improved genre, however my suggestion about a non-adjudicated option remains - maybe before or after the actual competition. --Rich

Rich,

All good points, but they may be the heart of what I'm trying to say. People are still arguing about the '81 Hurricanes winning the DCA, but I'll tell you one thing - they had fewer college level musicians than anyone in the top 3, probably top 5, maybe deeper. What they had was a depth of heart and character so deep you couldn't ever get to the bottom. As hard as we rehearsed them they pushed themselves harder. If we had ever said, "hey guys, Reading is all music majors from West Chester State, why don't we concentrate on, I don't know, 5th?" they would have (literally) produced weapons.

The point about style is critical. It is my opinion that you can win mini-corps, or full corps, with any style that you can honestly make work. I also think that while reading music is important, no one (repeat NO ONE) is reading while performing in competition. Those of us who learned by rote in drum corps had a powerful advantage in music school later on. We had incredibly well developed ears. We did have some disadvantages due to the tuning of the G-D horns - in general we heard F much flatter than it should be, and a couple of other things, but we learned and adjusted.

Can you imagine a side thing at the Olympics where people just came out and ran around the track? or fell off of parallel bars? or repeatedly crashed into the high jump bar? AND DIDN'T CARE?

We are drum corps people. We compete. We suck it up and do what it takes to get better. Every once in a while we run into a juggernaut like Reading is now, like Bush was then, like Syracuse was then, like Sun was then, like Sky was then, like Hawthorne has been since the 50s and it's hard to beat them, but we don't ask for a different game. We pull up our big boy pants and go do battle.

It's who we are.

[rayfallon]

Watched minicorps, will try and review later. All the arrangements were very, very accessible, and to be truthful, Star and GR's Copland arrangements were some of the best if not THE best arranging of maybe THE most done to death piece of music in this activity I've heard- so fresh, thoughtful and original, I was down with them both- particularly GR.

Regardless of competing- really... if you're doing what you want to do with Sky, go and just do it. The Freelancers did just that and were inspring and FANTASTIC. Didn't matter if they had all the other accoutrements the other three did. I greatly valued hearing their inspired performance, and told them as much afterwards. It's one I will remember for a long time to come. I felt that way about all four entrants.

Hey- I showed up for I and E, did my level, honest best in a group with 10 world class people. No dishonor in being in the bottom third. Beating any of those low brass powerhouses at all was a feather in my cap. People liked it, appreciated my effort, which really touched me. Sometimes that's gotta be the goal.

Rich,

One other thing I should add by way of a disclaimer is that I am a competitive #####. You can ask the Archie, Yankee Rebel, or Boston Senior corps alumni members if that's not true. I would be happier if the Alumni Classic were judged, even if it was judged by members of the WDCHoF. I don't think winning is important, but I think trying to win is critical in everything we do.

Bill Parcells said it in his Hall of Fame induction speech. The one thing a team and a coach owes his player is the best opportunity they/he can give those players to win. I think he's 1,000% right.

There's a reason that I've been fired by so many alumni corps. There's also a reason I kept getting hired back. I believe we're competing when we wake up in the morning, when we choose our clothes for work... you get the idea. I can't stand the idea of a drum corps where it doesn't matter about being the best you can possibly be. I also think you have a team that plays to win at Sky Alumni. I've never seen them not be out there trying. Kept me awake much of Friday night...

[Fran Haring]

Well-said, Rich... but I'll disagree with you about Star being "professional musicians".. if that was the point you were making.

From what I understand, there are/have been very few folks in Star United who play, or have played, professionally.

I've heard from several people who think Star's members are mostly alumni of BLAST/Brass Theatre. Very far from the truth.

[cybersnyder]

I've heard from several people who think Star's members are mostly alumni of BLAST/Brass Theatre. Very far from the truth.

Good to know. That was always my impression.