N.E. Brigand Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 I enjoyed Blast!, more to hear than to see. I wrote a note complaining to our local newspaper's theatre critic after he gave it a bad review, when it passed through town about 15 years ago. But even then I thought it was a second-rate drum corps derivative, constrained by its environment. By all means, drum corps should find alternate ways to make money based on what they already do well, and Blue Devils deserve congratulations on having found ways to do so, but I hope that no other corps replace rather than support their primary mission with Blast!-like shows. (Is Blast! a not-for-profit concern?) And I disagree strongly with posts like flammaster's which seem to claim that drum corps would survive if DCI field shows were replaced by WGI floor shows. Great work, jjeffeory. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Who said anything about replacing it? there is room for indoor stuff and it also feeds the outdoor activity. I'm just glad I get to watch drumlines on cold rainy days as well as on a field during summertime. I would be very heartbroken if DCI disbanded but I also think that there is room for other aspects of the marching arts. I talk to these kids. I know them. Some of them come over to my home and I play drums with them or just talk about drums and what they are up to these days. It took a lot for me to accept the changes and when I finally did I am happy to not be all bitter. (I would still hate to see a sousaphone on a drum corps field though) :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Windish Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 Exactly! It's not about making football field performances go away, just about capturing what could be a lucrative market of those who don't want to do the 'outdoor' thing. There absolutely ARE unique benefits to presenting this kind of talent in an indoor environment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 I am seeing high schools go crazy over indoor percussion. When I was in Jr. High and High school I thought it was embarrassing to join the band. I even tried it but left. When I go to high school shows I see an awful lot of drum corps jackets being worn by performers and staff. Last season we had 15 kids from our school in drum corps. You can't tell me it's dying with those kind of numbers. When I was in school we would have two maybe three from school in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quad Aces Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 I am seeing high schools go crazy over indoor percussion. When I was in Jr. High and High school I thought it was embarrassing to join the band. I even tried it but left. When I go to high school shows I see an awful lot of drum corps jackets being worn by performers and staff. Last season we had 15 kids from our school in drum corps. You can't tell me it's dying with those kind of numbers. When I was in school we would have two maybe three from school in it. Judging by your past posts, you live in BD country and your child's marching band is taught at the HS level by a number of BD staff. I'm not saying you're wrong above, but you aren't exactly part of a simple random sample from across the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 True but we get schools from pretty much the northern 1/3 of California and a lot of these schools are pretty darn good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted February 16, 2014 Author Share Posted February 16, 2014 I am seeing high schools go crazy over indoor percussion. When I was in Jr. High and High school I thought it was embarrassing to join the band. I even tried it but left. When I go to high school shows I see an awful lot of drum corps jackets being worn by performers and staff. Last season we had 15 kids from our school in drum corps. You can't tell me it's dying with those kind of numbers. When I was in school we would have two maybe three from school in it. Now, what's missing is getting the brass involved indoors during the winter. I know that some schools are doing that, but not a LOT. Guard and Percussion rule during the winter. My old thinking was that Winter time is concert season, where many students make most of their progress. Jazz band is an addition to the regular stuff at many schools though. Now, I think maybe WGI should start a winds division. Then maybe DCI could do that too for the summer time? Anyway, it's more opportunities for the participants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted February 16, 2014 Share Posted February 16, 2014 Now, what's missing is getting the brass involved indoors during the winter. I know that some schools are doing that, but not a LOT. Guard and Percussion rule during the winter. My old thinking was that Winter time is concert season, where many students make most of their progress. Jazz band is an addition to the regular stuff at many schools though. Now, I think maybe WGI should start a winds division. Then maybe DCI could do that too for the summer time? Anyway, it's more opportunities for the participants. Which actually Brass benefits more from and ambient sound than does percussion. Inside a gym percussion loses articulation where as brass gains tone. Great point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Brass actually benefits more from ambient sound than does Percussion. Inside a gym, Percussion loses articulation whereas Brass gains tone. I don't think either brass or percussion has benefited from the acoustic of Lucas Oil, whereas in the outdoor venues for some previous Finals the reverberation was just amazing, in a good way--on the recording, anyway; I wonder if it was as impressive live. I am thinking particularly of Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flammaster Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Yea I much prefer outdoor. A couple years back there was an indoor finals in No. Cal and this place had decent acoustics. (Del Oro high) Our gym is horrible for acoustics. That is the one thing about the whole "indoor" thing that sucks is boomy ear ringing educing gymnasiums. I am just grateful for a venue that is one mile away that i can walk to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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