The Troopers, the American Legion, and a Rebuttal

[oldbandguy]

The two big things I got out of this were...2014 Troopers had a great show and Bluecoats did an AMAZING job with new music that probably 99% of the audience had never heard before.

[Cappybara]

Okay, cool. So let's examine why Cadets went over-the-top with Americana this year and got a medal. Why would any kid, let alone some of the best talent in the pool, go to Cadets for that kind of program?

Bluecoats had more American flags spinning on the field in 2013 than even the Troopers did. They even did a parade block. But what really intrigues me is the argument that "Looking for America" was "a modern American drum corps show done right." What made it "right"? What made that show more "modern" than the Troopers' "Magnificent 11"? What elements were present in the Bluecoats show that were missing from the Troopers show?

How in the world would a kid know that the Cadets would be playing an Americana show? They don't exactly do that every year. Also, the type of program has nothing to do with whether a corps will or will not get a medal. Some shows are designed and performed better than others. The Troopers' IDENTITY is these Americana shows. The same cannot be said of the Cadets, as much as they love Copland.

I say it was "done right" because it didn't hit you in the face with traditional American patriotism. It was subtle. It played music that many had never heard before and the style itself of the show was modern (the props, the colorguard unis, and the overall feel of the show. Stuff like the high stepped sunburst that the troopers did kinda screamed "old" and "tradition"). Battle Hymn of the Republic is the last thing I would picture as "modern" (referring to your question about Magnificent 11).

Disclaimer: I loved Troopers' show this year so I have absolutely nothing against them.

[Eleran]

Well, the critique is that Troopers are irrelevant because their music belongs in 1970s. Meaning: their music is old. So, I checked the age of their music selections to test the assertion against reality.

Perhaps what truly underlies this critique of Troopers is that the category of music from which they draw most of their programming is regarded as old, fusty, out of date.

Okay, great. Let's have that discussion. Why can't American music cut it in drum corps? And why can a corps like the Cadets play it and win a medal, but a corps like Troopers is laughed off the stage (by some) when they play it?

I think your second interpretation of the critique is much more accurate than your first. When evaluating and comparing the musical merit of Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov to Samuel Augustus Ward, I think the discussion has very little to do with the date of composition. There is a time and place for music perceived as "quaint", but in today's age it probably has to be used a little more sparingly to be accepted (eg. - Boston was able to effectively quote Old MacDonald and Darling Clementine because they fit an otherwise untraditional show). Throw in one such song a year instead of 4-5.

And regarding your comparison to Cadets, and pointing out that Cadets medalled with similar music, (a) from the fans point of view Cadets were heavily criticized (at least here in DCP) throughout the season for musical selections that seemed at best a little too well-trodden, and (b) from the judges point of view, Troopers' score this season was better than 3 out of the last 4 seasons.

I do think Troopers (who remain on my son's long list of corps to potentially join) would benefit by expanding their view of music that remains solidly American (eg. they've never touched Hanson or Hovhaness), and not be so willing to repeat prior selections and composers (eg. 8 of the last 20 shows have included Copland)

[hostrauser]

I do think Troopers (who remain on my son's long list of corps to potentially join) would benefit by expanding their view of music that remains solidly American (eg. they've never touched Hanson or Hovhaness), and not be so willing to repeat prior selections and composers (eg. 8 of the last 20 shows have included Copland)

This! This! Why not some Paul Creston? Charles Tomlinson Griffes? Amy Beach? George Whitefield Chadwick? There is a TON of great music by American composers that remains untouched by DCI.

Also, broaden your show design concepts. Maybe the Troopers are regarded as "old-fashioned" because literally every single one of their show designs the past 20 years has been about 1820-1920 America: the Old West, the Civil War, the emergence of the steam engine, and on and on and on. Pioneer does the same thing with the Irish theme, but Pioneer approaches DCI a bit differently than the other World Class corps. Pushing for Finals and being ultra-competitive is not at the core of what Pioneer is about. And yet I feel the Troopers, while maybe not ULTRA-competitive, do want to be a consistent Finalist. I don't think you can manage that with one foot in the past and one in the present, serving the judges and the audience the same flavor of show every year.

Edited August 19, 2014 by hostrauser

[MisterA]

I think there are much more important things than the date the piece was written. The style of the piece, how it fits into the show, and the arrangement of the piece are much more important. As someone who has been critical of Troopers the last 6 years, I have no problems with the direction they have chosen to take.

One of the posters earlier had a comment that I agree with. The fact that the first part of their show this year seemed to be modern, then to throw in a patriotic piece, just didn't seem to fit the show very well. It seemed the show was going in one direction, then switched into a completely different style of show. I think it was the flow and arrangements, more than the age of the pieces that caused some problems in their show this year.

And when people compare their Americana themed shows to those of Cadets, something to be mentioned is the complete performance level and writing of the show. Cadets even when doing a patriotic show, have much better written shows, and the performance level and talent to back it up. Even if I don't like a Cadets show, there are so many things to admire about their performance, the amazing drumline and hornline, the amazing colorguard and one of the fastest and most complex drills on the field today. Troopers shows on the other hand are very slow to develop, with very little visual GE compared to other corps. And it seems like the musical arrangements really are what makes the shows seem more like something out of the 70s.

I guess the greatest thing about the Troopers is that they put out shows that some people really love. If every corps put out exactly the type of show, it would get boring. At finals week this year, it was nice to see 37 corps doing about 15-20 different styles of shows. Troopers may have had one of my least favorite shows the last few seasons, but it is nice to see diversity of shows on the field.

And as for the kids who are auditioning, I can understand why different kids go to different corps. Troopers have only made finals one time in the last 25 years, which can be a drawback to getting large numbers of auditioning members. And the younger generation doesn't generally enjoy the patriotic/Americana style shows as well as the older people attending the shows. When I show my students drum corps videos, corps like Cavaliers, SCV, Crown, BD always get their attention. And then many years some of the lower corps, like Surf, Colts, Academy, or Crest will have a show that excites them. Very seldom does Troopers excite them much. There have been a couple of moments of Troopers shows that will be very nice, like the long chord, or the 2 lines dropping at the very beginning of the Wanted show, but as far as an overall total package, their shows don't really excite the band students in our classes.

Again, this is coming from someone who has felt Troopers have been much overrated/overscored the last 6 seasons.

[luv4corps]

As a fairly new fan to drum corps (last five years) I have to chime in and say that I appreciate and respect the fact that corps have their own identities, traditions and styles born of history. Troopers should stick with the Americana theme.

Trick it out. Make it fresh. Dazzle us, yes.

Step out of Americana, no.

That would not be Troopers.

[Eleran]

Troopers really want to shake things up? how about .... August 9, 2015, the voice of Brandt Crocker:

"From Caspar, Wyoming, presenting their 2015 show, "Service guarantees citizenship!" .... the STARSHIP Troopers!!!"

Would you like to know more?

[HockeyDad]

Troopers really want to shake things up? how about .... August 9, 2015, the voice of Brandt Crocker:

"From Caspar, Wyoming, presenting their 2015 show, "Service guarantees citizenship!" .... the STARSHIP Troopers!!!"

Would you like to know more?

No thank you

[charlie1223]

I don't think when people say a show is "old and hokey" they are actually talking about the physical age of the music used.

Edited August 19, 2014 by charlie1223

[JimF-LowBari]

Troopers really want to shake things up? how about .... August 9, 2015, the voice of Brandt Crocker:

"From Caspar, Wyoming, presenting their 2015 show, "Service guarantees citizenship!" .... the STARSHIP Troopers!!!"

Would you like to know more?

And then the whole show is the Yes version of ST..... C'mon "Worm" can be stretched out as long as needed....