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Symmetrical drill was an integral part of the drum corps identity, and they just had to go fix something that wasn't broken there too.

 

Remember marching timpani? Neither do I! But I'll be ###### if I let someone make a change to an artistic activity-- something which, almost by definition, will change to reflect the times. Drum corps isn't about military uniforms, saluting the colors, standing in retreat to be judged for uniform care, or anything else of that nature. Drum corps has changed to reflect a more artistic and theatrical angle. One which, frankly, makes a lot more sense when you consider what drum corps is at its basic level-- music and movement. Who is to say high mark time at a standstill for a minute and a half blaring out Malaguena in a west point style uniform (a dime a dozen) is superior to a corps in a light, theme specific piece doing visuals and body movement? 

 

If you thought that was rhetorical, it's not, because the answer is the folks that show up to audition based on the show you put out last year. Cadets have been running the traditional angle for more or less the past 5 years or so, and, funnily enough, see some of the lowest audition turnouts of any top 12 corps. I can tell you absolutely definitively that BAC, Crossmen, and Academy all got higher turnouts this year by very large degrees just to name three that I know off the top of my head from outside the top 6. I could go on to name every corps in the top 5, and quite a few others besides.

 

Why? Because frankly, nobody wants to make a company front and play simple gifts, or wear a big heavy uniform that adds 5+ pounds to your horn when they could be wearing spandex. Nobody wants to play classical arrangements when they could be playing Imogen Heap or be doing a wild wild west show. 

 

What makes the Cadets the Cadets? It's a shame that not even the alumni of the corps seem to know. If I were to throw a dart at the board, I might mention the fact that Cadets alumni are hugely represented in the teaching world. Clearly the corps grows a breed of educators and people who are inspired to share their muse with others. I would talk about the work ethic it takes to be a Cadet versus many other drum corps, or the history of innovation that people all seem very proud of-- until any actual innovating is done, at which point the alumni go frothing-at-the-mouth crazy.

 

I would not, in a synopsis of what makes the Cadets the Cadets, mention the West Point uniform. Wasn't Boston wearing one of those up till 2013? Haven't many other ensembles in their multitudes worn the West Point look? Is that really what makes The Cadets the Cadets? The fact that you say that not wearing the traditional uniform "blurs the line" seems more like a copout than anything. Somehow, at every Boston Camp, folks so old they seem barely able to walk man the food lines and the registration tables across the east coast. They don't seem to put the identity of their corps into an inanimate piece of cloth, and seem more interested in the lessons that the students there are learning. 

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^ you seem quite unaware of what makes the Cadets the Cadets

and or why high school kids don't mob to their audition camps

Boston may put a substained winning tradition together, time will tell. 

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Innovation and hard work, and a large representation in the teaching world (I being one of those teachers) are things that do make the cadets the cadets. (The corps always has a "history night" from my understanding which is good). I'll just tell you that in my experience, when putting on the uniform, I felt honored to do so knowing that decades of generations of cadets before me wore a uniform not all that different from the one I was wearing. You are right in saying that the uniform is just a piece of fabric and identity should not be put in such an object, though because of the corps' long-running history, there is mutual respect garnered for those that came before. I guess the concern from the alumni is that the "baby is going to be thrown out with the bathwater" so to speak - so that little, if any of the recognizable portion of the cadets will remain. You are pretty passionate about this topic I can see and I apologize if I stepped on anyone's toes. 

Edited by BrassFan17
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26 minutes ago, aLittleBird said:

Symmetrical drill was an integral part of the drum corps identity, and they just had to go fix something that wasn't broken there too.

 

Remember marching timpani? Neither do I! But I'll be ###### if I let someone make a change to an artistic activity-- something which, almost by definition, will change to reflect the times. Drum corps isn't about military uniforms, saluting the colors, standing in retreat to be judged for uniform care, or anything else of that nature. Drum corps has changed to reflect a more artistic and theatrical angle. One which, frankly, makes a lot more sense when you consider what drum corps is at its basic level-- music and movement. Who is to say high mark time at a standstill for a minute and a half blaring out Malaguena in a west point style uniform (a dime a dozen) is superior to a corps in a light, theme specific piece doing visuals and body movement? 

 

If you thought that was rhetorical, it's not, because the answer is the folks that show up to audition based on the show you put out last year. Cadets have been running the traditional angle for more or less the past 5 years or so, and, funnily enough, see some of the lowest audition turnouts of any top 12 corps. I can tell you absolutely definitively that BAC, Crossmen, and Academy all got higher turnouts this year by very large degrees just to name three that I know off the top of my head from outside the top 6. I could go on to name every corps in the top 5, and quite a few others besides.

 

Why? Because frankly, nobody wants to make a company front and play simple gifts, or wear a big heavy uniform that adds 5+ pounds to your horn when they could be wearing spandex. Nobody wants to play classical arrangements when they could be playing Imogen Heap or be doing a wild wild west show. 

 

What makes the Cadets the Cadets? It's a shame that not even the alumni of the corps seem to know. If I were to throw a dart at the board, I might mention the fact that Cadets alumni are hugely represented in the teaching world. Clearly the corps grows a breed of educators and people who are inspired to share their muse with others. I would talk about the work ethic it takes to be a Cadet versus many other drum corps, or the history of innovation that people all seem very proud of-- until any actual innovating is done, at which point the alumni go frothing-at-the-mouth crazy.

 

I would not, in a synopsis of what makes the Cadets the Cadets, mention the West Point uniform. Wasn't Boston wearing one of those up till 2013? Haven't many other ensembles in their multitudes worn the West Point look? Is that really what makes The Cadets the Cadets? The fact that you say that not wearing the traditional uniform "blurs the line" seems more like a copout than anything. Somehow, at every Boston Camp, folks so old they seem barely able to walk man the food lines and the registration tables across the east coast. They don't seem to put the identity of their corps into an inanimate piece of cloth, and seem more interested in the lessons that the students there are learning. 

It's always easy to make condescending comments from the outside, but the truth is until you've actually marched in a specific corps, there is no way you can know why those who have marched there are proud to have marched or why they cherish that corps particular uniform. I could never tell you what makes Blue Devils who they are, SCV who they are unless I was actually there. Nor would I ever try to take anything away from those who marched there. So it would be better to have some understanding of those who marched there, just as it would be best for the alumni to recognize that things change sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst, instead of making it seem as though their feelings are irrelevant. 

Edited by 2000Cadet
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13 minutes ago, George Dixon said:

^ you seem quite unaware of what makes the Cadets the Cadets

and or why high school kids don't mob to their audition camps

Boston may put a substained winning tradition together, time will tell. 

there's nothing more hopkins would like more than to have 1000 kids at an audition/experience camp.  

he wants big turn outs.  just doesn't quite know how to make it happen.

if you know the secret you should definitely let him know.  

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20 minutes ago, George Dixon said:

^ you seem quite unaware of what makes the Cadets the Cadets

and or why high school kids don't mob to their audition camps

Boston may put a substained winning tradition together, time will tell. 

What, in your opinion, makes the Cadets the Cadets?

Surely it's not so simple as a maroon top with white pants in the style of one of the most copied uniforms in history? The point I'm trying to make is that an organization shouldn't define itself with a particular jacket, even a particular color. I don't think the color combination of maroon, cream, and gold are what makes the organization worth the countless thousands of dollars in donations every year. When someone asks you "what are the Cadets?" Do you proudly reply "They're the ones in the burgandy!" or do you tell people what actually makes the corps special? That's what I'm getting at. This fixation on the uniform is unhealthy for the organization. It's a very pretty uniform that is very rapidly showing its age compared against others in the caliber it competes in. There's nothing wrong with that, It's almost a century old.

 

12 minutes ago, 2000Cadet said:

It's always easy to make condescending comments from the outside, but the truth is until you've actually marched in a specific corps, there is no way you can know why those who have marched there are proud to have marched or why they cherish that corps particular uniform. I could never tell you what makes Blue Devils who they are, SCV who they are unless I was actually there. Nor would I ever try to take anything away from those who marched there. So it would be better to have some understanding of those who marched there, just as it would be best for the alumni to recognize that things change sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse, instead of making it seem as though their feelings are irrelevant. 

Were I making condescending remarks from the outside, I would agree with you. I'm not trying to stipulate that the feelings of alumni don't matter. I'm trying to stipulate that, in my personal opinion, alumni of the Cadets in particular seem to fixate on the wrong things when they talk about the "identity" of the organization. It's not about the placements, or the color of the uniform, or how the buttons are laid out on the coat. Not to me, anyway.

Edited by aLittleBird
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5 minutes ago, corpsband said:

there's nothing more hopkins would like more than to have 1000 kids at an audition/experience camp.  

he wants big turn outs.  just doesn't quite know how to make it happen.

if you know the secret you should definitely let him know.  

The secret is in the spandex!!

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1 minute ago, aLittleBird said:

What, in your opinion, makes the Cadets the Cadets?

Surely it's not so simple as a maroon top with white pants in the style of one of the most copied uniforms in history? The point I'm trying to make is that an organization shouldn't define itself with a particular jacket, even a particular color. I don't think that's what makes the organization worth alumni dollars. When someone asks you "what are the Cadets?" Do you proudly reply "They're the ones in the burgandy!" or do you tell people what actually makes the corps special? That's what I'm getting at. This fixation on the uniform is unhealthy for the organization. It's a very pretty uniform that is very rapidly showing its age compared against others in the caliber it competes in. There's nothing wrong with that, It's almost a century old.

 

Were I making condescending remarks from the outside, I would agree with you. I'm not trying to stipulate that the feelings of alumni don't matter. I'm trying to stipulate that, in my personal opinion, alumni of the Cadets in particular seem to fixate on the wrong things when they talk about the "identity" of the organization. It's not about the placements, or the color of the uniform, or how the buttons are laid out on the coat. Not to me, anyway.

What's wrong to you is right to someone else. Some of those alum specifically chose to march Cadets because of that uniform, among other things. They were young as well and certain things have a special meaning to people of that age. In my opinion, that is neither wrong nor right. It is a matter of personal taste. 

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3 minutes ago, corpsband said:

if that's the case they should be all set for next year :colgate:

 

I never was a fan of things hugging your body so close.....

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