Floating on the river in EVANSVILLE!

[BurntClover]

Anyone want to talk about Pioneers preformance tonight?

posted from the DrumScorps app

[tommynev]

1 hour ago, mjoakes said:

Finally back in Btown after the Evansville show. Really nice performances. Madison much better than I had been expecting, and while some are going to dislike it no matter what, I think they have a cool show that is challenging and complex and with much more potential than Judas in 2016.

The issue for Madison isn't so much how well they are doing - but how well everyone else is doing, too. Boston was good. Plus Stars are good, if a dull for my tastes. The Cavaliers are in top tier form.

And after the two hour drive, this: It's way early yet. Speculating is fun, but give the members and directors and leadership a break for a few more weeks before getting too passionate about an opinion on the shows or placements. 

Okay, getting ready for Muncie...

Well said. It hasn't even been a week. The corps are still trying to get the shows under their feet and all of the productions are unfinished. Can't wait to see the broadcast from Muncie on Friday. The next six weeks are always my favorite time of year and before we know it it's over.

[DrumManTx]

15 minutes ago, tommynev said:

Well said. It hasn't even been a week. The corps are still trying to get the shows under their feet and all of the productions are unfinished. Can't wait to see the broadcast from Muncie on Friday. The next six weeks are always my favorite time of year and before we know it it's over.

Can't believe it hasn't even been a week yet, feels like it's been a lot longer than that.  

[corps8294]

4 hours ago, BurntClover said:

Anyone want to talk about Pioneers preformance tonight?

posted from the DrumScorps app

They are out there doing their thing and already know where they will finish the season. Not much else to talk about.

Edited June 29, 2017 by corps8294

[jwillis35]

48 minutes ago, corps8294 said:

They are out there doing their thing and already know where they will finish the season. Not much else to talk about.

Ok, you may be right, but this comes across a little mean. Pioneer have done some fantastic shows in the past regardless of placement. If someone saw their show it would be nice to read a little about what they are doing, playing, how they sound, look, etc.  Who cares where they place as long as the kids are learning, performing, having fun, and enjoying a safe and healthy tour.  

[BlueStainGlass]

I guess I missed all the fun last night. Just looked at the recap and only recognized one judge. Are we getting new judges on the small panels to get new blood into the circuit?

[mjoakes]

3 hours ago, jwillis35 said:

Ok, you may be right, but this comes across a little mean. Pioneer have done some fantastic shows in the past regardless of placement. If someone saw their show it would be nice to read a little about what they are doing, playing, how they sound, look, etc.  Who cares where they place as long as the kids are learning, performing, having fun, and enjoying a safe and healthy tour.  

@jwillis35 I saw the show last night. Overall, it needs work, and they need work on it.

I commented earlier that it was one of those performances that makes you realize how hard all of this stuff really is. (Boston and The Cavaliers make it look easy!). Horns sometimes looking panicked to get to their spots in a hurry, guard somewhat too obviously trying to anticipate what comes next. Their show seems newer to the mms than shows of other corps to mms. So there is time for them to get more comfortable with it and improve the execution of things.

It's also a tough show for a smallish corps out there. Les Miz music deserves lots of power, maybe too much power for what Pioneer can give. And at times, there's just too much to do. Another vocalist taking over music on a ballad that a few horns could stand and deliver much more awesomely. (The vocalist performs fine. I just mean on the field in a drum corps show, "On My Own" is such a beautiful melody you'd think you would naturally want the horns to do it. The lyrics aren't thematically important at this point.) The plywood props later turn into the barricade from the story, a nice idea. But (1) they don't do much otherwise except hide some stuff, (2) they pull too many corps members away from music and marching to move around, and (3) once they are in their most useful barricade form, they really aren't utilized well. Again, this is in part because this is a small corps in numbers.

I'm guessing a small corps requires a different approach to show design. Seems like Pioneer is trying to do all the tricks and movements of a larger corps, but of course it just isn't pulled off. Would a small guard be more effective if there was a lot more time synchronized as a whole guard - a little more old school stuff that is simpler but executed really well? Doesn't some of todays' complex drill movement lose weight on the field when the numbers are smaller? If props are needed, set them up and then get on with marching and playing; don't design their role in such a way that they need lost of attention. (And BTW, for any show designers looking for advice from a finance professor: Props are not always needed.) And if you suspected in winter that your membership would be smaller, you may not want to choose Les Miz.

But why their show makes me realize how hard all this really is: Those horns and drums and guard mms are really sweating it out for us. They've been given tough assignments, and they are going to get a better payoff by August. 

EDIT: Hey, I think I mean this for @BurntClover especially. Sorry for maybe confusing jwillis35.

Edited June 29, 2017 by mjoakes

[Ghost]

5 hours ago, BurntClover said:

Anyone want to talk about Pioneers preformance tonight?

posted from the DrumScorps app

 

1 hour ago, corps8294 said:

They are out there doing their thing and already know where they will finish the season. Not much else to talk about.

You may not have noticed, but that was BC's first post.  With Clover as part of their name, they might be involved with Pioneer, either on or off the field

Edited June 29, 2017 by Ghost

[skevinp]

8 hours ago, BurntClover said:

Anyone want to talk about Pioneers preformance tonight?

posted from the DrumScorps app

I heard it was miserable but revolutionary.  

[Brian Tuma]

4 hours ago, mjoakes said:

@jwillis35 I saw the show last night. Overall, it needs work, and they need work on it.

I commented earlier that it was one of those performances that makes you realize how hard all of this stuff really is. (Boston and The Cavaliers make it look easy!). Horns sometimes looking panicked to get to their spots in a hurry, guard somewhat too obviously trying to anticipate what comes next. Their show seems newer to the mms than shows of other corps to mms. So there is time for them to get more comfortable with it and improve the execution of things.

It's also a tough show for a smallish corps out there. Les Miz music deserves lots of power, maybe too much power for what Pioneer can give. And at times, there's just too much to do. Another vocalist taking over music on a ballad that a few horns could stand and deliver much more awesomely. (The vocalist performs fine. I just mean on the field in a drum corps show, "On My Own" is such a beautiful melody you'd think you would naturally want the horns to do it. The lyrics aren't thematically important at this point.) The plywood props later turn into the barricade from the story, a nice idea. But (1) they don't do much otherwise except hide some stuff, (2) they pull too many corps members away from music and marching to move around, and (3) once they are in their most useful barricade form, they really aren't utilized well. Again, this is in part because this is a small corps in numbers.

I'm guessing a small corps requires a different approach to show design. Seems like Pioneer is trying to do all the tricks and movements of a larger corps, but of course it just isn't pulled off. Would a small guard be more effective if there was a lot more time synchronized as a whole guard - a little more old school stuff that is simpler but executed really well? Doesn't some of todays' complex drill movement lose weight on the field when the numbers are smaller? If props are needed, set them up and then get on with marching and playing; don't design their role in such a way that they need lost of attention. (And BTW, for any show designers looking for advice from a finance professor: Props are not always needed.) And if you suspected in winter that your membership would be smaller, you may not want to choose Les Miz.

But why their show makes me realize how hard all this really is: Those horns and drums and guard mms are really sweating it out for us. They've been given tough assignments, and they are going to get a better payoff by August. 

EDIT: Hey, I think I mean this for @BurntClover especially. Sorry for maybe confusing jwillis35.

General Butler Vagabonds did a very effective Les Miz in 1999 with a small corps. I think they had 18 brass at the most. Each member was individually "costumed" to fit the theme. Hmmmm... way ahead of the curve. 

They placed third in what was class A-60 (?) at the time.