Need help with BD Chop and Paste, Walk and Stand approach to design

[Everyfan]

On July 10, 2017 at 7:11 AM, Mello Dude said:

 You don't, let me amend it.

 

1) Better term would be "indoctrinate".  They do this very well and have a for a LONG time.  Smart and a quite an advantage (among others).

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indoctrinate

2) Let me clarify, talent makes less difference than instruction or show design.  The level of talent these days is very good.  You don't need "god-like" talent to teach a running 16th or 32nd note lick.  If you can't teach them to be very good you aren't teaching.  Today they show up being able to play all this.

I understand precisely how much they practice and they do a LOT more today than when I marched and that was a metric ton and we played a lot more music with less talent overall.

Not sure when your day was, but in mine, we had music rehearsal for three hours every Wednesday, all day every Sunday and a camp every 3-4 weeks starting in January. I spoke with a Blue Devils long time instructor on Memorial Day this year. He said they had only been playing as an ensemble for about 14-15 total days. Most top corps  only do 3-4 camps before move ins in May. No weekly rehearsals.

[Stu]

24 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

i'm not claiming todays numbers are bigger than 30 years ago. I cited what DCI has released from recent years comparing to other recent years. I said before i'd wager more total fans saw shows 30 years ago when there were more shows to see corps at. I also know not all of those shows were sellouts. I still remember that night in 1990 in a HUGE HS stadium in Red Lion PA, tops 1000 people came to see Star, Cadets and other east coast corps

And I also remember a very recent DCI show in Dallas, 2012, 13, or maybe 14, where the heat index was well over 130* and there were just a precious few diehards in the stands. However, since you did just state in this post that you would, "...wager more total fans saw shows 30 years ago when there were more shows to see corps at", (which is a conjecture on your part that agrees with my contention), why did ya type the previous snarky remark that I was likely wrong?

[Everyfan]

12 hours ago, Everyfan said:

Not sure when your day was, but in mine, we had music rehearsal for three hours every Wednesday, all day every Sunday and a camp every 3-4 weeks starting in January. I spoke with a Blue Devils long time instructor on Memorial Day this year. He said they had only been playing as an ensemble for about 14-15 total days. Most top corps  only do 3-4 camps before move ins in May. No weekly rehearsals.

For reference, I joined a top corps in the 80's at 15 years old (turned 16 on tour). I was a good trumpet player and had a big two years of marching in a mediocre high school band. I filled a hole in the late Spring by playing two scales and being told to "go in there and act like you know what you are doing." I learned a TON and won a championship that year. How often does that happen today? Talent levels going in are huge today at the top compared to "my day." They DO make a huge difference.

Edited July 12, 2017 by Everyfan

[Everyfan]

28 minutes ago, Everyfan said:

Not sure when your day was, but in mine, we had music rehearsal for three hours every Wednesday, all day every Sunday and a camp every 3-4 weeks starting in January. I spoke with a Blue Devils long time instructor on Memorial Day this year. He said they had only been playing as an ensemble for about 14-15 total days. Most top corps  only do 3-4 camps before move ins in May. No weekly rehearsals.

For more info, I just checked the Blue Devils' calendar. They had nineteen days of rehearsal prior to Memorial Day. Four of those were the Friday of camps, so those were shortened music rehearsals (3-4 hours). Three days were musician all days prior to Memorial Day, which would typically be less than a full corps due to school schedules. This is FAR less than the 80's and 90's.

[Stu]

17 minutes ago, Everyfan said:

Not sure when your day was, but in mine, we had music rehearsal for three hours every Wednesday, all day every Sunday and a camp every 3-4 weeks starting in January. I spoke with a Blue Devils long time instructor on Memorial Day this year. He said they had only been playing as an ensemble for about 14-15 total days. Most top corps  only do 3-4 camps before move ins in May. No weekly rehearsals.

This was back in the nineties, but talked with someone who was a university student that had secured a spot with BD and was 'required' to attend weekly rehearsals starting in January or February.  So, they dropped out of the university, moved to Concord, enrolled at an institution somewhere near there, and then had the course credits transferred back to their original university after the season was over.

[LoveKathyG]

22 hours ago, Cappybara said:

You can also choose not to read those discussions :)

sorry to bore you

Apology accepted!   : )

[Everyfan]

1 hour ago, Stu said:

This was back in the nineties, but talked with someone who was a university student that had secured a spot with BD and was 'required' to attend weekly rehearsals starting in January or February.  So, they dropped out of the university, moved to Concord, enrolled at an institution somewhere near there, and then had the course credits transferred back to their original university after the season was over.

Feel free to go to blue devils.org and look at their rehearsal schedule this year. It will be very educating.

[Jeff Ream]

23 hours ago, Stu said:

And I also remember a very recent DCI show in Dallas, 2012, 13, or maybe 14, where the heat index was well over 130* and there were just a precious few diehards in the stands. However, since you did just state in this post that you would, "...wager more total fans saw shows 30 years ago when there were more shows to see corps at", (which is a conjecture on your part that agrees with my contention), why did ya type the previous snarky remark that I was likely wrong?

sire if i snarked, you'd know it

[Stu]

1 hour ago, Jeff Ream said:

sire if i snarked, you'd know it

So with the term 'sire', am I person of noble status or a bull that... Never mind, I know your answer, I am a person full of bull.

[Usually Mistified]

On 7/12/2017 at 1:23 AM, Stu said:

And I also remember a very recent DCI show in Dallas, 2012, 13, or maybe 14, where the heat index was well over 130* and there were just a precious few diehards in the stands. However, since you did just state in this post that you would, "...wager more total fans saw shows 30 years ago when there were more shows to see corps at", (which is a conjecture on your part that agrees with my contention), why did ya type the previous snarky remark that I was likely wrong?

As I have been at every DCI Dallas - Lake Highlands show since 2001, you are referring to 2012. The high was 107 with a heat index of 131, but there were for more than "a few diehards in the stands."  If want actual numbers, the Lake Highland Area Band Club likely have those as they have been hosting this show well over 30 years.