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The Cadets 2019


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37 minutes ago, ranintothedoor said:

Ugh... I remember one field in Iowa where they did not cut the grass before our rehearsal... those roots were just a-soakin' up our sweat and tears.

I am thinking of the show in Ankeny, Iowa (no relation to "Rocky Point") years ago where the field was literally cut from the corn field which abutted the sidelines. At the intermission when the refreshment stand ran out of corn for the roasting, they just went and picked some more. Flies were everywhere, on the field, in the stands, later on the buses. They did make a mean Sloppy Joe or Sloppy Jim, or what they called it there a Dairy Maid. I hear the town has grown since then; must be the sandwiches.

Edited by xandandl
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22 minutes ago, xandandl said:

I am thinking of the show in Ankeny, Iowa (no relation to "Rocky Point") years ago where the field was literally cut from the corn field which abutted the sidelines. At the intermission when the refreshment stand ran out of corn for the roasting, they just went and picked some more. Flies were everywhere, on the field, in the stands, later on the buses. They did make a mean Sloppy Joe or Sloppy Jim, or what they called it there a Dairy Maid. I hear the town has grown since then; must be the sandwiches.

:thumbup:

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7 hours ago, mfrontz said:

:thumbup:

I know, that's awesome! lol 

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On 8/16/2018 at 10:09 PM, ranintothedoor said:

My Avatar is still Shenandoah Sound after all these years... I love them and support them whenever I can. Sonus had a fantastic year in SoundSport... two best in shows and a gold rating at Indy! :-D I'm so proud!

In my opinion, the strength of the band programs up in Northern Virginia is actually a deterrent for some kids because their performance level at home is so high that it's hard to take a chance on a fledgling or, worse, struggling ensemble to have a "better" experience (the culture is a tiny bit stuck up... I've seen worse, and I think it's improving, but it's there...).  An established ensemble like Cadets would not struggle as much in the recruitment department as Sound/Sonus did and does, as well as all those other organizations that've folded up there in the past.  

Besides, Sonus prides itself on being a feeder for corps like Surf (4 members of Surf this year marched in Sonus last year, I believe).  No conflict (IMO).  

This might be the most accurate description of Northern Virginia schools and students lol

The programs in NoVA are certainly better and larger there than in Maryland, but I also find it hard to believe too many students (or parents) would be willing to shell out the cash and time to march drum corps rather than spending the summer building up their resume in more "traditional" ways (internships, volunteering, shadowing, etc etc). The culture is very stuck up and the competition in high school for college admissions is honestly ridiculous. 

My parents were very much the type of parents I described above 

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1 hour ago, Cappybara said:

I also find it hard to believe too many students (or parents) would be willing to shell out the cash and time to march drum corps rather than spending the summer building up their resume in more "traditional" ways (internships, volunteering, shadowing, etc etc).

Tell them my son marched DCI every every year since his first contract at 13.   Didn't stop him form getting into the #2 school in the world for his major.  

Yes, I'm bragging, but also mentioning it because I see so many parents (here in NJ) that think their kids have to pad their resumes with all the rote 'check-the-box' activities, meanwhile avoiding  a lot of activities which (a) their kids might better enjoy, and (b) might actually have more of a lasting impact on their development.

Edit:  and that was one of the items on my long-lost list of things to investigate prior to any corps moving:  are there cultural trends in the region that are pushing participation in the marching arts down or up?

Edited by Eleran
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26 minutes ago, Eleran said:

Tell them my son marched DCI every every year since his first contract at 13.   Didn't stop him form getting into the #2 school in the world for his major.  

Yes, I'm bragging, but also mentioning it because I see so many parents (here in NJ) that think their kids have to pad their resumes with all the rote 'check-the-box' activities, meanwhile avoiding  a lot of activities which (a) their kids might better enjoy, and (b) might actually have more of a lasting impact on their development.

Edit:  and that was one of the items on my long-lost list of things to investigate prior to any corps moving:  are there cultural trends in the region that are pushing participation in the marching arts down or up?

My parents tried to push me out of doing marching band in high school because it felt like a waste of time to them. They learned their lesson when it became one of my biggest assets once college apps came around and I ended up at one of the top public schools in the country (University of Virginia). They're a lot more lenient and encouraging towards my younger sibling now when it comes to artistic interests and hobbies.

Unfortunately this culture is all too prevalent in Northern Virginia. Lots of first generation (legal) immigrants, helicopter parents, snobby rich people, etc etc in the area who'd rather have their kids be a part of the junior varsity tennis team (lol) than do marching band

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Back in the early 90's, there were Boston area parents who were very disappointed if their kindergarten aged child didn't get into a private school.  It was considered the beginning of their child's advancement to an Ivy League school.

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One more point about Maryland being a poor choice for relocation - I was in Baltimore Ravens Marching Band and they always scrambled to recruit enough players to field a band. (In no way equating them to a drum corps.) They drew from a two hour ride radius and that was for a band that paid members for practice and performances. If recruitment is tough for a gig where you’re paid $10/hour, how hard will it be when you charge $3000?

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14 hours ago, xandandl said:

I am thinking of the show in Ankeny, Iowa (no relation to "Rocky Point") years ago where the field was literally cut from the corn field which abutted the sidelines. At the intermission when the refreshment stand ran out of corn for the roasting, they just went and picked some more. Flies were everywhere, on the field, in the stands, later on the buses. They did make a mean Sloppy Joe or Sloppy Jim, or what they called it there a Dairy Maid. I hear the town has grown since then; must be the sandwiches.

Loose meat sandwiches.  It is a midwestern thing.  Like a sloppy joe without the 'juice' 

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50 minutes ago, cybersnyder said:

One more point about Maryland being a poor choice for relocation - I was in Baltimore Ravens Marching Band and they always scrambled to recruit enough players to field a band. (In no way equating them to a drum corps.) They drew from a two hour ride radius and that was for a band that paid members for practice and performances. If recruitment is tough for a gig where you’re paid $10/hour, how hard will it be when you charge $3000?

there's a difference between an NFL band and a DCI corps. And, not everyone in the region is a Ravens fan. Lots of Skins fans, as well as people puling for other teams across the country as they are transplants. I know many people that have been involved with the Ravens band, and it's a good gig, but it's not for everyone 

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