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The Cadets 2019


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1 minute ago, Terri Schehr said:

I can definitely go with the more lighthearted theme.  

To borrow a phrase, AMEN. 

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6 minutes ago, exitmusic said:

Thank you for your very constructive criticism. 

IMO, the Scouts' issue was attempting to move forward by moving back. Why hire people who were great at drum corps a generation ago?

Let's accept that the next few years are going to be absolutely brutal. Let's hire young designers and let them do their thing. How old was Sully in 1982? How old was GZ in 1982? 

Let's do a Cadets show next year. I'm not saying we break out Elk's Parade and Rocky Point Holiday by any means. I'm not saying that we literally break out the maroon and gold. I'm saying we do a show that plays to our historical strengths rather than attempt to play the game that everyone else plays now, and frankly we just aren't good at.

Let's do something with a positive vibe that makes people happy (see: Bluecoats 2019) and focus on bringing back the standard of excellence that has been built since 1982 or so. Let's do something we can clean. Let's get a pedestrian 8th place next year and remember who we are.

Let's go off the ####### deep end in 2021.

This is what I thought was happening when the director said they were going to put out a show that would have people following The Cadets again instead of the other way around. Clearly that was NOT the case this year. 

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34 minutes ago, exitmusic said:

Thank you for your very constructive criticism. 

IMO, the Scouts' issue was attempting to move forward by moving back. Why hire people who were great at drum corps a generation ago?

Let's accept that the next few years are going to be absolutely brutal. Let's hire young designers and let them do their thing. How old was Sully in 1982? How old was GZ in 1982? 

Let's do a Cadets show next year. I'm not saying we break out Elk's Parade and Rocky Point Holiday by any means. I'm not saying that we literally break out the maroon and gold. I'm saying we do a show that plays to our historical strengths rather than attempt to play the game that everyone else plays now, and frankly we just aren't good at.

Let's do something with a positive vibe that makes people happy (see: Bluecoats 2019) and focus on bringing back the standard of excellence that has been built since 1982 or so. Let's do something we can clean. Let's get a pedestrian 8th place next year and remember who we are.

Let's go off the ####### deep end in 2021.

Amen. I’m so ready for On The Waterfront as a full show. Uses the strength (drums) and allows the corps to march fast and play a terrific ballad. Ramp up the guard and visual teams and get to work 

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17 hours ago, dans said:

5 hours ago, billj said:

I think 2 corps have shown this (Bridge) isn't a good song for drum corps .

The Cadets arrangement of BOTW is very uninspiring and void of any emotional connection. And the tag at the end is just awful.

do you mean the park

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53 minutes ago, 2000Cadet said:

This is what I thought was happening when the director said they were going to put out a show that would have people following The Cadets again instead of the other way around. Clearly that was NOT the case this year. 

yeah I think the attempt/intention was that and what we got went sideways

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again, sometimes things look great on paper...and then aren't. and in todays environment, you can't be doing wholesale changes every week. My hunch is Saturday was just a bad day. Every corps has them, they just had it at the first super regional.

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15 hours ago, exitmusic said:

I think the point is that everything we've ever tried that *wasn't* in the maroon and gold has been an absolute failure. When we are in uniform, at least we know who we are. When we are in some kind of half-baked costume, we can't seem to design a show.

You make a good point about the uniform. I don't doubt that a costume can be successful for Cadets. And I still think they can be modern and entertaining, yet also be competitive.  I continue to say that if a corps is going to use a costume it had better be inviting, stylish, or at least set the tone immediately. The Bluecoats uniforms, even if you were not sure they were doing a Beatles show to celebrate "The Bluecoats," were appealing, colorful, inviting, and said to the audience "we are about to entertain you." That is not what I got from The Cadets uniforms. Not that I hate them, but in what way do they enhance the show theme? Cadets did a better job of this in 2017 (minus the robes). Most corps are not really doing costuming all that well aside from a few (BD, Bloo, SCV, Crown). it's not easy.

I continue to say that they first need to become financially stable, and I have enjoyed the 2019 corps despite not liking everything about the design of the show. There are still wonderful moments in the 2019 production. The corps is performing well, and that percussion section is smoking hot. Could they pull top 4 come Finals? Maybe?

The Uniform: The Cadets are one of the few corps remaining that have what I would call an iconic and historically significant uniform. Look at the top 6 corps this year. Bluecoats uniforms have evolved for decades, even before the move to costumes (go back to the 70s). They were never set on one look. Same is true for the Blue Devils. They have had many looks over the years, even before jumping into costumes and changing uniforms during shows. Santa Clara used to have a set standard, but that began to change in the 90s with various new looks. Same with Boston and Crown. The Troopers have an iconic and historically significant uniform, and you could argue Cavaliers and Madison Scouts. All have changed their looks many times in the recent decades.

From reading DCP and other comments elsewhere it is clear that a large portion of the Cadets alumni, donors, and fan base would like to retain the iconic West Point-style Maroon & Gold uniform.  I, myself, have been thinking that perhaps the Cadets should march the traditional uniform 1 in every 3 seasons. This would allow the corps to progress with shows that require realism in costumes, staging, props, etc., without completely moving away from the traditional look. Not every corps will have this issue, but The Cadets certainly must consider the iconic look and tradition, and they must find a balance between modern drum corps and their history. Not easy, but I believe it can be done. 

 

 

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The uniform is not the problem here. In fact, many people actually liked the new look for this season (myself included).

The problem is staff and show design. SCV didn't get to where they are by changing their look. Neither did Bluecoats. They have killer design teams and teaching staff that elevate the performance level of the corps members. 

Nobody will say a bad thing about The Cadets drumline this year. What changed? 

I LOVE the maroon and gold and have been very upset when they didn't wear the traditional uniform, but that is not the problem. Give these performers a brass staff and guard staff on par with the percussion and a show that gives people a reason to cheer and you'd see a much different result.

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