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DCI Southeastern Championship (Atlanta) - Saturday, July 27, 2019


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7 hours ago, N.E. Brigand said:

If their talking consists of response to the shows, that's OK, in my opinion.

Used to be that at the start of many drum corps competitions, the announcer would make a point of telling the audience to cheer at any point (not just between performances). Does that sort of announcement ever still happen?

I agree - I think some talk about a show during a performance is ok as long as it's not disruptive -- but I can see how it could get annoying fairly quickly --

yes - the announcers reads a thing like that at Mankato and Menomonie -

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What in the H*ll is the deal with the Blue Stars putting in a soft ending when the powerful ending they had was perfect? This happens every year around this time. Their content scores are just fine, it's the achievement scores that need focus. Clean, clean, clean and finish with an exclamation point!

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My response I guess directed more generally at the last 30 or so pages of reactions since scores were announced

I think what happens with people is when a corps has a bad show concept/design or a rough season we start looking for mistakes vs. positives

Closer was dirty - more so than the rest of the show which is also not "Cadets clean"

MA scores and GE Music scores for Cadets are boosted by their percussion

Percussion - personally think it is being scored too low. No one seems to mention that. 

So - 

Cadets are doing poorly this year competitively - but for some it isn't enough. I say they will finish between 8-11th

They worked 3 16 hour days this week to learn 2 minutes of new drill and mostly new music. 

Let's cheer the members on for their fortitude. 

We also have incredible programs this season by Mandarins, Crossmen, Academy, Regiment etc. 

It's a great season and frankly five years from now few will remember whether Cadets placed 9th or 10th vs. Mandarins 9th or 10th. 

 

Edited by George Dixon
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Just now, George Dixon said:

Wow. My response isn't directed at Mike in particular - it's I guess directed more generally at the last 30 or so pages of reactions since scores were announced

I think what happens with people is when a corps has a bad show concept/design or a rough season we start looking for mistakes vs. positives

Closer was dirty - more so than the rest of the show which is also not "Cadets clean"

MA scores and GE Music scores for Cadets are boosted by their percussion

Percussion - personally think it is being scored too low. No one seems to mention that. 

So - 

Cadets are doing poorly this year competitively - but for some it isn't enough. I say they will finish between 8-11th

They worked 3 16 hour days this week to learn 2 minutes of new drill and mostly new music. 

Let's cheer the members on for their fortitude. 

We also have incredible programs this season by Mandarins, Crossmen, Academy, Regiment etc. 

It's a great season and frankly five years from now few will remember whether Cadets placed 9th or 10th vs. Mandarins 9th or 10th. 

But I do believe - strongly - that saying "a brass section being placed behind cadets is insulting" IS insulting

 

Fair. I will delete. Didn’t mean to be rude.

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Just now, MikeRapp said:

Fair. I will delete. Didn’t mean to be rude.

totally don't need to delete - as I stated - my reply is meant more generally. Could have picked 20 other posts.

based on "show" I would put Cadets in 14th - but they do have impressive moments (99% of them percussive) which will keep them higher

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6 minutes ago, George Dixon said:

totally don't need to delete - as I stated - my reply is meant more generally. Could have picked 20 other posts.

based on "show" I would put Cadets in 14th - but they do have impressive moments (99% of them percussive) which will keep them higher

Nope. I was wrong. Edited it. Please do the same for my quotes, if you would. I don’t want to be rude.

People have really high expectations for Cadets. They have earned that status. That also brings out critics because people compare them to their history, not their current reality. I have no doubt every single corps is doing their absolute best. I do think Crossmen are getting hosed right now in general, though I admit those who follow the details of captions would know better.

Cadets percussion is otherworldly. They are, of course, getting twice as much opportunity to show their stuff, for obvious reasons. I don’t know that I can recall a corps or show where percussion was this much better than the rest of the captions.

I do think GE should get majorly reduced, however, if your designers purposefully reduce your entire brass ensemble to a literal handful of playing segments. This Cadets show seems to go for minutes, plural, with the brass marching around and moving props, and not playing a single note. I don’t know how you could score that show above Crossmen and Phantom, outside of percussion.

Edited by MikeRapp
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1 minute ago, MikeRapp said:

Nope. I was wrong. Edited it. Please do the same for my quotes, if you would. I don’t want to be rude.

People have really high expectations for Cadets. They have earned that status. That also brings out critics because people compare them to their history, not their current reality. I have no doubt every single corps is doing their absolute best. I do think Crossmen are getting hosed right now in general, though I admit those who follow the details of captions would know better.

There's some odd scoring going on.

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That’s the thing about playing audience-friendly music. Melody, particularly familiar melody, gives the audience a chance to participate. Even to judge in a way limited to their own knowledge, of course. Their expertise. It’s a little like observing a corps attempting to form a straight line. EVERYONE knows when that works !

I understand the reason for all the complexity and musical gymnastics, and these performers are amazingly proficient at what they are doing, but finding just the right mix to please everyone in the building is nearly impossible.

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1 minute ago, Fred Windish said:

That’s the thing about playing audience-friendly music. Melody, particularly familiar melody, gives the audience a chance to participate. Even to judge in a way limited to their own knowledge, of course. Their expertise. It’s a little like observing a corps attempting to form a straight line. EVERYONE knows when that works !

I understand the reason for all the complexity and musical gymnastics, and these performers are amazingly proficient at what they are doing, but finding just the right mix to please everyone in the building is nearly impossible.

I have resolved most of my feelings about the current situation. Personally, for me, drum corps is mostly about music. I would rather corps do extremely interesting and complex musical things than simple music things in extremely complex marching sequences. I agree it takes both, and there is a lot of variety in both directions. But if BD wants to do Flight of the Bumble Bee, I would rather hear it as a perfect musical moment than a simplified and jumbled one inside a complex marching moment.

I would say, though, that watching an entire Regional gives you a different perspective than just watching a few performances in one evening. IMHO too many corps are sacrificing musical excellence for dancing around and doing silly facial expressions. First, play great music really well. Then, you can emote. Right now many of these designs are light on music and heavy on silly emotive stuff that does not translate or differentiate.

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After 5 years of watching Drum Corp, I am no expert. But I have become firmly convinced that what the fans like and what the judges prefer are polar opposites!

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