Props an unnecessary necessity or

[Jeff Ream]

15 hours ago, Poppycock said:

Then what would you like to call it smart guy! 

spinning their wheels

[Jeff Ream]

15 hours ago, Tim K said:

I was talking with a friend and his son recently. The son will be a senior in high school this fall. He’s in the band and though the band competes a few times a year most years, it is known mostly for its half time performances and is a favorite at parades. The band instructor is trying to regroup the band after over a year of hiatus and he shared with the students his plans for their fall show. It will require props and a vocalist and the props will be constructed by students and volunteers over the summer. 

As we spoke, the young man was more excited about the theme, the props, the electronics, etc. than the musical selections. He’s a committed musician and wants to go into education and teach music. In light of this discussion I could not help but think that for young people marching today, whether it is  a DCI finalist, a favorite BOA participant, or the average high school band, props, electronics, and the like are a natural part of the show and in our Internet saturated gadget oriented world, is this a surprise?

not at all.

[keystone3ply]

21 hours ago, skevinp said:

Was it James Taylor?

You'll have to ask him; he's "Up On the Roof".  

(There's room enough for two right smack dab in the middle of town.)  

See it?   .

Edited June 13, 2021 by keystone3ply
cx

[JimF-LowBari]

1 hour ago, keystone3ply said:

You'll have to ask him; he's "Up On the Roof".  

(There's room enough for two right smack dab in the middle of town.)  

See it?   .

Great now I have to find something even more grating to get this out of my head. 🤯 There was a concert movie I saw with him and Carly Simon when they were together. They did “Mockingbird” (MUSE No Nukes concert 1979). JT just looked “off” from his Sweet Baby James days 😳. (Found it on YT and not as bad as I remember but 🤔)

Edited June 13, 2021 by JimF-LowBari

[Barneveld]

On 6/12/2021 at 10:30 AM, IllianaLancerContra said:

I had a friend once

 

On 6/12/2021 at 10:35 AM, skevinp said:

Was it James Taylor?

 

2 hours ago, keystone3ply said:

You'll have to ask him; he's "Up On the Roof".  

(There's room enough for two right smack dab in the middle of town.)  

See it?   .

When he was up on the roof in the middle of town, was it on a Country Road  in Carolina? Because it was, in my mind. 

[cixelsyd]

11 hours ago, Jeff Ream said:

they had chances long before the regional circuits went buhbye. they chose to do nothing.

That is not accurate either... but I share your frustration that they did not do more back when the opportunities were there.

But here we are now.  Watch how even the small suggestion of temporarily suspending prop usage while we address existential crises of health/safety, budgets, venues, etc., gets shouted down.  That is just a little taste of what they were up against.

[GUARDLING]

3 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

That is not accurate either... but I share your frustration that they did not do more back when the opportunities were there.

But here we are now.  Watch how even the small suggestion of temporarily suspending prop usage while we address existential crises of health/safety, budgets, venues, etc., gets shouted down.  That is just a little taste of what they were up against.

I have said it literally dozens of times so here we go again. "IF " we want OC or the younger smaller corps to get the attention they deserve..I will repeat deserve, then people need to support  OC and smaller corps. Stay out of the lots when smaller corps are on, support OC only shows, etc etc. 

I have done these tours for decades now and it's sad sometimes watching these corps perform to not a soul. Do a few shows attract some people , sure for the most part no. Ask an OC performer. WGI went through this with HS and Independent A class UNTIL WGI realized between entry fees, dues, etc etc and the amount of participants in A class that is where their bread is buttered. People who complain how OC and smaller corps don't get the respect they deserve, and they should, well stop talking about it and get butts in those seats, IT WORKS, until then ,nothing changes.

As far as Props , no props etc etc, how about let corps decide what they want, can afford, need to do. Props should not be a reason for success nor lack of them. Same goes for most all aspects . If you choose to do something , do it well, if you choose not to do something, do it well, if you choose to explore something new, do it well, if you choose to revive something just do it well period. There's been plenty done well and plenty that has not, THAT, is the only thing that should be considered for success. Success is also another thing corps should decide and only them and that doesn't always mean scores.

Edited June 13, 2021 by GUARDLING

[skevinp]

6 hours ago, JimF-LowBari said:

There was a concert movie I saw with him and Carly Simon when they were together.

He named a pond after her butt.

[cixelsyd]

4 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

Watch how even the small suggestion of temporarily suspending prop usage while we address existential crises of health/safety, budgets, venues, etc., gets shouted down.  

As predicted... 

1 hour ago, GUARDLING said:

As far as Props , no props etc etc, how about let corps decide what they want, can afford, need to do. Props should not be a reason for success nor lack of them. Same goes for most all aspects . If you choose to do something , do it well, if you choose not to do something, do it well, if you choose to explore something new, do it well, if you choose to revive something just do it well period. There's been plenty done well and plenty that has not, THAT, is the only thing that should be considered for success. Success is also another thing corps should decide and only them and that doesn't always mean scores.

I would love to let the corps decide.  But that would mean ALL the corps.  Instead, for 50 years, a small subset of the very richest corps have been making those decisions.

[Fran Haring]

So... to sum up this thread:

Props... ya can't live with 'em, and ya can't live without 'em.