Winning at all costs

[Jeff Ream]

6 hours ago, craiga said:

To put a finer point on it, there really is but one organization whose fan base consistently comes on here and completely eviscerates every other drum corps whom they believe might come between them and a gold medal.  You would literally never know from their posts that they've only won once, and that was with a design team that left years ago.  As far as BD is concerned, I view them as the gold standard in our activity because, well, they are.

royally well stated

[Jeff Ream]

3 minutes ago, CrownBariDad said:

It was a free download. 

a lost money making opportunity

[ironlips]

Aah, the age old question: Does one design/write for the sheets or for the audience?

My answer is , "Yes!"

Without an audience, the whole activity could be described (as British comedian Tony Capstick once did on a DCUK live broadcast) "...like farting through a keyhole: devilishly clever, but I don't see the point of it."

Our participants are performers. The reward for the vast majority of them is their connection to their audiences.

On the other hand, some skillful (and dare I say, "fortunate") few also get to win, and that too is a valid reward. Being considered the best at something is good for one's confidence and self-esteem, even if it is that keyhole thing.

It might be well to realize that "the sheets" (not that there actually are sheets anymore) have always been and will continue to be designed by the participating groups themselves. Whatever they choose to program, to make their artistic priority, will eventually find its way there and be assigned a value.

Of course, assigning a quantitative value to something that is essentially qualitative is totally absurd...but that's why we love Drum Corps.

Long may it wave.

(OK, I completely avoided the question. If I had to choose between skill and entertainment, I'd go with the latter every time. But I often find myself thoroughly entertained by someone's skill, like that brilliant decelerando/accelerando the Cavies manage to pull off. Absurd, I know.)

[Fred Windish]

You’re always a good read, ironlips. Thanks.

You know, anyone who has paid for the opportunity to witness the current products on the field, who reads Drum Corps Planet, and particularly those who post their thoughts here is still entertained by it all !

Best way for me to simplify is to say, our beloved activity would do better being more accessible to a more general audience. The curious observers, the first impression customers.

There is certainly no shortage of performer talent moving around out there! Stunning, actually.  

But, I believe, a little more tweaking the musical product toward the masses would help. I am particularly concerned by a lack of sustained melody.

Edited June 30, 2022 by Fred Windish

[Terri Schehr]

18 hours ago, IllianaLancerContra said:

I’m glad you weren’t daunted. 

No and hell no.  And I’m not now.  Being 64 has just made me more determined. 

[DWW11]

I will likely get crucified for this, but I am going to say it because it has bothered me for years and I saw an opening.  Background: never marched drum corps. Don’t know too much about the technical, but enough to have an opinion.  Found the activity too late in my life.  Marched colorguard way back when (Hi, Terri!  Old woman here!)  I have been a diehard DCI fan since 1975. I have watched it grow and evolve and think that MOST shows try to play to the crowd AND the sheets.  I am the “fan” everyone plays for.  I appreciate them all, but have my favorites.  I own lots of swag from several different corps.  

Someone asked “how many standing O’s did the corps get during their shows” and that really ticked me off.  

I was raised that doing a good job earned you a good applause, but that standing o’s are for EXCEPTIONAL performances (i.e. rare, uncommon, etc.).  Sometime a while back, people started giving standing Os after every performance, like participation trophies.  First, i DO BELIEVE these kids are amazing.  I could never do what they do, and i DO understand the amount of time and effort they put into things, but giving them those ovations for doing a good show, i THINK, diminishes what that ovation truly means.  And if we start to award trophies for how many times the audience is on their feet, you KNOW some fools in the crowd are just going to stand up for their corps for the whole show, even if the attendance rules say be respectful of the others in the crowd.

I give enthusiastic applause to EVERY corps.  I save my standing for truly exceptional performances, or goosebump inducing moments.  There are usually many in any given evening.

[Terri Schehr]

3 minutes ago, DWW11 said:

I will likely get crucified for this, but I am going to say it because it has bothered me for years and I saw an opening.  Background: never marched drum corps. Don’t know too much about the technical, but enough to have an opinion.  Found the activity too late in my life.  Marched colorguard way back when (Hi, Terri!  Old woman here!)  I have been a diehard DCI fan since 1975. I have watched it grow and evolve and think that MOST shows try to play to the crowd AND the sheets.  I am the “fan” everyone plays for.  I appreciate them all, but have my favorites.  I own lots of swag from several different corps.  

Someone asked “how many standing O’s did the corps get during their shows” and that really ticked me off.  

I was raised that doing a good job earned you a good applause, but that standing o’s are for EXCEPTIONAL performances (i.e. rare, uncommon, etc.).  Sometime a while back, people started giving standing Os after every performance, like participation trophies.  First, i DO BELIEVE these kids are amazing.  I could never do what they do, and i DO understand the amount of time and effort they put into things, but giving them those ovations for doing a good show, i THINK, diminishes what that ovation truly means.  And if we start to award trophies for how many times the audience is on their feet, you KNOW some fools in the crowd are just going to stand up for their corps for the whole show, even if the attendance rules say be respectful of the others in the crowd.

I give enthusiastic applause to EVERY corps.  I save my standing for truly exceptional performances, or goosebump inducing moments.  There are usually many in any given evening.

Hey girl! 💪

[Triple Forte]

8 hours ago, Jurassic Lancer said:

Have you seen “Mozart in the Jungle”? They showed having tuned Harleys playing Beethoven. I say, yeah, baby!   And as far as baseball goes, I’m a Tigers fan, so what ever it takes. 

so funny I forgot to laugh!  😎

So I pose the question , if the designers and creators feel the need to redesign the core elements (look and sound) of the activity , why don’t they go off and create something on their own like Star did?  

Why butcher an activity that already exists? 

[Terri Schehr]

6 minutes ago, Triple Forte said:

so funny I forgot to laugh!  😎

So I pose the question , if the designers and creators feel the need to redesign the core elements (look and sound) of the activity , why don’t they go off and create something on their own like Star did?  

Why butcher an activity that already exists? 

Incoming 💣 

[Smug Trumpet Guy]

21 hours ago, jwillis35 said:

I think we can all agree that we want to be entertained. I believe most corps are trying to entertain. But the question of entertainment and who finds what to be entertaining is not universal. Everyone has differences in what they find as entertaining so it's unfair to brand some shows as not entertaining and only trying to win when others likely find those shows very entertaining. 

Too much of this sentiment is how you end up with something like modern art and the blatant money laundering operation that it has become. There should be a standard for what is and isn't beautiful. Whoever decided to make GE worth more on the sheets than anything else can shove it