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Madison Scouts 2023


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I have been so hopeful for this show to bloom into something special late season (pun intended). Musically this show would be top 12 if cleaned and sufficient adjustments made. Scouts were 11th in brass earlier this week, now 16th, and they’re already scoring higher in some achievement captions than content. It seems that the Scouts make considerably fewer changes to their show each season than their peers, which is really holding them back from developing a solid concept.
 

San Antonio is THE place to debut some radical new elements ala BAC as the corps performance determines their performance groupings for the rest of the season. But now the Scouts got passed by Academy and they’re slotted in the 16-18th performance bracket.

 

I can’t believe we’re halfway though the competitive season and the ball is still a nothingburger. I’m not counting them out yet, but the clock is ticking and other corps are working just as hard!

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47 minutes ago, bobjective said:

If you couldn’t get Pat Seidling who would you want as a director?

You want my honest answer? Director only matters for one thing and that's hiring the people to design. So here is that list of designers and position. Who are you keeping?

Program Coordinator - Jason Robb

Front ensemble arranger- Matt Hahn 

Brass arranger - Scott Boerma

Battery Arranger - Ryan Ellis

CG coordinator - Tykeem Rainey

Electronics - Justin Shelton

Visual Designer - Noah Bellamy

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, scout9193 said:

*perhaps its time to bring  back Capital Sound and transition to that (or another) name/organization.  

*If Madison can’t come back then perhaps then it was not meant to be. 

*My answer is a resounding no if it does not appear to have an upward trend to at least becoming relevant.

*I’m sure this will probably anger a good many folks but I suspect I may not be alone in that viewpoint. 

*I think they should have rebranded from MS to CS when they went co-ed. It would have worked for both organizations. MS would have been given an honorable death and CS would have risen from the ashes.

*Agreed. All things end, and they usually end badly. The City of Madison (all that entails) has not supported MS for decades. Fans near Camp Randall b!tched when DCI was there because of the noise. Never mind the income that DCI generated. The City had a small stipend that they paid the Scouts each year, but it was a pittance. The School District would rent facilities at a reasonable price. All in all, Madison was a non-entity in Madison.

*It's embarrassing to see how non-competitive they are. The kids marching DCI this year have only known MS as a competitively irrelevant corps. No one is standing around the field after they perform and seeing Madison generate a roar just for showing up at the entrance gate. They have become a hotdog corps.

*You will anger some people, but people generally don't want to hear the truth; they want to hear something that sounds like the truth. 

I had high expectations for this season because of the media (propaganda, as it turns out) that the leadership put out. The Rose Colored Glasses need to be taken away from the Board and the Management. They need to stop believing their lying eyes and see what objective people see. 

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3 hours ago, HockeyDad said:

Going coed was going to double the talent pool so of course they’re gonna get better !!  Remember that one?  I don’t care about coed, it’s just that this raison d’etere being sold on everyone turned out to be another load of BS. It’s like everything this regime has done has been a failure. So sad. 

Yes, it was supposed to eliminate all of Madison's problems, which was a naive thesis. As soon as they added females, they immediately went out of their way to focus on female members as the best thing since sliced bread, destroyed the identity of the Madison Scouts, and relegated them to a future of mediocrity. As we learned, their problems weren't about being all-male. It was the product given to the members, and still is.

All-male average placement = 7.39
Co-ed average placement = 16 

But if all you strive for is mediocrity, you will never fail. 
 

Edited by Gantang
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2 hours ago, BlueStainGlass said:

You want my honest answer? Director only matters for one thing and that's hiring the people to design. So here is that list of designers and position. Who are you keeping?

Program Coordinator - Jason Robb

Front ensemble arranger- Matt Hahn 

Brass arranger - Scott Boerma

Battery Arranger - Ryan Ellis

CG coordinator - Tykeem Rainey

Electronics - Justin Shelton

Visual Designer - Noah Bellamy

 

 

 

Jason Robb has got to go. Him and Noah have had their chances but at this point, its just not better. 

 

Wishful thinking...rumor has it the design team is back again next year. 

Edited by MM2006
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11 hours ago, BlueStainGlass said:

You want my honest answer? Director only matters for one thing and that's hiring the people to design. So here is that list of designers and position. Who are you keeping?

Program Coordinator - Jason Robb

Front ensemble arranger- Matt Hahn 

Brass arranger - Scott Boerma

Battery Arranger - Ryan Ellis

CG coordinator - Tykeem Rainey

Electronics - Justin Shelton

Visual Designer - Noah Bellamy

 

 

 

 

Boerma and Ellis.

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I like the show. I think this is the strongest vehicle they have had in a few years. Musically this show is fairly strong and I am digging the tunes more and more with each viewing. 

Visually they need to clean. They have done a lot of cleaning already. They seem more confident. 

Thematically they need to do some concept shows that are not too deep and that can be musically driven. That would help. 

From my uneducated perspective -- and I say that because I am not involved in the org and therefore I don't really know what goes on -- I believe their no. 1 issue will be to retain talent. They have some outstanding musicians in this groups...brass and percussion. Yes, they are not as old and experienced as a corps like BD. So when you have lots of young talent you have to retain these kids. Make sure they want to come back, because my ears tell me they do have some serious talent. Minus those that do age out if most of these kids return they can be incredibly good next season. 

I've seen what happens to really good drum corps when you get "knocked out of the box" if you will. Moving back up the ranks is not easy. Take Cavaliers or Cadets. Even Phantom...who this year may jump back into the top 5. Take Spirit of Atlanta years ago, or 27th Lancers (ultimately leading to them folding the tent). Too many corps have folded. Madison is very lucky to be alive and well.

But at this point they need people on staff who can teach younger members and really develop them and keep them coming back because the experience is so positive and educational. They are not a destination corps the way BD, Bloo, Boston, and  Crown are at the moment. But most corps are not and have never been. In the 70s, 80s, and 90s Madison was a destination corps to some extent -- though the activity was very different in those days too. And of course Madison was synonomous with high excitement and energized performance levels. 

I am sure their leadership understands this. I am not one to hope or call for people to lose jobs. Getting Scott Boerma back on brass is a big deal. I am sure the others are top-notch as well. They need to keep these kids coming back for the positive experience, the excellent education, and they need to share show ideas with them for the next year or two that gets the members excited. A good year-round development program or two can also help. It's a slower process than what many will want, but it is a process. I wish the staff all the best and hope they and the members can finish strong. I am cheering for you Scouts!!! 

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15 hours ago, BlueStainGlass said:

You want my honest answer? Director only matters for one thing and that's hiring the people to design. So here is that list of designers and position. Who are you keeping?

Program Coordinator - Jason Robb

Front ensemble arranger- Matt Hahn 

Brass arranger - Scott Boerma

Battery Arranger - Ryan Ellis

CG coordinator - Tykeem Rainey

Electronics - Justin Shelton

Visual Designer - Noah Bellamy

 

 

 

For now I would personally keep Scoot Boerma and Ryan  Ellis.

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3 hours ago, jwillis35 said:

 

But at this point they need people on staff who can teach younger members and really develop them and keep them coming back because the experience is so positive and educational. 

 

Exactly the issue. You can tell by the color guard...the conviction that they dont spin with that they aren't getting the information they need to be successful. Not that the members aren't working hard. 

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