Santa Clara Vanguard 2023 Announcement Thread

[MarimbaManiac]

30 minutes ago, craiga said:

I don't know.....while top corps no longer have to teach members how to play a concert b-flat, hold a rifle at port, or play a paradiddle correctly, I say there is still ALOT of teaching going on.  I remember watching a BAC weapons sectional last June where they spent hours on finger positions on their "sixes".  

And, on top of whatever new playing skills they are learning, as we all know there are some serious life lessons being learned all summer, not the least of which are teamwork and delayed gratification. 

Do today's members "need" drum corps? Probably not.  Is it nevertheless an amazing educational experience for them?  Absolutely. 

I never understood the argument that only teaching fundamentals is considered teaching. Graduate school exists, PhD programs exist, I teach in higher ed and only teach advanced students, but there is still TEACHING happening. These high level organizations are still teaching skills, they are just more specialized. It's fairly easy to get most students to 80% mastery of a skill relatively quickly, but getting the small amount of dedicated students to close that 20% gap takes MUCH more time, energy, and dedication. So to say that a corps that's only teaching high level students "isn't teaching" is a fallacy. 

[JimF-LowBari]

1 hour ago, GUARDLING said:

 

these young people today have way more at their fingertips then we ever had BITD. That also becomes part of the problem, constantly trying to entice people into the activity.

 Not sure if you mean more at their fingertips meaning instruction or more choices (IOW conflicts) for time/money.

Seeing this discussion on one of the FB corps groups. But some there can’t see that times and society has changed since bitd. 🤦‍♂️

[Mello Dude]

10 minutes ago, MarimbaManiac said:

I never understood the argument that only teaching fundamentals is considered teaching. Graduate school exists, PhD programs exist, I teach in higher ed and only teach advanced students, but there is still TEACHING happening. These high level organizations are still teaching skills, they are just more specialized. It's fairly easy to get most students to 80% mastery of a skill relatively quickly, but getting the small amount of dedicated students to close that 20% gap takes MUCH more time, energy, and dedication. So to say that a corps that's only teaching high level students "isn't teaching" is a fallacy. 

There is a difference between higher ed teaching and drum corps.  If you have done both, which I have, drum corps teaches about 5 minutes of ensemble playing.  They train for this for the better part of a year.  This is not teaching, or rather this is teaching for the non-real world.  The goes back to the days of teaching by wrote.  The level of talent that is simply going over and over the same music (and using a lot of time for it)...is not realistic.  Deluding yourself that you are teaching someone that this is already a very good player, to play even better the same music is a fallacy.

[scheherazadesghost]

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Edited June 12, 2023 by scheherazadesghost

[GUARDLING]

1 hour ago, craiga said:

I don't know.....while top corps no longer have to teach members how to play a concert b-flat, hold a rifle at port, or play a paradiddle correctly, I say there is still ALOT of teaching going on.  I remember watching a BAC weapons sectional last June where they spent hours on finger positions on their "sixes".  

And, on top of whatever new playing skills they are learning, as we all know there are some serious life lessons being learned all summer, not the least of which are teamwork and delayed gratification. 

Do today's members "need" drum corps? Probably not.  Is it nevertheless an amazing educational experience for them?  Absolutely. 

Yes, there is teaching, even at a higher level BUT it's teaching the way their staff member wants things done. Which isn't a bad thing for a top level. 

Actual teaching (from scratch) happens much more at the OC level.

[GUARDLING]

19 minutes ago, scheherazadesghost said:

Competition dance is the epitome of non inclusivity and has serious safeguarding problems too. I have never run in those circles but have plenty of colleagues who do. I learned dance in an undergrad program you don't have to audition for, that still boasts one of the most diverse student groups in the country, and has a PhD track. (I was in band at the age when most kids do competitive dance because when I auditioned for dance programs, I never made the cut. Same for many of my colleagues.)

There are citizen-artist-educators in the non-competitive, non profit dance world who do our best to obliterate barriers to access. That's because we know that diversity of body and thought simply make the art making better. We work from the assumption that arts, including dance education, are a public good that extends the life of the American legacy that is modern dance. It's also a big part of why most of us aren't compensated appropriately and often end up burning out. But people in my circles also go on to write arts policy, influence the forefront of choreography, and teach dance pedagogy in universities.

You don't need expensive sequins to learn dance. You also don't need to have a body that meets western beauty standards. While you may not join the ABT after working with folks like me, you'll hopefully have developed a life long appreciation for the form that then grows into bodily awareness and future ticket sales for dance performances. All for much cheaper than competitive dance and significantly less of the body dysmorphia, shaming, bullying, etc.

But a similar, crucial problems exist in drum corps and non profit dance: limited cash flow, siloing, and scarcity mindsets.

I get it when looking for the best of the best or an image for a specific part etc etc and  have been around long enough to know  that we can all do anything we choose but that doesn't  mean we are all cut out for everything we may want in our heads but with that said, me personally, I am proud of the fact I was able ( with the help of others ) to take a lot of potential members who others didn't want and made them into DCI top 5 members, WGI finalists as well as multiple medalists. There's my satisfaction 😁

Edited January 3, 2023 by GUARDLING

[scheherazadesghost]

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Edited June 12, 2023 by scheherazadesghost

[scheherazadesghost]

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Edited June 12, 2023 by scheherazadesghost
clarity

[C.Holland]

1 hour ago, MarimbaManiac said:

I never understood the argument that only teaching fundamentals is considered teaching. Graduate school exists, PhD programs exist, I teach in higher ed and only teach advanced students, but there is still TEACHING happening. These high level organizations are still teaching skills, they are just more specialized. It's fairly easy to get most students to 80% mastery of a skill relatively quickly, but getting the small amount of dedicated students to close that 20% gap takes MUCH more time, energy, and dedication. So to say that a corps that's only teaching high level students "isn't teaching" is a fallacy. 

grad school teaches you how to teach yourself.   World Class Drum corps is defining show needs.  Its very much like Broadway.  They're not teaching you how to (dance, play, spin, drum, etc) they're teaching you what the show needs.  

The less time you spend teaching the basics, the more time you get to define, and elevate the design.   

IF world class was actually about education, you wouldnt see corps ads for "We are searching for YOU (Lead trumpet/feature dancer/percussion feature...etc)" and instead they'd elevate the performers who auditioned to in the first place.  not have to search and create a "deal" with a feature which the show cannot live without. 

Edited January 3, 2023 by C.Holland

[rpbobcat]

22 minutes ago, C.Holland said:

grad school teaches you how to teach yourself.  

This is gonna be a bit O.T.

I think it depends on the major.

I have a Masters in Civil/ Environmental Engineering.

The program was taught by Licensed Engineers who were 

required to be working in the field they were teaching.

No pure academics.

The program was set up to have you learn from people 

working the real world, in the subject they were teaching.

No research papers, no thesis.

Just class, homework and  a final for each class.

 Also did post graduate work in Civil and Construction Engineering Technology.

Again, just class and a final.