Judges Told "Take The Summer Off"

[Matt_S]

You are completely wrong Maedhros and I demand an apology ^0^ ......they still do play Bananarama on the radio! :P

I don't listen to the radio much ('cept for one station here that plays some good classical and jazz), so I'll take your word for it. I apologize, my bad. :P

[Morgoth Bauglir]

HAHA I heard Bananarama on the radio last night:)

Again Matt, you hit the nail on the head, and quite eloquently. Many of the posts on this thread are of the same nature as in so many others on DCP. And that is: One person with one view saying that their view applies to everyone. Sorry, but even saying that you talked to a lot of fans doesn't really hold water, because people naturally gravitate towards people who are like them. Now I am not saying that you, Drumcorpsfan, or anyone else always agree with everyone they know. But I know that I have certain friends that are into drum corps. And that because of who I am, my age, where I go to school, where I marched, where I teach, effects who my friends are. So it is no suprise that many of my friends and I have similar views on quite a few things. It is a simple concept. You cannot accurately judge or quantify something from inside. Talking to the people you know has nothing to do with all the people you don't know. As Matt said, everyone has different views, and to say "give us what we want" is simply inaccurate. You mean "give you what you want". Because I am a drum corps fan, and I certainly don't agree with you. Not even here on DCP, which is a small slice of the drum corps community, do we have a consensus on what is good. So how much more are the opinions going to be varied with all drum corps fans everywhere? I am not trying to insult you, but making such blatant assumptions and errors like that, just makes people take you less seriously, no matter how much merit your actual opinions might hold. Presentation counts, and presenting your views in such an...antagonistic way, does not help your cause.

[ScribeToo]

Works for me...at least for one show a year. :P

Then you'd love a show that just had splatter cords at blastissimo for 10 1/2 minutes, huh?

It makes for a very boring evening.. and it makes the performers feel like all the work they put into their show (which many of them LOVE, by the way) is for nothing.

I think it's a bad idea.

Stef

[ScribeToo]

I was jsut talking like one show....it was done during the TOC (no judges at least), and it was a fun time for all involved

... err.. all except the kids who -- at the end of a long season and after reaching the pinnacle of competition -- were asked to keep performing at the same level for an additional week with no "payoff" (so to speak, I know the crowds that week were phenomenal.. but there's a level of reward to earning a placement). It was a struggle for a lot of those kids to finish out that week with a smile on their faces.. I'm sure they all look back fondly on it now.. but at the time, it wasn't all ice cream cones and rose petals.

Think about this.. the BEST performance the kids I talked to (and we stayed with Scouts most of the week so it wasn't just Cavaliers) felt they had during TOC was the show in San Jose where they performed for each other.. Why? I have a theory about that.. I think it's because they knew THOSE PEOPLE in those stands that day knew EXACTLY what went into every moment of performance on the field and the appreciate every cool aspect of the things being done.. and as a performer, that's an incredible high.

I know when I can perform at the absolute TOP of my game for other opera singers whom I respect, it's the best day of my life!

Stef

[bawker]

Then you'd love a show that just had splatter cords at blastissimo for 10 1/2 minutes, huh?

It makes for a very boring evening.. and it makes the performers feel like all the work they put into their show (which many of them LOVE, by the way) is for nothing.

I think it's a bad idea.

Stef

Yeah, Stef, that's exaaaactly what I meant. Try again, and this time remember that the :P means implied humor.

Somehow, I don't think one show that's "unjudged" is going to undermine the performers season.

[Phillygwm]

Maybe not stupid, but not as well-educated as a DCI judge should be.

It just wouldn't make any sense. It's easy to be entertaining. It's difficult to be amazing.

Agreed. Fans would vote on which concept they enjoy most. So, BD's Dance Derby show, for instance, might finish 12th because many fans hated "the show", but the performance in terms of brass, drums, visual, etc. should be higher.

This is simply not a good plan. As a brass player, could I judge whose drumline is best? Not even close...I couldn't even tell the top 6 apart. Now, at Finals, should fan reaction factor into something like the Spirit of Disney award? Sure...that's sort of what the award is about.

[ScribeToo]

Yeah, Stef, that's exaaaactly what I meant. Try again, and this time remember that the :P means implied humor.

Somehow, I don't think one show that's "unjudged" is going to undermine the performers season.

I keep forgetting that I can't imply ANY humor with you unless I insert a smiley. Sorry about that, Captain Literal.

And exactly where did I say it would undermine the whole season?

Speaking as a PERFORMER.. someone who actually DID a number of these "applause-o-meter" shows with a show that fans tended to pretty much like (even when we were a bag).. I'm telling you for a fact that it wasn't fun for me as a performer! Those shows were TEDIOUS to get through.. it was so hard to get hyped up for them..

When I say it's not a good idea, THAT is why. Based on my experience and the experiences shared with me by other performers who were at those shows, too.. WE DIDN'T LIKE IT! It pretty much sucked! We almost all walked away from that kind of show going.. "dang, I wish we'd have been judged tonight" -- YOU may feel differently but did you ever perform in one of these types of "unjudged" shows?

Or are you just one of those people who wants to believe it should all be about the fans and to heck with what the performers (who all also paid to be there.. and more than a few measly bucks for a ticket and a show dog) get out of it?

I think the vast majority of shows on the field today DO communicate with the fans.. and do it well.. at the SAME time that they're scoring well on the sheets.. but I also think there's a lot of people who want to come onto message boards like this and claim that because THEY don't like what they see or hear, that NOBODY in the stands does.. and that's just not the case from where I sit (usually on the 40 about halfway up).

Stef

[JCSeymour]

I wonder if you could have a show where the corps didn't know if or how they were going to be judged.

[bawker]

I keep forgetting that I can't imply ANY humor with you unless I insert a smiley. Sorry about that, Captain Literal.

No prob, Commander Sarcasm. ^0^

And exactly where did I say it would undermine the whole season?

My apologies for taking my viewpoint to an extreme...why, that would be almost like saying someone who likes loud drum corps wants to see 11 minutes of splattered tomatoes, wouldn't it? :P

Speaking as a PERFORMER.. someone who actually DID a number of these "applause-o-meter" shows with a show that fans tended to pretty much like (even when we were a bag).. I'm telling you for a fact that it wasn't fun for me as a performer! Those shows were TEDIOUS to get through.. it was so hard to get hyped up for them..

When I say it's not a good idea, THAT is why. Based on my experience and the experiences shared with me by other performers who were at those shows, too.. WE DIDN'T LIKE IT! It pretty much sucked! We almost all walked away from that kind of show going.. "dang, I wish we'd have been judged tonight" -- YOU may feel differently but did you ever perform in one of these types of "unjudged" shows?

Fair enough. However, the DCM model is not what I was suggesting. One show during the season, one time to just let loose a little...maybe use some of those encore pieces as on-field "instant encores", and so forth. Just a little change to change the performer/audience relationship for one night, and have some fun.

Or are you just one of those people who wants to believe it should all be about the fans and to heck with what the performers (who all also paid to be there.. and more than a few measly bucks for a ticket and a show dog) get out of it?

Previous posts I've made here don't suggest that the fans are the end all, be all of the experience...however, they are a part of it. No doubt I'm not the one paying a few thousand dollars to march, but part of what the performers "get" out of it is the thrill of performing for people. Nothing wrong with making that dynamic a little different for one show.

I think the vast majority of shows on the field today DO communicate with the fans.. and do it well.. at the SAME time that they're scoring well on the sheets.. but I also think there's a lot of people who want to come onto message boards like this and claim that because THEY don't like what they see or hear, that NOBODY in the stands does.. and that's just not the case from where I sit (usually on the 40 about halfway up).

I think so too....most shows are entertaining in their own right, as well as being technically proficient enough to score well. I know that every person has a different view of what's "entertainment", what's "boring", and so on. But, no matter how wrong-headed an opinion may be to you or I, it carries equal weight here. And, really, if this last little bit you've posted is a backhanded attempt to say that I'm proclaiming myself as the town crier of "all that is wrong with the idiom"....well, you couldn't be further from the truth.

Oh, and I like to sit on the first or second row myself....it's louder down there. B)

Edited January 6, 2006 by bawker

[jwscv87]

Speaking as a PERFORMER.. someone who actually DID a number of these "applause-o-meter" shows with a show that fans tended to pretty much like (even when we were a bag).. I'm telling you for a fact that it wasn't fun for me as a performer! Those shows were TEDIOUS to get through.. it was so hard to get hyped up for them..

My experience was entirely different. Glenwood Springs CO comes to mind. It used to be an annual show just prior to Drums Along The Rockies. It was exhibition and it was a truckload of fun. It was right in the middle of the season and a great chance to just relax and let it hang out a bit. The corps tended to mix socially after the show a bit more than typical too. I think most of us found it to be a pretty positive and fun experience. I wouldn't have wanted it to follow nats. As you point out - you've reached the pinnacle at that point. It is time to go home.