CornoBehnke Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Why are drum corps so focused on the horn line as a whole and not the development of the individual. There is so much work done as a section, yet, very little attention is given to helping individuals master there instruments. Is that why we just settle for playing all our music in F and Bb. After like 4 winter camps, that's it, kids practice and maybe some help if they ask. There should be master classes once a week for eatch instrument, there should be dedicated practice time for even 30 mins a day. Drum Corps should get some guest teachers to come in even just every 2 weeks and give a totally different perspective about there instrument then they already have. I know that most Drum Corps brass players are Music Ed, but I really want to see drum corps come to the next level with brass playing. It takes hours hours of work off the field before the season starts. I love seeing vets come back not having played there instruments for the whole winter and having a spot waiting for them. Maybe this is just my opinion but I am tierd of the same great level that the horn lines are at. I want to see stuff that would impress the best brass players, not just the masses. I just think we can give more time to work on our brass players as people, its really great they play together, but until we get them practicing like snare drummers as individuals, they wont get to that level of virtuosity. I am not saying the lines are bad, I am just disappointed brass players are not challenged with more then a chord and a run that requires only one finger. We changed the tick system for a reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommySopranoContra Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I know that most Drum Corps brass players are Music Ed ........? --- Eitherway, I don't think Drum Corps should be that extensive in it's educational approach, would be hard to make camps in the winter at that rate and would not be a efficient use of show improvement time, which I'm assuming most corps are interested in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CornoBehnke Posted February 24, 2006 Author Share Posted February 24, 2006 ........?--- Eitherway, I don't think Drum Corps should be that extensive in it's educational approach, would be hard to make camps in the winter at that rate and would not be a efficient use of show improvement time, which I'm assuming most corps are interested in. I just find it weird that Horn Lines havent really gotten better since the 80s, yet drumlines have, there music is much harder now, horn lines, not much has changed. Horn Players get Violinitus and just play in the group not half as good as they are capable of. Look at all the brass players who are in corps for like 4 seasons, and are barely better (or worse) then when they started. of coruse there are HUGE exseptions, but for the most part, this is how it has been. Sorry for the spelling errors.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I think it would be a great idea if at select camps, having someone come in and do a master class. But on tour, you really don't have that much time to have individual practice time, unless it is after a show, or a "free day" and even then, you need time to do other important things on tour, and to rest/heal. I think what you want is great, but it certainly has already been acheived by some corps already on one level or another. Individuals can practice 30 minutes a day on their own in between camps, if they want to be at that next level that you want, they shouldn't need the corps staff doing it on tour (thats just my opinion). I always thought that the time in between camps was the time for me to practice my part and get myself up to speed. Coming to camps was all about refining things as an ensemble. I approached it as I do my wind ensemble. I practice my parts at home and go to my private lessons teacher for the fine details; then I show up to Wind Ensemble to play with the ensemble... Not to practice individual things that I should have done at home. When we have a guest come to our wind ensemble, they usually have to be general with everything (still very educational). If there is an issue with an individual, then the instructor will take the student aside and address it, but at this level, I don't think something like "private" lessons would be needed, especially on tour. Too much time away from the bigger picture if you ask me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgoth Bauglir Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 (edited) Well no offense, but why is it up to the staff to make the individuals better, especially at camps? Don't all the people practice on their own? Is it so bad that the staff of the line spends those 3 days a month actually working with the line? And as far as individuals like snare drummers...no drumline instructor I have ever met focuses on individuals more than the line. I have seen superior players cut simply because their technique was so different from what the line was doing. In drumlines, the line is ALWAYS emphasized. Snare drummers don't learn keyboards over the summer, and the timpani player doesn't spend any time on tenors. But since they are all percussion, you could argue that to get a well rounded music education, the percussionists should spend time on multiple instruments. But that is not the point of drum corps. Maybe having some guests at a few camps might help a bit, but don't be confused as to what the multiple purposes of drum corps are. Education is one of them, but not the only one. Teamwork is another, and each person learning to devolope their own playing style is pretty much the opposite of what drum corps is about. And don't forget, unlike a lot of sports, there are no individuals. The sop solist is not going to get his own score. The horline get's a score. The hornline wins or loses together. And I think you may be talking about some over the lower placing corps. I am positive that in the upper corps, they don't need to spend time teaching people how to play. There are enough people that you can make a bunch of cuts and be left with what you want. I know corps like The Cavaliers don't have any 2nd years who didn't practice between camps. Those returning vets who didn't practice(if there are any) don't get spots. There are 100 other kids who want that spot. Edited February 24, 2006 by G-Cym Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 (edited) Um...I'm going to have to disagree pretty vehemently with most of your points. I think the idea that hornlines haven't improved since the 80s is very much unsupportable; the 80s was the beginning of the development of the modern brass sound concept, but hornlines have come a long way since then. Not undercutting what those lines did at all, they laid the groundwork for modern lines and modern teaching methods, but to say they haven't improved is rather baseless. Junior corps are made up of students--college or high school, but students nonetheless. You're expecting some sort of level of performance out of them that few at that level achieve even in the school environment, which has the time and resources to offer things like master classes and private lessons that drum corps can't due to time and cost. What drum corps is best at for brass players is reinforcing the basics of brass playing--the air, and the mindset, or as Arnold Jacobs would call it, "the Song and Wind." If you're going to march drum corps so you can play your orchestral excerpts better or work on solo literature, better be ready to practice on your own time; that's not what it's for, and there's no way corps have that kind of time. It will improve your playing in general (assuming you have a good staff and assuming you follow their instructions), and for me it especially helped my ear develop quite a bit, but I don't really understand what exactly you think is deficient in modern hornlines. Edited February 24, 2006 by bluestarcontra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CornoBehnke Posted February 24, 2006 Author Share Posted February 24, 2006 I think it would be a great idea if at select camps, having someone come in and do a master class. But on tour, you really don't have that much time to have individual practice time, unless it is after a show, or a "free day" and even then, you need time to do other important things on tour, and to rest/heal. I think what you want is great, but it certainly has already been acheived by some corps already on one level or another. Individuals can practice 30 minutes a day on their own in between camps, if they want to be at that next level that you want, they shouldn't need the corps staff doing it on tour (thats just my opinion). I always thought that the time in between camps was the time for me to practice my part and get myself up to speed. Coming to camps was all about refining things as an ensemble. I approached it as I do my wind ensemble. I practice my parts at home and go to my private lessons teacher for the fine details; then I show up to Wind Ensemble to play with the ensemble... Not to practice individual things that I should have done at home. When we have a guest come to our wind ensemble, they usually have to be general with everything (still very educational). If there is an issue with an individual, then the instructor will take the student aside and address it, but at this level, I don't think something like "private" lessons would be needed, especially on tour. Too much time away from the bigger picture if you ask me. That is the right idea, I think maybe the brass line could spare one staff member a day to give lessons during brass block and marching basics. So someone would only miss 30 minutes a week. My biggest problem is that more people are not like you, that is wonderful! I think it would be neat to have pros come in that have NOTHING to do with drum corps and teach privet lessons, Mark Gould would do it, he is the man. There are a lot of famous brass players that would do it and to have the lessons would help the horn line in HUGE ways, I really want to see some ground breaking horn playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgoth Bauglir Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I watch drum corps to hear great hornLINES. Not 60 great players all doing their own thing. The more people are different, the worse it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acecannon Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 drum corps at it's best is a performance activity - not a musical education. come in the door with the chops already in hand, then build a show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CornoBehnke Posted February 24, 2006 Author Share Posted February 24, 2006 My main point is this, brass players dont practice enough in bettween camps. Spring Training, I would like to see this stuff happen, I am very aware of how short time is. I dont think anything has ever gotten past the musicality of the Cadets of 84, thats my opininon. I am just taking this from a Clasical Music Festival standpoint. You practice for hours a day with new music once a week, just having someone sit down and have you take a time out about your playing and saying you are doing this this and this wrong, will make you think about it all week and you will learn much more. Its like you go on tour with the corps and everyones playing goes to #### if they try to play anything but the music that is written so it sounds hard but is easy in the first place. Why not get music that is hard and really challege kids to do there best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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