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I know that most Drum Corps brass players are Music Ed

I assume you mean Music Ed Majors in college.

I am always amazed when someone makes a post as though it was fact without any supporting evidence. :unsure:

I have been involved in drum corps for 30 years and not one drum corps could support this claim.

How do you make this claim and what corps have you surveyed to prove it?

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Corno-

Thanks for the Star compliments but I will have to say that our WHOLE focus was on the line playing together as a whole and with the same approach. We did as members take it upon ourself to not accept anything less than our best and the expected approach. With that being said in our years there was a mutual admiration between our line and the Blue Devils. We used to have lots of conversations about the difference in our approach versus theirs adn how both seemed to get to good results. The one thing I always used to say is that I do not feel we could line up player to player against many of the lines but when we played as an ensemble we were most times very proud with the end product.

So as I do not totally agree with your initial opinion that all players should be taught individually I do think that each player should take it upon themselves to know the approach of whatever line they are in and maximize their ability.

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I marched in a marching band for 6 years. I marched in a leading DCI corps and was lead mellophone. I was drum major in another and I played in the pit in another, I also was center snare of my marching band and played lead trumpet there in another year. I play french horn at one of the leading concervatorys in the world. Dont tell me I dont know anything about marching arts, I just try to think diffrently then everyone else, why do you think star of indiana left DCI, people in DCI dont like people that think diffrently. George Hop is one of the few people who dont give up trying new things, I have never ending respect for that man.

I think you're wrong about individual horn players and how hard they work.

From what I can tell from you resume, you were all over the board in drum corps, playing a lot of instruments but never really mastering any, until now.

I played American Flag, second soprano, lead trumpet in jazz band, lead soprano in a small corps, upper lead/solo soprano in Madison, upper lead/solo soprano in the Commandant's Own, and as a professional trumper in Chicago. During my time in drum corps, I worked extremely hard away from corps and during corps rehearsals.

It was MY job in each of the performances groups I listed to be prepared when I came to camps/rehearsals. After I learned the part individually, it was honed as I learned to play that part with the ensemble.

The main focus of a drum corps brass instructor is to make the group sound great for 12 minutes...it is up to the individual to woodshed...do you have individual lessons provided during ensemble at your "leading concervatory"?

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I have met 1 brass player who goes to my school, but there are 2 pit players from glassmen I can think of that go to my School and Juilliard.

I recently got in contact with our ace baritone player from my junior corps days in the '60s. He was also a fine trombone player and good enough as a writer/arranger to be in the Soul Music HoF. He is still performing professionally..............as a vibraphonist.

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There's no way horn players could buzz as much as drummers drum. Arm muscles are bigger and have a lot more endurance, not to mention a lot more muscles backing them up. Embouchere muscles are smaller and even when at their peak of strength during the season, don't have that much endurance comparitively. Buzzing without the horn takes even more effort than playing on the horn. It's good exercise both for endurance and ear training, but more than fifteen or twenty minutes of buzzing and you're just killing yourself with little return; not to mention, buzzing on a bus bouncing around a road is not an easy task, and a much more annoying one to others on the bus than drumming on a pad is. Finally, I don't understand what exactly you base the notion of "horn players not improving at the same rate as drummers" on. There's no possible way to measure such a thing.

I am playing principal horn on Mahler 6 tomorrow, 4 hour rehearsal, the piece is 90 mins straight of music, if brass players are smart they can play just as much.

Listen I am not a drum corps person, I just wanted to say what I had to say. I will never have a chance to teach a line, I come from a completely different point of view. even If i sound like an ### hole, and I know I do. I just want you all to always think of how you can make drum corps better. I am so sorry I am negative but that is how I treat myself and It always works for me. I will go to a show or two this year and for the rest of my life, but thats it. I dont think I know half the #### any of you know about this but I just want you all to always challenge of things are done. I dont think I have the right to tell anyone how to march drum corps but I do think I have a right to challenge the norm and if anyone knows how to challenge it, it is the people of have marched for a very long time. I respect everyone of you so much! I could never march for as long or as well as any of you. I am in awe of anyone who can march and play well. Just keep pushing!!!

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Listen I am not a drum corps person
I marched in a marching band for 6 years. I marched in a leading DCI corps and was lead mellophone. I was drum major in another and I played in the pit in another, I also was center snare of my marching band and played lead trumpet there in another year.
I will never have a chance to teach a line, I come from a completely different point of view. I dont think I know half the #### any of you know about this but I just want you all to always challenge of things are done.
Dont tell me I dont know anything about marching arts

:worthy:

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Listen I am not a drum corps person, I just wanted to say what I had to say.

then why are you here

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