JimF-LowBari Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 What you may call cerebral I may not. Paint-by-numbers? Far less than in my day of set-piece numbers. Oh come on, Fanfare, Off the Line number, Color Presentation, Concert, Out of Concert, Closer, Final Fanfare (with a few Drum Solos mixed in)... Nah, no cookie cutters/paint by numbers here :P Now that I've got that outta my system Mike, I have a serious question. Since I've came back a few years ago I seen the terms "it's all about the experience" or "it's all about the performer" used in various ways by many different people at different levels of DCI. What I don't see, or very seldom see, is how the fans fit into this (if at all) because "it's all the performer". That was part of what I meant a few pages about the fans being considered less and less. Anyway the question is, do you remember it being "all about the performer" back in your day? Some of the smaller corps that got kids off the street definitely cared more about the kids than winning, but what about the big corps? Not trying to put you on the spot my friend, I just know you have a better idea than most of us posting on this thread. (And my DCA experience wouldn't help answer a DCI question. ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 I agree with the original poster. Hopkins can only decide what the Cadets do. It's not like he can make another corps do anything they don't want to do. Besides, many of the rule changes don't *require* a corps to do anything. It just opens up other avenues of expression. The bottom line is this, whatever the at-large drum corps community likes is what is going to survive over the long term. When its all said and done, most drum corps fans are attracted to excellence rather than a particular style. And excellence is something that the Cadets have always shown under Hopkins and that is why he has a big voice in the activity. however, like the tshirt said, first we zigged, so everybody zigged...then we zagged. like Fiedler said, to be competitive you cant have an arm tied behind your back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumlaw80 Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 (Intially I was going to place this in the "Brace Yourselves...Cadets with Voice" thread, but I realized that this issue goes way beyond The Cadets constant push to the edge of infinity....)Wow......I don't check this board that often, and by no means am I a DCP word of mouth Junkie, but I would have never thought that this thread about The Cadets 06 ballad with voice would have gotten this much attention. They are definitely the hottest topic in Drumcorps right now it seems. I think everyone should chill out!!!! B) I URGE everyone to let The Cadets do what they do. Besides....... they ARE artist in their own right!!!!!! The Cadets ( and any other Drumcorp for that matter ) are many things; one of which is a group of people who together make art. As an artist myself, I can say I would be ****ed before I ever let what someone WANTS to SEE OR WANTS to HEAR ultimately determine how I use my ability. Ok....So.... lets speed up my point.... to make it simple.....my viewpoint as an artist is............If you don't like my art..........**** you!!!! Yes, yes, yes.........I understand that fans support Drumcorps in many ways, one of which is financially. Yeah yeah yeah...... blah blah blah, but IMO, The currently marching corp members will always and forever be more important than everyone else. Fans and alumni included. I wouldn't march drumcorp for anyone else but myself. Never forget that you can have a Drumcorp without fans......but you can't have Drumcorp fans without a Drumcorp. The fact is that true artist don't make things according to other people's desires. Artist make things because they think they shoud be made. Once someone starts making things primarily according to others people's desires you know what he/she becomes?!?!?!?!? AN ENTERTAINER........ who only exist for other people's amusement. Drumcorp for me is much more than just entertainment for fans and alumni. I read through some of these Cadets 06 Ballad Threads and I also came across some posts concerning other very questionable design decisions regarding some other corps programs. I started to laugh.......I was like.....ARE SOME OF THESE PEOPLE SERIOUS!?!?!?!?!? DO THEY REALLY THINK THEIR OPINIONS MATTER THAT MUCH?!?!?! I think many people on this board who are hardcore about ANY belief they have about what drumcorps IS and SHOULD BE are gravelly mistaken in their logic. You can think anything you want and YOU SHOULD. Go right a head. But I say to you don't just assume that the Fans and Alumni are priority #1.......They're not. IMO.....FANS and Alumni and vastly secondary!!!!!......some might not want to believe this but it's true. Drumcorps IMO will never and should never do whatever the fans and alumni demand that they do. ( OH and trust me do they demand!......especially the Ol' school alumni...NOT all of them, but many of them are like.....No amps!....NO props!...NO Amped Voice.....No Bb anything!!....Blasphemy You Infidels!!!.....JIHAD!!!!) I luv ya guys and gals :) , but you don't march any more. Deal with it. ) People who currently march drumcorp are not merely entertainers. Just curious to know what people think about these issues. I really think these issues are the Crux of many debates. Just a note on The Cadets.....I am not trying to speak for the organization or the person.......but......Marc Sylvester does consider himself an artist. Take that for what it's worth. To wrap up...... Let The Cadets 06 and other Drumcorps do what they want to do. NO ONE (including fans and alumni....despite how much money they claim to spend) has the right to tell them what to do, or how to do, whatever they decide to do in their show. Again.......I stress.......it is THEIR show. Let Artists be Artists. What do ya say DCP? The problem lies not with the Cadets, who have a very unique and IMO, Genius, show design year after year after year. The problem is that the other 99% of other corps feel the competitive need to follow one of the three currently successful models (Cavies, Cadets or BD) to be successful themselves. Thus, we get three distinctive show designs, with the vast majority of the rest of drum corps being musical and/or visual clones. The challenge is to find a balance between subjective judging, and somehow rewarding show design that does not fit into what is currently preceived as in-vogue, aka competitively successful, by the judging community. This is not a slam on anyone, BTW. Just an observation of the last 15 years or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 I look at the champion corps from the last 3 years, and I wonder what Phantom took from any of them for their Gershwin show this year, or BD took for their Dance Derby Show, or SCV for their Russian show, or the Glassmen for their New World show, or.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawker Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Agree totally...every corps needs its room to grow its own design philosophy...therefore giving us more varied types of shows, more creative shows, and more choice period. Excellent post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumlaw80 Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 I look at the champion corps from the last 3 years, and I wonder what Phantom took from any of them for their Gershwin show this year, or BD took for their Dance Derby Show, or SCV for their Russian show, or the Glassmen for their New World show, or.... You are correct. Phantom, as of late, has completely done their own thing. But, they have not seen a large number of corps copy their style, unlike the other three I mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraNYC Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 You are correct. Phantom, as of late, has completely done their own thing. But, they have not seen a large number of corps copy their style, unlike the other three I mentioned. Phantom - the original EVIL drum corps - Spartacus. ^0^ ^0^ ^0^ (Eric Sabach put that seed in my head tonight) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 You are correct. Phantom, as of late, has completely done their own thing. But, they have not seen a large number of corps copy their style, unlike the other three I mentioned. looking at uniforms is the same...so many black pantsed clones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantombari1 Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 Phantom has produced shows that Appeal to most Drum Corp fans. Ultimately it seems as of late that the music alone is working for them...Have they won a Championship in the process? No, but they have won back many who had walked away from a corp who tried to change into something they were not. I would love to see Phantom win another Championship, but I would much rather see them and any other corp for that matter finish the season producing memorable shows from a musical stand point balanced with a great design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted March 7, 2006 Share Posted March 7, 2006 I'm not saying that they are forced...just that a lot of corps have the same basic:1) Shows with 6-10 pieces of source music. 2) Overarching "concept" to be beholden to. 3) Piecemeal arranging. Nothing wrong with that if done well....pretty much sums up MY corps show in 1971! In that case...WE were one of the exceptions, while just about everybody else was doing the usual set-piece shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.