bearz Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 My neighbors have never been to DCI. 14 y/o girl LOVES my DVDs, so wants to go. Neither has ever seen drum corps show live, so I was wondering if someone could take the time to explain the theme/story/show of each of the top 14 corps in semifinals. I only ask for the top 14 because that is about the time they will be able to arrive after work. TY in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victorcoly Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 My neighbors have never been to DCI. 14 y/o girl LOVES my DVDs, so wants to go. Neither has ever seen drum corps show live, so I was wondering if someone could take the time to explain the theme/story/show of each of the top 14 corps in semifinals. I only ask for the top 14 because that is about the time they will be able to arrive after work.TY in advance! If you've got time, visit DCI's web site, which has links to all of the corps sites. This is probably the quickest way to get info on them. www.dci.org Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawn craig Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 Buy the DCI program/yearbook. Program notes for all Div I corps. Most shows don't really need that much explanation. The energy, velocity, and great music will more than speak for itself. If the young girl already loves the DVD's she'll really love finals!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearz Posted August 8, 2006 Author Share Posted August 8, 2006 (edited) Thanks for the suggestion. Yes, I can do that too, but more what I'm looking for is, oh say, something from someone who has seen these corps to explain what is going on. For instance, with the Blue Stars, I would describe how the show is about the 5 basic freedoms, and how there will be narration at the beginning explaining the freedoms. I would tell them to watch the guard for expressions of the freedoms in dance, and how when the music dies and the gong sounds what that means. I would tell them to watch the formations for the cross, the star and a couple of other formations. I would explain that this show is a mix of traditional drum corps and modern drum corps styles. Basically what I'm looking at is a 1-2 paragraph description with suggestions of exciting things to look for, and what the show style is and a little more than the standard explanation on the web sites. For something like the Radio show, an explanation that this is a very "out there" show compared to others, and what is going on with the radio stations changing channels and traffic patterns in the drill. For a more traditional show, explain just that... Something like that that they can read before each performance to understand what its about. I would do it, but I have only see about 4 of the top 14. Edited August 8, 2006 by bearz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSGreen Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 Honestly? Let them see the shows and tell you what they think after each one. I always found it better on my newbies to just let them check it out. Their answers and critiques were always extremely interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CloudFuel Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 I tend to agree with the director of Frontier.. let them gather what they will from the shows, because if they base their thoughts off of someone else's perspective they are cheating themselves of the full experience and are subjecting themselves to the ideas and viewpoints of another. With that said.. if you STILL want an essay on each of the top 14 drum corps.. let me know.. as I love to write, I would have no problem busting out with something. Just use it wisely! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just A Plain Old Fan Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 ...if they base their thoughts off of someone else's perspective they are cheating themselves of the full experience and are subjecting themselves to the ideas and viewpoints of another. CloudFuel, just curious--would it be safe to say you're not a fan of late 19th century and 20th century programmatic music? Composers intentionally publishing their "program" for the specific piece...I suppose I would agree that it is the willful domination of the listener, but do you think that's really a negative? Composers like Mahler, Strauss and many others were trying to create a very specific vision with certain pieces--is that not the same here? :blah: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicagoFan Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 Don't overload the newcomers with a great deal of technical jargon and detailed explainations about each show. Let them watch and ingest things in their own way and at their own pace. A few words -- Crossmen's show is about driving and listening to the radio; Cadets do an odd take on Alice in Wonderland, etc. -- should suffice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liam Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 I agree with the sentiments of letting new folks see the shows for themselves and decide. My wife comes to every finals weekend and we go to all the shows Q/S/F. She doesn't have the marching history most of us do and isn't obsessed with the activity like most of us, but she enjoys the weekend nonetheless. I usually let her watch quarters and semis on her own and decide for herself what she likes/dislikes and to interpret the shows as she sees fit. Then, when we talk throughout the weekend, I might let her in on some aspects that she has missed or explain some of the history behind a certain show or corps, or talk about some of the controversy regarding certain shows. But I think she gets more out of it by forming her own opinion first and then discussing the finer points later. So my advice would be to let them absorb the shows on their own, but have talking points at the ready for post-show dioalog and certainly to add perspective for when they watch the shows over and over again on the dvd's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piper Posted August 8, 2006 Share Posted August 8, 2006 If you're taking newbies to a Drum Corps show you'll have a lot of explaining to do. I can personally assure you of that. They'll probably ask you questions that you never even thought of before. It happens to most of us sooner or later. Good luck. :) 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.