Scerpella Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 If anyone thinks a Madison brass staff made up of alumni from the 70s, 80s or 90s are going to restore that caption's competitive edge, you will probably be very disappointed. I am sure there are lots of great musicians and teachers from those decades, but the horn line game has changed as all captions in DCI have changed. ** As with some alumni for all corps, they won't be happy unless it is exactly the way they want it to be. Often the way it was in the decade they marched. That point is questionable on its face. One can be from the 70's 80's and 90's and still have a pulse on what it takes to win DCI today. Many Scout alumni from the 70's and 80's are currently with other corps helping them win. Im fairly certain theyre not dragging any of those corps back into bygone eras. BUt a strong argument could be made that the most popular corps this year Phantom, did in fact return to a more traditional sound and repertoire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCImonkey Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Hiring in house is what got them in trouble in the Scott Stewart days. When you are constantly refilling your staff with former members that marched the corps, you aren't bringing in any new ideas and eventually.....you aren't bringing in anyone that has marched a Top 5 corps. How can you hope to be a Top 5 corps if nobody on your staff has been on one? That is a very broad statement, but the point is crystal clear. I'm sure there are some very good staff members at Madison and I like how they've gone outside of the "inner circle" in recent years which has made them more competitive. One misstep this season isn't a good enough reason to can anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walshinsurance Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 That point is questionable on its face. One can be from the 70's 80's and 90's and still have a pulse on what it takes to win DCI today. Many Scout alumni from the 70's and 80's are currently with other corps helping them win. Im fairly certain theyre not dragging any of those corps back into bygone eras.BUt a strong argument could be made that the most popular corps this year Phantom, did in fact return to a more traditional sound and repertoire. Good Point Mr. Scerpella!! Great to watch you guys blow Camp Randall back a few feet!! And...I think it shows that the crowds want that "Scout" sound back. As you stated previously, I liked this year's music as well....it just lacked the punch in the face that you typically get from the Scouts...and this could be detected by the crowd's gracious...yet luke warm...approval this year. Hope you are well.... From the snare drummer from Grafton! Brian Walsh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmpiano Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 I feel that Chris Tomsa is the man to run the Scouts. He will bring the ELVORD VIBE back to the scouts. If you do not know what the ELVORD VIBE is, LOOK IT UP!Chris Tomsa's blood runs green, he knows the Scout Story, and lived a big part of it himself. Wish List 1) ALL NEW brass staff with STRONG jazz/latin jazz backgrounds ( no corps heads!!!) 2) Keep Colin (he knows how to groove, and may not be afraid to write some grooves) DON'T FEAR!! The tenors may still stop grooving in support of the music, stand still (like all the other kids) and play pigley-wigley, helicoptor, criss cross, look what we can do, with a high double stop (Take That! finish.) 3) I don't know a #### thing about visual, just fix the musical issues PLEASE!!! 3) No more senseless shows with meaningless notes. #2 can't work - Colin is the new caption head at the Cadets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcontra99 Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 I do not think that hiring people from other corps necessarily means that they are going to have new and fresh ideas. I think it is simply a question of the person working to become a better teacher/musician that will help with new and fresh ideas. I believe it comes down to personal and professional growth rather than coming from a different group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburstall Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Hiring in house is what got them in trouble in the Scott Stewart days. When you are constantly refilling your staff with former members that marched the corps, you aren't bringing in any new ideas and eventually.....you aren't bringing in anyone that has marched a Top 5 corps. How can you hope to be a Top 5 corps if nobody on your staff has been on one? That is a very broad statement, but the point is crystal clear. I'm sure there are some very good staff members at Madison and I like how they've gone outside of the "inner circle" in recent years which has made them more competitive. One misstep this season isn't a good enough reason to can anyone. Agreed, you can only have so much "inbreeding" before it becomes stale. Just look what a certain blue corps from out west did when they brought in a certain Scout's visual guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S. Pearson Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 "These Pretzels are making my thirsty!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mchromik Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Just look what a certain blue corps from out west did when they brought in a certain Scout's visual guy. I always liked to think of him as a former Scout who had a nice home in Indiana before getting the rug yanked out from underneath him, forcing him west. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboyKen Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Agreed. Get a director who is a great administrator and non-profit fundraiser. Capitalize on the alumni involvement. But, for this role, don't worry about whether there's a Scouts or even a drum corps pedigree. Just get the best person for the job, get operating capital in the door and keep the books in order. Have him (her?) hire a COO/Program Coordinator type (with Board assistance) to handle the artistic end. THAT person should have the Scouts background.There simply aren't a lot of people who handle both the administrative and the artistic roles well and we all know too many corps run into the ground by well meaning artistic types who never got their arms around the business end. Excuse me - the books at Madison ARE in order! Funny, I always thought the Board of Directors were supposed to raise capital also - not just the ExDir!!!! Hhmmmmm :sshh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcontra99 Posted August 23, 2006 Share Posted August 23, 2006 Excuse me - the books at Madison ARE in order! Funny, I always thought the Board of Directors were supposed to raise capital also - not just the ExDir!!!! Hhmmmmm :sshh: There was a time when this actually happened, we will call that time the 70's, 80's, and 90's, and we will remember them with much pride, as they were a time when money was there, and certain organizations were talked about with much reverence. Sadly, those days are no longer as shiny as they once were, hopefully this "new direction" will help to allow times like this again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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