Pre Show Speech

[justanopinion]

After hearing some of the directors speak to their groups before the show, I started thinking about what really motivates performers. The top 4 had very different approaches (at least the snippets we heard).

paraphrased:

Cadets director: You're champions until at least 10:30. make them rip it out of your hands. (reference to winning)

Phantom director: You have the ghosts of the past 50 years with you. (reference to the history of the corps)

Blue Devils: No one does Saturday night better. We've done it 11 times (reference to winning).

Cavaliers: Bring them into the machine (reference to audience and performing).

So my question is: What is the best motivation for a performer? To think about winning? To think about the organization? To think about the performing and bringing the audience in? all of the above?

What was the most motivational speech you've ever heard?

Edited September 8, 2006 by justanopinion

[abgiles]

1981 - as we marched into olympic stadium in montreal, rick south played the "fiddler on the roof" theme for us on his old rotor/valve baritone. (rick south was our horn instructor that year. for those who don't know, he was a legendary dm for scv prior to that and a great baritone player.) that little refrain, played by that man for us, encapsulated all that we really needed to know as we stepped on the field. i can't ever remember what words were said to us piror to the competition.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Well to be honest, BD does Friday night a lot better. :)

[megan_marie15]

I think it depends on each individual corps. Every corps has a different feel to the organization and each value different things. Some value tradition, some competition, and some entertainment. I think this thread and those quotes are a great example of that.

[AzEuph]

We were always told to go out there and just have fun........

[justanopinion]

You're probably right about each organization being different. You could tell each director was passionate about what he was saying (although Hopkins kind of reminded me of Charlton Heston's "cold dead hands" speech with the rifle in his hands).

edit for typo.

Edited September 6, 2006 by justanopinion

[year1buick]

After hearing some of the directors speak to their groups before the show, I started thinking about what really motivates performers. The top 4 had very different approaches (at least the snippets we heard).

paraphrased:

Cadets director: You're champions until at least 10:30. make them rip it out of your hands. (reference to winning)

Phantom director: You have the ghosts of the past 50 years with you. (reference to the history of the corps)

Blue Devils: No one does Saturday night better. We've done it 11 times (reference to winning).

Cavaliers: Bring them into the machine (refernce to audience and performing).

So my question is: What is the best motivation for a performer? To think about winning? To think about the organization? To think about the performing and bringing the audience in? all of the above?

What was the most motivational speech you've ever heard?

That was Dan Farrell talking to Regiment.

Boy, Cesario's were really something as well... I remember how his talks could get us going so much that we'd get standing O's just marching onto the field. (He was all about presence and making the audience feel as though you owned that stadium...)

[the_sorcerer's_apprentice]

We were always told to do it for each other. Each member owed a great performance to everyone else in the circle, and in return would get a great show from 134 others.

[igor230]

In 1987 Sky Ryders marched a Marc Sylvester drill. He came to work with us for a week during all day rehearsals in Hutchinson. I'll never forget his creative genius and the skills I learned. The last night he was there, after our first run through of the year I think, he gave us the greatest motivational speech I've ever heard. I barely remember specifics but do remember being totally energized for the rest of the season. It had something to do with becoming something greater than yourself when you put on your uniform, but put much more eloquently than that.

Apparently 1999 SCV was at least partially inspired by a Dean Westman talk finals week. He had all staff leave and, using much colorful language, emphasized to the members that they needed to perform for themselves. Maybe 99 scv members can confirm.

The coach's speech in Friday Night Lights is pretty good. (Strangely enough, Dean Westman has a cameo appearance as the Permian HS band director with his SF Austin Band as the Permian Band, stranger than fiction...)

[84BDsop]

I don't remember getting a speech from Mike Moxley before entering the field in 84....thr horn line DID get one from Wayne and Jack after the last warm up....I actually have a recording of the wrmup and it inclused the short speeches.

Now in 96 I gave a speech to Nightfire before our FIRST show....the words themselves qwere't numerous....I preferred to let our show music source do most of the talking. Our show was "Jekyll and Hyde" (in fact, since this was before Crown did it and we always went on before Pacific Crest -- who was also doing J&H -- this meant MY corps was the first to bring it to the field...nyaahh!)...although we didn;t use "This is the Moment", the lyrics eerily summed up the season and the end result of actually going out on the field when there had not been a day where there weren't serious reasons to just fold it up....Rocketman remembers...he was there, as well.

Result? The first performance was pretty good, all things considered....and that's all I really wanted.