Danpod
-
Posts
3,179 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
135
Posts posted by Danpod
-
-
Haha. Woodwinds will eventually be in DCI, whether we like it or not. I think they will be confined to the pit for the first few years or so.
Lightning Delay in Houston is still on. Fans are sheltered near the concession stands as they wait for clearance from the stadium to return to their seats.
-
Weather Delay at the Houston show. The Cascades were the first and only corps to perform so far.
-
Dan, are you going to be there for Friday night as well?
-
Breaking News: Landon Donovan has just won the 2010 TMEA Honor Band contest.
-
The FJM banner in the middle of the DCI scores page is getting on my darn nerves.
-
I'd imagine that bands have some sort of No Cell Phone policy during class. I can't see how productive a rehearsal can be with everyone flapping their mouths on their mobile devices.
-
Currently, the San Antonio Super Regional has 44 participants signed up. A Super Regional must have 45 or more programs signed up to grant 14 Finalist spots. Otherwise, 12 Finalists would be chosen.
-
List of bands currently enrolled in BOA Regionals/Grand Nationals is up:
http://www.musicforall.org/programs/regionals/
Arlington Regional - 32 bands enrolled.
Houston Regional - 28 bands enrolled.
San Antonio Super Regional - 42 bands enrolled.
The St. Louis Super Regional has four Texas programs enrolled (Birdville H.S., Fossil Ridge H.S., Trinity H.S., William B. Travis H.S.)
The Southern California Regional has one Texas program enrolled (Americas H.S.)
Tentatively, five Texas programs are signed up for Grand Nationals:
Cedar Park H.S.
Fossil Ridge H.S.
L.D. Bell H.S.
Stephen F. Austin H.S.
Winston Churchill H.S.
-
Tickets are now on sale for the 2010 DCI San Antonio Two-Day Event:
http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=0...c4-7e177c0e620d
Tickets will range from $20 to $45 per show. Yeah. Per show. You must buy individual tickets for both Saturday and Sunday shows. Let's do some comparison shopping.
If memory serves me correctly, and I sure hope it does, I believe that the most expensive ticket for the DCI Southwestern contest in the Alamodome last year cost $52. With convenience charges and processing fees, the total cost for one seat would have been about $65. That amount would have given the buyer a full serving of World Class corps in a World Class facility.
With the scheduling conflict this year, the buyer will be paying more for a lot less content. If you love your Drum Corps like me, you will probably be tempted to get seats in Sections C and D for both shows in San Antonio. With handling fees, you'd be spending $48.50 per show. That's a total of $97 for both shows. That may not seem too bad for most people. Personally, I'd still spend the money. However, the way the events are listed on the DCI Website, it looks like the Dallas and Houston two-day event tickets are inclusive for both days. Buy one ticket. See two shows. The most expensive tickets for the Dallas shows are $80. The most expensive tickets for the Houston shows are $60. Again, those prices get you two days worth of Drum Corps. Individuals or families in a little bit of a money crunch will probably have to choose which San Antonio show they want to attend.
I am very skeptical about how things have played out for the DCI San Antonio weekend. Of course, I will probably sober up and get all giddy once Spring Training starts. If forced to choose, I would pick the Saturday night show over Sunday. The Blue Devils are my favorite corps. I want to see if The Academy can get their act together like I know they can. I'd love to see what Phantom Regiment does with the Kamen piece. Plus, the Blue Stars are now a corps that I root for. This is not to say that I wouldn't attend both shows. I have to show some love to Revolution and The Crossmen as well!
-
The Weigh-In: DCI San Antonio, Plan B.
Are you disappointed that the Alamodome has been scrapped for the Drum Corps show in San Antonio? I know I am! I'm partial to the Alamodome. I have fond memories of the dome as a performer and as a Drum Corps fan. The Southwestern Championships without the Alamodome is like Alberquerque without the International Balloon Fiesta. Do not get me wrong. For an on-campus stadium, D.W. Rutledge Stadium is a great venue. However, the luster of the event will take a little bit of a hit this Summer.
Pros of Plan B:
- The South Texas heat will make people extra intense, which will hopefully make way for some awesome crowd reactions.
- If the DCI Marketplace is where I think it will be, there will be plenty of room to move about and enjoy all of the goodies from the souvie trailers.
- Views and sounds from the seats will be pretty decent. More on the sounds later.
- DCI did a great job of splitting up the tour for Saturday and Sunday. Hometown corps The Crossmen and Revolution will go on Sunday, while fan favorites such as Santa Clara Vanguard and Phantom Regiment will go on Saturday.
- There are plenty of fast-food places to grab a bite to eat near the stadium, including a Bush's Chicken that is a short walk away. Travel about two minutes down the road to find a few sit-down eateries.
- Ticket prices are somewhat fair. Considering the venue change, I think they are little steep. However, you have to account for the money you will save by not having to purchase the tickets through Satan's Ticket Depot (Ticketmaster).
Cons of Plan B:
- Arriving and departing from the site will probably be a nightmare. Most stadium traffic will be diverted down a one-way road that leads to 1604. There are ways around it but I can imagine that those routes will probably be hard to navigate as well.
- The stadium is located next to somewhat of a busy intersection. Also, we must remember that we are at a high school stadium, which means that the seats will be right below the concession stands. You will get a lot of background and traffic noise during the performances.
- The number of concession stands on the home side are limited. If you thought the lines at the Alamodome were long, you ain't seen nothing yet.
- The event change kind of puts the Individual and Ensemble Competition in a little bit of a tight spot. The site for I&E is not confirmed as of yet. DCI says it will coincide with the two-day Drum Corps show but I wonder how many participants will forgo the I&E contest in order to keep their chops fresh. It will be interesting to see how DCI handles this.
- I wish that DCI offered some sort of VIP Press Box option for this event, catered by Bush's Chicken. I was in the stadium press box once and as far as I can remember, I thought it was roomy enough to accommodate those who wanted a more intimate seat in the house.
- Judson High School is actually split into two campuses (Freshman - Sophomores on campus; Juniors - Seniors in the other). However, I've been informed of some construction going down on campus, which will make parking limited. In turn, the parking situation might make for some long travels to and from the warm-up area.
-
The 2010 USSBA schedule was released today and as always, the organization has taken the Lone Star State by storm. This year, the State of Texas will host fourteen events, including the USSBA Texas State Championships at Woodforest Bank Stadium in Shenandoah, Texas. USSBA has a great reputation for putting on numerous events every Fall. In recent years, they have put more emphasis on expanding their quality contests here in Texas. I'm looking forward to what USSBA has to offer this coming season!
September 25th:
USSBA North Texas Preview
Red Oak HS - Red Oak, TX
USSBA Central Texas Preview
Hendrickson HS - Pflugerville, TX
USSBA San Antonio Preview
New Braunfels HS - New Braunfels, TX
October 2nd:
USSBA North Texas Regional
Burleson HS - Burleson, TX
USSBA San Antonio Regional
SCUCISD Stadium - Schertz, TX
USSBA Southwest TX Regional
United ISD Stadium - Laredo, TX
USSBA South Texas Regional
La Joya HS - La Joya, TX (Tentative)
USSBA Deep River Regional
Rio Hondo HS - Rio Hondo, TX
October 9th:
USSBA Central Texas Regional
Shelton Stadium - Kyle, TX
USSBA Houston Regional - Dekaney, TX
USSBA North Texas Showcase - Wylie, TX
USSBA Bay Area Showcase - Corpus Christi, TX
USSBA Heart of Texas - Early, TX
October 30th:
USSBA Texas State Championships
Woodforest Stadium - Shenandoah, TX
-
Outdoor event? Open up the roof to Jerry World and there you have it. My guess is that Cowboys Stadium is probably going to be the new venue for the Southwestern contests.
Any other guesses here?
-
http://www.tealsound.org/drumbuglecorps/repertoire/
Teal Sound artist selections...
Coheed and Cambria
Dream Theater
Jordan Rudess
Interesting repertoire! Please note that Teal Sound will get to compete against World Class corps this season.
-
Rule Proposal Results:
http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=c...92-9342d7ecd486
Sound Engineer in Stands/Press Box - Yes
Extend Age Eligibility - No (Four in Favor; 18 Against)
Language Change to Visual Sheet - Yes
Clarification of on-field Warm Up Time - Yes
Pre-Show Proposal - Yes, with modifications. Total field time will still be 17 minutes. A corps will have five minutes of warm-up/pre-show/set-up time. The corps can do whatever they want in those five minutes. After five minutes, the judged portion of the show will begin.
Two additional "rules" that were added:
Meetings with judges that take place off and on throughout the season will be replaced with "more informal pre-show discussion opportunities with the judges". Essentially, show designers and corps directors can meet with the judges prior to a contest and inform them of specific aspects of their shows that they wish emphasized.
Corps are now encouraged to send in synopses of their shows before the season starts. The information will be passed along to the judges so that they can research and study source music in order to understand the show better.
-
Last three rule proposals:
http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=4...c7-1985edfad7ef
Field Visual Sheet Change:
Not too much of a change in terms of how visual is scored. Basically, they would just change the sheet to let the judges better understand exactly what they are looking for.
Percussion Judge Location:
Hopkins wants to put the percussion judge in the press box, instead of on the field.
I hate this idea. The press box is not the best way to evaluate a percussion performance. The judge needs to get in there, up close and personal. That's the kind of caption it is. Sorry. The job can be quite dangerous at times, but the percussion judges know that going in to the show. As a fan, I don't find the percussion judge to be as intrusive or distracting as it is made out to be. I like the idea of having two percussion judges, one on the field and the other in the stands or press box.
Overall General Effect:
George Hopkins wants to eliminate the Visual and Music General Effect judges and combine them into two Overall General Effect judges.
The term overall is used very loosely in this proposal. The judges would evaluate the show like a fan, without any particular emphasis on visual or musical effect. The concept here is that with the complexity and intricacy of the modern Drum Corps show, effect judges have a very difficult time separating the visual and musical aspects. This rule would practically UIL-ize the General Effect Caption. Without a clear and specific emphasis on what to look for, preconceived notions from judges on what overall effect means to them would create a high level of inconsistent judging from performance to performance. I am thoroughly against this proposition.
Seven Judge System:
Basically, we'd condense the judging system to seven judges. Brass, Percussion, and Colorguard Performance, along with Ensemble Music and Ensemble Visual judges. The rule is contingent on having the two Overall Effect judges. I don't see this happening at all. Too much change to the scoring sheets would send people into Seek and Destroy Mode.
It's always interesting to see who proposes what rules at the Winter Meetings. It seems like most of the time, the people who submit rule proposals are trying to aide what their corps is doing. There have been many rule proposals that have helped the Drum Corps activity as a whole. However, there are cases when you can clearly see that an agenda is on someone's mind.
-
Next two rule proposals:
http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=2...8e-f3f334efa061
Pre-Show:
Currently, a corps gets 17 minutes on the field. George Hopkins would like to expand the time to 18 minutes, with some very Hop-esque guidelines. The corps would use the first three minutes to set up and props or electronics. The next three minutes would allow for the corps to use any type of instrument they wish, legal or illegal, including pre-recorded music. Those three minutes would be "considered" by the General Effect judges but not exactly be evaluated for points. After the six minute chaos, the remaining 12 minutes would be evaluated by the judges as normal.
Confused? You should be. I agree that more time may be needed to set up sound boards and mic up the pit properly. With that being said, I do not agree with this particular time format. Giving a corps three minutes to use any "illegal" instruments would undermine having rules in place for prohibiting woodwinds and pre-recorded music. To take this to a hilarious extreme, this would kind of be like your local Police Department giving you permission to push old ladies down the stairs for only three minutes. What happens if the timing goes awry and a corps has pre-recorded music playing during the "judged" portion of the show? Would a penalty be handed down? Not to go off on a tangent, but I feel like band and corps contests do everything they can not to give programs proper deductions when rule violations take place.
In my opinion, the whole idea that the General Effect judges would consider and not evaluate the warm-up period is not valid. Unless the music judges are covering their ears and the visual judges are closing their eyes during warm-up, I can almost guarantee you that the warm-up period is being evaluated in some facet or another.
Warm-Up Time Modification:
This rule would give a corps five minutes of warm-up/set-up time to use however they see fit. The 12 minutes afterwards would be the "judged" portion of the show. This is more like it. This rule simplifies things, instead of breaking down the allotted time into another category. Give a corps five minutes to set up and do whatever they want within the rules.
Both rules are almost polar opposites of each other. I love the idea of a pre-show. However, we are getting to the point where not having a pre-show may be frowned upon by fans and judges. Soon, a corps without a pre-show will really have to knock their show out of the park in order to "catch up" to the shows that set the mood just before their actual show starts.
-
Here's a link to the first two rule proposals:
http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=3...b8-a27efd2f1a3f
Age Requirements (For 2011 Implementation):
This eliminates the confusing rule already in place stating you cannot march DCI if you turn 22 before June 1st of that year. All you would have to do to march DCI is not turn 23 by January 1st. Okay. You also have to audition, pony up hundreds of dollars in fees, and subscribe to the Gold Bond Powder of the Month Club.
Personally, adding another five months of eligibility to the membership does not seem like that big of a deal to me. When formulating your opinion, you have to put yourself in the shoes of someone who is just starting in the activity. The "young ones" would have to compete against a good chunk of college graduates who were previously not eligible to march. Let's face it. The odds of graduating college in four years are less favorable than ever before. Regardless of what your major is, things really do come together for you in our final semesters. Your life begins to take shape. All of those classes you hated going to start to pay off both in the classroom and in real life. Younger marchers will have a tougher time making the cut of 150. Food for thought: DCI surveyed the average age of each World Class Drum Corps a year or two ago. Many of the top units, specifically Carolina Crown, had a shockingly young average age per marcher.
Sound Engineer In Press Box:
This rule would allow a staff member to be in the press box during their corps' performance and communicate via wireless device with the sound board operator on the field. The idea is to help the pit blend with the rest of the corps.
People seem to be sharpening their pitchforks out on this one. The staff and I have been sitting next to directors during their program's performances for many, many years. Believe it or not, this sort of thing is commonplace at BOA and UIL events. Pit instructors usually carry around a two-way radio or wireless headset that links up with the students running the board. Balance issues within the pit, as well as pit-to-band issues, can be addressed instantly. The "engineer" would be in the press box at larger shows. However, many smaller shows would not be able to accommodate this extra person in their press shacks. The probable solution: Put the engineer in the stands. This could create a problem, especially if you're sitting near the engineer.
Some directors are very respectful about how they communicate with the board operator. They realize that they are sitting around parents and fans, so they keep the communication at a low volume. However, there are those directors who talk quite loudly into their device. Also, if the balance is really out of whack, there is the good chance that the distracting communication could last the duration of the show. Drum Corps fans are some of the most dedicated fans of any activity. At the same token, they are some of the most opinionated people on the Earth, and they would not hesitate to shush a staff member of a corps if that person is affecting the fan's experience in a negative way.
-
-
Hopefully, an updated uniform will accompany the Bluecoats 2010 production.
-
Interesting note on the application:
If more than 50 bands are signed up for the Super Regional by May 14th, separate judging panels for Prelims and Finals will be used. If less than 50 bands are signed up by May 14th, one judging panel will be used for Prelims and Finals. This cutoff date is something to look forward to, seeing that two different panels have the potential of really mixing things up.
Also, BOA has the right to cancel a Regional if fewer than 18 programs are registered by May 14th. Keep in mind that BOA doesn't necessarily have to cancel the Regional if the attendance "requirement" is not met. A similar provision was in place last season, yet the Towson, Maryland Regional went on as scheduled, despite only featuring 12 programs.
-
next year, Brazoswood might be competing in grand nationals. i'm in that band and i'm hearing rumors often about it. idk how we'll do well at all... i mean, we have gone down hill since we changed our music arranger. I dont really like montoya's music.
1. Nothin' but love for Brazoswood. I defended you all during Caption Gate at BOA Houston in 2007.
2. Good luck at Grand Nationals, if you all decide to go.
3. Brazoswood's musical selections and music arranger are not the reasons for the decline.
-
It's kind of surprising how seldom corps program Mahler's music (in comparison to say, another 20th century composer like Barber or Shostakovich), considering how how popular his music is in the orchestral realm (not to mention how German/Wagnerian/bombastic the brass parts tend to be in practice).
It seems like Mahler is somewhat of an untouchable composer in Drum Corps. Hopefully, Crown will bust out a 100-soprano feature!
-
http://www.dci.org/news/view.cfm?news_id=a...8c-e1a39d9a8f91
Texas Highlights:
- Shows in El Paso, Midland, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Denton.
- The Dallas and Houston shows will split the tour over two nights.
- The Southwestern Championships will be a single event deal like last year.
- The World Class Individual and Ensemble Competition has been moved to July 25th, the day after the Southwestern Championships in the Alamodome.
- Teal Sound and Santa Clara Vanguard Cadets will join Revolution in Open Class competition at the Southwestern Championships.
The Crossmen are competing in tentatively competing in 29 shows in 2010, including DCI Quarterfinals.
-
I would still like to hear your theory....I couldn't find the podcast...
Thanks!
Haven't had time to really put out a good product. I've been sick and super busy.
Here's the deal:
The only thing you can control is how well your program performs. That's why I emphasize performing to the best of your ability. Many of you will learn that obsessing over things you cannot control will drive you absolutely nuts. Control what you can control and let the chips fall where they may.
A judge may like your performance, but if the judge doesn't agree with how the product is designed, you're in trouble. Also, there is the possibility that a field judge may follow the same person around for an extended period of time and gauge the majority of the program's score off of them. What we saw at the Super Regional might have been a prime example of the latter. Field judges are supposed to obtain a thorough sample of how the students perform on an individual basis. However, we have to understand that judges are human. They may not get around to the Senior who knew all of the show. They may sample the Freshman brass player who is struggling to line up his or her music and movement.
Your program is only as good as your weakest players and marchers. When you step on the field, the class divisions within the program disappear. If a judge can tell the difference between a four-year student and a one-year student, that program can expect to be scored in a low tier. It's possible that several programs at the Super Regional experienced that situation.
DCI Dallas 2010
in Drum Corps Forum
Posted
Houston show is back on. I see many people with ponchos and umbrellas.