Skippy

It's only adding 15 people, to be split up amongst the corps. It's not going add 15 trumpets, thereby making it significantly easier to make the corps. I'd say your shots of making the corps have nothing to do with the membership size, and everything to do with how well you march and play.

So close.

Of course, you're in marching band. A really good one. It was the first DCI show I ever saw, it got me hooked. But if I knew nothing about music, I would've been bored most likely. If I was going to show someone their first marching music show... it would be Cavaliers 2006.

I don't think Frameworks is accessible to the n00b. That's definetly not even a consideration for me to introduce someone to drum corps.

I like Vanguard more. I still don't know how they made that giant mask appear in the middle of the field.

1. Extension of warm-up: Yes. I like pre-shows. 2. Raise membership from 135 to 150: No. One, this would make a little more difficult for the corps that have a hard enough filling out hornline as it is, with all the top corps getting to accept more people. Also, it wouldn't be by too much, but the quality of some of the top corps is sure to go down, as less talented people are let into the corps. Also, I think that as corps get larger, it'll be harder to have that sense of "one corps" family... maybe not, but it's a possibility. 3. Props people not included in corps membership limit: No. It's part of the performance, sometimes props are utilized more than just pushing them around. 4. Inclusion of electronic instruments: Yes. Yeah sure, I'm all for seeing new stuff. 5. Postioning of Visual Performance Judge: No. Leave him on the field, I can just see groups just getting clean from the front, and that isn't right. 6. Ordinals decided placement at contests: Yes. I talked about this earlier. 7. Overall Effect judges: Yes. If you've seen any Cavalier show in the past 6 years... the music and visual are nothing without each other.

Some would say that Hopkins has proposed more drastic things.

Actually Mike, you'd be suprised at how much the two already crossover on the tapes we listen to over the summer. I don't know if I support the combining of them, but it wouldn't be as drastic of a change as one might think. I guess one question I've wondered is: If the music effect judges aren't supposed to take into consideration anything visual, why are they watching the show? All they need to be able to do is hear it.

First off, this is a proposition, it isn't a rule yet. And secondly, it's not as simple as you think. It won't be the same as UIL, because there will still be just as many judges, judging the same way they always have. UIL has 3. There are very valid points in there, about how abnormally high numbers in one caption can cause one corps to place over another. In UIL, a music judge is expected to judge ensemble music, individual music, and percussion. The Visual judge is expected to judge both ensemble visual and individual marching technique. All 3 sit up top in the box. In my opinion with increased responibilites placed on the judges, the margin of error and discrepency between judges increases as well. And how judges in a box are supposed to evaluate individuals is beyond me. While yes, the proposed rule suggests a change to an Ordinal system like UIL, this new system is exactly how I envisioned an upgraded UIL. The judges, all having one specific caption to cover, will be more accurate than say an overall "Music" judge. I'm very interested to see how this turns out. I definetly think that it would be worth a try, as we try to find the perfect judging system.

I practiced almost every day.

I'm going to Chicago today and was thinking about seeing Blue Man Group, but I'm a college kid with no money marching drum corps and I can't afford it.

Yeah, it was pretty sweet. I did the concert band track the summer after my freshman year. Do it.

Yes, founded in 1957.

Nah, not yet, my mom hinted that it was in the mail though.

These days? SDA's aren't exactly new... It's not crazy either. Maybe there's just something in life that's a little more important than marching band.

Well, we played Appalachian Spring, and had the same desgin team as always, so I don't think liscening should have been an issue. I honestly never heard a real reason for why we weren't on the dvds. But trust me, you don't want to see the bag of poop that was that performance. It will stick with me as quite possibly the worst show of my high school career. Probably the biggest, longest, and scariest ensemble tear I've ever been a part of.

Man, what a naive comment.

Yeah, for about the first half of tour this summer, our baritones had ankle weights on and off their horns all day. It helps a lot.

haha, I forgot all about that.

Both were incredible shows, but I agree with who won.

I saw them last year. It was mind-blowing.

Well, almost everyone else in the thread was able to.

Yeah, they did peak this year. I still loved the show this year a lot.

I loved the entire show as well Zach.

LD Bell 2006. The singer made the show about 5 times cooler, than what it would have been without it.