From: owens@cyclops.cambridge.ibm.com ()
Subject: Re: Boston Crusaders Open House & staff info
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 18:49:42 GMT
Organization: IBM T. J. Watson Research

In article <1edja5INN6op@menudo.uh.edu>, HMUSAMWS@admin.uh.edu (SUMBERA, MICHEAL W.) writes:
|> In <1992Nov17.234431.5800@watson.ibm.com> owens@cyclops.cambridge.ibm.com writes:
|> 
|> > As soon as you play something that well known (in the 
|> > drum corps world) you better be ready to do it better.  When I
|> > hear Pictures at an Exhibition I can't help but think of SCV.
|> > And they did it soooo well, that reminding people of it isn't
|> > doing us any favors in comparison. :)
|> 
|> I would beg to differ on this point.  Even if someone were doing to same
|> material in the same year, you judge the groups on how well they do what they
|> attempt, not how well they do it compared to this other group that did it 5-6
|> years ago.  This is just something I've had to learn to do from the limited
|> rep. I see in the majority of marching programs (not strictly limited to corps).

A judge (and fan) SHOULD base their opinions only on what they see in
front of them... but in practice I don't think it happens.  It's only
human to let a hundred other factors influence you "honest opinion"...
even if it's subconcious.  

Maybe it's just me, but when I hear some of the very powerful moments 
in Pictures at an Exhibition... I have a hard time not flashing 
back to SCV... and I spent all summer listening to Boston play it.

Maybe it's not that it was played often, but SCV "made it theirs" in
a way.  Kinda like Cavies and Planets, Scouts and You'll Never Walk
Alone or Malaguena, Star and the theme to Mickey Mouse :), Cadets 
and anything written by Copland or Berstein :), Phantom and 1812?,
maybe BD and When a Man Loves a Woman after this year.

It's not enough to play it... you've got to do something special with
it.  I'm not sure I understand exactly what the special thing is.  It 
just seems these corps have captured the real feel of the music, or 
redefined it themselves.  Maybe it's simply doing it very well.

Of cource playing it alot works too... like Conquest, You'll Never 
Walk Alone, Danny Boy, Somewhere Over the Rainbow etc)

One of the comments we got through a good chuck of the year was "we
need more volume!"  (from a visual judge even!!)  Because the last time
they heard this music it came from a powerful 60+ member horn line,
they were not satisfied with the sound from a smaller line. (IMHO)

Or, maybe it's just me that associates some music with the first
corps that moves me with it.  Fortunately I have no interest in being
a judge... I will never pretend to be completely unbiased by 
outside factors.

==============================================================================
   David Owens                    VMID:        ODAVID at YKTVMH
   SVS Multiplatform Development  Internet:    odavid@watson.ibm.com
   IBM Research                   
   One Copley Place               Disclaimer:  I am not a spokesman for IBM.
   Boston, MA 02116

   You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely.
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