Reactions from the past

[FliccGirl]

I definitely agree. My "favorite" is when they hand us the visitor fight song right before practice, and have us play it during the pregame run-through the same day. That makes it especially fun for those of us without lyres... we usually end up asking the nearest section "What key is it in!???!?" and frantically transposing that however many steps up or down... and then just playing random notes in that key.

[/rant]

I would LOVE to get all the visitor fight songs during fundies week. That would make me soooo happy. Why don't we just keep copies of at least the MAC teams' fight songs from year to year? (Or if we already do, why don't we hand them out earlier?) I realize nobody here knows the answer to this... I'm just rambling I suppose.

[Ohiogal]

Let's get TBS/KKY on to this... have them contact their sisters/brothers at other schools for copies of the fight songs... however, I do know we have copies on campus... just need to bride you band librarians into handing them out earlier...

[goofyeuph]

Fliccgirl, if it makes you feel any better thats about all I did ALL YEAR. Look at it once, try and get the one key phrase we had and then ad-lib the rest of it. Maybe we should bribe the Libarians like ohiogal suggests. If everyone kicked in a dollar...thats a lot of money. I'd pull parts for $250. Of course what do I know?

[able1]

Okay, I can't take this any more. I have to get my 2 cts. in.

It's CORPS, never just corp. That's plain wrong

Mark, you're an idiot


Oh, and we missed you at the BB games. You will be at the hockey game, right?

[Falcon30]

Then again, I didn't get the gig 'cause of my conducting skills.

There is a question here, just begging to be asked....but I am not going to ask it.

[FliccGirl]

Ha... I've heard the reasons Chief designated those two as drum majors... it makes me laugh... but hey, you guys did cooler stuff than ours do, whatever the original reasons you got the job.

I'm not ripping on Kent and Bozz... I just wish our current (and future) DMs did cool stuff with the mace like "back in the day."

[Ohiogal]

All I'll say is that one of us got the 'gig' for height and one got it for the smile..

As for the drum majors now... they sure get to direct a LOT more than we did 'back in the day'. So, they are 'seen' a lot more than we were. I was usually running backwards in front of the tubas or percussion, lost in the drill... *sigh*

Mark and I were sent off to Smith Walbridge Drum Major Camp. that helped a lot. We were in total awe of the Illinois Drum Majors (their director owned/ran the camp so you bet your buns they were good!). We emulated them... well, I did at least! Or tried to! Thus, the mace was born...

[Rightupinthere]

We emulated them... well, I did at least! Or tried to! Thus, the mace was born...

I didn't really emulate the Ill-I-Noys DMs. I thought the mace was cool. So, I bought me one. Then, Delaine bought herself one.

A tradition was born while another was ended. Mace in lieu of baton.

True, back in the day the directors did a vast majority of the directing. We were on the field flapping our arms trying not to get our butts runned[sic] over.
We got one or two song a year on the ladder - mostly on the East Side - when the band played songs to the East side, that is.

[FliccGirl]

The mace is way cooler than the baton anyway.

I'm considering bribing/threatening/blackmailing whoever gets DM next year until they learn how to use it.

*sigh* No, I understand, if one part of the position increases (directing) then I guess another has to decrease (tossing/spinning)... but it always gives me DM-envy when you two show up for alumni weekend.

There, I'm done flattering you guys now.

[BGMello04]

quote:
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Originally posted by FliccGirl:
but it always gives me DM-envy when you two show up for alumni weekend.
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You're telling me! That's one of my favorite part! Correct me if I'm wrong but our current and future DM's don't get sent to any clinics. After talking with Kent earlier in the season, my assumption is that any mace work they do is pretty much their own, because neither of them had used a british mace in high school, but rather a trick mace. I wish we had video archives of older games that we could view just to see how things were and what older traditions that have faded could be resurrected (then we'd have to be called the Phoenix Marching Band...) and what things we could let go. I have a feeling that auditions will be approaching soon and I would like to see what the DM's of the past were like, and what they accomplished during their respective seasons.

[goofyeuph]

quote:
older traditions that have faded could be resurrected (then we'd have to be called the Phoenix Marching Band...)

Sorry Charles, I don't think the PMB has the same ring to it. (Very cool on the reference though )

[FliccGirl]

I have a feeling that auditions will be approaching soon

Yeah-- I've heard it'll be soon, since they figure that the new DMs prolly won't be exactly the same size as Kent and Bozz. *grin*

Speaking of drum major uniforms, here's a question I've always wondered about. Why have female drum majors worn different uniforms from male drum majors, when male and female band members wear the same uniforms? I remember my freshman year, Elaina was in a skirt... and you had to wear a modified colorguard uniform, Ohiogal, didn't you?

[SaxyIrishTenor]

Next years DMs will have the same uniform style, whether male or female, I think. In fact, I need to ask Doc H about that...

[Ohiogal]

Yes, my first year I wore a flag *shudder* uniform with a white cowboy hat (our color guard wore brown hats). the reason I wore that was because they had never had a female DM... and my thinking is that they didn't want to order an entire uniform for me in case a female didn't work out... that's my thinking, at least.

Mr. Kelly was old school and females wore skirts... so I wore a skirt. I did get to wear Pat Pearson's uniform ONCE my last year when it was subzero temps outside. But it was off-white so I looked 'dirty' next to Mark. (I can just hear Mark now with a comment to that one...)

As for camp, yes we were sent to one. We each bought a Peacock Mace for like $120. I have no idea what they cost now... mine actually broke the first year I had it on the turf at the Detroit Lion's game. But I digress... we took lessons at camp and then just winged it from there. We didn't do a lot of mace stunts during our 4 years as DMs... except for our salutes at pre-game. We didn't carry our maces on the field for half-time.

Another point... Mark and I both offered to help out new drum majors. But... well, I did a little bit my first year out but they didn't want to learn mace. It isn't that difficult and they could learn some basics from the flags (spinning, tossing). And I know I can speak for mark that we'd both come back for a day or so during fundamentals and work with them IF they wanted.

But I think they should do the backbend... that should be in the try-outs! I still think that looks cool, even though we weren't EVER as good as Pat Pearson.

by the way... thanks for the ego trip. I needed that!

[Rightupinthere]

Broads belong in skirts.



I digress.....

if asked I would come over to BG for a day or two (hell, I have over 250 hours in comp time to use up, I may as well do it being quasi-useful.) I would even venture over to conduct clinic with Delaine prior to tryouts. What better way to link old with new! *cough* ego *cough*

I should post some original picture I have from Delaine and my first year as DM. I have some wonderful pictures of Delaine in her flag major uniform knee deep in mud. I have a picture of myself conducting Ay-Zig with an apple core (or is it corps, Jason?) in my mouth.

Good time, good times.