I want to pose a question to directors and students that participate in these groups. Are all the students in these groups REALLY the best of the best from their schools?? It's hard to believe that all of these kids are really at an "All-Star" level. I know this may sound mean, but I just don't believe it!!! I don't believe in so called "All-Star" groups because they perpetuate an elitest attitude in kids. I'm a teacher and it's hard to get ALL of my students to understand the importance of knowing all twelve of their major scales, or all forty of their rudiments. It's hard to get them to play with dynamics, phrasing and articulation...AND play with intensity and endurance!!! BUT...when they get to these "All-Star" groups, you mean to tell me that these are the things being taught??? Man please...kids like going to these things because they have a free pass to "CRANK ON NEM BOYS!!!" And that's the truth!!!! But like Cee-Lo said, "you don't want me to tell you the truth. So I'm a lie to ya make sound fly to ya."
I would rather have a summer group with students that WANT and NEED more help to get to that level. To me, having that kid that struggles FINALLY get that part down, is one of the most gratifying feelings you can have as a teacher. It also helps if that All-Star kid can get that kid that's not the all-star, to get to that level as well. I just think that these groups loose sight of what's REALLY important. They say that's what they are about, but in the words of my boys on ESPN's NFL Sunday Countdown...."C'MON Man!!!
I know some of these groups really mean well, but if you REEAAALLLLYYY want to see what a REAL "All-Star" group looks like, go to www.dci.org and click on the "schedule" link and see when one of those groups are coming to a city near you. You don't even have to buy a ticket. Just go to the location of the event and hang around the parking lot, and watch these groups warm up!!!! I'll bet you'll learn more that day than you will the entire summer "crankin." I try to take my students every year and they get that "Hanna Montana" every year...(think about it.............ding)
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This is an example of what I'm talking about....check it out!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQmhcymIGCA
DCI proffesional
I love showstlye and all aspects but I gotta Love that. thatz just pure perfection
That sound is something that would take more than 2-3 hours, 4 days a week.. You have to really have time for methods alone and they all have the same horns that are in excellent condition.. That director that you see is Mr. Feagin and he says that it's very hard work, you would have to have directors who are deep within the music.
To answer the question " all-star bands are not full of all star musicans, more like kids who are preparing to play what they like to hear.. It's for fun and I really can't find anything wrong with that especially in a high crime community..
The Original New Orleans Public Schools All-Star band Program Started out with The Most talented Students in the School system. you technically had the top 3 to 5 players from Each Section of every Public Schools.in that band. There weren't many requirements other than that we knew the "Concert Band Clinic" A through J by Heart . at the same time They could call off anything from J through O randomly. but technically that whole Clinic was the Warm up routine for the first week of practice.
Our all star band only did this for 3 weeks out of the Fall semester. and it was worth it.. We had Good Readers & players playing with Great Readers and Players. .. We had maybe 3 performances at most. but it was all worth while. we had no sponsor other than the School board and Coke.. and we didn't battle anyone because there weren't any other all star bands in 1999/ but we were happy to have something close to collegiate in the city..
NOW in N.O. we have the Alumni Band ... The only reason "All-Star" was in Honor of the Original All Star band... and believe it or not.. we now have about a bunch of Community bands within our metro area. Starting from Middle School. It's actually GOOD for our bands because It's Boosting The effort to bring back what we once had. which was an Un-defeatable band community within the city.
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.. another thing. DCI ... Its an organization of bands with One Standard across the board you. so. when it comes to How The Bands Work. you cant really compare DCI to a a conglomeration of individual community based programs.
They Have battles Created By DCI for DCI ... have Battles created by Independent sponsors which is it's not the greatest thing ever but it Works.
The minute We have a League of our own we'd have to have LIMITS to everything across the board. such as age range, Unit Size, Instrumentation and all kinds of things... Aside from that. The DRAMA would be DOUBLE TIME!
I feel you though man!
I believe it can happen across the board but not to the standard the DCI. Adapting their to their format of (especially with Timing for practice & events) would make these bands as somewhat of a camp which is a great thing. I guess it would be similar to participating in state wide events with a single school... It's Work. it's fun, its an experience.
Generally, it would be a lot of work but it's worth it
The "Standard" you speak of has been constantly improving and evolving since 1972.
In the beginning, there were 8 groups. The quality of their music/shows was where ours is today.
They began without consistent rules about anything, just a commitment to make it happen every summer - by hook or by crook. They had no sponsors to speak of, the only funding was that contributed by each of the 8 corps - through fundraising, and donations. In 1974, the corps here in Cali, competed regularly against show-style bands and traditional bands. The All-Star band that I marched with from 1972-1982, regularly held our own against the corps - winning a great many of those competitions. Please don't judge DCI by the slick, dripping with money shows that you see now. Remember, they've have 39 years of growing up! Everyone looks at the World Class corps and shrinks...90% of those corps are young adults between 19 and 21. You might find 2-3 highly advanced high school kids in each World Class corps. The high school kids march with the Open Class corps. Open Class corps are broke, and accept just about every kid who shows up.
Sorry to preach, y'all. But, I'm real tired of everyone treating DCI as if they were God! They are just a different flavor. We don't have to adapt to their format...Hell, they spend 4 months a year, every year, fighting about rules...changing and rechanging them. A league of our own is not impossible...or even difficult. If any other bands are serious about doing this, please contact me!
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