Armchair Program Coordinator 2024
First Impressions - Part Two
Welcome to part two of the Armchair Program Coordinator: First Impressions series. If you missed last week’s installment, read the in-depth explanation of the project and my reaction to the five corps who performed at the Midwest Premiere. In this series, I deconstruct the designs of shows based on one (or otherwise very limited) viewing, give my initial reactions to each corps performance, and then, following the season, we’ll look at how differently things end up!
Before we get into it, I’d like to remind everyone that these are just my opinions as a fan with no actual design experience who is just having fun pretending and wants to see every corps succeed at the highest level.
And with all of that out of the way, let’s get to discussing the following five corps to premiere, with Santa Clara Vanguard, Mandarins, Blue Devils, and Pacific Crest premiering at Corps at the Crest on the West Coast, but first at DCI Central Indiana…
Carolina Crown - Promethean
The first corps to premiere on June 28th was Carolina Crown, joining the five corps that first performed in Rockford. Last season, Crown medaled for the first time since 2017, and they hope to keep the momentum going this year with their 2024 show, “Promethean.”
I love the fiery way they start their show, both visually and musically; it might even be my favorite thing Crown has put out all decade. As a kickoff to a story-based show, it’s very effective at grabbing the audience’s attention and setting up the journey.
Following the opener, we get an absolutely electric percussion transition, highlighted by an extended tenor feature I’m already obsessed with. Overall, I’m delighted with the direction the new percussion team has been taking Crown the past two seasons, pushing them to the forefront instead of being an afterthought like they were in the 2010s.
However, after this, it loses me as the brass book becomes very technique-focused and flashy, which is disappointing as the opener was so emotionally satisfying. While impressive, going from feature to feature is emotionally unsatisfying and lacks musical direction. I’d like to see these flashy moments spread out more instead of being compacted into one movement, giving the audience more time to breathe.
My other issue is Crown’s take on “Fraternity” by Thierry Deleruyelle. In the second movement, Crown pulls from the energetic “B section.” In the original recording from 2017, the ensemble takes this section at a quick but restrained ~150 bpm, giving it an infectious groove. However, the writers decided to take this section around 170 bpm, which I think robs the piece of its character. My frustration continues into the ballad, where they use the ending slow section. Other than the fact that I feel it works better as an ending (a la Santa Clara Vanguard 2019), Crown adds too many notes to the ballad that feel extraneous and overwritten. Much of what gives Fraternity its sense of finality and triumph is the relishing of the beautiful tones of an all-brass ensemble, and introducing runs and runs of notes disrupts the phrasing and direction.
I don’t have much to say about the closer, as it seems like they’re planning on fleshing it out more. My one comment is that it is evident that the arranger/composer of this movement is clearly different from the rest of the show, so even if it works, the transition into this movement feels a little jarring.
My general thoughts on the show are that while starting strong, it falls off course quickly and ultimately leaves me wanting more. With no Crown Set implemented yet, we know we can expect more to come from Carolina Crown, and I hope it helps tie things together more thoroughly.
Santa Clara Vanguard - Vagabond
Over on the West Coast, we saw Santa Clara Vanguard’s first official DCI show since 2022. Given financial issues, they were not able to field last season. Their first statement back to the field is their 2024 production, “Vagabond,” which explores how all a traveler can carry with him is what’s on his back.
Looking at their visual setup, we immediately see this theme reflected in the distinct lack of props on the field, a bold move in modern drum corps design. However, I’m not sure they pull it off well yet. For most of the show, I want to see the corps spread out more, taking advantage of all the free space that most of their competition lacks due to their more elaborate set design.
Compounding the compressed nature of the drill design are the dark, monochromatic costumes, which, to the eye, make each individual (and, to an extent, the entire corps) look much smaller than they would with some variant coloration.
Musically, on the other hand, I have very few complaints. As a hip-hop fan and, more specifically, of Kendrick Lamar, it’s always exciting to see it adapted into a marching arts setting. I love the use of the motif from “United in Grief” and how they sprinkle it throughout the show. I also have to comment on the percussion, with them taking the lead for much of the show. I think that they prove the point that the issue with “long” percussion features a lot of the time isn’t the actual number of seconds; it’s whether there is a melodic idea to latch on to and carry the momentum of the show while the brass takes a step back (spoiler, they do this VERY well).
Overall, I feel similarly about this show as I do about their 2019 show: I’m in love with it musically, but not as much visually.
Mandarins - Vieux Carré
After three seasons of placing 10th, Mandarins took the next step and jumped to 6th in the 2023 season. With this year’s show, “Vieux Carré,” which is about the culture of New Orleans, they aim to cement themselves in the top half of finals.
An observer seeing the setup before them might assume a slow build for an entrance, with the corps hiding behind props and running out as the percussion ushers them into the opening hit. However, this expectation gets subverted immediately. Instead, the front of the props drops down, revealing the entire corps already staged for the opening hit as they enter with a huge sound. The crowd loved this effect, and it carried over well for people watching the stream, such as myself.
Another thing that might catch your eye if you are attentive is that Mandarins, like in 2018, have a full-time trombone line. Despite being a very different show from a tonal standpoint, it still fits perfectly as one of the key aspects of New Orleans culture is street bands, which heavily feature trombones and sousaphones (another instrument we see utilized in this show, to a lesser extent). They continue to fully explore street bands’ musical colors, with brass mutes frequently used throughout the show.
I don’t feel like I have a great read on the rest of the show, but that’s the fun of this project. The point is that I won’t know everything at first, and we can see how my opinion changes over the season. That said, I love the energy in the closer and am excited to see it again soon.
Overall, this show is an excellent exploration of a culture, and the designers show an in-depth knowledge of what makes the music from this part of the country so iconic beyond just the notes on the page.
Blue Devils - The Romantics
The defending champion and the corps looking to become the second corps to achieve a threepeat (without a two-year gap in competition), the Blue Devils give us a familiar feeling production with “The Romantics.”
I am obsessed with the way they start their show. Chaotic music accompanies the corps as they almost inhumanly leave the encapsulation of their initial prop setup. The way the capes look while they move across the field is magnificent in an entropic yet intentional fashion, and I’m pleased that, for once, they keep the outer layer of the costume on for more than just the very beginning.
The props mentioned above boxing the corps in have an excellent effect when used sparingly, but at times, the show feels very congested, and I wish they would stage the props during some specific moments to fill more space. One moment I would like to see this is following the “Merry Go Round of Life” section when they play music from Pokemon Black and White. While this musical moment is one of my favorites this year, being a long-time fan of the gaming franchise (and an advocate of video game music in the marching arts), I think the visual aspect of being clumped up does not match well with the energetic music. Having the corps take up more space and giving more visual interest as the melody jumps from section to section would greatly help me during this moment.
In the ballad, I almost feel transported back to earlier in the night with Carolina Crown, as many runs in the brass feel unnecessary and distracting, taking away from the moment’s beauty.
As somebody who has typically disagreed with the notion that the Blue Devils do the “same show every year, “I can’t help but feel a little burnt out from their formula. It’s certainly not a bad show and one that I think will likely be a strong contender for yet another title, but it’s starting to feel stale. I look forward to the inevitable changes they will make as they do every year, and perhaps, like in 2019, this show will end up as one of my favorites from the corps.
Pacific Crest - The Broken Column
The final corps to premiere on June 28th was Pacific Crest, the hosts of Corps at the Crests with their show titled “The Broken Column.” Last year, they had a solid start to the season, finishing 12th at DCI San Antonio but sliding back into 14th by championship weekend.
One of the things that immediately differentiates this show from the last is the level of demand for the performers, clearly written as a show to peak later in the season rather than at the beginning. This increased content is most noticeable in their percussion, whose sound vastly improved from last season and should also be a strong point for the corps from a writing perspective for the rest of the season.
Another striking contrast to last year is their use of color. They have orange uniforms, which work well despite my typical complaints about monochromatic costuming. A big reason I think this works more for me is that the props are a deep blue, which provides the contrast lacking in the uniforms. This gives the corps a solid visual identity, which I thought they lacked with last year’s show.
The show’s pacing is another of their strengths; none of the transitions feel jarring or out of place, and you can follow along with the arc very well. One of my favorite moments of the show this year echoes a moment from last year’s show, and that’s the ballad being a piece by the criminally underutilized Vienna Teng, “Passages.” The way the designers have arranged this piano ballad into a brass and percussion setting is excellent, and I’m also happy to see some of Vienna’s earlier work being utilized.
I think this is a substantial step up from last year’s show design in some aspects, but it does not take a step back in the places where they were already successful. With more of the show to be fielded, I cannot wait to see the production and corps’ growth throughout the rest of the season.
With yet another set of exciting storyline setups behind us, this season continues to excite me in a way I haven’t felt since before the pandemic. Keep your eyes peeled for the next installment of Armchair Program Coordinator, where I will give my reactions to Bluecoats, Music City, Spirit of Atlanta, The Academy, and Madison Scouts.
Aaron Blackley is one of the original contributors for General Effect Media. He has a vast knowledge and passion for the marching arts and has worked alongside the likes of HornRank as a ranker and moderator as well as the TxBands.com liveblog team since summer 2021. Aaron currently works front of house at Interstellar BBQ in North Austin. He can be found on Twitter as @GEMAaronB.