Thank you so much for your generosity! I hope to be back soon!

I'm glad I got exposure to this, I didn't even realize marching was a thing in any other country. Looking forward to the future of this :)

I have been watching Japanese marching band on KZfaq for nearly a decade. NISHIHARA AND and AIMACHI ruled the JMBA. I am definitely entertained. Please reach out to American Media so "we" can watch live.

I haven't done anything with marching band in many years since I was last in High School. Seeing all of these bands from various schools performing so well is bringing back some fond memories of when I played as well. Easy to say I'm very impressed by all of their skill!

Jazz running and looking GOOD while doing it.

Blue Stars but okay lol

More than one group can host a Japan audition!

@@funlinerproductions7071i think they mean Blue Stars is the first group to FULLY have audition camps there

@@switchingtracksis this really true? Something tells me it’s not

@@jackcallahan1848 I meant like they are having ACTUAL audition camps there not like accepting video auditions and stuff, they are making it easier for Japanese musicians to participate in the Internation org. lol

What if Drum Corps INTERNATIONAL?! 🤯 maybe one day 🤷🏻‍♂️

​@@funlinerproductions7071I mean there is DCJ, but it's very different...

@@JamesThatcheryeah that would have been my question, how do you regulate something like that because the styles would be so different

There's an organization called WASMB that has been doing that for awhile now (I've kept up with them off and on since about 2008 or so, and I remember them being even older than that). They're not a "premier" event like BOA Grand Nationals, DCI or WGI Worlds is, but they do have international participation. They held competitions in the US in 2017 and 2023 but they didn't have wide participation from the American groups. When they held it in Japan in 2013 quite a few of the top Japanese groups showed up and they shut out alot of the other international competitors, but they all ended up losing to Calgary Stampede from Canada. It's an interesting setup and judging format.

Thanks for the love!

Thank you for the support!!!

We finished fifth having had less than three months working on the show for DCA, whilst also working on our show (of completely different music) for competitions in Japan.

If only it wasn’t so massively expensive to fly everyone out to the US!

@@funlinerproductions7071 That's unfortunate, but true.

Yes,totally agree. Its a must !!!😍

As an educator in the US as well I share that jealousy! But also from my experience being in Japan, the entire culture of their society is completely different. That discipline and obedience is just the standard there so it is a lot easier to teach. But of course there’s always pros and cons to that too!

There are music arrangers and drill writers that do freelance work and write for multiple schools. And sometimes the music arrangement and drill design is done in-house by the band director or a staff member. Usually the instructional staff is composed of alumni but also can be university level students teaching on the side as well.

The groups that participate in DCJ, JMBA or festivals like Matsuri often recruit DCI staff to design for and coach the group. Soka Renaissance Vanguard is well known for using Blue Devils staff, Aimachi is well known for using Cavaliers staff. I couldn't say for sure what Shonandai does, but I do know they've had several kids go overseas to march DCI. I also know their band fees are INSANE (like $8,000 insane!) so a lot of that must go into bringing in staff (they also do some overseas traveling like Kyoto Tachibana does). But this isn't the "standard" way Japan does it. This is just what the top groups do. Most of what we get exposed to from Japan tends to be the "best-of-the-best" of what they do. It's not always representative of the way it's done everywhere in Japan. The majority of Japanese marching groups use a more in-house approach (director or student designed drill/choreo, stock arrangements etc.). Which is still mostly how it's done in the US believe it or not.

Same. I'm planning to march DCJ if I ever get a job in Japan. I wanna march in Yokohama Inspires and in its alumni corps.

These are designed like early 2000's DCI shows. Lots of sharp hits and fast, synchronous movement.

the high school at the end had a strong early 2000's Blue Devils feel to it.

BOA and UIL shows are almost a different activity given the stage and the scale of their programs. I wonder what Japanese marching bands would do under the same conditions as a typical Texas super school 👀

@@pmil9645 that's my bread and butter lol

Shonandai shares their end season vids on their KZfaq channel (they're also known as "White Shooting Stars"). Probably the best scholastic marching group in the world. They'd win BOA for sure, and would likely make finals in DCI World.

WE DO!!!

dies irae :)

It’s Dies Irae! You might recognize it from Carolina Crown 2015!

Depends on what impresses you more! Texas bands are amazing and the scale of their production is massive! But there is definitely value to recognizing the level of talent from individual to individual across the board! And I think Japan is incredibly impressive in that regard!

Texas (and other BOA bands...not to mention DCI groups for that matter) pump their entire wind line through $100,000 of mics, synths, mixing boards and speakers to amplify and bassboost the louds, along with coloring the wind line with chorus/strings, reverb, and synth layers to give it more shimmer and hide its imperfections, while using equalization to enhance the balance. Japan groups can't use electronics (their circuits don't allow it). It's a lot easier to play with a good sound when you don't have to play way past your best sound in order to simply be heard by the crowd.

dies irae!!

Dies Irae by Verdi. You probably remember from Crown's Inferno show in 2015

It’s Dies Irae! You might recognize it from Carolina Crown 2015!

THANK YOUUUU@@funlinerproductions7071

@@funlinerproductions7071 THATS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS THINING OF , just couldn't remember the year lmao