Music of Andrew F. Poor

About to March Drum Corps?   Some thoughts as you get ready for the summer.  1)  Accept the fact that 95% of your daily existence is out of your control and “Embrace the Suck! ”   Things will be tough; that is what you signed up for. You will be pushed extremely hard; again, what you signed up for. It will be hot; it is summer. You will take cold showers; again, it is part of the deal. There will be crappy fields, crazy schedules, long bus rides, short EPL, frantic show warm- ups etc…Complaining about any of these things helps NO ONE! So, DON’T! EVER!!!! I mean it!  2)  You grow the most when you are out of your comfort zone . You are going to be uncomfortable and feel overwhelmed. Great! That is what makes drum corps fun, and why only a select type of person can do this crazy activity. You will, most definitely, grow this summer. 3)  Your attitude and your performance are your greatest commodities  to the drum c...

An oft cited view on competition in the arts... An alternative view... Lastly, the populace view... Competition and the Arts Throughout my career, I have been faced with the decision on how to balance competition and my daily activities as a musician and an educator. When I was young, I was often told the following phrase, "Right now, someone is working harder than you and when you meet them in competition, they will be better than you." Another, popular motivational phrase, "Hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard."   Eugene Corporon always said to us, "Every day is audition day."  I firmly believe there may not be a more competitive industry than the music industry . Tens of thousands of individuals will compete for a place on popular shows, such as, American Idol. An equally high number of people will study and earn advanced degrees to be one of 400+ people auditioning for a single place in a professional ...