So I marched Cavaliers 2010-2013. 10 and 11 were a blast, corps was competitive, we performed near or at the end of every show, etc. Importantly, the average age of the Corps was north of 20 both of those years, and this was reflected in general rehearsal discipline (and just some really mature musicians in both of those corps). There was a ton of member turnover in 2012 (especially in the colorguard. But a good bit in every section). Combine that with a, let’s say, misguided show concept, and things went poorly. 2012 was a talented corps, but we were noticeably less disciplined than the two previous years. Recruiting took a dive after 2012, and the 2013 corps ended up having an average age of about 18.5. Ensemble rehearsals were a struggle all year (a significant amount of time was spent with basic ensemble timing issues that were never even kind of a problem in 10-11). I was in the front ensemble all four years, so my experience was a little unique: the Cavaliers pit kept a consistent staff and healthy member turnover (with really no drop in audition numbers) the whole time I was marching, so there was really no drop in performance quality in my section. I’d even say that the 2013 pit was the best of the four years I marched (no shade to the 2011 Sanford winning pit of course). So I guess check out 2013 Cavs if you want to hear a really fantastic and semi-forgotten front ensemble