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Madison Scouts 2014 -- Playing the Music of Stan Kenton and Don Ellis


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Except they won't be just fine. By losing its identity, drum corps is on the fast track to becoming one with the band community...but thank you for the lecture. It's not selfish to see something you love lose itself, and it's not selfish to refuse to help aid in its destruction. These changes aren't needed. They are changes for the sake of change. That's never a legitimate reason for change.

Clearly you are an alum of the corps, as am I,and it upsets me to see a brother this upset about something.

But let me ask you this,

In 1971 and 2005 when ladies were part of the corps program, did that no upset you like this?

Whe Scott Stewart suggested, before he was thrown out, that to make the guard more competitive in the 2000-2002 era, there should be girls allowed only in the guard, would you have felt how you do now?

When Scott Boerma first said that he didn't like the idea of multi-key instruments in 2000, but then in a 2004 interview said it was important to add the Bb horns, were you this upset?

When the corps started using electronics, and in 2013 narration, again, were you this upset?

In 1997, after 3 years of great Latin jazz inspired shows, did you join the ranks of the many corps alums that thought the show I was marching as a rookie wouldn't work because it was more symphonic, and about pirates?

I think you're taking things too far, and to be honest, they're still brass instruments.

Furthermore, the activity hasn't truly been "drum and bugle corps" since the old days of no valves, as a true bugle has no valves.

Oh, and don't forget in 1978 the brass staff introduced new instruments that were hardly bugles.

Oh, and that the Scouts were one of the first, if not the first to have a "pit" and not march all instruments, circa 1980.

Scouts have always been progressive, we just forget that sometimes, IMHO.

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Its a long line of bastardization that has come to close to no difference between band and drum corps. What's the point in adding all brass? Change for the sake of change is right. I'll give it a try but if I see corps choosing sousaphones over marching tubas or trombones over baritones in my opinon will mean that the activity that thrived on differentiation from band will in fact have become band.

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Except they won't be just fine. By losing its identity, drum corps is on the fast track to becoming one with the band community...but thank you for the lecture. It's not selfish to see something you love lose itself, and it's not selfish to refuse to help aid in its destruction. These changes aren't needed. They are changes for the sake of change. That's never a legitimate reason for change.

No, they aren't "changes for the sake of change". They are changes to improve the product being performed on the field. Needed? No. I can't think of one change that was actually 'needed', just changes made to improve what the audience gets to experience in sight and sound.

Did drum corps HAVE to let corps start on the field, instead of in the end zone? Did they have to add the contra voice, or valves on a horn? Were these things needed, or desired to improve the product?

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Simply to set history straight, The Kilties were the very first to ground pit, circa late 70's

Thanks, Bill! Just going by what I had heard, didn't know the Kilties had done it.

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Except they won't be just fine. By losing its identity, drum corps is on the fast track to becoming one with the band community...but thank you for the lecture. It's not selfish to see something you love lose itself, and it's not selfish to refuse to help aid in its destruction. These changes aren't needed. They are changes for the sake of change. That's never a legitimate reason for change.

Why is the drum corps identity important to you? Why does it offend you that DCI may be one one with the band community? What in an activity that started from boy scout and church troupes constitutes a "needed change"?

Edited by charlie1223
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Well, I'm officially done with the Scouts organization and drum corps in general. I saw Mr. Mason as a purist. I no longer care if the Scouts survive or not.

Like when he was running Star of Indiana, the drum corps everyone else seemed to hate at the time for how bando-ish they were?

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Back on topic, go Madison! Can't wait for more Kenton and Ellis on the field!

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Its a long line of bastardization that has come to close to no difference between band and drum corps. What's the point in adding all brass? Change for the sake of change is right. I'll give it a try but if I see corps choosing sousaphones over marching tubas or trombones over baritones in my opinon will mean that the activity that thrived on differentiation from band will in fact have become band.

In that respect, I would argue drum corps hasn't truly been "drum and bugle corps" since well before you were born. What my grandfather thought of as drum and bugle corps had nothing to do with women, non-military uniforms, or a football field! Drum and bugle corps, as you say, comes from a LONG time of bastardization: or you can say it comes from a LONG line of constant change in an attempt to better the product and offer the best/more opportunities for its membership.

Also, I'm really excited to see what Scouts do with trombones in a Kenton & Ellis show!!!

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In that respect, I would argue drum corps hasn't truly been "drum and bugle corps" since well before you were born. What my grandfather thought of as drum and bugle corps had nothing to do with women, non-military uniforms, or a football field! Drum and bugle corps, as you say, comes from a LONG time of bastardization: or you can say it comes from a LONG line of constant change in an attempt to better the product and offer the best/more opportunities for its membership.

Also, I'm really excited to see what Scouts do with trombones in a Kenton & Ellis show!!!

They also probably didn't have valves either!

Edited by tesmusic
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