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Wow. I haven’t posted on a drum corp bulletin board since Prodigy in 1995. I marched a lot in a number of venues. Then I started down a route that culminated in being an Army Airborne Ranger. That basically means that I’ve journeyed to the extreme outer rim of the galaxy of abuse and returned. During training we utilize profanity that few can imagine and projected at volume levels that could rival the 1992 Cavaliers percussion feature. This is done to reprimand soldiers who have made mistakes that could get themselves or others killed. Could such a technique be useful in correcting a negligent snare drummer? Of course, but the sense of urgency is not the same. Ranger School involves a realm of physical suffering that often leads one to question whether the light of day will ever be seen again. Can a level of physical difficulty make an activity such as drum corp more rewarding? Perhaps. I don’t consider pushups and running to be abusive. Abuse is a process that takes hours or even days, and it could result in a heat related death. Building the intensity level through some exertion is a technique, but in this situation, it could be construed as abuse very quickly. Pain and profanity are crutches in a normal teaching situation and no substitute for a positive environment as the Cavies bass drummer has alluded to. However, adversity builds cohesion when used properly, and it makes for some good stories and personal pride on down the road as some of the posts demonstrate. In conclusion, it’s the instructor’s choice, but they should know what they are doing, not ask anything that they wouldn’t do themselves, never discipline out of blind anger, and be VERY careful about crossing the line. Drum corp is about kids being the best they can be and not about forging obedience through fear or teachers living out their power trip fantasies. Jeff