Goldpin

If you want to play a woodwind on the field, JOIN A MARCHING BAND!!!!!!!!!!!! A drum corps should is (and always should be) more than merely a marching band with attitude!

The Spartans didn't. They just celebrated their 50th year last year. Looks like the Chicago Cavaliers, Troopers, Boston Crusaders, and the Racine Scouts (to name but a few) didn't fold either.

For a bit more perspective, I've never seen one and I joined my corps in 1962. Didn't even hear of them until last year when one of my contemporaries mentioned it.

Certainly women can play contra. The Norwood Debonnaires (all girl corps) had 'em.

Don't say things like that! You don't want to give 'em ideas!

:D We always said hitting a judge was worth 500 brownie points! I do remember one manuver where we usually managed to get the judge boxed in. :D

SMILE when you say that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^0^

The Norwood Debonnaires always had a female drum major. The Charlotte Seaward was the drum major for the Peabody Musketeers '62 and '63 (possibly '64). The Spartans back in the '60s, but I don't know the year or for how long.

You mean there's ANOTHER way to pronounce it?????????????

When you live in England, you learn to use British spelling. No, I'm not British, I just live here

As I've been looking at various posts, I keep seeing the colour guard referred to as colourguard. Sorry, but its TWO WORDS. The colour guard (in D&B terms) is derived from the military colour guard whose job was, literally, to guard a unit's colours to prevent them being captured by the enemy. Since my time in drum corps, it as metamorphosed into the "guard". Since the guard is more like a dance troupe IMO, referring to it in that way is perhaps more appropriate. There never has been such a thing as colourguard. :ramd:

Simple solution - put 'em back into uniform and turn 'em back into a colour guard! :)

The Neolithic! :D Which would put me back somewhere in the Jurassic. b**bs

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree in one respect. In my experience junior corps (members aged under 21) were Class A, B, or C. (What would probably be Div I, II, and III nowadays). The senior class was for corps with members aged 21+. However, the Reveries could have referred to their two corps as junior and senior just to distinguish between the two.

Disreguard - answered a question which wasn't a question.

Chance would be a fine thing! Unfortunately, I'm on the other side of the pond. This is the corps i REALLY would have liked to march with!

Ever heard of Le Petomain? ^0^

OK, instruments have changed greatly since I was on the field. But why can’t we keep the old terminology? Drum corps has a long history and each corps has their own traditions. As far as I’m concerned, it’s very important to see they continue. The British Army is a case in point as it is more a collection of regiments than a homogenised whole. Rifle regiments were originally raised during the Napoleonic wars and armed with Baker rifles rather than smoothbore muskets. Because the Baker rifle was shorter than the “Brown Bess” musket, they were issued with short swords rather than spike bayonets to make up the length and today, a rifle regiment still calls a bayonet a “sword.” Is that so different to calling a trumpet, euphonium, or tuba a soprano, bass baritone, or contra?

I had the same problems with grades in high school and my parents did threaten me with no drum corps a couple of times. At least they didn't try to carry it out as they would have ended up with a war on their hands.

Didn't know there were any all male corps still around. Didn't want to hijack the thread, it was just me being cynical. Personally I wish there were some all girl corps still around.

The answer is really very simple - ALL OF 'EM, good, bad, or indifferent. There just aren't enough around today!

Don't forget the Norwood Debonnaires (Norwood, MA) and the Leicester Girls (Leicester, MA?). However, the way things are going these days, if someone wanted to start an all girl corps, I think there'd probably be someone screaming about sex discrimination.

If some "Bando" were to say to me that there were no "real" drum corps before 1990, etc. I'd be MORE than a LITTLE P---ED OFF!!! OK, I was on the field back in what most of you would think are the dark ages ('60s), but NOBODY had better say we weren't "real" drum corps! As far as I'm concerned, most "Bandos" are probably just drum corps wannabes!

I haven't played a bass bari for 35 years and the last time I was on the field was in '68. I went to a show (I STILL want to call them contests) back in July for the first time in just about as long. I really didn't like sitting in the stands, I WANTED TO BE ON THE FIELD! Watching it just ain't the same! :(