drumcorps00

Capital Regiment won't be back. They published their return before they applied to DCI. DCI had to step in to get the corps down the road and to make sure the kids were safe. I believe that Capital Regiment returning is something that will not happen. I would like to see more drum corps don't get me wrong.

http://www.yea.org/site/News2?page=NewsArt...ws_iv_ctrl=1002

Hello Thanks for the replies. As I read through the responses I see some similar topics arising again and again. Those who do not enjoy the marching band/drum corps comparison are not fond of it because 1) They feel drum corps is an elitist activity compared to marching band 2) They have some baggage on the narration issue. This is curious to me as I never mentioned Narration in my post I also enjoyed one poster who mentioned how he took to Drum corps because there were no electronics or woodwinds. I found this to be an interesting answer and though I cannot tell that poster why they became a fan of drum corps, I find that answer hard to believe. So to reply. The best marching bands are better that the worst drum corps, much better. I also believe that the best marching marching bands are better than some lower World class corps. In my post I did mention something to the extend of the best drum corps are better than the best marching bands. It appears we have a Aristocracy/Peasant attitude in the drum corps world about band. We see ourselves as great and noble and though we need the peasants to survive and we live off their backs, we see them as a lower class who are not worthy of our prestige. The connections between drum corps and marching band are too great to say that they are not akin. The drum corps activity is in trouble. Recently the DCI board sought to create a new business plan to get back in the black. Support every single corps if you really love drum corps.

Drum corps and marching band are akin. Anyone who cannot admit this is, sorry to say and not to be insulting, vacuous. Both drum corps and marching band pick a theme for a competitive field show and spend a competitive season leading up to a championship. Both marching band and drum corps march on a football field, both have brass, percussion and color guard, both have a front ensemble and so on and so on.... Many drum corps shows are based off of marching band shows and vice versa. This years Samurai show by the Cavaliers was recently done by a marching band in Florida. That Florida marching band also decided not to costume their front ensemble in their groups proper uniform. Cadets 2005 opener Liquid was based off a marching band show about different fears. That marching bands opener was a fear of water. You can view marching bands from Asia on youtube wearing a uniform styled after the Cavaliers and performing their take on Cavalier shows. Yet, I still haven't gotten to my point that drum corps has become marching band without you even knowing it. 35 years ago when DCI started the majority of membership was "off the streets". These untrained youth where usually from the town that the drum corps was from. There was a time when the membership of the Phantom Regiment were from Rockford/ Loves Park. Today I would be surprised if 2 members of the corps were from Rockford/Loves Park. What happened? The untrained off the street kids were replaced by marching band kids. If you poll a World class corps I believe you will find over 95% of the membership are marching band kids who received their first training in a school marching band. The kids are not the only element which has transformed as the instruction has also converted. The majority of drum corps instructors and designers are marching band directors and/or school educators. What this has done is to change the formula of membership in drum corps. Due to the fact that most people participating in a drum corps this summer, both membership and instructional, are marching band people. The mindset of drum corps has become more educational and marching band like. I dare say that drum corps is softer in it's approach both on and off the field than it was 35 years ago. These same instructors and designers spend their falls writing marching band shows. This is a definite reason for the similarity in design themes. Many drill writers test new ideas on marching bands before those same ideas hit a drum corps field. The famed Cavalier double helix of 1995 was seen in the previous marching band season. Why do drum corps acquire such great sponsorships? Instruments, uniforms and guard equipment are all given to the top drum corps at little to no cost. The premier drum corps are of a higher mastery than the premier marching bands. The reasoning is simple, these sponsors see marching band and drum corps as part of the same industry and are seeking sales from the nations many school districts. It is fair to say that the nations best marching bands are better than many drum corps. Drum corps has become marching band without you even knowing it. The drum corps activity has been invaded by the people and industry of the marching band world. The two are very intertwined and to not accept this is ludicrous. What would drum corps be without this marching band invasion? It would be dead and if we're not careful it will be dead soon. A previous post asked which recently folded corps would you bring back. In the last 3-4 years drum corps has lost 6 World class corps. If you don't believe me this year there are 48 competitive corps registered with Drum Corps International. In 2003 there was 67 drum corps at the DCI championships. In 5 years we have lost 19 corps. Why is this happening? The cost of fuel, the cost of food and a smoking ban in bingo halls are a few reasons. So what is the point of my essay? Drum corps and marching band are very similar. They are members of the same industry and become more and more related every year. Also, drum corps is coming to an end unless something big happens. We should be appreciative of all the groups regardless of your personal feelings about their design or identity. Soon you may be saying "Remember drum corps". Go to a drum corps show because ticket sales are down 50%. Stand up at the end of every performance and show your appreciation for that drum corps because soon there may not be a drum corps for you to go and view.

Canada competed in the 70's because corps were usually made of "off the street" kids. Today the majority of kids in corps are from marching band. The United States is a Football culture with a unique high school element. Marching band ties in with football in the high schools. Canada is a Hockey culture where hockey is in the community and mostly outside the schools. This is why Canada does not compete on the level it once did.

Try www.sidestep.com Jet Blue can be good as well

You know in 2004 I don't think anyone was good enough to win.

Too many people in here give judging too much credit. It's not an exact science yet people treat it like it is. It's opinons and friends have friends etc... Please remember the judge views and then says "ummmmm maybe I'll give them.........something like......a ____". Also most judges are not good instructors. If they were they would be instructing. They have been very few judges turned great instructor. They have been many more turned bad instructor. So, my point is judging isn't perfect. There's many many flaws in an opinon system. Don't treat it like it's a scientific fact when a judge puts a number down. A different guy on a different night would say something totally different.

I think gas and many others thing cost the members more. I could be wrong but most staffs get paid very little.

After the way the fans acted during championship week. I'm disappointed in them. Thank you

It is always about the kids. Always. Not even a question in my mind. Thank you

Lame attack on a typo............

Maybe why Cadets were cleaner.

This could be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. If you do something hard look effortless, you're doing it well. If you're doing something hard and it looks hard, well, you're not doing it well. Thanks

I think people here are afraid to admit that Drum corps is marching band. It is whereabout 98% of the membership comes from. Mike