dancingfrog

Since they made it back into the finals, they might have been savoring the moment for their corps!

Saturday, August 23, 2008, around 8:20 AM, WXXI Radio 91.5 (Rochester) will feature a small historical segment on the Evolution of Drum Corps. The feature will also contain a plug for the DCA Championships in Rochester, NY. Professor Joe Baker, who does Saturday morning essays on the history of marching bands, will be doing the commentary.

1995, I took a year off from marching. My ex girlfriend and I attended the DCA Championships at Frontier Field in Rochester that year. I can remember sitting next two 2 Alumni from the Westshoremen Drum Corps. It was during prelims and they raved about how close everything is in Rochester and the many different eateries that Rochester had to offer. Although Frontier Field was not the best venue, since it was a baseball stadium built for baseball and the corps were set too far back from the sidelines, the conversation quickly turned to what Rochester had to offer. That day I reminisced how going to different cities for the championships and even MacDonald’s closed down at 5 PM and the younger members of the corps liked to eat there. I now live in the suburbs of Rochester instead of the inner city where I first transferred to and find it very easy to maneuver from one place to another. Not like some cities where you may get caught in the traffic jam of your life. Since the Empire Statesmen’s show has a sell-out crowd in July and Labor Day weekend, Rochester is a great venue for drum corps. If DCA should move, perhaps Rochester could accommodate a North East Regional

While in the Empire Statesmen and the Rochester Crusaders, we had people from Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Ohio, Texas, Canada, etc. In the Statesmen, starting in May we would have ensemble rehearsal on Wednesday night. Anyone within 50 miles was required to be there. We would rehearse per section and then everyone would join together to play the book and do the guard work that evening. Believe it or not, some of the people from Canada and Syracuse, NY would leave right after work and join us although they were more than 50 miles away. Sometimes we actually worked on the visual show although there were several holes. We would even do drill changes and when we would meet with the rest of the corps on Saturday morning, everyone who knew the changes would help the out of towners. Empire Statesmen won DCA Championships this way. With use of computers, etc., your drum corps people can also exchange information with videos, etc. I was in a choir that had many members from another community. They rehearsed the same music that we rehearsed and when we did a concert, it was almost as though we rehearsed together all the time. We had no problem singing together. I can remember when I marched in two DCA corps that would split the corps in half for 2 different parades so that we could make the money from both parades. Go for it and make a great drum corps in Kansas. By the way, my oldest brother spent some of his military career in Wichita. Good Luck!

The year that the Blue Knights had the most beautiful all female guard and they wore white crop tops and tight washed jeans! The guard placed high that year too . . . hmmmmmmm!

I was attending one of the DCI Championships and all during the performance of several corps, a group of girls and one guy decided to yell, “LOOK AT THE RIFLES,” whenever a rifle line was featured. When the corps came onto the field that they supported, the guy whipped out a flag and started to wave it wildly in the air while screaming at the top of his lungs. The corner of the flag happened to slap me in the cheek! Did I turn the other cheek? No, I reached up and grabbed the flag and yanked the flag so hard that he fell between the seats. Funny how the group quieted down and watched their favorite corps and quickly left when the performance was done. I could not understand how the group paid for tickets like the rest of us only to disrupt most of the enjoyment of the audience.

It's finally DCI Championships week and now that I have seen all the corps, DCI YOU ROCK! Love you Phantom!!!!

Perhaps the JS organization is intelligent enough to handle the move to World Class. Many of the corps in Wrold Class were not in the top class when DCI was started.

I can remember racing home in 1988 from a DCA weekend and turning on my VCR and watching DCI Finals, Sunday morning.

I just happen to love drum corps, that's all and hope that more drum corps are created and no corps has to go inactive. It's sad that we live in a free nation and no one else can have an opinion. Did I say, "1984?"

I was basically wondering what makes the minds of Drum Corps fans tic. That's why I input the post. Now I realize that drum corps is to be only enjoyed by a select group!

Drum Corps on Ice?

I have watched some of the shows and enjoyed them very much, but I do have a problem with some of the narrow minded comments from many of the fans. I know what it takes to just present a corps each year, but I wonder if too many people are missing out on the opportunity to appreciate what "ALL" the drum corps are presenting in their own special way. Yes I do love many of the corps but at a recent show, I sat around people who paid $20+ and did not respond at the end of some of the programs. It truly is a sad day when that happens amongst the World Class Corps.

Sudenly it's all about the mode of transportation. I saw corps at DCI in Denver who crossed the Wide Praries in school buses and ate PBJ. Perhaps JS will purchase new buses or like the buses they have.

With the possibility of making trouble, I am starting to wonder if this wonderful activity called Drum Corps turning into American Idol? Are the judges now Paula, Simon and Randy? If DCI desired, must all groups perform to the music of Abba if that was the standards for a given year? I can remember when corps like the Velvet Knights and Bridgemen designed their shows to make it worthwhile for the thousands of people who attend drum crops shows, so they can leave all the daily rat race behind and enjoy themselves. It is not so much the corps involved but the mind-set of many follower of the activity, who feel that a corps does not have value unless they adhere to certain standards. I do enjoy modern drum corps and admire many of the corps who still choose to be entertaining, but why do so many fans feel that corps should adhere to trivial things such as wearing certain colored plumes or feel that if a horn-line parts your hair, they are Musical Neanderthals? Why are there so many drum corps followers who feel that they are the voice of DCI? Maybe DCI doesn’t care if a unit desires to wear a Roy Rogers cowboy outfit instead of a uniform inspired by Star Trek? I guess that all the corps should keep striving to be one of the elite giants who may meet their demise one day. Where are the Jennifer Hudson’s of Drum Corps? Sometimes I feel that 1984 has finally arrived in the form of drum corps while creativity and freethinking is a lost art.

Loved when the featured dancer in the Blue Knights waved her arms and the horn-line did the wave with their bodies. Awesome effect!

I competed against the Boston Crusaders before DCI. I have always loved BAC. One of the reasons is that they always seemed powerful and aggressive. After seeing Boston in Buffalo, they seemed to recreate that power and aggression. Love your show this year Boston and your corps is a “Marching Mutha!” Good Luck in Indie!

It’s sad that because the corps in Buffalo were not BD, Cavs, PR, Crown, etc., they are not to be considered candidates for great execution. The corps in Buffalo are still a representative for DCI. I did march for many years with a one-time top 10 Junior Corps and 2 DCA Corps. I have learned that it takes a lot of work by everyone in his or her organization to put out a final product. But I am not one of those “Old Timers” who feel that the modern drum corps are not worthy. I enjoy “all” drum corps. When I involved with a successful senior corps we had a double weekend were we stayed over night. We were able to watch how the other corps rehearsed. I can remember spending 6 hours on 2 minutes of our show. That weekend I saw 2 o3 three corps running their shows from start to finish without stopping the corps to clean. The staff jump up and down during the rehearsals, shouting how great everything was. The corps I was in won again that day. Perhaps there are many corps who still rehearse that way. Last night I felt that some of the corps appeared to be a bit tired. I can imagine after they have been traveling and honing their crafts to maintain a position in Bloomington.

One could tell what the audience like after the corps performed. I liked parts of one of the higher placing corps, but when they completed their show, very few people stood for them. I was actually whishing that the Blue Stars were there since many people seemed to like their show. One of the lower placing corps had a more enjoyable show last year but tried something "artsy" this year and the whole presentation was not well excepted by the audience. Still there are people who are involved with or follow drum corps that feel that all that matters is that the corps meets their personal expectations.

I was right above you in the 38th row. I agree with your comments about marching. I can remember the many hours spent working on guiding and covering. Some of the people sitting around me pointed out how some of the corps members weren't covering down when they were setting up and these people never marched. Makes one wonder why so many corps have such large instructional staffs? I agree that many corps are entertaining this year.

I never thought that drum corps would become so literal. Everyone should enjoy the experience. So what if an organization has two corps in the same division? I always thought that drum crops was for the people performing and the people audience. Let the dice fall where they may! I used to cherish the times when David tried to take on Goliath. There were corps of all different levels competing and some of the lower corps sometimes proved more entertaining and often had the most heart. I can remember when a corps from Massachusetts competed at DCI East with a small corps of young kids with only 29 horns. Although they didn’t place in finals, they took high color guard in prelims over all the big guns and they allowed them to put on and exhibition in finals. That little corps soon became a power to recon with called, Alliance. I seem to remember Orlando Magic winning Division II and go on to make finals.

A friend asked me to ride with him to DCI East in Allentown, PA one year. He ordered his ticket for finals ahead of time. We walked in and bought beautiful seats for prelims. At that time there were 50+ corps at Prelims. We sat in the hot sun during the day and watched all the corps. They did not have different divisions in DCI back then. I wasn't worried about where I sat for finals, after seeing so many corps. That night, I walked in and bought tickets outside of the booth and ended up with a better ticket than my friend. I have also gone to Semi and Quarter Finals with my ex, Patty, for the DCI Championships and asked for 2 tickets, high-up as possible and close as possible to the "50." I would end up with great seats and could look down and see friends who ordered tickets ahead of time. They were not as far up as we were and were further from the "50." I still will ask for high-up as possible and close to the "50" when I don't order tickets ahead of time.

Sunday September 2, 1962 Marion OH Position Corps Score 1 Cavaliers 88.935 2 Garfield Cadets 87.615 3 St. Joseph's of Batavia 82.816 4 Marion Cadets 80.683 5 Maumee Demons 80.633 6 Emerald Cadets (NY) 78.625 7 General Custer's Brigade 75.233 8 Blue Devils (OH) 62.983

I guess that it is just a matter of taste. I saw Machine at a Cavie rehearsal and still felt that it was a winning show. My taste I guess. I loved that show!

While marching with a DCA Corps, I saw younger people who marched with an all-aged corps to gain experience and within a year or two, marched with a DCI Corps. After aging out, some of them actually returned to DCA. Some people may think that it would be beneath them to march Open Class or DCA, but the experience is worth a million no matter where one marches!