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Best age to start Drum Corps


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Hard to say. It's what I call the "DCI Syndrome". I know because as a kid I went through it. You get to that certain stage in life when you don't want to be around your parents anymore but you still love Drum Corps and want to hang out with kids your own age. I suppose it's all part of growing up. :)

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I didn't find out about Drum Corps til I was 18, but I wish I knew sooner.

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I've marched with young people as young as 6. With some at the age of 8 and 12 with other corps. I don't think there's anything wrong with it. As long as they're the exception and not the rule. Once you get a corps that's 50% or more below 18, the environment is a completely different experience. Not to imply that it's a bad thing, but as a thirty something, it's not something I desire to surround myself with during my time off from work.

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I understand that mode of thinking! But had that been an issue when I was growing up in corps, there would have been no corps! I started matchng when I was 8. Made it to the Bridgemen at 14 and started my career in the Cabs at 16. No! I was he youngest one in the line. But as time moved on, I have watched the average age of the corps go from 30 and 40 something to 18 and 25. So now I'm the old guy! But I will tell you the best working corps have been the younger ones! This season not to be be exculded. We have a few under 16's, alot jut out of high school and many in collage. There are a hand full of us older guys left. But This has to be the best working corps to date in my 21 years here! Its on thing to have a lot of experience marching next to you, but in my experience over the years, I feel I have gained more with the kids around then I ever did from an over 30's majority!

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Thanks for all the insight! I wasn't quite sure what to think for age. I also wasn't sure when would be good for the teaching. As John S alluded to, when can they start to grasp what they're being taught. Anyway, I've got a few years left to wait. Until then, the three of us can enjoy going to shows and seeing all the great performers.

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I'm itching to march again and have interest in a certain DCA corps - I have for a while.

My kids are aged 3 and 1 right now and I'd like to get back in when they can march but I've been wondering when the best time would be to get them started. They both already have an interest in the activity, my son had a wonderful time at Drums on Parade this year. Obviously, 3 is too young, but what would be your advice for starting? Thanks for the input!!

your profile doesnt say where you marched or where you live, do you have a good alum corps nearby? sometimes kids can march like a mascot. the thing to do is get them started on an instrument after age 5, usually 7 or 8 works, let them develop a real talent on brass or percussion and then get them marching at 13 at the earliest. see if the kids have a preference of what to play, keep in mind for brass, trumpets are more prevalent than low brass so if they like baritone, tuba, trombone, whatever that would be a good thing, learning the instrument will open other doors to other opportunities and they can go on trips with their HS band or be in the band at college along with doing drum corps, not to mention jazz bands or pit orchestras, remember that in percussion you have the option of doing battery (snare, tenor, bass, cymbals) or the more symphonic mallet/ tunable percussion - marimba, vibes, xyl, timpani, all good stuff but becoming a percussionist instead of a drummer and learning set, mallets, snare, timp etc can get #### expensive, with a horn you dont use up heads and sticks and forget about the price of a marimba, in summary, dont make drum corps the goal make it a product of the goal of developing a talent in the kids

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Dang, I'm late! My daughter is 8 and hasn't marched yet!

I do have her working on her paradiddles. The Govies are to far away for us to march. But there is a drumline in town that might take her in 2-4 years.

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I started at 9. At that time in Chicago, there was a circuit of kids corps against which we would compete every summer. There were the Imperial Cadets (my corps), the Cavalier Cadets, the Guardsmen Cadets, the Kiltie Kadets, etc, etc...

Those were the days! It was as if drum corps was thriving.

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Dang, I'm late! My daughter is 8 and hasn't marched yet!

I do have her working on her paradiddles. The Govies are to far away for us to march. But there is a drumline in town that might take her in 2-4 years.

Govies not to far away :P

Bring you and your kid. We have people from SD already

Do the parades, do the show, stop not doing drum corps :angry:

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Because there were so many options back in the day, you could be 6 or 16....I did the mascot thing very young and began marching at 12.

It's really all relative. We had a 13 year old in our rifle line in 1980, she had marched in our winter guard junior corps and most of that guard could have stepped into any one of our spots. (In 1976 the rifle line was threatened with being replaced while we were in Iowa) :angry::doh:

However there were things that I did try to shield her from due to the age of the other members. I believe the average age that year in the guard was 16 or 17.

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My daughter is two and lives with Down Syndrome. I hope that some day she will be able to march.

She loves to wacth Santa Clara Vanguard and Velvet Knights !!!

What better examples can you have !!

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