Hey!

[flashofthunder]

I would imagine that it depends on what college you apply for. After all, some professors don't have very much respect for DCI. Some still think that it teaches poor technique, and ruins classically trained musicians.

However, I would imagine that the chance that it can help is pretty large. It's definitely something that I'll put on my college applications this coming year.

[crh5]

I would imagine that it depends on what college you apply for. After all, some professors don't have very much respect for DCI. Some still think that it teaches poor technique, and ruins classically trained musicians.

However, I would imagine that the chance that it can help is pretty large. It's definitely something that I'll put on my college applications this coming year.

I agree with the above. There are many college/university music programs and/or applied teachers that don't necessarily look at drum corps as a good thing...or at least who won't let it sway them. You either play well enough to be admitted into the music school or you don't. But as far as entrance into the university itself, an essay about the experience of marching the summer tour and the lessons learned there would likely go a long way for someone who was on the borderline of acceptance. It would also likely help for scholarship scenarios in those schools that offer marching band scholarships. I'm surprised at how many do that!

[festive]

I should amend my previous post and say that the degree being sought by that drum corps member had nothing to do with music. I think he was an economics major.

[3rd_Star_Brigade]

I would imagine that it depends on what college you apply for. After all, some professors don't have very much respect for DCI. Some still think that it teaches poor technique, and ruins classically trained musicians.

However, I would imagine that the chance that it can help is pretty large. It's definitely something that I'll put on my college applications this coming year.

The thing is that drum corps does instill some poor habits in classic musicians.

It's not the activity's fault. My clarinet teacher gets on me all the time for slaming down the keys on my instrument and not breathing the right way. "Jeesh, where the hell did you learn how to use your air like that. It's a gentle piece. Ease into it. SWELLS!" or "If you slam the keys down like that you're causing unwanted tension in your hands that will make you tired. STOP DOING THAT, #### IT! It sounds totally unmusical." and my personal favorite "Stop trying to ATTACK the notes. There is a place for drum corps-style playing, although I don't know where that is..."

Oh, I almost forgot this amusing dialogue:

Teach: "Why don't you breathe there? You have a rest."

Me: "Because that's an eighth note rest."

Teach: "Rob, for the last time, that doesn't matter, remember?"

Me: "Oh yeah...whoops."

[flervinuveling]

I got accepted to a high level university because of it. What makes it even better was the fact that my ACT scores weren't even high enough to get in, but the band director said "don't worry about that, I'll get you in". Also got me the highest amount of scholarship available. Course, it helped that the director, while he never marched anywhere, was a huge scouts fan.

When I went to the open house my senior year, the school had booths set up for all the departments, so I went over to the music department booth, and the band director was standing there. I told him I was innterested in being a music major and, since it was marching season, he immediately starts talking about the marching band. Here's our conversation (btw, I had just finished a summer with the Madison Scouts):

Me: Hi, Are you the band director?

Director: Yes I am. are you interested in being in band here?

Me: Yeah

Director: Well, our marching band is a great ensemble. We play a lot of standard and latin tunes. We use the hip-ball-change type direction changes and wear aussies instead of shakos... [blah blah blah etc etc]. We are a lot like the Madison Scouts drum and bugle corps, are you familiar with them?

Me:......

yeah, he liked me from the start

[sopchick_01]

One things for sure, it looks great as an extra-curricular. I remember when I filled out that section of the application I ran out of room because I added like three different curriculars besides drum corps, lol.

[DrumCorpsMom]

I know my niece had it on her university application and the interviewer asked the most questions about her involvement in Drum Corps and the discipline involved.

Along the same line, as a Manager, I would have given a lot of clout to something like this when interviewing co-op students. You can only read so many application forms that state their extra-curricular activities involve soley playing RPG games, before you want to scream and hire the first person who does something different.

[Eddie]

There is sometimes a place on applications that ask about awards won after high school. If you've won anything like Rookie of the year, hall of fame, most improved, etc., then that's a good thing to mention.

[asifindnoarta]

The University of Massachusetts Amherst application asks whether or not an applicant has any drum corps experience under the ACTIVITIES, INTERESTS AND WORK EXPERIENCE section.

https://webapp.spire.umass.edu/admissions/c...gapp_display.pl

[fourouttheforty]

I think an important distinction to make is what major/career field you are applying for: drum corps experience has more relevance to a music ed. major/aspiring band director than for an engineering or sciences major. It seems to me that a lot of the people who say that their essays/discussions about drum corps got them in are music majors. My limited experience in the tech industry tells me that if it isn't tech related, no one cares.