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The Death of Drum Corps


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No matter how many times you say that.....

it's still not funny any more after the first 20 or so

Actually, it was only funny a couple of times on SNL in "75"

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We have some interesting and "spirited" conversations on the Cavalier Alumni forum about when drum corps stopped being drum corps. For some it was when bugles went from G to B flat. Some when sops turned into trumpets. Some when guards stopped marching and started dancing. For some it hasn't happened yet until the rules change to allow woodwinds (it's coming, trust me)

When did it stop for you?

For me, honestly, it was finally this year with the rules changes (i.e. keyboards, guitars and the mic'ing of the horns, etc.) We are now in a age of drum corps being a Super Bowl half time show.

Here is the thing, for me, it hasn't passed away, I've been in a coma for the last 29 years or so. I woke up, and there are trumpets - I guess you could call a trumpet a bugle (my soprano was not that different). The shows (those I have seen - remember I said I was in a coma, but I guess I had a few moments of waking, catching replays of shows on tv or whatever), became more theatrical (I didn't much care for that, but a little bit is ok), marching (apparently no longer requires high steps in marking time), that's a surprise to me, and one I have ambivalent feelings about since I used to get yelled at "get your knees up." All that said, horns, drums, and guard are the principal elements. There is still some distinction between marching band and drum corps. If woodwinds come in, then what will be the difference.

Look, it's for the participants to decide what they want to participate in. However, there will come a time, which seems to be rapidly approaching, that a decision will have to be made about whether drum and bugle corps is drum and bugle corps or band. Otherwise, the corps will start competing directly against marching band, and you will end up with something like Marching, Music and Theatrics Championships.

All I know for sure is that when my daughter asked me about drum and bugle corps, (she woke me from my coma), and her understanding of it (from freinds currently marching in corps) is so different from my experience, we are certainly not talking about quite the same thing.

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Drum Corps will die for me probably when I take my last breath , since the age of six, this activity has been a part of me. I've always thought forward maybe that's the reason I stayed very active as long as I did. I may not like everything that comes along but, I'll continue to deal with it as it comes.

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Drum Corps will die for me probably when I take my last breath , since the age of six, this activity has been a part of me. I've always thought forward maybe that's the reason I stayed very active as long as I did. I may not like everything that comes along but, I'll continue to deal with it as it comes.

Spoken like a true Hall of Famer.

I'm with you, Frank!

See you soon!

Jim

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Although I put this in another thread as a joke, it just goes to show that any time there is major change, like starting from the middle of the field, someone just can't understand why the change had to happen. There will be those who will stop following the activity when their own placed line in the sand is crossed. However, I think that there would be a lot less fans if drum corps still sounded and looked like it did during the VFW and American Legion days. Was it good for its time? Absolutely! Was 2007 DCI good for its time? Absolutely! I'll be the first to admit that I am not behind a lot of the changes. However, I can only watch the 1975 finals so many times. So, long story short, I'll still sponsor kids, I'll still send gas cards, I'll still send my letters of protest, and I'll still applaud the young men and women who leave their hearts on that field with each show.

dc-1.jpg

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  • 11 years later...

drum & bugle corps died when there were no more bugles, when marching became dancing, when uniforms became costumes, when band people who were jealous of our precision and discipline and our corps spirit slowly but surely wormed their way in, when members started wearing leotards & make-up, when drumline& hornline instructors became staff, when marching and maneuvering was no longer a caption  , when corps members were no longer  from the town or city in the title of their corps names and we all grew up together and were/ are brothers and sisters for life, when we would defend the honor of our beloved corps both on and off the field, when judges were all over us on the field looking for the slightest mistake not just giving opinions, when a corps could start the season on the bottom and work it's way to the top and not be SLOTTED, when corps members stayed corps members for life and not jumping from one corps to another. Trumpets, tubas, now slide trombones, electronic synthesizers, props, singing, what the hell is next? look i'm not questioning the musical artistic talent of the people involved in what is loosely called drum corps. It;s simply not drum & bugle corps. and the letters D. C.I . to me do not stand for Drum Corps International. they stand for Dance Company INTERNATIONAL. And they are not Drum Corps- They are BRASS BANDS,period! You know what bothers me most is why couldn't they leave it alone and let it keep progressing along as it was? When i listen to the incredible shows that the corps like The Brassmen , The Santa Clara Vanaguard, Chicago, Garfield, The Blue Devils, and so many more put on the field i'm at a loss at why anyone would mess that up. I would put the talent of the top Drum & Bugle Corps from the 70's-80's& 90's against anything in modern so called drum-corps today. Can anyone out there remember the incredible precision of a twelve plus rifle line? The entire Guard in total perfect movement, not jumping and prancing around. Drumlines playing incredibly difficult books not just continuous 32nd note rolls and mile high double stops by 16 snares for visual effect? And the hornlines back then (all bugles) were more powerful and could go toe to toe with anything out there today! There's more that was lost with the death of Drum& Bugle Corps! probably the worst is that these kids don't hang together like we did. I was in one of the oldest Corps . Still active today. But the young folks in the corps now come from all over the country, the world actually. They don't hang together all year long like we did. They work extremely hard during the season together,, then it's off to school til next year and maybe even another Corps because it has a better chance of winning. Lastly i want to say that in no way did i mean to be insulting. my point is simply that Drum& Bugle Corps died a long time ago. And to anyone who marched in Drum& Bugle Corps back in my day,(60's-70's),  the attitude was the same as a boxer   about an opponent in the ring, that's how i(we) felt about the Corps we were competing against  on the field. But there was always respect and the knowledge that we were part of something quite special.DRUM & BUGLE CORPS. It was an honor ! So no, Drum & Bugle Corps did not evolve,it died a long time ago!

 

 

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1 hour ago, buster gazzara said:

drum & bugle corps died when there were no more bugles, when marching became dancing, when uniforms became costumes, when band people who were jealous of our precision and discipline and our corps spirit slowly but surely wormed their way in, when members started wearing leotards & make-up, when drumline& hornline instructors became staff, when marching and maneuvering was no longer a caption  , when corps members were no longer  from the town or city in the title of their corps names and we all grew up together and were/ are brothers and sisters for life, when we would defend the honor of our beloved corps both on and off the field, when judges were all over us on the field looking for the slightest mistake not just giving opinions, when a corps could start the season on the bottom and work it's way to the top and not be SLOTTED, when corps members stayed corps members for life and not jumping from one corps to another. Trumpets, tubas, now slide trombones, electronic synthesizers, props, singing, what the hell is next? look i'm not questioning the musical artistic talent of the people involved in what is loosely called drum corps. It;s simply not drum & bugle corps. and the letters D. C.I . to me do not stand for Drum Corps International. they stand for Dance Company INTERNATIONAL. And they are not Drum Corps- They are BRASS BANDS,period! You know what bothers me most is why couldn't they leave it alone and let it keep progressing along as it was? When i listen to the incredible shows that the corps like The Brassmen , The Santa Clara Vanaguard, Chicago, Garfield, The Blue Devils, and so many more put on the field i'm at a loss at why anyone would mess that up. I would put the talent of the top Drum & Bugle Corps from the 70's-80's& 90's against anything in modern so called drum-corps today. Can anyone out there remember the incredible precision of a twelve plus rifle line? The entire Guard in total perfect movement, not jumping and prancing around. Drumlines playing incredibly difficult books not just continuous 32nd note rolls and mile high double stops by 16 snares for visual effect? And the hornlines back then (all bugles) were more powerful and could go toe to toe with anything out there today! There's more that was lost with the death of Drum& Bugle Corps! probably the worst is that these kids don't hang together like we did. I was in one of the oldest Corps . Still active today. But the young folks in the corps now come from all over the country, the world actually. They don't hang together all year long like we did. They work extremely hard during the season together,, then it's off to school til next year and maybe even another Corps because it has a better chance of winning. Lastly i want to say that in no way did i mean to be insulting. my point is simply that Drum& Bugle Corps died a long time ago. And to anyone who marched in Drum& Bugle Corps back in my day,(60's-70's),  the attitude was the same as a boxer   about an opponent in the ring, that's how i(we) felt about the Corps we were competing against  on the field. But there was always respect and the knowledge that we were part of something quite special.DRUM & BUGLE CORPS. It was an honor ! So no, Drum & Bugle Corps did not evolve,it died a long time ago!

 

 

Clearly proper grammar, punctuation and coherent thoughts died as well.

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On 2/18/2008 at 7:57 PM, overthehillDM said:

Spoken like a true Hall of Famer.

I'm with you, Frank!

See you soon!

Jim

I'm with these cats. They get it, and always have. Both have more street cred in this activity than 95% o the posters on DCP.

As Pepe Notaro reportedly said, "I'll stop doing this when that first shovelful of dirt hits me in the face."

Drum Corps (like hipness) is, what it is. It's whatever whoever is doing it says it is. It's the past, the present and the future. Negativity be d@mned. Full speed ahead. (But can we get rid of those obnoxious "duts"?)

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Drum corps is STILL ALIVE!!!! It may not be the same as when you marched but that was when we were kids. Today's kids still call it drum corps!

Funny how this was started 12 years ago and corps play even better than back then.

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