drumcat Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 My senior year in high school my director tried to pull something like this. He told me I couldn't be drum captain if I marched corps. I told him I would gladly step aside if that's what the band needed. When I got back, I was still drum captain. Granted that was 23 years ago (yow, hurts to type that number!), so things may be very different now. If more kids marched corps, bands would have more leaders, more talent, and more dedication to the work within the ensemble. I'd take that any day over having 100% attendance at summer band camp if I were in their shoes. That happened to me, too. And not as long ago. Difference was when I got back, I was moved to "pit section leader", and out of the battery -- which I spent my off time memorizing all summer. It happens. It still happens. The irony is that it's the kids that deal with this that have the most trouble when they get back. They "know too much". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenTrumpetier Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 ive heard of band directors around here having that rule and I really think it is a stupid decision on there part. I made rum corps my junior year going into senior year being the drum major the person who is supposed to be there and lead them during summer band also and go to drum major camp and all that. But my band director knew that drum corps is the best training for leadership and marching band out there. yeah if i was a marcher i would be behine in learning drill but my best freind marched taht year to and he came back and learned every picture he missed in about an hour because of the fast pace learning from dci. So if band direcors knew what was best for there bands they would let these kids go have this life changing experiance and bring what theyve learned back to the school to help make them better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euponitone Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 I made rum corps my junior year MMmmm....sounds like something i should look into Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madscout96 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 MMmmm....sounds like something i should look into Aren't the Buccaneers a rum corps? Get it, Buccaneers, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, drink up me maties yo ho... sorry lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duramay Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 (edited) Here are the top three things that I think keep some band teachers from allowing their students to do drum corps: 1. Band Director Ego. The Band Director wants to be the only source of music education for everyone in the school, and perhaps the town too. Don't come onto his turf. Especially if you can do it better than he can. (there are varying degrees of this, of course not every band director has it). 2. Rotten attitudes from drum corps kids coming to band. Now this is an unfortunate fact. Some kids come back to band in the fall after having marched drum corps and they act like they're all that and know EVERYTHING and want to tell everyone how to do everything. That is bad for the chemistry of the band, no matter how bad the band is. Drum corps members really need to take a chill pill when the come back to band and not be G-d's gift to marching, and not expect the same level of commitment and drive and excellence that they had in drum corps. Band directors don't like attitudes like that, and I can't blame them. 3. Conflicts with summer band rehearsals. As has been mentioned before, lots of competitive HS bands have rehearsals in the summer, like a couple times a week, and then band camp before DCI Finals is over. Being in drum corps would definately keep a student from making all those rehearsals. I agree with those who say that anyone being in DCI will come back to band stronger and a quicker learner than everyone else and could catch up really easily. It's not like missing band camp due to going to France for 2 weeks. Band directors need to understand this, and then come up with a policy that is fair to everyone (non drum corps people too). I can agree with the above list. It happened to me and specifically #2 - sometimes when you come back and are put into a bad position, you do come off with that "attitude" because you haven't learned the difference. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way and didn't make people happy. Since I had missed band camp I was automatically made an alternate... it was interesting to say the least and when I got the chance to overtake a position, I learned the show in about 3 full runs. I actually paved the way to start the drum corps madness at my school... More people followed the drum corps route after I graduated. Good times... I seemed to have open the gates for drum corps at my high school with some fellow drum corps alumni helping push the idea into the directors head. Edited February 20, 2008 by Duramay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvs me sum mello! Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Aren't the Buccaneers a rum corps? Get it, Buccaneers, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, drink up me maties yo ho... sorry lol He'll be here all night ladies and gentlemen! a quick note, the 3rd deck pool is closed for cleaning and cocktail hour with the ship's captain has been moved to ballroom D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitedawn Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 i don't have a problem with high school kids who march drum corps not being eligible for pre-defined leadership positions in the marching band. often, the part of the season when the band needs its leaders is the summer. what good is a drum major or horn captain who misses band camp because they are off doing something else? also, i think band directors -- concerned ones, anyway -- do have a duty to check out the staff at a student's potential drum corps, and give an honest evaluation. i know if i were a band director, and i wanted my kids to get the best experience possible -- socially, musically, and educationally -- there is a very short list of corps to which i would send them. i guess i don't have an issue with a band director discouraging participation in certain corps, but i don't think that they should stop a kid from marching in the corps of their choice, or keep a kid out of marching band because they missed summer rehearsals/band camp. these kids can learn the show in 15 minutes of rehearsal. i'd just hate to send a kid to a corps where i knew he was in for a rough summer or bad experience, because of logistics, instruction, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvs me sum mello! Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 also, i think band directors -- concerned ones, anyway -- do have a duty to check out the staff at a student's potential drum corps, and give an honest evaluation. i know if i were a band director, and i wanted my kids to get the best experience possible -- socially, musically, and educationally -- there is a very short list of corps to which i would send them. Great point. I always try to stay up to date on how corps are running their tours. Lord knows you never want to send a kid on tour with a corps that had a hard time feeding their kids the summer before. Gotta make sure that's been fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 Never heard of such nonsense. Band directors don't have any say in whether their students try out for corps or not. That decision lies with the kid's parents. But they DO have to manage their band program and make sure ALL band members operate under a single set of rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeachDrums Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 I encourage every one of my students to participate in drum corps. I don't mind them missing a few days of band camp because i know they can catch up. I also know that a kid who goes away to corps can come back a great role model for the rest of the band, because that's how band works. You have a few really dedicated members driving the entire band to do better.Hell, I even offer a drum corps prep camp in October-december for people who are thinking of auditioning. Not just at my school, but surrounding programs as well. It seems you have a good attitude. It also seems to me you made a good point here. Sure, the kid will miss a few days of band camp, but if they've been practicing and performing in drum corps all summer, who's likely to be in better shape as a musician and marcher - the kid who barely took his instrument out of the case all summer, or the drum corps kid who has been working his ### off for months? And, how difficult will it really be for the dc kid to catch up, considering what he's been doing all summer? Some people just need to think more, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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