Has anyone ever . . .

[Kyle B]

Professors don't like it?

Don't tell them.

It's that simple.

[84BDsop]

I went into my initial valuation with Mario Guarneri (inventor of the BERP and professionl trumpeteer) when I was a freshman in college. After playing a couple things, he asked me what I wanted to do with my playing. I told him I wanted to increas my dynamic capabilities, increase my range, and speed up how quickly I changed notes. He said "So you want to play loud, high and fast?", I answered "That about covers it." and he said "he does not teach that". I started packing my horn and told him "Then I guess I don't need lessons". At least I knew what I wanted.

Good for you!! I guess he didn;t suppose that increased range, dynamics, and speed would be applicable in the "real" world.

Ironic that we see the BERP on so MANY corps brass today!

[BigDale]

My initial HS director loved the Madison Scouts, but hated Bridgemen. Oddly, we played alot of Bridgemen music though. My later HS directors really had no clue, but one student teacher was a real inspiration to me, Bill Hamilton, who was finishing up at BGSU. He told me plainly just how I would miss corps if I did not continue to march. He was so right. I thank him every time I see him.

Bluecoats, you might remember his name. He went on to be your director for a quite a few years, taught brass and still is a very good all around drum corps guy. He has been with your corps since '74.

My college professor at SLU recruited drum corps kids to do band in Louisiana, so he was the best. Unfortunately he left and went back to PA my sophomore year, leaving a less than desirable band director. I went to Ohio State to finish up--they HATED drum corps so much that I actually put up little notes around campus and formed a drum corps club, which became Mu Mu Mu (I know weak, but we were trying, modern marching musicians). This little band of men later became the recolonized chapter of Phi Mu Alpha at OSU. Well, now I was doubly cursed, as my tuba professor, who hated corps also was the faculty advisor of the previously defunct Phi Mu Alpha chapter.

Marcus Butcher, 27th Lancers

Kevin Kent, OH Brass Factory

Steve Pickerel, OH Brass Factory

Jay Fant, Glassmen

just to name a few.

Needless to say, I was glad to graduate, but did alot of good work and met some very good friends along the way.

[combia1]

Just curious here. How old is this professor? The reason I ask is that for the most part, I always ran into this problem with "older" faculty who were introduced to drum corps in the 70s and early 80s. The "younger" faculty who were introduced to "recent" drum corps tend to be more favorable.

Drum corps from the 70s and 80s was VERY different and I can see where some of those faculty came away with those unfavorable impressions.

Has anyone ever come back from a camp so unbelievably psyched to only have a teacher / professor come and tell them that drum corps is a waste of time?

I had a professor actually tell me that drum corps is not part of my education and that it's "just a hobby and nothing more." I mean . . . it's not a career, but how could someone call it "just a hobby."? But, yeah, when I told this person that I thought it was a valid part of my education (as a person and as a musician), they simply said "no, I'm sorry, but it's not." And, that was the end of that discussion.

I even had another professor, completely unprovoked, call me to their office to "question my priorities" because I march corps . . . and this was after missing 2 rehearsals for camp THE ENTIRE YEAR.

Does anyone have any thoughts or ways to talk to people who just don't understand the caliber of what DCI has to offer to students?

[glory]

"Imagine how much better you would be at your instrument if instead of spending 2000 dollars to play the same thing every day, you took that money and traveled the country to get private lessons from the best musicians in the world?"

I suspect this is really the point. Many hostile professors care more about what you’re not doing when you do drum corps than the fact that you’re doing drum corps. They’d rather that you focus on their priorities and would be opposed to anything – including drum corps – that distracted from those.

HH

[Piper]

When I broke in back in the 70's, the sitiuation was a lot different. There were Drum Corps kids and there were band kids. Some did both, but not many. In HS we had about a dozen kids who marched in various corps, and even though we marched in different corps, we were all pretty tight because we all shared a common bond. We were a real clique - always hanging out together and wearing our corps jackets to school every day. The band director hated us because we didn't have any interest in marching in the school band, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Fast-forward to today and it's (in some cases) almost the opposite, with some band directors trying to intimidate their kids into not marching corps. Maybe some of them just have a hard time dealing with the fact that Drum Corps reaps the harvest and gets the cream of the crop. JMO

[drewbugler]

My professor didn't care. I was 1/12th of his salary, therefore 1/12th of his time.

[The Other Mike]

Like I said, I don't counsel self-destructive behavior. Everyone's situation is different and each person has to choose his own path.

Sorry, no. My condolences if that's what your piece of paper says. Although a degree does prove a person is capable of completing a task.

Regarding the "professor is your employee" point I made, it's clear that professors are in a position of power, and rightly so, but the fact that they are merely providing a service that you have contracted for is a point that is almost never brought out. The bottom line still comes down to the fact that if you are not satisfied with services rendered, you have a choice to make about how you want to continue. (And it may simply be that what's right for you is to lay low and "play the game.")

Props to hsreed for having a clear idea of his own wishes and being willing to proceed accordingly.

Might I point out that a degree only proves that you have learned the minimum required, to earn it. Somewhere out there is the world's worst doctor. Just because he has a piece of paper that says he is does not make him good.

No matter where you go to school, any school, you will always have teachers or professors who either have a problem with you, or one that you have a problem with them.

How many jobs require a college degree.....ANY college degree ? It shows you can work within the system and acheive sucess. If a degree is to be considered more than learned basic skills in a study field, why do we have a certification process ?

To be a certified teacher one must pass the certification tests in their major field as well as in education in general.

At 52 years of age and having taught the majority of my life, I can say that what I learned by marching and teaching drum corps was a much greater experience than anything I learned in college. Sure, I learned some minor instruments that I had no experience with and I sure wish I had spent more time with theory but hindsight is 20/20.

I had the unfortunate experience of proving an old man with a PhD in music wrong in front of 60 others freshman music majors in a lecture hall. Stupid me. I didn't realize that sometimes it's better to lose a battle or two to win the war. I could have kept my mouth shut and just let it go but I didn't and paid the price SEVERAL semesters for it. Yes, I could have changed schools but it's where I had the largest scolarship.

THAT'S why I say sometimes it's better to keep your head low.

HSREED, good luck to you. I hope you got something from both sides of this fence.

[HockeyDad]

I'm very impressed at how many of you are music majors. I was never anything more than a very average player - piano and trumpet. I didn't have the "guts" to go into music that you have. It wasn't the field of study being recommended back in "the day" if you wanted to get a job post-college. So, now I'm an engineer, yes, that field so closely related to music. My advice: Follow your own way. Don't get hung up on other people's expectations. Don't "follow the herd." Be you. You love drum corps - do it while you have the opportunity. Don't worry about what other people think.

But, as the Other Mike says, if you suffer the fools (profs) and don't confront them now, it might pay off in the long run. It might be satisfying for about 5 minutes to tell off your prof, but then for the rest of your school years you'll be paying the price. Take it from me, I've learned that lesson - about 1000 times now.

Then, get your music degree and go teach young minds or do whatever other things you want. What could be more rewarding that watching a kid fall in love with music, and you had a part in it? Oh yeah, and, don't forget - Holst and Vaughn Williams is new to somebody, even if you can't bring yourself to play it one more time.

Fondly, Dad

[DCKMelloGal]

My story isn't quite finished yet. I'm going into my junior year for music ed and I'm a clarinet player that's on my second year of playing mello. For the music ed degree at UofL, two semesters of marching band are required. I marched clarinet my freshman year no problem, well the bd writes the drill himself and its pretty much always symmetrical and ment for field coverage, so woodwinds are always in the back...and I don't like being in the back. So I marched dc last year with DCK and decided to march mello at UofL. First day of band camp I played for the bd and he reluctantly agreed (with me, there were ten mellos, if I had marched clarinet, there would still be roughly 30 clarinets...makes sense, right?). Before band camp started, however, I had told them I would be having a conflict with the first game of the year (away game vs. UK-that's a HUGE game, but at the same time he said he'd try to work things out). Well, he then turns around and says there's nothing he can do, so I was SOL. I would have failed marching band for missing the game for DCA World Finals, so I dropped the class. During this past fall semester, I petitioned for an exception to the rule that says performances with outside groups are not counted as excused abscenses, but the adminsof the school of music couldn't understand that I didn't want a rule change, just an exception. And I've still got my second semester of marching band to do, and I'm going to march mello-and I'm going to show up the entire alto-voiced section (saxes included) just to prove how wrong they are about not counting all-age/senior corps as a respectible organization.

The really funny thing is, though, my clarinet prof (who never marched in his life) supports me fully, as does his wife (a voice prof at the school), the tuba instructor supports me as well because he taught DCK's corps director about 10-14 years ago. My clarinet prof has noticed a definite improvement in my tone and air support since last year, so he doesn't mind at all.