What will spell the end of enjoyable drum corps?

[Jeff Zehner]

When the core finally cools in a few hundred million years, Eart...errr...drum corps will finally become a cold hard rock.

[Sayre Kulp]

I'VE FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT!!!!

After reading the different viewpoints of the posters on this thread, I had a revelation! Drum corps will officially no longer be enjoyable for me when everyone simply does the same thing. The same way. This activity (particularly the all-age side) continues to survive because there are still groups that push the envelope. That try something new, different, innovative. AND because there are those groups that still do things in more traditional ways. This creates a unique pool of fans and performance groups. It sparks comparison and conversation (not always friendly) on the internet. If we DIDN'T have this kind of variety, our activity would become faceless and boring. And THAT is when it would stop being enjoyable for ME.

[Smoothy]

I will love drum corps no matter what. It would be a better world if no one knew the rule changes so they could enjoy drum corps for what it is and not what they want it to be.

[donincardona]

i have one more thing to say about DCI and then i'm done. once DCI was formed and got off the ground a lot of junor corps disappeared. this was because of DCI. they could no longer compete with the bigger and big money junor corps. DCI has devastated the junor scene. all the corps from mass. ,ny, nj have all but dissappeared. that is what DCI did. argue all you want but that IS what happened. this is what they wanted and this is what you have.

[The Other Mike]

Today's DCI is considered by most to be "Drum Corps", not "drum & bugle corps". As long as we can keep them seperated as such I don't mind, afterall, drum corps = marching band and Hopp[y has proven that to be correct.

While I appreciate and support the modern "Summer Honor Marching Bands" of DCI, I care more for the style and raw power of the 80's into the early 90's. No big deal, it's just what I like as an outdoor musical performance.

But I'm in awe of what the kids can do today.....well at least what the "country club kids" can do.

[bumo27]

Nah, marching band has woodwinds, and bass guitars and marching violins, and parents that shake gallon milk jugs filled with pennies.

It is not marching band.

[Dale Bari]

Bands? Name one band that can do what the Cavaliers do...what the Cadets do...the Blue Devils. What IS Drum Corps?

What does that matter? The difference is in degree, not kind (except for one thing: drum corps has a more limited instrumentation compared to the marching bands, ie no woodwinds.)

Take the marching band out of school for a few weeks, give them a drum corps staff, and they'll do what drum corps can do. Maybe not quite Cadets, Cavies, or BD, but then neither does Pioneer or Troopers (or are they NOT drum corps either?)

Notice the emphasis you yourself added: "similar to a marching band". For most people on the face of the earth, they will see a marching band where there is a drum corps and maybe vice versa.

Compare Jeff Gordon's NASCAR ride to my Ford Taurus. His is a lot faster, has a fancier paint job, and contains a lot more safety devices. However, mine seats more people. But they're still both JUST cars: They both have four rubber tires, a hood, a windshield, and two bumpers; both are powered by an internal combustion engine; the driver still has a steering wheel and still sits in the front left area of the cabin nestled between the axles.

Now purists can detail every little nuance between the two vehicles, and a casual observer will easily note that speed is the defining characteristic of the #24 car vs mine. But, that one characteristic makes all the difference in the world - no one will pay money to see my car in a race.

Historically, drum corps were distinctly different from marching bands in how they presented themselves. Yes, the instrumentation was a part of that. The pomp and pageantry of drum corps was a lot more distinct from bands than it used to be, with American flag sections, color-presentations, and inspections. The presentations on the field were different. (Did bands enter from the starting line and exit from the ending line? Did bands have to do a concert set?) But DCI decided that those distinctions were not important. And maybe some of them weren't. But others were. As DCI has continued to erode the distinctions, they are getting ever closer to a distinction without a difference.

Now, it may be that DCI fans will pay money to watch supercharged marching bands compete against each other, like NASCAR fans pay money to see supercharged Fords, Chevys, etc, compete against each other. But, NASCAR didn't decide that it needed to be more like Formula 1 or IRL to gain new fans. It just concentrated on being the best NASCAR it can be, and now it trumps every other racing circuit on the planet in terms of fans and popularity.

So, just as evolution can be convergent, it can be divergent too. Now, which one is DCI and which one is NASCAR?

To address the use of the word, "evolve":

It is obvious that the intent of the usage of "evolve" is to promote the idea that drum corps evolves to better itself. Chris' dictionary definition is technically correct. The denotation of the word does mean "to develop gradually". But, the connotation adds another layer of meaning. The use of the word "develop" in the definition implies a direction, usually a positive one, toward an end, from a lower level to a higher level. In using "evolve", the user means or implies that the thing evolving is improving. If you mean just "change", then say "change", not "evolve".

I think that is what Joe is objecting to. Chris, by saying drum corps is "evolving", is also saying that what came before was less perfect than what is now.

It reminds me of the exchange between Cmdr Data and the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact:

Data: "... [Y]ou must be aware I am programmed to evolve. To better myself."

Borg Queen: "We too are on a quest to better ourselves, evolving toward a state of perfection."

Data: "Forgive me: the Borg do not evolve, they conquer."

BTW, substitute "DCI" for "the Borg" and "copy" for "conquer" and Data sums up DCI very nicely.

Edited June 6, 2008 by Dale Bari

[Shadow_7]

As I wonder where mics, pa's, electric keyboards, and helicopter sounds come into play in the realm of the wikipedia brass, drums and colorguard definition.

I tend not to go to DCI shows because there aren't any within 90 miles of where I live. I have managed to make it to DCI finals for the past two years. But will most likely not make it this year, or next. I've donated towards individual members dues. Even though there have been several times that I've never gotten to see the shows of said corps live for the member(s) that I've contributed to.

As far as enjoying DCI shows. I really don't anymore. Somehow hearing someone talk about what they believe when they're half if not a much smaller fraction of my age is not for me. I arrived late to DCI Finals 2007 and got to watch from the goal line plus. Which was actually more enjoyable to me. As I couldn't hear most of the narrations. Except for "I Believe". Just what I need some 3yo kid telling my 40-ish self what they believed, back when they were "younger".

I enjoyed doing drumcorps. I still do, mainly because it is/was a purely accoustic ensemble. To have accoustic instruments project a fair quantity of sound some fairly great distances is just stellar IMO. The drumcorps way was to use more of the same type of instruments to get the volume they desired. These days it's more about kevlar heads, stainless steel mouthpieces, and amps to get the same effect. Granted that economic conditions almost mandate that evolution. But as the number of corps, and corps alumni shrinks, so will the money, and the venues. I wish conditions were different and that tour fees didn't cost more than 80% of the cars I've owned. But they're not.

[Bucbari]

With all the recent changes in DCI (with it getting harder and harder to recognize junior corps as drum corps anymore) at what point will drum corps just become unwatchable.

My theory....

When the Hawthorne Caballeros Alumni changes to B flat and uses amps!

Whats yours?

I believe this thing of ours will be unwatchable when the performance acumen? levels off and then starts going down. This will happen I believe and happen soon simply because with the current paradigm for tour many kids will simply not be able to afford to march. DCI already loses many talented musicians because they simply can not afford to march and this will only go up....IMHO.

[Martybucs]

Yup, sounds exactly what DCI is today. So who's wrong, the encyclopedia, or you?

e·volve Audio Help /ɪˈvɒlv/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[i-volv] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation verb, e·volved, e·volv·ing.

–verb (used with object) 1. to develop gradually:

Yup, DCI is developing gradually. It's become better sounding, the drill is better, the music is harder, the percussion and guard work more complex than it used to be...I'd say that's evolving.

Try again, Joe.

Wikipedia, is well recognized to have many glaring errors in its' entries on many subjects. When using it, always double check with a couple of sources.

Dictionaries and encyclopedias are repositories for facts, but also the usage of words and terms. I put forth that Wikipedia has not kept up or evolved enough to revise its' "drum corps", definition to accurately reflect that; today's drum corps are not similar to brass bands - they are brass bands. (no malice meant, I like brass bands) An expert should remedy that. Any here?

So, to name a band that can do what Cavaliers does is easy. The Cavaliers.