notelvis Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 (edited) I stopped letting myself getting bothered by the usage of marching band instead of corps. Anytime I end up telling a story to one of my non-corps-familiar-friends, it always comes across as "...and one time, at band camp...". Let's stop kidding ourselves, its still just marching band to everyone else. I have come to the same place myself. Debating the distinction between marching band and drum corps with a layman is not worth the hassle now that drum corps are using the same brass instruments your typical marching band is also using. One coworker drives me insane in that any mention of drum corps draws an immediate reference to "...and one time at band camp...." from him. He doesn't get it and as much as he is in to respecting everyone it's a bit incongruent..... But I digress..... For some years back when DCI was calling itself the 'Summer Music Games' I would tell layman drum corps was kind of like the NFL of marching band. With DCI's new moniker, "Marching Music's Major League" it's even easier to help folks make a connection equating the activity or sport to it's highest level. Edited September 9, 2008 by notelvis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlandoContraAlum Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Heh, someone must have said something to NPR, as this now appears on the website: Correction: The audio version of the story refers to a film of "the annual top competition for marching bands." It actually showed a competition among drum and bugle corps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCSoprano9702 Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Normally the naming distinction wouldn't matter. But NPR listeners are an intellectual lot, so they can appreciate nuance better than most of our coworkers. Sorry, my coworkers - I have no idea whom you work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peel Paint Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Heh, someone must have said something to NPR, as this now appears on the website:Correction: The audio version of the story refers to a film of "the annual top competition for marching bands." It actually showed a competition among drum and bugle corps. Great. This means a pedantic flagpole-up-the-butt drum corps nut sent NPR a flaming email correcting them and educating them on the difference. That'll encourage NPR to pay more attention on air to DCI. I agree with jplattscv above that the train for making a stink out of calling drum corps "marching bands" has long since left the station. I never correct this any more. The only nod I give to it myself when I hear somebody else talk about it is to say that "drum corps is marching band on steroids-- without the woodwinds-- for now." Not that I want drum corps to lose its distinctness; I don't. But the differences are fading away and you look like a total butthead if you insist on correcting people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Other Mike Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 NOT pleased ............................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neholgate Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Heh, someone must have said something to NPR, as this now appears on the website: Here was my e-mailed response from NPR: Thank you for contacting NPR's All Things Considered. We are grateful for your comments to NPR News. We have read your e-mail and your thoughts will be taken into consideration. NPR is always delighted to hear from listeners. Should you require additional assistance or have a question, please respond to this e-mail and we will do our best to assist you. Thank you for listening to All Things Considered, and for your continued support of public broadcasting. For the latest news and information, visit NPR.org. Sincerely, All Things Considered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neholgate Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 (edited) Great. This means a pedantic flagpole-up-the-butt drum corps nut sent NPR a flaming email correcting them and educating them on the difference. That'll encourage NPR to pay more attention on air to DCI.I agree with jplattscv above that the train for making a stink out of calling drum corps "marching bands" has long since left the station. I never correct this any more. The only nod I give to it myself when I hear somebody else talk about it is to say that "drum corps is marching band on steroids-- without the woodwinds-- for now." Not that I want drum corps to lose its distinctness; I don't. But the differences are fading away and you look like a total butthead if you insist on correcting people. I beg your pardon. Though I was in the flag line, never once did I position the pole up my butt. Between my legs, yes, never up my arse. My distinction between the two went beyond the woodwinds aspect, BTW. Nancy The Polite. Edited September 9, 2008 by neholgate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlbionNY Drum Line Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Kind of makes me mad that the radio for "sophisticated people" couldn't even get it right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyboy Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 The NPR correction concerning the "Drumcorps vs Marching Band" distinction was handled well by the emailer (a DCI vet) and NPR. I just heard it and was pleasantly surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_S Posted September 9, 2008 Share Posted September 9, 2008 Just heard the correction on air. They actually spent quite a lot of time reading the letter, which was nice, I guess. I probably would have phrased the letter differently, had I written it, though I don't think I would bother to write over such a trivial difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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