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Where did you start...


Band or Corps?  

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  1. 1. Did you start out in band or drum corps?

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Drum Corps only. I broke in back in the late 60's when they were still recruiting kids off the street and training them from square one. Most of the training was done by rote. Reading music? What the hell was that? We finally got a perc instructor who decided to do some "reverse engineering". He would teach us the music first then put the sheets in front of us later and explain to us exactly what it was that we were playing. It took a while but we got it down. Good times. :thumbs-up:

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drum corps first... started grade school trumpet lessons to learn to sight read and improve my chops... switched to French Horn... upon entry into High School... I joined the VERY bad HS band... and as soon as the jerk found out I was in drum corps was TOLD you will quit drum corps now...

He's still trying to figure out what I meant when I told him he could uncurl my French horn and put it where it properly belongs...

I was friends with his daughter - she got it right away..

I spent the rest of high school emphasizing voice and music and left brass for drum corps...

When the jerk finally retired, he was replaced by Ed Lisk - a REAL band director... and the Oswego High School band became one of the elite bands in NY and remains that way today...

I had a similar problem in highschool. I was a viola player in orchestra all throughout middle school. My brother joined drum corps first, and I fell in love with the activity watching him. I joined myself in '92 (8th grade) and that year did both band and orchestra. When I transferred to highschool, I just stuck with band. I was first percussionist...at first. My corps had an opportunity to be extras in an opera that came to town. It was a blast. But my band from school got tickets to go see the opera. Now I knew from my older brother that the band director did not like drum corps and marching band (something about torn pants at a show once or something stupid like that). I did my best to keep it a secret. When my band director asked why I couldn't accompany them to see the opera, I had to tell him it was because I was in it. Then it came out how I got to be in this opera. The next day, I went from first percussionist, to second. The following year (my sophmore year), all the rest of the percussionists were asked to be in honors band. I wasn't. Not only was I not in honors band, I was dead last percussionist with a group of people who weren't as talented and younger than I. He always commented on my "drum corps" technique (which nothing had changed since my freshman year) and was just a jerk to me. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to work with another director, and he decided that he was going to retire with my class.

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I've never marched or played in a marching band. I have been a marching band director for several, also done some arranging and instruction, but No marching.

My dad Harvey, started in corps in 1937 and my mom Shirley, was a DM in the late 1940's were she met Harvey. I was born into corps, attending every practice and contest on the Grey Knights' schedule in the 50's.

The Martin family combined, has been active well over 200 years in corps. Of the four brothers, three are currently still involved. Tim is on the executive board of the Carolina Crown, Garry is on the board of the Rochester Crusaders and I am the director/performer of the Hit Men Brass Band.

I guess it's in the genes (blood) and not easily gotten rid of, anyway we love it!

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I had a similar problem in highschool. I was a viola player in orchestra all throughout middle school. My brother joined drum corps first, and I fell in love with the activity watching him. I joined myself in '92 (8th grade) and that year did both band and orchestra. When I transferred to highschool, I just stuck with band. I was first percussionist...at first. My corps had an opportunity to be extras in an opera that came to town. It was a blast. But my band from school got tickets to go see the opera. Now I knew from my older brother that the band director did not like drum corps and marching band (something about torn pants at a show once or something stupid like that). I did my best to keep it a secret. When my band director asked why I couldn't accompany them to see the opera, I had to tell him it was because I was in it. Then it came out how I got to be in this opera. The next day, I went from first percussionist, to second. The following year (my sophmore year), all the rest of the percussionists were asked to be in honors band. I wasn't. Not only was I not in honors band, I was dead last percussionist with a group of people who weren't as talented and younger than I. He always commented on my "drum corps" technique (which nothing had changed since my freshman year) and was just a jerk to me. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to work with another director, and he decided that he was going to retire with my class.

Quite a few stories of band directors being, well, unteacher-like or not very good mentors. I thought my situation was kind of rare.

I was pretty bitter about it at first, but then, I got to hear and see the band at a football rally a couple of weeks later. Now, I feel like I dodged a bullet in that regard. However, I do think I would have benefited from the music class I was kept out of and I would have been able to learn and keep up.

Makes me wonder why some teachers are like the ones mentioned here. Surely, most are wonderful, but what makes someone not want to teach a particular person or makes them hold a student back because they're in drum corps or something like that?

Just wondering...

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Didn't even learn about drum corps until after three years with the school band. Started on trumpet in 5th grade. Hadn't even marched a step until my dad came home from Circuit City one day and asked me if I wanted to join a drum and bugle corps. I responded with "Sure, what's that?"

Later, at my first drill camp, when one of the visual staff was describing what drum corps was I made the mistake of saying "oh, like the halftime shows at football games". That year ended well.

Edited by Matt Billock
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Quite a few stories of band directors being, well, unteacher-like or not very good mentors. I thought my situation was kind of rare.

I was pretty bitter about it at first, but then, I got to hear and see the band at a football rally a couple of weeks later. Now, I feel like I dodged a bullet in that regard. However, I do think I would have benefited from the music class I was kept out of and I would have been able to learn and keep up.

Makes me wonder why some teachers are like the ones mentioned here. Surely, most are wonderful, but what makes someone not want to teach a particular person or makes them hold a student back because they're in drum corps or something like that?

Just wondering...

Funny thing is your situation is not rare at all, I have heard of plenty of situations and actually heard a band director say that drumcorps doesn't teach you how to be a "Real" musician. My high school band couldn't play Chicago's "Does anybody know what time it is" mainly cause they couldn't keep time if they arrested it. :thumbs-up:

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i started following sr corps with the rochester crusaders in 1964. i started marching with them in 1967. as you can see by my signature i marched with crusaders and only crusaders.........and i'm proud of it. marching band was concidered a joke back then.

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drum corps first... started grade school trumpet lessons to learn to sight read and improve my chops... switched to French Horn... upon entry into High School... I joined the VERY bad HS band... and as soon as the jerk found out I was in drum corps was TOLD you will quit drum corps now...

He's still trying to figure out what I meant when I told him he could uncurl my French horn and put it where it properly belongs...

I was friends with his daughter - she got it right away..

I spent the rest of high school emphasizing voice and music and left brass for drum corps...

When the jerk finally retired, he was replaced by Ed Lisk - a REAL band director... and the Oswego High School band became one of the elite bands in NY and remains that way today...

Man I can sure relate with that !
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Quite a few stories of band directors being, well, unteacher-like or not very good mentors. I thought my situation was kind of rare.

I was pretty bitter about it at first, but then, I got to hear and see the band at a football rally a couple of weeks later. Now, I feel like I dodged a bullet in that regard. However, I do think I would have benefited from the music class I was kept out of and I would have been able to learn and keep up.

Makes me wonder why some teachers are like the ones mentioned here. Surely, most are wonderful, but what makes someone not want to teach a particular person or makes them hold a student back because they're in drum corps or something like that?

Just wondering...

That a--hole was jealous of you Marty , simple as that !
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